What 118 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Honda Fit

I see reported everywhere that Honda Fit 2016, including my car, has issues with defective cluster panels. Honda has issued software recalls for instrument panel issues, primarily affecting 2018-2020 Odyssey, 2019-2020 Pilot/Passport, and 2018-2020 Accord/Hybrid models, where incorrect software can cause blank or failing displays for speed, oil pressure, gear, and camera, requiring a free software update at a dealer to fix the issue. My car has experienced a failing and blank screen for gas and mileage, requiring replacement of the cluster panel. It has, and will, cost me hundreds of dollars to fix an issue that is apparently being fixed for free on other Honda models.

NHTSA ODI 11709312

The fuel gauge-odometer indicator dash cluster goes blank and/or scrambles-then goes dark with no info.

NHTSA ODI 11659755

The digital gas gauge and odometer on the dashboard is a blank, blue screen or shows partial information but isn't legible. It will happen sporadically, seemingly from cold weather, and eventually the screen appears as normal. This started happening this winter around 82k miles. Not knowing the fuel level is a safety issue, especially with winter driving. There were no warning messages prior to this issue. Lastly, per an online search, many Honda fit owners have experienced this same issue.  

NHTSA ODI 11647352

The gas gauge/odometer on the dashboard shows up blank or is total gibberish. Therefore, I have no idea how much gas is left or the current mileage for maintenance timing. It used to only happen in cold weather, but now it happens at any temperature. It usually does this when starting of the engine and it can eventually show up in a minute or 20 minutes into driving. I get this "error" almost daily. This is a safety issue because I don't know the fuel level of my car. I know never let the gauge fall under 1/2 full. I also take pictures of the screen every time I turn off the car so I know what the last mileage and gas level is in case it blanks out the next time I start the engine to drive. I've contacted the manufacturer and they said to bring it in when it happens. I have no way of knowing when it will happen or for how long. The only way it could be reproduced is if I left it a the dealer for them to start periodically, but appointments are necessary especially in this time of low staffing. There were no warning messages prior to this issue. Lastly, per an online search and reviewing the website [XXX] , many Honda fit owners have experienced this same issue INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11626791

Gas gauge/odometer goes blank and/or shows gibberish and is unreadable.

NHTSA ODI 11574343

The gauge cluster that shows your mileage and fuel levels and maintenance schedule goes out intermittently or altogether blank. It started a couple years ago and at this time I only have 45,000 miles on it. Couple years ago it probably had around 30,000 miles on it. It mainly does it when it’s cold, but it has done it in the summer lately. It gets all sketchy or completely blank. Drive several miles, it comes back on. I’ve read ALOT of complaints. There are way too many complaints on this issue in very little mileage. It is very expensive to fix, and I should not have to pay that kind of money when there aren’t that many miles on it. I had to replace a starter about a year ago. Ridiculous. Like I stated above, I have 45,000 miles on the car at this time. I have had older cars and put way more miles on it and never had a starter problem. I think these matters need addressed and the consumers have it corrected by Honda at their expense. I’ve already had to spend $700 for a starter for a very low mileage car. What is my recourse? I need this fixed before it goes out completely and won’t know how much gas I have or when my maintenance needs to be done.

NHTSA ODI 11570145

Fuel Gauge display on Honda Fit 2016 not working properly. Outside temperature between 35 and 40 Fahrenheit. Internet search showed many other Honda Fit owners facing same issue

NHTSA ODI 11563127

The odometer is digital only. It started to fail in the last couple months in that the digits would appear jumbled (unintelligible) or would be completely blank. Consequently, I am then unable to see my fuel gauge as well as mileage/oil life, which I believe poses a safety concern. If it fails completely then I am unable to tell when I need an oil change and, worse, when I am out of gas. Fortunately, it functions normally every now and then, particularly in warmer weather. I will be mentioning this to the local mechanic this week but have not contacted the local Honda dealership and have not had this investigated beyond my own experiences. As a side note, the last time I went to the Honda dealership (for an A/C issue), they were unable to diagnose the issue after numerous, expensive visits. Went to the local mechanic who fixed it immediately and cost only $25. I researched this issue and appears there is a community of Honda Fit owners who are experiencing this, many with graver experiences than mine. Thank you for taking the time to review this important concern. I am happy to send photos since the upload photos function doesn't work for me. When I click the upload button it disappears and there are no other possible actions.

