Honda FIT
Reliability, NHTSA Complaints & Recall History
10 model years analyzed (2011–2020). All data sourced directly from the NHTSA public complaints and recall database — the same data used by federal regulators.
Checking a specific Honda FIT? Run a VIN check for its exact history.
⭐ NHTSA NCAP Crash Test Ratings
New Car Assessment ProgramNCAP crash tests measure how well a vehicle protects occupants in controlled frontal crash, side crash, and rollover scenarios. Stars are awarded per category (5 = safest). These laboratory results are independent of owner complaints and are performed by NHTSA engineers on new production vehicles.
AI Interpretation
High ConfidenceAverageNHTSA complaint data for the Honda Fit (2011–2020) shows the highest volume in the electrical system and air bags, with 2015 and 2013 model years receiving the most reports. Crash-related complaints are relatively low at 59 out of 1109 total. The data suggests potential areas of concern but does not confirm defects.
- Electrical system accounts for the most complaints (303) across all years.
- Air bags are the second most complained component (224 complaints).
- 2015 model year has the highest number of complaints (278).
- Electrical system issues, such as battery or wiring problems.
- Air bag system malfunctions or non-deployment.
- Fuel/propulsion system problems, including leaks or stalling.
2015 (278 complaints) and 2013 (174) have elevated complaints, driven largely by electrical system and air bag issues.
Model years 2014 (0 complaints), 2020 (32), and 2017 (42) show the fewest complaints, suggesting potentially better reliability or lower reporting.
- Inspect electrical system, including battery and wiring.
- Verify all open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
- Request service records for air bag and fuel system repairs.
- Have a mechanic inspect before purchase.
🔔 NHTSA Safety Recalls
48 recalls foundSafety recalls are mandatory repair campaigns ordered by NHTSA when a vehicle defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety. Manufacturers are required to fix recalled vehicles free of charge. Always verify open recalls before buying a used car.
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Source: NHTSA Recalls Database. Data covers model years 2011–2020. Always run a VIN-specific check below for the most up-to-date open recall status.
🔧 Most-Reported Problem Areas
Based on component keywords extracted from all 1,109 NHTSA complaints.
📋 NHTSA Complaint Reports
1,109 totalThese are consumer-submitted safety complaints filed directly with NHTSA. Each complaint describes a real owner's experience. Complaints flagged as crash-related or fire-related are highlighted.
The contact owns 2017 Honda Fit. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle hesitated. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed, and it was determined that cylinders #1, #2, and #4 had failed and cylinder #3 was currently operating. The mechanic performed a pressure test on all cylinders and that the cylinders needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure, and the contact was transferred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.
Rattling noise coming from engine when starting engine cold
When starting or stopping the engine with the push button, a mechanism makes a loud grinding noise.
Blue metallic paint has clear coat peeling and exposed base paint. Paint should last longer than 8 years, this is a manufacturing defect.
my wife's wedding finger was nearly amputated near the fingertip from our 2017 honda fit , it happened when she was getting out of the car and I was closing the electric windows on May 22 2025, luckily we had lots of napkins in the glove box to catch all of the blood,we went to emergency room and finger was x-ray'd and found out it was broken, they had to cut off wedding ring, er doctor stitched back together, prescribed antibiotics, and told her she needed to see a orthopedic surgeon in a week to do repairs I called and reported this to honda corp. And they said they would call and setup time to inspect vehicle, still have not received call yet There were no warnings or messages
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Fit. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact discovered that the paint all over the vehicle was delaminating and rusting. The failure occurred on several different occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the vehicle needed to be repainted. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 22,000.
Fuel gauage/odometer display glitches out and does not show the information. It is just a blank reading.
After replacing fuel injectors recently I have no warning lights on but the car has been stalling and pulling. Today on the freeway as I attempted to accelerate from 30 mph my car jerked and pulled 3 times harshly almost causing an accident. Still no warning lights and this has happened multiple times. I have submitted a prior concern and it has not been addressed and the problem only continues and has gotten worse.
