NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Honda Fit. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
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.
Steering wheel airbag cover gets extremely hot after driving, was told this is a serious safety concern.
1. Nexen-P185/55R16 83H 2. A bubble has formed in the sidewall. Can cause Tire blow out. 3. This is the third Nexen tire to form a bubble. I reported the last one a little over a month ago. Tire service provider to order a new tire and replace today. 4. It has not been inspected by law enforcement or investigators. 5. No, there were not.
Woke up [XXX] to a flat tire. Filled the tire and heard a hiss. We took the vehicle to NTB in Wellsburg, WV where we bought the tires. After inspection we were told two tires had "bubbles" and needed to be replaced (picture of front passenger side attached). We have ordered new Goodyears that will be here in 2 days. Side Note: we had to buy groceries, so we drove the car slowly yo Walmart in Steubenville, OH where the front tire failed. AAA (DCP Automotive) came and changed the tire/doughnut. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
P185/55R16 Tire wall coming off of the tire. Bubble created.
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Fit. The contact stated that while accelerating from a complete stop, the vehicle hesitated to respond. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the spark plugs were replaced twice, and the catalytic converter was replaced at the contact's expense before the failure. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the fuel injectors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to an unknown local dealer, where it remained for further diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to Honda TSB Number: 22-002; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
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.
Fuel Injector Failure
I put a deposit down at a dealership & they sold me a car with issues I have the proof I’m trying to file a complaint on the dealer
The cvt transmission is going out. The dealer has conformed this. This vehicle only has 120000 miles on it and has had every transmission service that was recommended. When this goes completely it could cause an accident at freeway speeds. I believe this model year needs to be added to the cvt recall list and should be covered by honda to 150000 since they clearly know they have an issue here.
The big recall with Honda and Acura, it lists the 2018-2019 Honda fit as having issues with the fuel pump modular. I've had the same issues with my 2016 for a few years now. I've stalled while driving and the steering wheel locks up when that happens. When starting from a stop, it is worse. I once was taking a left turn and it happened. Luckily I wasn't going across during a busy time, I might have been hit. I've gotten my car looked at several times and no one could tell me what was wrong. I even put in a new fuel pump because all of the systems seemed to be related to the fuel pump. And that didn't change anything either. It has to be the modular but whatever it is, this is serious and I cannot believe the 2016 has not been included in the recall. I have to mash the gas a lot, it seems to kind of help in preventing stalling sometimes. But if you have someone right in front of you, and you're making a turn, thats very difficult to mash the gas to prevent a stall while turning. I know I am mentioning turning a lot, it doesn't matter if I am turning or going straight, but I feel like it's more dangerous when it happens while turning as the steering wheel locks up when the car stalls. Throwing it in neutral doesn't even unlock the steering wheel. You can't quickly fix the issue, you have to switch the ignition off and restart it to unlock the steering wheel, that's not something that can be done quick enough to avoid an accident that is about to happen right before your eyes. Please look into this. I feel like it is immoral of Honda to not include other Fit models in the recall. They must know it's not only the 2018-2019 models. There is no way that my car is the only 2016 this is happening to. I greatly appreciate any effort you are willing to put into investigating this matter.
There have been multiple airbag system warning lights on my Honda Fit over the past couple of months. Initially, the driver side airbag inflator warning illuminated and I was able to reset it. Now the passenger side inflator is setting off the warning and it won't reset.
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
The fuel gauge-odometer indicator dash cluster goes blank and/or scrambles-then goes dark with no info.
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.
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)
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.
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.
