Symptom explainer · every vehicle on the site
Timing chain or cam phaser rattles
Most reported: 2018 Ford F-150 with 227 reports. Across the 64 model years on this site with at least five, owners filed 1,348.
- 1,348owner reports
- 64model years affected
- 75,000median miles
- 6involved a crash
- 4involved a fire
This sheet is about a rattle from the front of the engine, often at its worst right after a cold start, that dealers trace to the timing chain or the cam phasers. It's heavily concentrated: the 2017 to 2019 Ford F-150 accounts for about four in ten of these complaints across the site.
Which cars report it most · By model · When it happens · What it is and what to do
The 25 vehicles with the most reports
Each row is one model year. The bar is its count of timing chain failure reports; the share is how much of that car's complaint file this problem takes up. Bigger sellers draw more reports, so read the share alongside the count. Red dots mark crashes and fires in these reports; amber marks a recall on the same system.
- 12018 Ford F-150recall22710% of its complaints66k mi
- 22017 Ford F-150recall16411% of its complaints73k mi
- 32019 Ford F-150recall13610% of its complaints72k mi
- 47715% of its complaints73k mi
- 57219% of its complaints83k mi
- 6467% of its complaints90k mi
- 7377% of its complaints102k mi
- 83111% of its complaints80k mi
- 92014 Honda CR-V1 crash306% of its complaints60k mi
- 102911% of its complaints100k mi
- 112016 Chevrolet Equinox1 fire267% of its complaints70k mi
- 12248% of its complaints99k mi
- 132014 Ford F-1501 fire221% of its complaints82k mi
- 142016 Honda Pilot1 crashrecall191% of its complaints105k mi
- 152016 Ford Explorerrecall161% of its complaints105k mi
- 162016 Ford F-150recall161% of its complaints60k mi
- 172017 Ford Focusrecall152% of its complaints80k mi
- 182017 Hyundai Santa Ferecall141% of its complaints120k mi
- 19134% of its complaints82k mi
- 20131% of its complaints83k mi
- 21132% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 222018 Ford EcoSport1 crashrecall132% of its complaints70k mi
- 232018 Ford Escaperecall131% of its complaints106k mi
- 24122% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 25118% of its complaintsfew mileages
Where it dominates the complaint file
Model years with at least 25 reports, ranked by the share of all their complaints that describe timing chain failure. That takes most of the sales-volume effect out (small sellers still swing more).
- 17219% of its complaints83k mi
- 27715% of its complaints73k mi
- 32017 Ford F-150recall16411% of its complaints73k mi
- 43111% of its complaints80k mi
- 52911% of its complaints100k mi
- 62019 Ford F-150recall13610% of its complaints72k mi
- 72018 Ford F-150recall22710% of its complaints66k mi
- 8377% of its complaints102k mi
- 9467% of its complaints90k mi
- 102016 Chevrolet Equinox1 fire267% of its complaints70k mi
By model, every year together
The 12 models with the most reports. Each chip is a model year; the darker chip is its worst year.
- Ford F-150584
When it happens
898 of the 1,348 reports state a mileage. The middle half fall between 57,000 and 100,300 miles; the median is 75,000. Each column is a 20,000-mile band.
Reports by model year
Every report of timing chain failure, grouped by the model year of the car. 6 involved a crash and 4 a fire. 6 people were hurt.
What owners describe
Share of the 1,348 reports that use each phrase. One report can use several.
What got replaced
Reports that name the part, across every vehicle.
What it is and what to do
The timing chain (or belt, on some engines) is how the crankshaft turns the camshafts, which open the valves at the right moment. A chain runs with tensioners and guides that keep it taut, and those can wear out even when the chain itself is fine. Cam phasers belong to the same timing system, which is why dealers often name them together with the chain. Cars.com's explainer notes that a chain is lubricated by engine oil, so oil changes on schedule help it last, and that many chains last the life of the car.
In the roughly 1,350 complaints here, about half mention the cam phasers and a bit over a third the chain itself. The median mileage owners give is about 75,000. One in five mentions warranty coverage of some kind, so ask about it before paying.
The reason not to ignore it is what happens if the timing lets go. On an interference engine the pistons can hit the valves when a chain or belt breaks, bending them and causing major internal damage. About one report in ten here mentions the engine failing, dying or seizing.
Timing parts can take an engine down in other ways too. NHTSA's investigation into timing belt failures on some 2015 to 2018 Ford Focus and 2015 to 2017 Fiesta cars with the 1.0L engine found the belt material could break down and clog the oil pump's pickup screen, and owners described an oil pressure warning just before the power went. It began as PE25-020 in December 2025 and was upgraded to engineering analysis EA26-004 in July 2026. Honda's 19V-298 replaced timing belts on some 2018 and 2019 Pilots, MDXs and other V6 models after teeth could separate from the belt and stall the engine.
Only about 2 percent of owners here mention a stored code for cam and crank correlation, so the noise itself is often the main evidence. Pinning it down means looking at the chain, its tensioners and guides, and the phasers.
If the rattle is getting louder or lasting longer after start-up, or the check engine light comes on with it, book the car in before the next long trip. Tell the mechanic how long the noise lasts, whether it's only on a cold start, and when the oil was last changed (bring the receipts). Check NHTSA's recall lookup and the manufacturer bulletins on NHTSA's site. If you're under warranty, get the noise written up now; the FTC says a defect reported during the warranty period must be fixed even if coverage ends before the repair.
Sources
- Timing belt vs. timing chain, Cars.com
- NHTSA investigations PE25-020 and EA26-004, timing belt failure, Ford Focus and Fiesta (NHTSA investigation file)
- NHTSA recall 19V-298, Honda and Acura timing belt
- Check for recalls, NHTSA
- Resources related to investigations and recalls (manufacturer communications), NHTSA
- Warranties, FTC Consumer Advice
- Complaint counts, mileages and phrase shares: NHTSA complaint files as tallied on this site
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints on the 1,040 vehicle model years that have a page here, grouped by the word patterns described on the method page. A vehicle needs five matching reports to be counted in this ranking. Checked Sep 27, 2026. All problem explainers.