Honda - Accord :: 2013 V6 - Ping Or Knock Noise Under Certain Circumstances

My 2013 Accord V6 EX-L with 5,000 miles emits a strange sound, under certain circumstances. The sound is hard to describe but reminds me of the old days when your engine would "ping" or "knock" if you used gas with too little octane. Of course, the current Accord only requires regular gas. At any rate when cruising between about 45 and 60 MPH, if you push on the accelerator (not enough to cause a downshift) and especially if on a small incline, you hear a very distinct knocking or rattling sound. Over the past 6 months, the sound seems to become more frequent and noticeable.

I have been to the dealer and the service manager drove the car and agrees he hears the sound. But after consulting with Honda engineering they concluded it is "characteristic" of this engine. They say it emanates from the "paddles" (??) within the automatic transmission vibrating or rattling. After being told that, I drove 2 other 2013 V6 Accords on their lot, and they both made the same sound. My question is, do any other owners notice this? I find it very distracting and also disappointing after paying so much for a new vehicle only to own something that strikes me as deficient.

How can Honda produce and distribute a vehicle with this annoying and obtrusive characteristic? It is hard to believe they did not catch this and fix it during product development. I even drove a 2014 V6 Accord last week and could just make out the beginnings of this same sound, so apparently it was not engineered out for 2014. This makes me lose confidence in long term ownership of the vehicle as well as fearful of potential future transmission problems.