The car will stall while on the freeway. Had fuel injectors replaced and still does not drive well. I am now being told I may have to look at the fuel pump which should be working automatically. I have now invested almost 3,000 on a car with less than 90,000 miles on it that is maintained religiously so that nothing happens to it.
Fuel injectors failed. Check engine light suddenly came on. There was fuel in the oil, putting safety at risk. Problem confirmed by a private auto service center. Had to replace fuel injectors and fuel joint pipe. The warranty on fuel injectors has been extended for 2015-2016 Honda Fits. Please help this get extended to the 2017 Honda fit because it is the same part and the same problem.
7/14/24 This scenario has happened previously. The first time the engine light, steering light, tire light have come on and remained on. Driving around 65 mph the car judders, loses power, & engine light flashes. Thankfully, there was a shoulder to pull over onto because the ability to maintain speed is lost. Also, the highway I was on has extremely busy portions without any shoulder, so the situation could have been much worse. With traffic all around, I have to put on hazard lights and pull over onto a shoulder filled with tons of debris, which I then got a flat tire, which I then I had to change in the side of the highway. The immediate loss of power and subsequent events is extremely dangerous. The vehicle is well maintained. When taken for diagnosis shops have referred me to the dealer. I’ve called Honda America customer service and am also referred to the dealer. Dealerships are extremely difficult, expensive, & unreliable. Through research I’ve found fuel injector and carbon buildup issues that may be the cause, which of course can cause damage of the engine and catalytic converter. The cost of these repairs is very high. Therefore, I am unable to use a basic economical vehicle I purchased out of necessity, which I can barely afford already, and has now become much more expensive due to major repairs that are needed but incomplete due to lack of funds. If I try to drive it I become a potential hazard on the road. This seems like a manufacturing defect if it is an injector issue. If it is carbon buildup on the intake valves it requires an expensive service not disclosed at purchase in the owners manual, which seems dishonest and deceptive. The private shops I’ve been to have diagnosed the issue as faulty fuel injectors, catalytic converter, or unsure. Honda says go to the dealership, yet without any assistance from Honda they will require a diagnostic fee of around $200 and will require expensive out-of-pocket repairs of a likely Honda defect.
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Fit. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the instrument cluster started to flicker. The contact stated that the speedometer, fuel gauge, and other gauges were fluctuating. The contact stated that the failure became a regular failure and occurred at various speeds. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the clutch gauge needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.
The odometer is completely useless, unable to tell mileage, fuel level and such. Several reports online of the same issue with honda fits. I could run out of gas unexpectedly, I don't know when its time to change oil.
Like 4 others on NHTSA, I am reporting intermittent cold start rattle coming from the VTC actuator. I have tried the following: cleaning the intake valves, changing the oil every 3k miles, using a high quality oil filter with a silicone drain back valve, and using Top Tier fuel on every fuel up. 2015-2016 Honda Fits have a TSB regarding this issue, and my 2017 Honda Fit also has this issue. @HondaMotorCompany, please right this design defect by releasing a TSB. I recommend replacing the VTC Actuator (Part#:14310-5R1-013), CAM CHAIN (Part#:14401-5K9-004), CAM CHAIN TENSIONER ARM (Part#:14520-5R0-003) and CAM CHAIN TENSIONER (Part#:14510-5R1-003). Thank you. Related to Complaint NHTSA ID NUMBERS: 11518951, 11507525, 11455247, and 11431811
The fuel gauge on the dash goes blank, especially when the weather is cooler, so you can't see how much fuel is in the car. This is obviously dangerous because you could run out of fuel. The problem has been reported by other honda fit owners and a google search brings up many complaints about this issue. It appears to be a design defect. Feel free to contact me if you would like to inspect the car.
At about 79330 miles, sharp right or left steering elicited a clunking sound. The dealer "found rack and pinion going bad, recommend replacing rack and pinion," If the steering mechanism were to fail while the car was moving, severe injury or death to the occupants or other persons could result. As noted, the car was inspected by the dealer's mechanic but not by a manufacturer's representative.
