What 281 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Honda Fit

Engine Control Module failed, all warning lights come on, gauges turn off. Engine Control Module failure can cause the car to function erratically and even stall while driving.

NHTSA ODI 11639537

The multi-information display" (MID) which indicates information like the odometer, trip meter, outside temperature, fuel economy, and warning messages goes blank or presents as gibberish. It may only "come to life" randomly.

NHTSA ODI 11632124

UNKNOWN- 2015 Honda Fit has been driving perfectly until 2 days ago I came to a red light and it lost power and shut off. Waited for a few hours cranked and shuts off.

NHTSA ODI 11628740

UNKNOWN- Vehicle gas gauge cuts off all of a sudden and takes a while to come back on.

NHTSA ODI 11628741

recall notice for starter system, took in for repair, part in notice replaced but car now not starting again and had starter system lights on again. As per service records car has has the problems since 2016/17 while under warranty and recall repair done at Honda. The “ grinding” knock/tap noise from engine has never been repaired and until 7/2023 Honda was “ unable to diagnose” it. Westshore Honda- Tampa diagnosed it as “ VTC” ( which is inside the motor) and other folks have had the well documented problem The no start is seemingly with the electrical system, per Honda service records and switch replaced when in for recall repair in 7/23 as well but car again having same problem. I’m unable to drive car.

NHTSA ODI 11626989

Digital odometer randomly glitches out and sometimes completely blanks out. I am not able to view my fuel gauge at all nor see mileage. There are no other electrical problems as I just had my battery checked so I don’t know the cause of this as it doesn’t always happen while driving. This has happened randomly several months ago and started up again.

NHTSA ODI 11626446

This has to do with the seatbelt retractor lock malfunctioning (not unlocking after being given back belt on slack). I have not reported to a dealer or police, but am happy for someone to inspect my vehicle. There were no warnings before this happened. My 9 year old child was in the back seat (passenger side) wearing the car seat belt, sitting in her booster seat. She was trying to remove her soccer kit to put on her bathing suit. The seat belt became wrapped around her body and twisted, cinching up at her waist. The retractor became locked and would not release any belt back out. Initially she had a fair amount of slack. I helped to release any tension from the line and fed back in about 2" of seat belt slowly without any tension, and then slowly tried to pull back out, but the retractor stayed locked. I attempted this several more times allowing >1" of belt back into the retractor at lest 3 times, but the locking mechanism never release, and the belt became dangerously tight on her abdomen. Eventually, my spouse came and held the belt in place (so it couldn't retract more) while I had my child curl up in a ball and I turned her whole body upside down to release the twist in the belt at her waist, and she was finally able to crawl free. It was very distressing that the standard mechanism for releasing the retractor lock (feeding the retractor more seat belt without tension, then slowly trying to pull some back out) was not working and there was no safety mechanism to release the lock.

NHTSA ODI 11615520

VTC Actuator rattles at cold start. Dealer says may cause problem in the long run. Seems like manufacturing defect that Honda should fix

NHTSA ODI 11614559

Defective Driver Seat Airbag

NHTSA ODI 11607277

The paint on my car is chipping off in huge chunks. It is painted with the NH788P the White Orchid Pearl Tricoat. I saw online that I was not the only one with this issue. The severity of this paint chipping can cause my car to rust out and it's outrageously costly to repaint the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11604918

I see there is a recall related to a fault that may prevent the rearview camera image from booting up and being displayed on the dash for 2017 - 2020 Fits. While relatively uncommon, this also happens on my 2015 Fit. In addition, sometimes the Lane Watch feature shows the backup camera instead of the right side of the car when activated. This has happened for 10 years but only a handful of times per year. It generally corrects by shutting the car off and restarting it after a minute. It seems as the problem is not specific to the 2017 - 2020 Fit as I'm also having this issue.

NHTSA ODI 11593730

Fuel gauge/trip meter intermittently inoperative (blank or shows gibberish). When the fuel gauge and trip meter are inoperative, it’s not possible to determine the level of fuel in the tank. In this condition, the vehicle could run out of fuel without warning, causing an engine stall condition. If the engine stalls while the vehicle is being operated on a public highway, this condition increases the likelihood of a collision resulting in injury or death.

NHTSA ODI 11584476

Right rear passenger window spontaneously shattered. I heard a loud pop while driving. Didn’t see any damage when I returned home a few minutes later. About an hour later when I was pulling out of my garage the window simply shattered for no apparent reason. I took car to ACE auto glass for repair an they put a new window in but the regulator needs replacing an Geico is taking there time about processing my claim. I don’t have paperwork on repair as it hasn’t been completed. I do have pictures of broken window.

NHTSA ODI 11577389

While driving. the engine failed. Loss of power, smoke. Would not start. Entire engine compartment covered with oil. Car towed to mechanic. Who said a hole had been blowout the size of a fist. Engine would have to be replaced.

NHTSA ODI 11576903

P219alA code appears; supposed fuel injector issue after trying smaller fixes (MAF sensor, air filter) with no luck. Just purchased from local dealer a few weeks ago.

