It's not normal, take it to the dealer.

 

Short of crawling underneath and wiggling a few things to possibly find the culprit, I agree, bring it to the dealer to fix.
Putting it on the lift would make it much easier to diagnose the issue.

 

Yes. Noticed it around 600 miles. Took it to the dealer and the exhaust resonator was bad. They said it was fine to drive until the part came in. Took about 4 days for the part to come in and they said 90 minutes to fix (I was there for 2 hours). I've only driven it about 100 miles since the repair, but the noise is gone.

 

I think I have a similar sound, which occurs only on transition from coasting to light throttle. It's difficult to describe, sort of a low growling noise, which could be a resonance or an intake tract sound, but it hasn't bothered me enough to investigate. The source of the sound seems to be dead center ahead of the firewall, but location of such a noise is notoriously difficult to pin down I'm currently on a trip, with ~1850 miles on the car, and it hasn't changed since day one — neither better nor worse.

 

Back from a long trip, nearly 3000 miles on the HR-V now, and the noise hasn't gone away. It occurs on very light throttle between 1500-2000 rpm, which makes a resonance seem likely, and it sounds like it's centered on the firewall. I just poked and prodded everywhere I could reach under the hood, and could find no likely candidate, but there is a fiber shield on the firewall. It is secured on the lower left (looking back) with a nut that I could hand tighten, and seemed to have a little bit of flex at the lower right corner. I tightened the nut with my fingers, then jammed a piece of foam between the brake lines and the fiber shield. Now to to out for a drive....

 

got something that sounds similar to what you are describing, selden, mine occurs right at 2k rpm, sounds like it coming from cvt changing pitch maybe....gets very noticeably louder at 2k rpm whether you coming from lower or higher rpms.....gonna take a new one for a test drive when the dealer close to me gets one in and compare when i can...related to this, after reading about how easy it is to remove door panels, think i gonna put some soundproofing in those and probably on the firewall as well....maybe help

 

Just back from a short grocery trip. It's not the fiber shield on the firewall. I'm now 99% certain that this is a narrow range harmonic resonance, as it occurs exactly at 1500 RPM — not at 1400 not at 1600, and it happens on both acceleration and deceleration. Things like this can be a nightmare to track down, but having eliminated most of the possibilities in the upper engine compartment, the next step is to crawl under the car when it's cold to see if I can find any suspects.

 

I just got out from under the car, and I'm pretty certain that the problem is a heat shield resonance. There is a large heat shield, labeled T5R on the midline of the car, just aft of the engine. I stuffed some insulation between it and the pan of the car, and the noise seems to be reduced, although not entirely absent. I think I'll head to Home Depot tomorrow to pick up some foil faced fiberglass insulation, and experiment with putting it around the perimeter of one or more heat shields. This will preserve the air space that allows the heat shield to do its thing, but should damp the ability of the shield to start vibrating.

Update : I just finished stuffing small bits of fiberglass pipe wrap insulation in places between the heat shields and underbody where the metal seemed especially likely to vibrate. After a test drive, I'm reasonably sure that the noise has been substantially reduced, but not eliminated.

One other possibility (which I don't like to consider) is that there is something loose inside the catalytic converter. If it gets worse, I'll have a dealer look, but with the reduced noise, and the very narrow range (1500 ±50 RPM) at which occurs, it's just a minor annoyance.

 

very narrow range (1500 ±50 RPM)

How are you reading your tach that precisely?!??! Mine's so tiny...

 

actually got a call from the dealer that they had one in to drive, so tested it, no noise or vibration, salesman that sold me the hrv drove in mine, and immediately thought was an exhaust issue(he used to be honda mechanic) they think something got changed with the exhaust when the hitch was put on....gonna get it in next week

 

so went underneath and found out that my muffler was actually rubbing against the bolt for the hitch to the frame on that side, am guessing that is the culprit, pulled up instructions on the hitch installation, said nothing about having different muffler isolators....

 

Yet another update: After some more miles today, the rattle is still there, possibly less frequent than before, but certainly not gone. The solutions appear to be 1) Avoid 1450-1550 RPM range as much as possible; 2) Turn up the volume on the sound system. It seems to be less noticeable when the engine is cold, which supports a theory of something in the exhaust system other than a heat shield. If the car weren't so quiet otherwise, I probably would never have noticed the sound.

I'll probably pull the fiberglass insulation before I take it in for its first service, which will probably be around December.