I was told that my vehicle has a defective VTC Actuator part per Honda notice 16-088 that will cause catastrophic failure of the engine and drivetrain. After diagnosis with the dealership they confirmed the risk stating, "The VTC does control the timing so it could cause it to jump timing. If that happens there is a possibility of catastrophic failure if you don't catch it quick enough." Despite bringing the vehicle in for repair 3 times after the release of the notice there was no attempt to repair the vehicle inside the warranty period. I am the original owner and reported the issue immediately after purchasing it as the characteristic "Rattle/grinding" was quite noticable on startup. We asked about this noise and was told, "Its normal." On my next service visit, after the expiration of the warranty at 60k miles, I was asked to pay $1800 to repair it. I pointed out the prior visits and the previous inquiries to be told (via phone) that because there is no formal recall they will not repair the part. Upon research I recently discovered Honda is subject to a class action lawsuit on this same issue. I fear without a recall my vehicle will suffer a failure which will place us at risk. I cannot afford the $1800 quoted to repair the manufacturers defect.
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.
The steering wheel locks when I park the car and turn the ignition off. The steering wheel stays locked (warning light) when I turn the key in the ignition and the car does not start. Now it stays locked about 90% of the time. The solution (found online, from other drivers) is to take the key out of the ignition, gently turn the steering wheel to the right, then to the left several times; put the key in the ignition & start the car. I sometimes have to repeat the process several times before the car starts. It makes me feel unsafe when I can't start the car and leave an area quickly. I have not reported the problem to the dealer, and it has not been inspected. But I will report it because it happens so frequently.
I start the vehicle when it's cold and the VCT actuator rattles terrible for 1-2 seconds. Honda knows about this problem but will not issue a recall.
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.
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.
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.
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)
Gas gauge/odometer goes blank and/or shows gibberish and is unreadable.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Dashboard display does is not visible upon startup.It will come on after a few miles.This started happening on Oct 17,2022.
VTC Actuator is defective
While driving on highway, my car started to lose power. My attempts to maintain speed resulted in my car stalling and lurching forward, intermittently. I had to pull over on the side. Someone with a diagnostic tool checked and the tool read out indicated "Fuel rail pressure too low" and ABS indicated as abnormal.
Water leak problem at passengers side . Including passenger side airbags area get wet , and sunroof area too . My car is 2016, never been in accident and well maintained, I couldn’t think of any reason to cost water leak . At 5/22/2022 evening time heavy rain, 3 hours parking car outside, passenger side floor almost 2-3inches water . That’s a lot of water.
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.
Major leak in drivers side, causing pool of water near gas and brake pedals. Occurs when it rains and could be coming from door panel where electrical components are.
Fuel injectors are defective. Honda recognizes that this a design flaw. Honda changed to new design in later model 2016's. Because of injector failure, un-combusted fuel will enter the catalytic converter and will contaminate the converter and fuel system causing multiple problems.
The breather tube for the CVT transmission becomes clogged, causing the rubber fill plug to pop out and spill CVT fluid and allow water, dirt, rocks, and other debris to enter directly into the transmission. This has caused a slipping of the transmission at low speed when accelerating from a stop. Several times, when pulling out on a main road, it will stutter and not apply power to accelerate properly. I am genuinely concerned that it's going to cause me to get hit by an oncoming vehicle. There is no warning as to when the plug will pop out again and it's in a difficult to locate area underneath the engine air intake, which must be removed to access the plug. It's not easily visible to see when it has popped out. There were no warning lights or signs of the plug being popped out of place until the transmission began having issues with acceleration. This is currently a known issue to the NHTSA reported here at this link (https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2019/MC-10165374-0001.pdf) however, I am elevating the concern that putting the plug back in place is not an adequate solution, and noting that the known issue is causing transmission issues. I would like to emphasize that this is a wide spread issue amongst these Honda CVT transmissions as shown in the NHTSA link above. I am trying to stick to the facts that I know, and based on my research into the failure rate of these CVT transmissions, I am recommending that a closer look be taken into this issue, as I am finding many testimonies of people having the same issues I am encountering. Thank you.
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
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.
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.
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.
Fuel / odometer guage faulty. Goes out and/or displays invalid characters, appears to be related to cold exterior temperature. This appears to be a very common Honda fit issue for similar years, in and out of warranty. This can and should be considered a 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. Those most affected by this can easily be young adult females, women and children. This is not an isolated incident with this specific vehicle. This is a very common problem with Honda Fit as well as other models like HRV. Honda should address and correct this safety issue.
