There are 15 owner-reported electrical system complaints for the 2009 Honda Fitin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
My doors have defaulted to the lock position, even when the vehicle is occupied. The electronic unlock system will not permit the car to unlock. The manual lock strongly resists being moved to the unlock position. With much force, it can be moved, but immediately relocks. The only way to exit the vehicle is to force the manual lock to unlock while simultaneously pulling the handle to open the door. This is an extreme safety hazard - as one cannot easily exit the vehicle. Upon entering the vehicle, an older driver, a less strong driver, or partially disabled driver would be trapped in their vehicle with only emergency procedures able to free them. If there were an accident, and the airbag were deployed - it would be impossible for an able bodied driver to get both hands to the door and initiate the sequence necessary to exit the car. One would be trapped. An incredibly dangerous situation. I see the door actuator has been recalled on other Honda models - so it is a known issue with the manufacturer. I am currently partiually diasble, and
EVERY WINTER THE BATTERY GOES COMPLETELY DEAD. NO SIGNS OF ANY LIFE IN THE VEHICLE. THE BATTERY WAS REPLACE BY THE DEALER AFTER I HAD THE CAR 6 MONTHS. I HAVE PUT AT LEAST SIX NEW BATTERIES IN THE CAR. SEARCHING ONLINE I FIND THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM.
CAR STALLS AND DIES AFTER INITIAL START. SOMETIMES EVEN WITH WARMING CAR UP FOR 5-10 MINUTES. OUTDOOR TEMPERATURE CAN BE 90 DEGREES AND THIS STILL HAPPENS. IF I START MY CAR, LET IT RUN FOR 5 MINUTES, PUT IT IN DRIVE, THE MINUTE I BEGIN TO SLOW FOR A STOP SIGN OR SIMPLY FOR AN APPROACHING STOP OR INTERSECTION MY CAR WILL SHUDDER AND DIE. THERE IS NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND TWO MECHANICS HAVE FOUND NO CODES SOFT OR HARD TO SHED ANY LIGHT ON WHY THIS IS HAPPENING. I HAVE ALREADY PAID $300 FOR A VALVE ADJUSTMENT, REPLACED SPARK PLUGS AND I'M STILL HAVING THE ISSUE.
MY CAR ALARM KEEPS GOING OFF WHEN I DON'T LOCK MY DOOR AND THE DOORS CONSTANTLY LOCK EVEN THOUGH MY CAR IS OFF OR I'M PARKED OR IF I'M DRIVING ON THE ROAD.
DECEMBER 2017 I HAD MY 2009 HONDA FIT INSPECTED FOR VEHICLE REGISTRATION AND PASSED. JANUARY 29, 2018 I TOOK MY CAR TO DAVID MCDAVID HONDA IRVING, TX FOR INSPECTION AS THE CAR WAS SLOWING DOWN AND WAS MAKING WEIRD MOVEMENTS AS I SHIFTED GEARS. THE TECHNICIAN REPORT SAID: THERE WAS A 6 INCH RODENT DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS AND IT HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE TOTAL CHARGE I WAS ASKED TO PAY ON FEBRUARY 3, 2018 WAS $1510.01 HONDA KNOWS THAT THEY HAVE THIS PROBLEM AS THEY SELL ON AMAZON TAPES AGAINST RODENS ( HTTPS://WWW.AMAZON.COM/HONDA-4019-2317-RODENT-TAPE/DP/B00AJTG3N0/REF=REDIR_MOBILE_DESKTOP?_ENCODING=UTF8&DPID=31IIUDIOHKL&DPPL=1&KEYWORDS=RODENT%20TAPE&PI=AC_SX236_SY340_FMWEBP_QL65&QID=1517350918&REF=PLSRCH&REF_=MP_S_A_1_1&SR=8-1), YET THEY DIDN'T OFFER TO COVER THE REPLACEMENT COST OR TO PAY EVEN PART OF IT. THE TOTAL COST OF REPLACEMENT WAS SHIFTED ON ME AS CONSUMER. I KEPT THE ORIGINAL - DAMAGED - HARNESS. SEE ATTACHED PHOTO.