Chipping paint from the hood and drivers por and all four passenger doors have chipped paint and the bare metal is exposed. Started happening a couple months after I bought the vehicle and progressively getting worse. I have taken it to the dealer at Checkered Honda of Virginia. They said this car didn’t have any paint recalls but they mentioned some Honda civics and accords had paint issues.
Has about a 3 second engine rattle on cold start up, believed to be a defective variable valve timing gear.
Vehicle is experiencing intermittent fault with air-fuel ratio of cylinder. Problems began at 50,000 miles and the dealer recommended engine cleaning due to carbon buildup. This did not solve the issues. Warranty repair was refused at that time, and has since lapsed out of warranty. This results in a malfunction indicator lamp on the dash. Car has additionally failed to start on occasion, and varies greatly in the number of cranks necessary to start. Also sometimes experience shuddering and movement of the vehicle when stopped. The reliability of the vehicle is compromised, which is a significant safety issue.
P0420 code on a 2017 Honda Fit. The vehicle only has 46,000 miles on it. It’s too early for me replace my catalytic converter. I know previous fit has the same problems but Honda said it was fixed. It’s too expensive to go to the dealership to get it diagnosed properly to look for the problem. I just want this problem figured out before I spend monoey on getting it fixed the right way. Dealership hasn’t diagnosed the vehicle but wanted me to bring the car and get a new catalytic converter and new oxygen sensors. Needs to know what the main problem instead if replacing something that still currently works and no need to replace parts.
Showing 20 of 1,109 total NHTSA complaints. Source: NHTSA Complaints Database
Check a Specific Honda FIT
This page shows fleet averages across all 10 model years. Enter a VIN to see the exact accident history, odometer records, title brands, and open recall status for a specific car.
📖 Understanding This Data
What is an NHTSA Complaint?
An NHTSA safety complaint is a report filed directly by a vehicle owner or driver describing a safety-related issue. Anyone can submit a complaint at NHTSA.gov. The number of complaints is a signal of how common a problem is — but complaints per model-year matter more than raw totals, since popular vehicles naturally receive more reports. The Honda FIT has 1,109 complaints on record across 10 model years.
What is a Safety Recall?
A safety recall is a mandatory campaign issued by NHTSA when a vehicle component poses an unreasonable risk to safety or does not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards. Unlike complaints (which are owner-reported), recalls are formally investigated and confirmed by regulators. Manufacturers must fix recalled vehicles free of charge. The Honda FIT has 48 recall campaigns in the NHTSA database.
What Are Crash Complaints?
Crash complaints are NHTSA filings where the owner indicates a crash occurred as part of the incident. 59 of the Honda FIT's 1,109 complaints involved a crash. This metric is particularly important because it indicates how often defects resulted in actual collisions — a key safety signal beyond general reliability.
How Is the AI Rating Calculated?
The AI reliability rating (Average) is generated by analyzing the vehicle's total complaints, recall history, crash complaint ratio, fire complaint ratio, and top component failures relative to class averages. The rating provides a plain-English summary for buyers who want a quick verdict without parsing raw numbers. It is one input in your buying decision — always verify with a VIN-specific report.
Why Do Newer Years Have Fewer Complaints?
Newer model years appear to have fewer complaints because there has been less time for owners to file them. Complaints accumulate over years of ownership. A 2020 model year vehicle will typically show fewer complaints than a 2015 model year even if it is less reliable — simply because fewer owners have had time to report issues. Focus on complaints per year of market presence when comparing across model years.
Fleet Data vs. Individual VIN
Everything on this page reflects aggregated data across all Honda FIT vehicles on the road — not any specific car. Two Honda FIT vehicles of the same year can have very different histories: one may have been in three accidents and have an open recall; another may be clean. A VIN check gives you the individual car's history: accidents, title brands, odometer records, service history, and real-time recall status.
What Are NHTSA Investigations?
When NHTSA receives a pattern of related safety complaints, it opens a formal investigation. A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first stage — NHTSA determines if a safety defect may exist. If evidence is strong, it escalates to an Engineering Analysis (EA), which can result in a mandatory recall. The Honda FIT has 0 investigations on record (0 active). Investigations listed above may have already led to the recalls shown on this page.