WASHINGTON (WJLA) – It is the best-selling SUV of the decade, Motor Trend’s top pick for 2015, a brand with a beloved following. So, how could Honda let the CR-V off the assembly line with a vehicle vibration issue?
“I get in and it's frustrating. This is not the Honda experience I knew,” said Tom McFerran, an optical engineer from Maryland, who turned in his trusty 2009 Honda Civic for a souped-up 2015 CR-V in November.
“The driving aside, I love the vehicle,” McFerran told 7 On Your Side.
McFerran’s complaint centers on a strong vibration felt when the car is idling in drive mode, and periodically when he accelerates. He took the vehicle back to his local Honda dealership within two months of purchasing it and the mechanic documented that he did “duplicate” the vibration.
In an online forum for CR-V owners, there were more than 600 comments and 83,000 views regarding vibration while idling. Drivers called it “annoying,” “aggressive,” and in one extreme example, “nauseating.” One of the drivers quipped that he spent $30,000 for a “massage chair.”
Close to two dozen people have filed official reports with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, complaining that the “vehicle vibrates like the transmission is shuddering and slipping,” “the car just vibrates really crazy,” and “not only causes annoyance, but also distracts driver.” A few drivers wrote that they don’t feel safe driving the highly popular SUV.
When 7 On Your Side took a test drive in a CR-V, we did not experience the vibration while driving, but when we stepped outside of the vehicle while it was idling, we could witness the car shaking, similar to what you can see in this video posted on YouTube.
Honda spokesman Chris Martin responded right away to 7 On Your Side’s request for information. He explained that Honda is aware of the situation and is researching whether a meaningful fix can be forthcoming. He expects one this year.
“Consumers’ complaints are valid,” said Martin. “But this is a characteristic of the vehicle. While it may be annoying, it’s not a detriment to safety.”
Martin explained that the very same engine in its Accord model is in the 2015 CR-V, so Honda does not believe that the engine is the problem. He recommended that consumers who experience the vibration take the car to their dealers to have it documented, but he said a swap for another vehicle would not be called for.
However, one driver in Montgomery County wrote to 7 On Your Side, explaining that his dealership, Pohanka Honda in Capitol Heights, Maryland, took the extraordinary step of giving him his money back for his 2015 Honda CR-V after he complained about a “significant” vibration within days of purchasing the vehicle.
So far, drivers report that Lemon Laws have not been helpful. They vary state to state, but typically there has to be a defect that results in the vehicle’s impairment; something must be broken before it can be fixed. If the vibration is a “characteristic” of the car, and safety or function is not compromised, the Lemon Law may not apply.
Maryland Lemon Law
Virginia Lemon Law
Washington, D.C. Lemon Law
McFerran hopes for a legitimate fix from the automobile company, but he does not plan to keep his CR-V, thus ending a long love affair with the brand.
“I will sell it or trade it,” he said. “I can’t pay $30,000 and live with vibrations every day.”