What 35 owners told NHTSA about the 2020 Honda Fit

The Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) consistently provides a false positive when approaching a particular railroad crossing near my home. When about 20 yards away from the crossing (a single set of tracks) approaching at 30-35mph, the BRAKE warning flashes and beeps for a second or two, but it's not clear that any actual braking is applied. This does not happen if I slow to about 20mph or less before approaching the crossing. At this particular railroad crossing, the road is going downhill towards the tracks and the tracks cross the road at 90degrees. This happens day or night (there are street lights at this crossing). The forward collision warning distance is set to Normal. At other railroad crossings where the road is level or going uphill towards the tracks, I have not experienced this issue.

NHTSA ODI 11548868

A Nissan pickup towing a trailer ran a red light and crashed into the front middle driver’s side area of my 2020 Honda Fit. The driver who ran the red light was traveling at an approximate speed between 40-50 mph. At the moment of impact the left side of my head hit the driver’s side window. The entire left side of my body was forcefully thrown against the door. After my body went left, the force of the impact caused my body to flail to the right. My car is equipped with front, side curtain and side airbags, for a total of six airbags; none of which deployed during or after my car was struck. According to the diagram located in my Honda Fit’s owner’s manual, there is an airbag sensor located on the front/middle section on the driver’s side, the exact point where my car was crashed into. I sustained several injuries that I feel could’ve been prevented had the airbags deployed as they were designed. At the time of the accident, I was turning left after I had gotten a green turning arrow to proceed,. I was traveling at approximately 15-20 mph. I rapidly decelerated as a means to prevent the collision, but was unable to avoid it, as the other driver did not swerve or brake to avoid me. He hit me at full speed. My car has been declared a total loss by my insurance company. The car is available for inspection. I have retained an attorney and we will be getting an investigator to obtain the data from the car’s event data recorder as soon as possible. There were no warning lights for airbags prior to the accident. I was properly wearing my seatbelt at the time of the accident. No post manufacturing modifications have ever been made to my car. I called Honda to report this on February 10, 2023. One of the biggest reasons I chose a Honda Fit, in addition to it meeting my personal needs and size preferences, was because of its safety features, yet when I needed them, the airbag system failed.

NHTSA ODI 11506791

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Fit. The contact stated that the windshield had a visible defect of very small bubbles that distorted his vision on the driver’s side of the windshield, and near the rear-view mirror on the driver's side. The contact stated that visibility was more difficult at night. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer and was informed that the defect was within the acceptable list of defects. The windshield was not replaced. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20.

NHTSA ODI 11496414

Engine loses power; strong smell of gasoline

NHTSA ODI 11466293

Forward emergency collision detect system went off randomly and slammed on brakes. No cars or objects were in front of the car. Was going 30mph. Car hit brakes so hard that abs engaged. Almost got rear ended. After car nearly came to stop, returned to normal driving.

NHTSA ODI 11463554

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Fit. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the warning lights remained illuminated along with the check engine warning light. The vehicle also experienced misfiring while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the fuel injectors were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 9,623.

NHTSA ODI 11436820

The rear (tailgate) window on our 2020 Honda Fit shattered (busted) on its own for no reason. Nothing hit or even touched the car. No other cars were around. No other damage to the car. The car has been parked on the side of road for about 5-10 min. We were staying about 2-3 feet away when we heard a load explosion. Most of the glass held up due to ceramic tint but some glass shards (especially from the corners) were ejected several feet away. Oddly, the substantial cracks were not in the center, but in the corners. This is very concerning because glass shards could cause serious injury. We are grateful we were not in the car when it happened. We are just shocked and cannot understand what could possible cause this. We did some research and became alarmed how many other Honda car owners experienced the same issue. Our car is less than a year old. Given the way the glass shattered, there is no logical explanation to this other than it appears to be a defect in the glass or during the installation of the rear window. We took the car to dealership (Paragon Honda) and the dealership refused to cover the cost and insisted we repair through the insurance. The dealership refused even to inspect or investigate, claiming that windows do not shatter on their own. After doing some research, this is clearly not true and appears to be common issue with Honda models. Moreover, the New Vehicle Limited Warranty explicitly provides that it covers "broken, chipped, or scratched window glass" if it is due to defect in material or workmanship." We will do whatever it's needed to get the window repair, but I urge Honda to investigate this issue because rear windows exploding on their own pause a serious safety concern. I have no doubt if my window was not tinted, we would be hit with glass pieces as we were just a few feet away when it happened. How can Honda ensure this does not happen again? Please contact me with any follow-ups. I also have photos of the window.

