Honda is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 honda fit vehicles. There is a potential for one or more of the four spring assemblies on the engine's variable valve timing and lift electronic control (vtec) system to fail.
Engine & cooling
Honda Fit Engine problems by year
79 complaints filed with NHTSA about the Honda Fit's engine & cooling. Stalling, loss of power, oil consumption, overheating, head gaskets, timing chains and engine failure.
Engine complaints by model year
Engine recalls
Latest Fit engine complaints
I was in a wreck where I tried to switch lanes from the left to the right, and my power train switched off- which caused electrical parts to splatter into my engine. I then lost control of the power steering. I tried to over correct twice and crashed into the highway divider to avoid hurting anyone else. The only airbags that went off were the passenger side- no driver's side, front or center. The evidence of the vehicle will show this along with my bodily injuries.
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Fit. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. While driving approximately 55 MPH or faster, there was a misfire coming from the engine. The contact stated while driving at slower speeds, the vehicle was wobbling. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that there was a misfire coming from all 4-cylinders. The mechanic test-drove the vehicle and the passenger's side front axle shaft detached from the vehicle. Due to the failure, the...
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dealer was unable to further diagnose the vehicle to determine what parts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted; however, the contact was unable to speak with the mechanic. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 138,500. The VIN was unavailable.
The contact owns a 2011 Honda Fit. The contact stated while driving uphill at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The maintenance warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil and fuel. The contact stated that after refueling the vehicle fully, the fuel gauge displayed a half tank. The vehicle was taken to several independent mechanics, the dealer, and a second dealer, The Auto Connection (10910 Midlothian Tpke, Richmond, VA 23235), where it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 86,691.
Three instances of engine misfiring, causing the car to immediately go into a speed limiting mode during driving. This is a major safety hazard and can happen in the middle of high speed driving. The first instance was a 52K miles, second at 69K miles, and third at 130K miles. The most recent instance resulted in the spark plug ejecting from the cylinder head, melting into the coil pack, and stripping out the cylinder head thread. This resulted in a costly repair.
While driving on the highway, my 2010 Honda Fit Sport automatic with 134,000 miles going around 60 mph lost power and started making sputtering noise. Fortunately, there was still some power left, and I was able to navigate to the shoulder of the highway. I turned off the car and turned It back on again and the Check Engine Light came on. I plugged in my BlueDriver diagnostic tool and it says Cylinder 2 Misfire. When I placed it in Drive, the car was making sputtering noise from the Engine Bay Area and would not...
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accelerate, leaving me stranded on the side of the highway. I was lucky enough to maneuver the limping car in the middle of rush hours to the side of the highway. It's a miracle I didn't get into an accident, as the car lost power and was not accelerating properly. The mechanic did a diagnostic and said that Cylinder 2 spark plug blew, commonly due to the plugs coming loose, damaging the spark plug and ignition coil on cylinder 2. I searched the internet and found that other 2nd generation Honda Fit ('09-'13) owners also had spark plugs that came from the factory/ tightened to factory specification to only come loose again. I could have died or have gotten into a serious accident. Because of this horror story and being stuck on the highway for 4 hours, I will unfortunately never buy a Honda again, a brand that was supposed to be reliable.
The contact owns a 2012 Honda Fit. The contact stated he noticed a strong odor of gasoline inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the mechanic stated that spark plug #3 was loosened. The ignition wire was replaced, and the spark plug was tightened. The manufacturer was contacted, and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was 65,000.
Driving down the highway the spark plug was blown out of the engine head and the car lost power immediately. The car has approximately 12,000 miles and all OEM parts from the manufacture. Maintenance was kept up on the car. This is extremely dangerous since this highway is usually busy with cars and tractor trailers. My son was in the left lane and was almost hit by a tractor trailer due to the violent explosion of the spark plug being blown out of the engine. In addition, was unable to get over to the...
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shoulder of the road and had to stop in the left-hand lane on route 80 in NJ which is very dangerous. Both of my sons were in the car when this occurred. The car was towed to my licensed mechanic who confirmed that the spark plug was blown out of the engine which caused the loud noise and loss of power. There was no warning, symptoms or messages before this occurred which is why I am extremely concerned for the safety of others who own this type of vehicle.
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Fit. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated continuously. The vehicle was able to restart after waiting. The failure recurred four times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the ignition coils needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The contact mentioned the vehicle was shuddering while accelerating the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to...
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the dealer where it was diagnosed that the cylinders, valves, spark plugs, and head gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000.
Spark plugs number 1 & 2 came loose and cause vehicle to suddenly loose power on highway. The loose sparkplugs damaged the ignition coils and the car would only run at about 15 mph which was dangerous on the highway. When inspected the number 3 & 4 plugs were still tight. Sparkplugs and ignition coils needed replacement. Around 90000 miles on vehicle. Date is also approximate
#2 Spark plug ejected at 90k miles. In motion. Rough idle resulted and low rpm's. Towed for repair. Read online of many others with same situation.
Spark plug blowout, threads ripped on cylinder 3. Car lost power and ejected spark plug on highway.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 honda fit. The contact stated that while driving 5 mph, the vehicle independently accelerated. The contact stated she turn the steering wheel to right and depressed the brake pedal. The contact stated the vehicle began to move forward. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to independent mechanic however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact called paragon honda located at 57-02 northern blvd, woodside, ny 11377, 718- 508-5000...
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and plaza honda located at 2722 nostrand ave, brooklyn, ny 11210, 718-253-8400, but was unable to speak to a representative at neither dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact was also unable to reach a representative with the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 58,191.
The starter in all of these vehicles goes bad very fast. Stating with an odd sound of metal to metal on cold starts (due to the starter not retracting fast enough) 5 people that live near me have all had the same problem my car is now doing it again with a 3 year old replacement denso oem honda starter, honda needs to fix this...
Fuel mixing in with the engine oil . After changing the oil or checking the dip stick the engine oil smells heavily like fuel. Fuel is somehow mixing with the engines oil . Vehicle was parked when I noticed the fuel smell inside the cabin and then proceeded to check the oil.
A spark plug on the third cylinder blew out and stripped the threads on the cylinder. The blow out caused an electrode to break off and damaged one of the valves. I made honda america aware of the problem and asked them to honor a "goodwill" warranty since, despite being two years outside of the warranty, my car only has 44,000 miles on it and this is a known issue with this make/model of car. Honda refused. The total cost of repairs will likely be $4,000.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data