WHEN ATTEMPTING TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE, IT WOULD NOT MOVE IN REVERSE. GEAR WOULD SHIFT TO REVERSE BUT CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. HONDA DEALERSHIP STATED THAT RODENTS CHEWED THROUGH WIRING ON CABLE HARNESS.
MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR WHEN THIS HAPPENED. IT HAS OCCURRED TWICE. THIS VEHICLE HAS AN ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON THE CAR LOSES THE ABILITY TO ACCELERATE. I HAVE NOT HAD IT HAPPEN TO ME YET. I TOOK THE CAR TO AUTOZONE AND THEY READ THE STORED CODES FROM THE OBD SYSTEM WHICH INDICATED THE THROTTLE POSITIONING SENSOR HAD GENERATED A FAULT. THE FAULT SEEMS TO GO AWAY AND THE CHECK ENGINE IS NO LONGER ILLUMINATED. IT SEEMS TO GO AWAY BY SHUTTING OFF AND RESTARTING THE CAR. THIS SEEMS TO BE A CONSIDERABLE SAFETY PROBLEM SINCE YOU COULD GET REAR ENDED WHEN THIS HAPPENS. *TR
I OWN A 2009 HONDA FIT, VIN # [XXX], WITH 33,400 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. SEVERAL MESSAGES BEEN DISPLAYED REPEATEDLY ON THE MESSAGE BOARD THE LAST 2 MONTHS. THE MESSAGES DISPLAYED ARE "CHECK ENGINE", "CHECK FUEL CAP" AND ONE REGARDING THE AIR BAGS. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER, GERMAIN HONDA OF DUBLIN, TO HAVE IT CHECKED. THEY SAID I HAVE TO BRING IT IN WHEN THE MESSAGE LIGHT IS ON BEFORE THEY CAN TELL ME WHAT IS WRONG. THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE BECAUSE THE MESSAGES DON'T STAY ON VERY LONG. CAN YOU HELP ME WITH THIS PROBLEM? APPRECIATE ANY ASSISTANCE YOU CAN GIVE ME. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
WHEN THE CAR SITS FOR TOO LONG IN COOLER WEATHER, IT STALLS WHEN IT IS IN GEAR. I STARTED THE CAR THIS MORNING, PUT IT IN REVERSE, AND IT STALLED. IN THE PAST I HAVE GOTTEN BEYOND THE GARAGE AND HAD IT STALL AT A STOP SIGN OR LIGHT. THE PROBLEM CEASES WHEN THE ENGINE WARMS UP. THE PROBLEM SEEMS SIMILAR TO THE ONE ADDRESSED BY THE FOLLOWING RECALL: RECALL ID # 80366 - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING READ MORE: HTTP://WWW.MOTORTREND.COM/CARS/2009/HONDA/FIT/RECALLS/#IXZZ2PDFZ2Z9U HONDA MAINTAINS THAT MY VEHICLE IS NOT COVERED BY THIS RECALL. *TR
AFTER HAVING MY CAR FOR ALMOST FIVE YEARS WITHOUT THIS ISSUE, I HAVE STARTED HAVING TROUBLE GETTING MY KEY INTO THE DRIVER'S DOOR LOCK. THE KEY STOPS ABOUT A THIRD OF THE WAY INTO THE KEYHOLE. THE KEY WORKS LIKE NORMAL IN THE PASSENGER DOOR, HATCH, AND IGNITION. I ATTEMPTED USING A SPARE KEY THAT HAS SELDOM BEEN USED, BUT IT DOES NOT SLIDE INTO THE DRIVER'S DOOR KEYHOLE EITHER. SOMETHING HAS MESSED UP OR WORN OUT IN THE DRIVER'S DOOR LOCK. *TR
