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What 42 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Honda Fit

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (42)Crash / fire / injury (1)Fuel system (12)Electrical system (11)Engine (11)Body & structure (6)Transmission & drivetrain (4)Wheels (3)Suspension (2)Seats (1)Speed control (1)Steering (1)

4 of 42 complaints match · Transmission & drivetrain · clear filters

Apr 25, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

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

NHTSA ODI 11518951

Mar 10, 2023Transmission & drivetrainEngineFuel system

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

Dec 22, 2021Transmission & drivetrainEngine

After the routine transmission fluid flush at about 36K miles, the vehicle stalls out/jerks after switching the selector from P to D. The issue is intermittent though. Also, the vehicle got a worsened MPG which decreased from 38-39mpg (average) to 31-33mpg on the same driving routine. And most important, the CVT transmission "switches" to neutral every time you decelerate making the vehicle unstable at higher speeds. The vehicle was inspected at the two different dealerships and none of those bring out a solution, stating that this is beyond their ability to fix something since no warning lights or messages are being illuminating. Called the manufacturer, got advised to follow up with another dealership. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE WARMER FILTER IN THE CVT TRANSMISSION WAS IMPROPERLY INSTALLED. THIS CAUSED THE FLUID FLOW OBSTRUCTION WHILE DECELERATING. THE CVT SWITCHED TO NEUTRAL DUE TO LACK OF PRESSURE TO A HYDRAULIC CIRCUIT.

NHTSA ODI 11444652

Oct 26, 2020SuspensionTransmission & drivetrainEngine

THE VEHICLE INCLUDES AN EARTH DREAMS ENGINE, DIRECT INJECTION AND CUT TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE HAS AN ABNORMAL VIBRATION AT IDLE WHEN IN PARK, NEUTRAL, OR UNDER LOAD IN DRIVE AT A STOP. SOME COMPONENTS OF THE SUSPENSION ARE NOT ADJUSTABLE AND OUT OF SPEC.

NHTSA ODI 11366458

Working with the data? Download all 42 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2017 Honda Fit verdict →