NHTSA ODI 11571574

The floor of the driver seat and the floor of the front passenger seat continuously flood after it rains. I have dried the floors with a vacuum and checked for any potential leaks or blockages. However, I cannot find any blockages or leaks that are causing the floors of the car to flood, and it continues to flood after it rains. Besides the floors, nothing else is wet--the seats themselves are dry, and the steering wheel and dashboard all look dry. I am worried this water can lead to the floors rotting or retaining water and having mold--which will be a health concern.

NHTSA ODI 11563347

Digital fuel gage and odometer flickers intermittently or displays incorrect information

NHTSA ODI 11557611

Main display that shows mileage, gas levels, maintenance needs, etc malfunctions - sometimes it goes wonky, sometimes it disappears altogether. It is obviously not safe to not see your maintenance lights or mileage to know when to predict the maintenance. The dealer I take the car to said unless they could replicate the issue, they couldn't do anything. The issue occurs intermittently, often in the middle of a drive, but not currently constant. There are many many other people tho on Honda forums who have this problem also, and theirs is constant, so it's just a matter of time for mine to be constant as well. The issue started earlier this year. There is no error code associated with it so there is no diagnosis for the dealer to give it.

NHTSA ODI 11548682

Over last 2-3 years (50-70k miles), intermittent but now more consistent and loud grinding sound that lasts <1 second after push to start. Only occurs typically on a cold start (after engine has been sitting >12 hours, typically in garaged/cooler ambient temperature). Otherwise no issues with performance, no error messages. This is a known issue with VTC actuator (Honda released TSB 16-088) for this. I was told by the dealer that this can lead to catastrophic failure with the engine as it relates to the timing belt and the drivetrain. I was quoted $2100 for this repair. If it is true that there is a known defect that can lead to catastrophic failure, this should be covered by an extended warranty or recall.

NHTSA ODI 11541020

My check engine light came on, but shut off by the time I was able to see a repair shop. I needed a smog, but they decided to check my car first to see why the light came on and went away. It had to do with the fuel injector/catalytic converter. He wanted me to drive it a bit and come back to see if it would go away. It did not, even though my lights remained off and the car was operating fine. Had I not needed the smog check, I would have canceled the appointment and not known. After doing research, it is common for fuel injectors on my car to fail due to a faulty part. Honda issued an extended warranty, but even after calling for more information, they were unhelpful. I ended up paying $3,000 to resolve this. My car is a 2015 and just hit 85k miles. Honda should be informing owners of this issue.

NHTSA ODI 11536153

There is a very loud clunking or loud clicking sound coming from the front right brakes. I took the vehicle to the dealership to be looked at 4 times and the final determination was it was a brake clicking which the service advisor described as normal. The noise is so loud specially when cold it feels like something is going to break at some point. He said the manufacturer did this on purpose to keep the brakes from overheating. I have done some research and it has happened to many other Honda owners as well. It just feels so unsafe to drive a vehicle with that noise every time you drive it specially when its brakes related.

NHTSA ODI 11530185

Before I parked, all was fine and the car felt safe, two hours later, I start the car and it has four warning lights on. Now I don't have Hill Start Assist and the car feels like it might 'go out' on me, I think something will keep it from running soon. About two weeks prior, even with keys in the car and with a full battery in both the keys and car, the car doesn't start with the first push of the 'engine start' button (maybe there is a connection here). O'Reilly helped me check the codes, and it states that I should replace the Ignition Coil, as well as the Throttle Body and it is giving the code, P0303: Cylinder 3 Misfire Detected. After some research online, it seems like the Fuel Injectors might need to be replaced as the ones that come with Honda tend to malfunction. Perhaps the TSBs (www.truedelta.com/Honda-Fit-tsbs-99,2015) should be put into consideration. I believe this is what has caused the Hill Start Assist to stop working which further makes me feel like the vehicle is unsafe to drive for me and for others. We are both put at risk because I am not sure what will happen with it next. I live where there are a lot of hills, Hill Start Assist was a huge factor as to why I thought this car would be safe to drive here. I have yet to visit a Dealer or Independent Service Center. The Vehicle has been inspected by O'Reilly's Code Scanner only and myself. In the attached pictures, one is showing the warning lights that now come on at the start of the car, and the other is showing about a minute later how another light turns on.

NHTSA ODI 11529981

The contact owns a 2015 Honda Fit. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started decelerating. Additionally, while the accelerator pedal was depressed, the engine revved, but the vehicle failed to accelerate. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V574000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 108,000.

NHTSA ODI 11525069

The contact owns a 2015 Honda Fit. The contact stated while his daughter was driving 40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power, and there were abnormally loud sounds coming from the engine. The contact's daughter was able to drive to her residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for an oil change; however, the mechanic diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the variable valve timing control (VTC) actuator was damaged, causing metal fragments to damage the engine. The dealer diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.

NHTSA ODI 11515659

my fuel gauge display went out. Pretty much always at least once a trip. Sometimes it starts when I turn the car on, sometimes it's after I've driven 20 miles. The display stays backlit, but all the information (time, fuel gauge, odometer, temp) disappears.

NHTSA ODI 11515082