 

My car makes same noise but for some reason only in Drive and the noise stops when in Sport mode - taking it in today because it's annoying to hear this noise in a brand new vehicle

 

To test your hypothesis, I just went out for a short drive, turning off both the sound system and the HVAC fan. Drive and Sport change nothing, as the rattle is still there at 1500 rpm. The only difference is that as a CVT, in Drive mode the transmission can hold the engine to a constant 1500 rpm through a range of road speeds, whereas in Sport mode it's more likely go through the resonant frequency quickly. On a long shallow uphill grade, I found that I could provoke the rattle at slow speeds in 6th or 7th. In fact, if I floored the gas pedal the sound was even worse, since the transmission wouldn't downshift to get out of the resonant range.

The only conclusive cause-effect relationship I have observed is that when the engine is cold (blue light on), the rattle doesn't manifest itself. As soon as it warms up even slightly (even before the blue light goes off), the rattle begins around 1450-1550 rpm.

Since stuffing small amounts of sound deadening fiberglass batting around the perimeter of the heat shields (to prevent them from vibrating) did nothing, I am convinced that the vibration originates somewhere inside the exhaust system, which might be an expensive repair, and dealers may not address it unless they receive a TSB from Honda. I hope I'm wrong, and you can report back what the dealer did to "fix" the problem. I hope the dealer doesn't say "They all do that" or "I didn't hear anything."

After weeks of experiments, including crawling under the car a few times, I'm as stumped as I was back in August. Driven more aggressively, the noise is so transient that it's almost unnoticeable, but knowing that it's there, I want to do something about it.

 

I have the same noise that is mentioned in this forum. After taking it to the dealer in Huntsville, AL 3 times they said they could not hear it. It is driving my wife and I mad. I am pretty sure it is the thin exhaust heat shield. I will take the comments from this forum back to the dealer and see if they can fix it. Thanks for the comment about the exhaust resonator being bad.

 

I'm not surprised. I suggest that when you take the car back to the dealer, you drive it, with one of their people in the passenger seat. You know how to provoke the noise, and to hold it at an engine speed that will keep it happening long enough for them to hear it.

 

Our new HRV-LXCVT has what sounds to be the same resonant vibration. It's especially bad from 20 to 40mph in eco mode. It reminds me of heat shields that were about to part company from older rusty cars I've owned. When it's really hammering I can actually feel it through the gas pedal.

Hugh

 

That's odd because I only hear the noise between 20- 35 MPHIL and it goes away completely if I change to sport mode? For some reason it only makes noise when lightly accelerating at lower rpm? Haven't taken it in to be checked yet.

 

Sciguy & Hrvatl : Watch the tach, not the speedometer. On mine this resonance occurs within a very narrow range, ~1450-1550 rpm. Unfortunately, in city traffic at low throttle with Econ on, the engine likes to stay in this range quite a bit. More aggressive driving minimizes the noise by reducing the time it's in the resonant range, but that's a work around, not a solution. It shouldn't be doing this at any engine speed.

 

I have it too. It's annoying.

 

I took the HRV into the dealer today and was lucky enough to catch the lead mechanic and take him for a demo ride. He could easily hear the noise and agreed it wasn't acceptable. Two hours later after several test drives they appear to have found and fixed the problem. Apparently a guard/clamp/fitting of some sort around the primary O2 sensor is a loose fit. They first did a test drive with this removed and they added a wrap of felt tape to take up the jiggle room. My 30 mile drive home was perfect. I still do "sense" a slight engine/drive train harmonic at ~ 1450rpm but it no longer causes a metal on metal amplified resonance.

Hope this helps some you folks.

Hugh

 

Thanks for the follow-up; this description sounds exactly like the sort of thing that would cause such a noise. I suspect that as more people report it, eventually Honda will issue a TSB, and all dealers will know how to deal with it.

I'll print this out and take it with me when I take my HR-V in for its first oil change this winter.

 

Following sciguy's tip, I put the front wheels on supports, and crawled under the car:

* Connection of the O2 sensor to the exhaust pipe: tight
* Bolt for bracket that supports the connector for the O2 sensor to the electrical system: tight
* Slight movement between connector and bracket

I cut a piece of firm closed cell foam (stuff used for cushion with a canoe or kayak) to fit, jammed it in place, crawled out from under the car, lowered it, and went for a test drive. The rattle is gone.

