Honda has been known for making value-for-money vehicles that score high in the practicality and interior space departments. The Honda Fit ranks among one of the best in its class and the same goes for its reliability aspect too. The car did face some issues in the past couple of years but the brand has been generous to issue several recalls to address most of them. The 2011 Honda Fit has seen only 107 complaints so far but has been recalled 11 times to date. The recalls were regarding multiple issues with the airbags and drive shaft corrosion issues. The powertrain of the Honda Fit received the maximum complaints while several owners complained about the airbag issues and the recalls issued for them as well. In its class, the Honda Fit rivals the Ford Fiesta, the Nissan Versa, and the Toyota Yaris.
Honda Fit user complaints and problems
Engine problems
- Sudden power loss: A few models of the 2011 Honda Fit faced power loss issues along with spark plug issues. Both the problems are related and the spark plugs were damaged, requiring replacements.
- Misfiring issue: In one instance, the engine of the affected vehicle misfired suddenly. Faulty spark plugs were the prime reason behind it along with the presence of excessive fuel in the catalytic converter.
- Driveshaft corrosion: The driveshaft of some Honda Fit units corroded prematurely and failed. While driving, the owners heard a clunking noise after coming to a stop after which, the vehicles refused to move. Upon further inspection, the front left or right drive shafts were found to be corroded and were replaced. Honda issued a recall with NHTSA Campaign ID 20V770000 to fix the affected vehicles as well as non-affected vehicles.
Safety problems
- Non-deployment of airbags: A couple of official crash reports were filed against the 2011 Honda Fit where the airbags failed to deploy. In one case, the vehicle was equipped with a total of 10 airbags, none of which deployed despite the car being totaled due to the extensive damage. Also, several owners complained that the dealerships did not replace the faulty airbag units of their vehicles despite the ongoing recalls for them.
Miscellaneous problems
- Power steering failure: A few cases of power steering failures were reported against the 2011 Fit hatchback. One owner mentioned that the steering got quite heavy to turn at speeds over 50 mph despite no warning lights. In the other instances, the power steering system failed intermittently while driving.
2011 Honda Fit recalls
|
S.No. |
Recall Date |
NHTSA Campaign ID |
Issues noticed |
Additional remarks |
Remedy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
February 3, 2016 |
16V061000 |
Driver's Frontal Airbag Inflator May Rupture |
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal airbag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death. |
Honda will notify the owners, and dealers will replace the inflator, free of charge. The recall began in March 2017. |
|
2 |
May 24, 2016 |
16V346000 |
Passenger Frontal Airbag Inflator May Rupture |
An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death. |
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inflator, free of charge. The recall began in March 2017. |
|
3 |
January 10, 2017 |
17V030000 |
Passenger Frontal Airbag Inflator May Rupture |
An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death. |
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger side airbag inflator, free of charge. The manufacturer has mailed an interim notification and will send a second notification when parts are available. |
|
4 |
August 31, 2017 |
17V545000 |
Incorrectly Installed Replacement Airbag |
In the event of a crash, an incorrectly installed passenger frontal airbag inflator may deploy the airbag improperly, increasing the risk of injury. |
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal airbag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began on October 30, 2017. |
|
5 |
January 9, 2018 |
18V042000 |
Passenger Frontal Airbag Inflator May Explode |
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death. |
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal airbag inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 16, 2018. |
|
6 |
April 26, 2018 |
18V268000 |
Improperly Installed Passenger Airbag |
An incorrectly installed airbag may deploy improperly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury. |
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal airbag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began on June 22, 2018. |
|
7 |
September 27, 2018 |
18V661000 |
Passenger Frontal Airbag Inflator May Explode |
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death. |
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal airbag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on November 6, 2018. |
|
8 |
May 16, 2019 |
19V378000 |
Improperly Installed Passenger Airbag Inflator |
An incorrectly installed air bag inflator may not properly deploy the passenger frontal airbag in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury. |
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the inflator installation and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal airbag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began on July 5, 2019. |
|
9 |
June 27, 2019 |
19V500000 |
Driver Frontal Airbag Inflator May Explode |
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death. |
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal airbag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on August 12, 2019. |
|
10 |
June 27, 2019 |
19V502000 |
Passenger Frontal Airbag Inflator May Explode |
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death. |
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal airbag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on August 12, 2019. |
|
11 |
December 10, 2020 |
20V770000 |
Drive Shaft May Corrode and Fail |
A broken drive shaft may cause a sudden loss of drive power. The vehicle could also roll away if the parking brake has not been applied before the vehicle has been exited. Either condition can increase the risk of a crash or injury. |
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the drive shafts, replacing either the left or right drive shaft, if necessary, free of charge. Owners were notified of the safety risk with an interim letter mailed on February 2, 2021. A second letter will be sent once the remedy is available. |
Should you buy a used Honda Fit?
The Honda Fit is already quite accessible to a broad spectrum of shoppers due to its affordable price tag while a used example makes the deal even sweeter. Moreover, the car can fulfill most of your daily requirements such as carrying your family to their destinations as well as allowing you to stuff higher than average size and numbers of cargo inside it due to the folding seats. In the reliability department too, the car is quite a solid one with only a small number of units getting affected by the problems mentioned above. Getting a used model isn’t going to be too troublesome, just a thorough inspection for the above-mentioned issues and you’re good to go.
