Class Action Filed Over Alleged VTC Actuator Defect in Certain Honda CR-V, Accord, Crosstour Vehicles

New to ClassAction.org? Read our Newswire Disclaimer

Fourteen consumers have filed a proposed class action in which they claim 2012-2014 Honda CR-Vs, 2012 Honda Accords and 2012-2015 Honda Crosstours contain a defective variable timing control (VTC) actuator, an engine component responsible for adjusting valve timing.

Want to stay in the loop on class actions that matter to you? Sign up for ClassAction.org’s free weekly newsletter here.

The 113-page case claims that the alleged defect, which often causes affected vehicles to emit a grinding and/or rattling noise at cold startup, has been proven by Honda in a 2011 study to stretch the vehicle’s timing chain and cause premature failure of the timing chain tensioner. 

According to the suit, damage to these internal engine components can cause catastrophic engine failure and lead to accidents, which presents an “extreme and unreasonable” safety hazard to drivers, passengers and pedestrians.

The lawsuit alleges the automaker, despite being aware of the defect, has failed to recall affected vehicles or offer drivers reimbursements or a suitable repair or replacement free of charge. Instead, customers with expired warranties must pay an average of $500 for a replacement VTC actuator Honda rolled out in 2016 and upwards of $1,000 if the timing chain, timing chain tensioner and related components require replacement, the complaint says.

One plaintiff, a 2012 Honda CR-V owner who the lawsuit claims is a part of the “[h]undreds, if not thousands” of purchasers and lessees who have experienced the defect, says he had to pay $1,677 out of pocket to have his VTC actuator, timing chain, timing chain tensioner and other associated parts replaced. As the case tells it, the man first noticed an intermittent rattling noise from his vehicle at startup that gradually increased until the car began to experience a loss of power while driving in 2021.

Per the filing, Honda first discovered the defect during its pre-release designing, manufacturing, engineering and testing processes. Then, after Honda first released the vehicles in 2012, a flood of consumer complaints, data surrounding warranty claims, internal investigations and dealership repair orders further underlined the automaker’s awareness of the defect, the suit asserts.

Honda also explicitly admitted in at least three technical service bulletins issued to its dealers in 2011, 2012 and 2016 that the affected vehicles contained a defective VTC actuator but, “in an egregious violation of its duties under the law, continued to use the defective component throughout the time that it manufactured the Class Vehicles,” the filing charges.

The suit says Honda failed to disclose and actively concealed the VTC actuator issue from consumers at the time of purchase. The plaintiffs claim that when purchasing their vehicles at the dealership, the sales representative never informed them that the cars suffered from a defect. The lawsuit alleges that the plaintiffs would never have bought their vehicles had they known of the problem.

“Defendants have deprived Class Members of the benefit of their bargain, exposed them all to a dangerous safety Defect, and caused them to expend money at their dealerships or other third-party repair facilities and/or take other remedial measures related to the VTC Defect contained in the Class Vehicles,” the complaint summarizes.

The lawsuit looks to represent anyone in the United States who purchased or leased a 2012-2014 Honda CR-V, 2012 Honda Accord or 2012-2015 Honda Crosstour.

Get class action lawsuit news sent to your inbox – sign up for ClassAction.org’s free weekly newsletter here.