What 42 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Honda Fit

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.

NHTSA ODI 11699810

Rattling noise coming from engine when starting engine cold

NHTSA ODI 11686890

When starting or stopping the engine with the push button, a mechanism makes a loud grinding noise.

NHTSA ODI 11686891

Blue metallic paint has clear coat peeling and exposed base paint. Paint should last longer than 8 years, this is a manufacturing defect.

NHTSA ODI 11686893

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

NHTSA ODI 11664615

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. 

NHTSA ODI 11634959

Fuel gauage/odometer display glitches out and does not show the information. It is just a blank reading.

NHTSA ODI 11631079

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.

NHTSA ODI 11629134

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.

NHTSA ODI 11620651

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.

NHTSA ODI 11619550

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.

NHTSA ODI 11602356

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.

NHTSA ODI 11557499

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.

NHTSA ODI 11553238

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

NHTSA ODI 11539956

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.

NHTSA ODI 11526780

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.

NHTSA ODI 11523184

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.

NHTSA ODI 11521173

Has about a 3 second engine rattle on cold start up, believed to be a defective variable valve timing gear.

NHTSA ODI 11518951

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.

NHTSA ODI 11511253

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.

NHTSA ODI 11508216

The VTC actuator is showing signs of failing. Upon starting the car cold, there is a harsh rattling sound for about 2 seconds. If the VTC actuator fails it could do serious damage to the engine and cause an accident if the engine fails while driving, potentially resulting in death. The 3rd Generation Fits seem to have the same issues with them that the 2015-2016 models had. I have had issues with my fuel injectors also. Honda has failed to address these issues claiming that these issues were remedied with the 3rd generation car when they really were not.

NHTSA ODI 11507525

My car started having issues with sputtering when accelerating. The check engine light came on and is throwing a P0420 code as well as a P219a code. These codes paired together appear to be related to faulty fuel injectors. Honda supposedly corrected the previous fuel injector problems in the 2015-2016 models that they extended the warranty for. A local mechanic told me he believed my issue was pertaining to fuel injectors. This will potentially cause damage to be done to my engine as well as to my catalytic converter. The light was intermittently coming on and going back off but is now staying on.

NHTSA ODI 11507024

My 2017 Honda Fit has pools of water on the floorboards and has mold around the outside edges of the carpet (under the windows). This is the second time this has happened during a heavy rain. The first time I thought maybe I did something wrong or there was a leak somewhere. This time I know that something is going on. There was no windows down, the doors were closed tight, the sunroof was closed and had no water around it. I googled to see if there was a recall or if anyone else is having problems. I found a forum of other people having the same issues. Apparently it’s the door seals. The water is leaking between the inner door panel and the liner.There hasn’t been a recall on this but there should be. The mold is definitely a safety issue and the water damage will ruin the car and the electronics on the door. There are others online with this complaint. Hopefully they will do a recall and fix the problem. Here is the link to one forum. https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/general-fit-talk/24589-water-back-floorboard-help.html

NHTSA ODI 11501905

The problem involves the Blue Tooth application in the radio console. On one occasion I was attempting to add a phone number to the list that I may use to effect hands-free calling by paring my blue-tooth phone with the car radio. On the second instance I was involved in a phone call with this system. In each case the console suddenly went dead, and it became impossible to start the vehicle. I had a power bank to jump-start the car and it had no effect. When I cranked the vehicle a light on the console blinked rapidly, but there was no ignition. On the first occasion I called for roadside assistance. When that arrived the agent used a battery pack to try to start my vehicle; but first he tested the battery and said there was not a problem. After he did that I was able to start the car. I do not remember whether his pack was connected to the vehicle when I started the car. However, the car worked without a problem until the next time I was on a phone call. Two events occurred each time; on the first event I had cleared out the phone numbers and was reprogramming them; on the second event I had purchased a new phone and was trying to re-enter phone numbers. I noted that, while the phone was paired with the car's radio, it was failing to show names associated with the numbers or to show display the names of contacts which are provided to the phone from my Google contacts list -- even though they show up on the phone. I believe there is some type of electronic signal that is generated when the blue tooth is being engaged, and that this signal cancels the ability to start the car by using a key in the ignition switch. I believe this is a serious hazard for two reasons: 1. If a person is in a remote area, it might become impossible for the driver to operate his vehicle to reach safety. 2. If this defect were to occur making the car inoperable on or near a roadway could result in a serious accident.

NHTSA ODI 11496652

P0420. Per Honda problem was fuel injector. 88000 miles. Seems too early to fail.

NHTSA ODI 11461406