The Honda Fit odometer goes haywire when it is cold (it flashes gibberish or goes completely blank). It started off having issues only when it was in the 20s outside, but recently has been happening with temperatures as high as the mid 60s. The issue could be reproducible if the car is turned on when it is cold out (ie arriving somewhere and immediately turning it on is unlikely to reproduce the issue). It is unsafe not to know the remaining fuel in the car. The problem has not been confirmed by a dealership, but is very common based on online forums. The odometer has not been inspected. No symptoms of the problem were apparent prior to the first failure. It has been an issue since December 2019 but has recently gotten much worse.
DIGITAL LCD INSTRUMENT CLUSTER BLANKS OUT OR DISPLAYS GIBBERISH UNDER CERTAIN WEATHER CONDITIONS. POSSIBLY CONDENSATION NEAR FUSE BOX OR BAD SOLDER JOINT. THIS IS BEING REPORTED BY MULTIPLE OWNERS FOR MODELS 2015 AND UP. PROBLEM CAUSES BLIND DRIVING WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE OF REMAINING FUEL LEVEL OR MILEAGE.
FUEL INJECTORS PREMATURELY WENT OUT LEAVING ME IN LIMP MODE WITH 4 LIGHTS FLASHING ON THE DASH AT 10MPH ON THE INTERSTATE UNTIL I GAVE UP AND PULLED OVER AND JUST GOT A TOW HOME
I'M REPORTING A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 2016 HONDA FIT WHICH HASN'T YET BEEN LISTED AS A RECALL ISSUE. THE DEALERSHIP I VISITED ADVISED ME TO WAIT TO FIX THE ISSUE ASSUMING THAT A RECALL WILL BE ISSUED SOON, OR TO WAIT UNTIL THE PROBLEM IS UNTENABLE. ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE DASH BOARD ( FROM THE DRIVER'S SEAT) NEXT TO THE STEERING COLUMN THERE IS SMALL DIGITAL GAUGE IN THE SHAPE OF A CIRCLE. THIS GAUGE INCLUDES A CLOCK, FUEL GAUGE, OIL LIFE INDICATOR, ETC. UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE OR WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION, THIS GAUGE WILL SUDDENLY FLASH AND THEN GO COMPLETELY BLANK. AFTER A FEW MINUTES, THE GAUGE RETURNS TO NORMAL. WHEN THE GAUGE IS BLANK I DO NOT KNOW HOW MUCH GAS I HAVE IN THE CAR, THE MILEAGE OF THE VEHICLE, OIL LIFE, ETC. I AM ASSUMING THAT ONCE THE DIGITAL INFORMATION REPOPULATES THE MILEAGE IS ACCURATE. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE IN THE LAST MONTH. THE HONDA DEALERSHIP QUOTED A PRICE OF $1,000 TO FIX THIS PROBLEM, BUT THEY ADVISED THAT I WAIT TO FIX THE CAR, EITHER UNTIL THE GAUGE BECOMES PERMANENTLY BLANK, OR WHEN A RECALL IS ANNOUNCED. THE DEALERSHIP EXPLAINED THAT THIS IS COMMON PROBLEM FOR WHICH THEY ARE ANTICIPATING A RECALL. I WISH TO TAKE THIS CAR ON A LONG TRIP, AND I AM HOPING THAT A RECALL WILL HAPPEN SOON. I DON'T WANT TO BE ON THE ROAD WITHOUT KNOWING HOW MUCH GAS I HAVE IN THE CAR. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE.
THE DASHBOARD DISPLAY GOES BLANK RANDOMLY SO I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH GAS IS IN THE TANK OR HOW MANY MILES ARE ON THE ODOMETER.
HAD THE SAME FUEL INJECTOR ISSUES AS EVERY OTHER HONDA FIT OWNER. HONDA REDESIGNED FUEL INJECTORS BUT DID NOT RECALL ALL HONDA MODELS WITH THIS ISSUE.