NHTSA ODI 11419773

2020 HONDA FIT OBTAINED 12-1-20 HAS BEEN TO BRANDON HONDA SERVICE DEPT. 3 TIMES FOR SAME PROBLEMS: 1) WON'T START 2)STARTS BUT WITH CRANKING. SERVICE DEPT TOLD ME TO DRIVE IT "EVERY THREE DAYS FOR 30 MINUTES AT NORMAL DRIVING SPEED, GET BATTERY TENDER".I DID BOTH. CAR IS BACK AT SERVICE DEPT. FOR SAME PROBLEM.WHEN I WENT TO BRANDON HONDA TO PICK UP CAR SERVICE VISIT #3, THE VALET WHO BROUGHT THE CAR TO PARKING LOT SAID HE HAD DIFFICULTY STARTING CAR. I REFUSED TO TAKE CAR OFF HONDA LOT. I NOW USE A HONDA LOANER VEHICLE. CURRENTLY, THE HONDA FIT IS STILL AT BRANDON HONDA SERVICE DEPT.I HAVE CREATED EXTENSIVE BINDER OF DOCS/NOTES, ETC. IF/WHEN I GET CAR RETURNED, I HAVE NO CONFIDENCE IN MY SAFETY WHILE USING THIS CAR. I HAVE REPORTED THIS SITUATION TO AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.INC. MY CASE # 12036048

NHTSA ODI 11416067

DIGITAL DISPLAY (MILEAGE, OIL LEVEL, FUEL GAUGE, ETC) FAILS WHEN TURNING VEHICLE ON DURING COLD WEATHER. IT REMAINS BACKLIT, BUT ALL TEXT DISAPPEARS. TYPICALLY, THIS HAPPENS WHEN DRIVING ON EITHER HIGHWAY OR CITY STREETS. THIS MEANS AS A DRIVER I'M UNABLE TO SEE IF I NEED FUEL AMONG OTHER THINGS. WHEN THE DISPLAY RETURNS IT IS ILLEGIBLE. IT'S AS IF ALL TEXT IS TRYING TO DISPLAY ON THE SCREEN AT ONCE. THIS IS DISTRACTING, UNSTABLE, AND EXTREMELY UNSAFE. KNOWING FUEL LEVELS IS NOT NEGOTIABLE WHEN IT COMES TO OPERATING A MOTOR VEHICLE. I FEEL SO UNSAFE KNOWING I'M NOT ABLE TO VIEW CRUCIAL INFORMATION ABOUT MY VEHICLE. I SPOKE WITH A DEALERSHIP TODAY WHO INFORMED ME THAT THE ENTIRE DISPLAY IS LIKELY DEFECTIVE AND WILL NEED REPLACEMENT BASED UPON THEIR OWN PRIOR EXPERIENCE. I WILL BE TAKING MY CAR IN TO CONFIRM THIS AND HAVE THAT DONE.

NHTSA ODI 11395588

WHEN DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND APPLYING THE BRAKES, THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE VIBRATES EXCESSIVELY. THIS VIBRATION FEELS LIKE IT IS COMING FROM THE DISK BRAKES THAT ARE ON BOTH OF THE FRONT WHEELS.

NHTSA ODI 11387834