NHTSA ODI 11562933

The gauge cluster started flickering in cold weather only. I asked Honda to review it and take a picture of the problem and explain. Every explanation online for this existing problems seems to be cracked solder joints. Yet HONDA wants to charge me 1.1K the replace the entire system for what they vaguely described as “internal error” if it was internal error, I’d see lot more of a problem with the computer system. It’s obvious it’s the connections that are wrong. The board is probably fine. Yet they want to charge me 1.1K for a KNOWN problems thousands of other Hondas have experienced. This is not fair. I’ve never filled this out but this happened right after my warranty ran out. I can’t afford to fix this. I won’t be able to see my fuel gauge, or any weird oil change errors that pop. That is a safety issue. I can’t see my mileage. Or oil percentage. Can anyone help me? There’s so many cases of this on Reddit.

NHTSA ODI 11558149

We own a 2016 Honda Fit with 52,000 miles, and the fuel gauge/speed/odometer display does not work. It completely fails in the cold. This is major safety issue since we can't read the fuel level nor see how fast or slow I'm driving. Our car is currently at the Conicelli Honda dealership. After trying to get this fix or diagnosed for years, Conicelli thinks the problem is a loose or failing solder joint. I spoke with Honda and they is no current recall on this problem. That said and apparently, it is a common issue based on a YouTube video, [XXX] . This is major safety issue that should not fail at 52,000 miles. Honda should be made aware of this issue and fix the problem. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11557294

Vehicle has 16,000 miles on the odometer. Fuel gauge on the right side of the panel often blanks out. Sometimes it comes back when tapped with a finger. Sometimes it flickers while driving. This appears to be a very common problem with this vehicle but has not yet been recalled.

NHTSA ODI 11546493

Right gauge of gauge cluster panel is often blank or distorted. This gauge shows mileage, fuel amount, and the time. At times, all 3 of these items are wrong. When the gauge does not display correctly, the smart power control unit (operation of door locks) does not work. This is a safety issue because a driver could run out of fuel or may not be able to access their vehicle. There is only one key hole on the entire vehicle and that is on the driver's side. When the gauge is not working, you have to manually unlock and lock the doors and cannot set the alarm system. I took my car into a Honda dealership to diagnose this issue and was told it would cost over a thousand dollars to repair and that the part was on backorder because this is a common issue. (The attached invoice states: "Operation of door locks runs through gauge cluster.") I also contacted Honda directly to see if they would cover the cost of repairs and they told me my vehicle was no longer under warranty. Vehicle has not been repaired.

NHTSA ODI 11523156

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Fit. The contact stated that the right gauge on the instrument cluster intermittently went blank or became distorted. The contact also stated that the fuel gauge provided inaccurate readings. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.

NHTSA ODI 11517793

Smart Power Control Unit stopped working and had to pay out of pocket over $1200 due to no warranties applicable. Have heard from online forums that this is a very common part malfunction in the 2016 models from Honda and due to the high amount of incidents and for how expensive of a repair this turns out to be the part should be covered by Honda as they already cover the actual on and off switch button.

NHTSA ODI 11511392

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Fit. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the LED display was inoperable. The contact stated that the speedometer, tachometer, and fuel gauge were also inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that the instrument panel needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the cause of the failure was not under recall, and that the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The failure mileage was 51,000.

NHTSA ODI 11507200

The dashboard computer screen has been flickering in temps under 40°F, but it usually comes back on after driving for awhile. However, today is is 70°F and the screen is completely blank so I am unable to see how much gas I have in my tank or any of the other items displayed on that screen.

NHTSA ODI 11499795

Right-side of Instrument display cluster failure upon start up (no data appears). After warm up and a few miles driven, display appeared garbled information. After a few more miles, the display did seem to correct, but this should not be happening. I believe this should be considered a safety issue.