I'm 99.9% sure that the cause is a loose fit between the O2 sensor connector and the bracket that holds it, allowing the connector to vibrate and buzz at 1500 rpm. My solution puts a little bit of pressure on the connector, so that it can't move. This isn't an area that is close to the exhaust system, so it doesn't get hot. A better solution would probably be to use some silicone rubber around the perimeter to glue the connector to the bracket. But, there isn't much room to work up there, so this is good enough for now.

It only took 3 months, but this one is finally squelched.

 

* Slight movement between connector and bracket
...I'm 99.9% sure that the cause is a loose fit between the O2 sensor connector and the bracket that holds it, allowing the connector to vibrate and buzz at 1500 rpm. ...
It only took 3 months, but this one is finally squelched.

So what is the best way to let Honda know about this issue so they can correctly diagnose the other owners?

 

Thanks for the awesome picture, Selden.

My HRV also got some kind of vibrations noise. But I can only hear it when I slow down to make a right turn and then accelerate slowly after the turn. I will go under the car and see if I can jam something under the bracket. I have reported it to the dealership hopefully Honda will add this to the TSB soon.

 

My HRV also got some kind of vibrations noise. But I can only hear it when I slow down to make a right turn and then accelerate slowly after the turn.

That's the scenario: low speed, slow acceleration. Watch the tach when you hear the noise, and I'll bet it happens at ~1500 RPM. The resonance occurs within a very narrow range.


I posted the pictures because even though sciguy's description was absolutely correct, it didn't "click" in my mind until I was under the car. I sent a link to this topic to the guy who sold me the car yesterday, and encouraged him to inform his service department of the problem in case Honda hasn't issued a TSB.


If every HR-V owner here does so, that will be a lot of feedback. I'm considering printing out my photos, referencing this topic and sending Honda an old fashioned letter, since they don't seem to accept e-mail. Here is Honda contact information:


Honda Automobile Customer Service stands ready to answer questions and address concerns with your U.S. Honda vehicle. You may contact us several ways:
By Phone
(800) 999-1009 toll free
Monday through Friday
6:00 AM to 5:00 PM PT

Recalls: (888) 234-2138
By Twitter
Twitter.com/HondaCustSvc

By Fax
(310) 783-3023
By Mail
American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
Honda Automobile Customer Service
Mail Stop: 500 - 2N - 7A
1919 Torrance Blvd.
Torrance, CA 90501-2746

 

I will try to jam some foam under the bracket and see if this would fix the noise issue. If it does then I will call the service department and let them know so they can report it to Honda.

 

After enduring this noise for 3 months, now that I have several days without it, I am surprised at what a relief it has been to get rid of the annoyance. For me, this was the single largest fault of the car, and once the source had been identified, easily remedied

 

I agree the noise issue is not my biggest concern other than rotor scratches and doors dont close properly unless I slam them.

 

I agree the noise issue is not my biggest concern other than rotor scratches and doors don't close properly unless I slam them.

The front doors require a firm push because the door seals are so effective and the car is so airtight. If the rear hatch is open or the moonroof or windows are cracked, the front doors close quite easily; if everything is closed, compressing the air inside the car requires a little more force. Probably worse if you have the HVAC system set to recirc mode, which closes the vent.

 

Thanks for the posting. My HR-V is finally not making noise around 1500 RPM after wrapping the offending O-2 sensor brakes with some tape so it didn't rattle.

 

Just as a quick update, my wife and I just returned from a 2600 mile round trip to Florida and are happy to report that the O-2 sensor rattle has not returned. A couple of wraps with felt tape seems to have done the trick.

Hugh

 

Bringing back the thread. Got my first service done today and had a look underneath the car with the tech. I can confirm that the offending 1500RPM rattle is the connector as shown in the previous page. Mine was extremely loose. I couple of wraps with some electrical tape fixed the problem.

 

Thanks for the confirmation. Did you suggest this to the tech, or did they figure it out on their own?

 

Thank you Selden for the pictures, the noise has been driving my wife crazy. Even to the point of wanting to trade it in for a CR-V. I got under the car today and unbolted the bracket at both spots. The other spot you guys can't see in the pictures is where it bolts to the heat shield. Took some insulating foam that goes behind home outlet covers and put them between the heat shield and bolt and the bracket and body to give it a little cushion. Then did the same in the picture by using foam taped on the bracket with electral tape. Hopfully this will correct the issue and I don't have to hear about the sound anymore.

Razor

 

Thank you Selden for the pictures, the noise has been driving my wife crazy.

A picture is worth 1000 words....