2.0 / 2.4 i-VTEC engine: faults and reliability

• 2.0 i-VTEC 156 and 2.4 i-VTEC 200 (K family, Accord VII)

  2003–2008 · 156–200 hp · K20A, K24A

  Buy

  We have not found a pattern of serious faults specific to the engine block in the sources consulted: owner reports for the Accord of this era mainly mention occasional oil consumption, one case of cold-start noises and minor problems at 80,000-150,000 km, with no timing failures. The sample of reports is small.^[4]

• 2.4 i-VTEC 200 hp (K24Z, Accord VIII)

  2008–2015 · 200 hp · K24Z

  Buy

  The 15 owner reports for the 2.4 on Fiches-auto.fr point to no specific engine fault; one owner says he sticks to the scheduled services. Small sample.^[3]

• 2.0 i-VTEC 156 hp (R20A, Accord VIII)

  2008–2015 · 156–157 hp · R20A

  Buy

  The Accord VIII 2.0 reports on Fiches-auto.fr (5) include no notable engine faults; the assessment rests on a very small sample.^[3]

• 2.0 i-VTEC 150-155 hp (R20A, CR-V III and IV)

  2007–2018 · 150–155 hp · R20A

  Buy

  Among 17 reports for the CR-V III and 11 for the CR-V IV, Fiches-auto.fr lists few engine faults: one case of oil consumption (1 l every 10,000 km) and one case of a VTC phaser on the IV; no failures of the block, injectors or flywheel.^[1][2]

• 2.0 i-VTEC Type R (K20Z, Civic VIII FN2)

  2007–2010 · K20Z

  With caution

  We have found no open reliability sources specific to the Type R FN2; as it is an engine used for sporty driving, check the maintenance and oil history before buying.^[7]

Buy: No known serious faults, or they have already been corrected, in this version. With caution: Worth buying if something specific is verified: history, a replaced part or a completed campaign. Avoid: High risk of a serious fault that is hard to check for or prevent.

1. 1High severityFrequency: OccasionalLubricationCamshaft wear and pitting on the 2.0 K20 (Accord VII, CR-V II, Civic)Early K20s (especially the 2003-2004 batch, K20A6) can pit the camshaft lobes, with knocking and loss of power, usually between 100,000 and 150,000 km. Honda strengthened the camshafts in the 2006 update (K20Z2) and many cases were resolved under warranty.
2. 2Low severityFrequency: RareLubricationExcessive oil consumption on the 2.0 / 2.4 i-VTEC engineIt is an occasional complaint, not a widespread fault: Fiches-auto.fr lists one case of 1 litre every 10,000 km on the CR-V IV 2.0 and several cases of consumption on the Accord 2.0/2.4. Honda has not published a campaign for it in the sources consulted.

Severity colours: low, medium, high, critical. How we rate them

Manufacturer

Honda Motor Co.

Family

i-VTEC (K y R)

Fuel

Petrol

Displacement

—

Cylinders

4

Fuel system

Naturally aspirated

Injection

Indirect injection

Timing

Chain

Power

150–200 hp

Production

2001–2016

Makes

Honda

Technical data^[7][8][9]

1. 2003–2008

   2.0 i-VTEC 156 and 2.4 i-VTEC 200 (K family, Accord VII)

   In Europe the Accord VII offered a 156 hp 2.0 and a 200 hp 2.4, both from the K family with i-VTEC and a timing chain.^[7][9]

2. 2007–2018

   2.0 i-VTEC 150-155 hp (R20A, CR-V III and IV)

   The European third- and fourth-generation CR-V uses the 2.0-litre R20A from the R family (SOHC, chain): about 150 hp in the CR-V III and 150-157 hp in the IV according to the source.^[8][10]

3. 2007–2010

   2.0 i-VTEC Type R (K20Z, Civic VIII FN2)

   High-revving sporty version of the K20Z family; Wikipedia places it in the Civic Type R FN2 (2007-2010). We have not verified the European power output in an open source.^[7]

4. 2008–2015

   2.4 i-VTEC 200 hp (K24Z, Accord VIII)

   The Accord VIII kept the 200 hp 2.4 (7,000 rpm) in Europe; the K24Z family was built until 2015.^[7][9]

5. 2008–2015

   2.0 i-VTEC 156 hp (R20A, Accord VIII)

   Replaced the K-family 2.0 with the single-camshaft (SOHC) R20A block and a timing chain, 157 hp according to Wikipedia.^[8][9]

• Timing chain kit

  • Buy part at Autodoc (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)

• Oil filter

  • Buy part at Autodoc (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)

• Air filter

  • Buy part at Autodoc (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)

• Spark plugs

  • Buy part at Autodoc (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)