NHTSA ODI 11499478

When I start the car in cool/colder weather (<60 F), I notice that the fuel gauge/mileage indicator in the dashboard does not turn on. It remains blank. Sometimes, after a little while, the indicator does turn on, but displays a bunch of gibberish. Only after the car has been driven for ~20 minutes or so does the indicator turn back to normal. Originally, this occurred and would be fixed almost immediately (within a couple minutes). However, it has steadily gotten worse over time the point where I cannot tell how much fuel is left, the oil life, and other important indicators.

NHTSA ODI 11492689

Screen issues for right-side instrument panel that displays instant mpg, total mileage, fuel levels, and oil life. Upon starting the car, the screen displays incorrectly (partial words, extra letters in incorrect places) and the different display information can not be clicked through. The display will come back after a few minutes.

NHTSA ODI 11491299

Same as dozens of others have reported, the entire instrument panel to the right of the steering column often is totally blank. Of particular concern, the fuel gauge is blank. Sometimes, after a little while, the indicator does turn on, but displays a bunch of gibberish. Only after the car has been driven for ~20 minutes or so does the indicator sometimes turn back to normal. This issue has steadily gotten worse over recent years such that in cooler weather the gauge now does not come on at all. This is a safety issue, and with the number of reports I see on this website and elsewhere, there should be an investigation for recall.

NHTSA ODI 11490248

Dashboard display does is not visible upon startup.It will come on after a few miles.This started happening on Oct 17,2022.

NHTSA ODI 11490263

When I start the car in cool/colder weather (<60 F), I notice that the fuel gauge/mileage indicator in the dashboard does not turn on. It remains blank. Sometimes, after a little while, the indicator does turn on, but displays a bunch of gibberish. Only after the car has been driven for ~20 minutes or so does the indicator turn back to normal. Originally, this occurred and would be fixed almost immediately (within a couple minutes). However, it has steadily gotten worse over time the point where I cannot tell how much fuel is left, the oil life, and other important indicators.

NHTSA ODI 11486669

I'm reporting a common problem with the 2016 Honda Fit which hasn't yet been listed as a recall issue. On the right side of the dashboard next to the steering column there is small digital circular gauge. This gauge includes the fuel gauge, oil life indicator and odometer. Upon starting the vehicle and/or when the vehicle is in motion, this gauge will intermittently fail. This gauge does not turn on or displays random symbols every time I start the car and intermittently does not work while the car is in operation. While this first stated happening only in cold weather, it now happens every day I drive the car in all weather conditions. The fuel gauge and odometer are not visible due to an electrical issue. Nothing has happened to the car that would cause this issue to occur other than a manufacturer defect. The odometer/fuel gauge of the instrument panel has display issues and intermittently blanks out with no info on it. The gauge display is either totally blank, flashes a few times, or displays gibberish, and then intermittently comes back on. This is a safety issue because this display contains the fuel gauge so I cannot see how much fuel is remaining fuel I have left. This gauge also contains the odometer which cannot be seen. Odometers and fuel gauges are legally required to work in vehicles, and these are not working in my 2016 Honda Fit. This should be a recall safety issue if the driver is unable to identify the remaining fuel and miles accrued since last refuel. This can leave the driver and passengers stranded and exposed to danger. This is not an isolated incident with this specific vehicle, and thousands of similar Honda Fit complaints can easily be found in online forums. Per thousands of online posts, the issue appears to be caused by a soldering manufacturing defect. This appears to be a common problem with the Honda Fit. Honda should address and correct this safety issue via a NHTSA safety recall.

NHTSA ODI 11484207

Display on the right of the dashboard not turning on when temperature is lower than 45 degrees f. It is impossible to know fuel availability before start driving causing me to risk getting stranded with no gas

NHTSA ODI 11445939

Right side gauge in dashboard keeps shutting down, displaying random symbols, etc. It is the guage that shows fuel usage, levels, etc. 1000's of reports of this online validate it is not a problem with just my Fit. It does this almost everyday now. After the interior of the vehicle gets warm and the guage gets to a certain temperature, it works normally.

NHTSA ODI 11445561