2009 HONDA FIT SPORT INSTRUMENT PANEL WENT BLANK - NO GAS GAUGE, NO SPEEDOMETER, NO TRIPOMETER, NO CAR ALARM, AIR CONDITIONING WENT OUT, DOORS WOULD NOT AUTO LOCK. HONDA SERVICE DIAGNOSED IT AS FAULTY INSTRUMENT CLUSTER PANEL. SAID I NEEDED TO REPLACE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER TO THE TUNE OF $700+ FOR PART AND $300+ FOR LABOR AND $30+ FOR SHIPPING OF PART. CAR 2 1/2 YEARS OLD, ONE OWNER, ONLY 47,000 MILES. NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. *TR
I PURCHASED A HONDA FIT IN JULY OF 2009. I HAVE DRIVEN IT 5800 MILES. THE FOLLOWING IS A DESCRIPTION OF A MAJOR PROBLEM THAT HAS RECENTLY OCCURRED: 1. IN AUGUST OF 2010 MY ABS LIGHT CAME ON. 2. I TOOK THE CAR TO MY HONDA DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT RODENTS HAD EATEN THE WIRING. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY AND THAT THE COST TO FIX IT COULD BE AS HIGH AS $1000. NEEDLESS TO SAY I WAS SHOCKED. 3. WHEN I BROUGHT THE CAR HOME I DISCOVERED THAT THE COVERING ON THE OXYGEN SENSOR WIRING AND THE COVERING ON THE WIRING TO THE FAN HAD ALSO BEEN CHEWED ALTHOUGH THE WIRING WAS STILL INTACT. 4. HERE IS WHAT IS SO SHOCKING ABOUT THIS SITUATION. MY 2009 HONDA FIT IS PARKED 30 FEET FROM MY 2005 HONDA ELEMENT. THE 5 YEAR OLD ELEMENT HAS NO SIGN OF RODENT ACTIVITY AND HAS NO WIRING PROBLEMS. I CALLED THE AMERICA HONDA MOTOR CO. CUSTOMER SERVICE 800 NUMBER AND REPORTED THE ABOVE. THE REPORT HAS BEEN GIVEN A CASE #. I ALSO DID A GOOGLE SEARCH [AUTOMOBILE WIRING AND RODENTS/HONDA WIRING AND RODENTS]. THE SEARCH TURNED UP MANY REFERENCES TO THIS PROBLEM IN HONDA AUTOMOBILES AND OTHER MANUFACTURER'S AUTOMOBILES. THE SEARCH ALSO UNCOVERED MANY REFERENCES TO THE RECENT USE OF SOY IN AUTOMOBILE WIRING COVERING. IF THIS IS TRUE IT COULD EXPLAIN WHY MY 2005 ELEMENT HAS NOT BEEN ATTACKED WHILE MY 2009 FIT HAS BEEN. IT WOULD ALSO INDICATE A GLARING DEFECT IN SOME AUTO ELECTRICAL WIRING. I AM NOW DEALING WITH THE PROBLEM BY LEAVING MY FIT IN WITH MY DOGS AND LETTING THEM URINATE ON THE TIRES. AS OF NOW THIS SEEMS TO BE WORKING. OBVIOUSLY THIS IS A LOUSY SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM. IN SUMMATION, I NOW HAVE NO ABS. I DO NOT FEEL I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY $1000 FOR RODENT DAMAGE TO WIRING THAT WAS LIKELY CAUSED BY RODENT ATTRACTIVE WIRE COVERING AND MAY REOCCUR. THIS IS AN EXPENSIVE PROBLEM. IT IS ALSO A SAFETY PROBLEM. THAT IS WHY I AM REGISTERING THIS PROBLEM WITH THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION (NHTSA). UPDATED IVOQ 10/15/10 *TR
CAR TURNING OFF. *TR
THE STARTER IN ALL OF THESE VEHICLES GOES BAD VERY FAST. STATING WITH AN ODD SOUND OF METAL TO METAL ON COLD STARTS (DUE TO THE STARTER NOT RETRACTING FAST ENOUGH) 5 PEOPLE THAT LIVE NEAR ME HAVE ALL HAD THE SAME PROBLEM MY CAR IS NOW DOING IT AGAIN WITH A 3 YEAR OLD REPLACEMENT DENSO OEM HONDA STARTER, HONDA NEEDS TO FIX THIS...
2009 HONDA FIT BATTERY DRAIN AND TRUSTWORTHINESS OF ELECTRONICS.*CW
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026