If Your New Honda Hybrid Powertrain Makes This Noise, Do Not Panic, There Is A Good Reason

Some Honda owners, with hybrid models, have reported noise from the engine bay at very low miles.

Honda has been an example of reliability, rivalling the likes of Toyota. This is especially true for the company’s engines, including Honda hybrid powertrains.. But with modern cars being more complex, there is more potential for things to go wrong. While late to the BEV party, Honda hybrid powertrains quickly became some of the most potent powertrains in their segment. The new Honda Civic e:HEV matches the equivalent Toyota Corolla hybrid in terms of fuel economy while surpassing its performance by a significant margin.

But things aren’t as trouble-free as we would like. Recently, the owner of a 2024 Honda Accord hybrid reported an issue that could potentially lead to expensive repairs. The owner is a member of the Drive Accord forum, where he posted the following:

“Has anyone had an issue of weird noise coming in from their hybrid Honda Accord 2024. This noise is from the engine bay and dealership is saying it’s normal for all hybrid Honda Accords. 
The noise started coming in after I clocked in 5500 miles and which means it’s normal or else it would have been coming from the very first day.” 

The Honda hybrid powertrain, used in the eleventh-generation Accord isn’t vastly different from the previous generation of the Japanese sedan. However, some revisions have optimized the powertrain in terms of efficiency. That said, this issue is only now being reported and not listed as one of the model’s common problems. While some variants of the previous-generation Honda Accord are tailored to enthusiasts, you might be better off with one of these upcoming Japanese sports cars, some of which already available.

The reason behind the Honda Accord hybrid’s alarming noise is simple

The owner updates each step of the process of identifying the issue. After a visit to the dealership, it was revealed to the Honda owner that the issue was caused by the high-pressure fuel pump. A forum member, familiar with this issue explained the clicking noise in more detail:

“Probably so. They do make a noise, especially if the oil change is past due. The cam that works the high-pressure fuel pump rides on a thin film of oil.” 

The 2024 Honda Accord hybrid developed the clicking noise from the engine bay after just 5,500 miles (8,851 km), but the owner drove another 2,000 miles (3,210 km) before taking it to the dealer. New cars have a breaking-in period of the engine. There are divisive opinions on whether or not metal shavings are normal to appear on the oil filter after the first oil change. The owner has not reported that yet, but it seems the Honda Accord in question is due for its first oil change.

To be fair, I have never seen metal shavings after a first oil change. In this case, the clicking noise should indicate that the original engine oil’s lubricating properties have started to deplete. However, this is a rare occurrence on new cars. Could it be a miscalculation on Honda’s part? Can the new Honda hybrid powertrain feature a defective part or is it a wrong calculation when determining the correct oil for it? We will follow this and other similar cases as they appear, and update accordingly.

2024 Honda Accord specifications