2009 Honda Fit

WHILE DRIVING DOWN A STEEP HILL, THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND THE STEERING BECAME VERY HEAVY AN PULLED TO ONE SIDE. THE WARNING LIGTH WAS ON FOR UNDER 5 SECONDS AND LATER DISAPPEARED AND STEERING BECAME NORMAL AGAIN. THIS PROBLEM WOULD AGAIN HAPPEN INTERMITTENTLY OVER THE COURSE OF A WEEK. WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE HONDA DEALER TO CHECK ON THE PROBLEM. THEY SAID THE BATTERY WAS LOW AND REPLACE THE BATTERY. THE PROBLEM RETURNED AGAIN AND THE DEALER COULD NOT OFFER A SOLUTION.

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

I BOUGHT A BRAND NEW 2009 HONDA FIT IN FEBRUARY 2009. THE FOLLOWING YEAR BY JULY 2010 THE AC UNIT DID NOT WORK AT ALL. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER WHERE I HAD BOUGHT MY CAR, WHO TOLD ME THAT A ROCK FROM THE ROAD HAD HIT THE AC UNIT, THE REFRIGERANT HAD ESCAPED AND I HAD TO PAY USD$ 890.00 TO REPAIR IT, BECAUSE THAT REPAIR WAS NOT COVERED BY THE MANUFACTURER WARRANTY. THEN I REALIZED THE FRONT BUMPER UNDER THE TAG HAD BIG SPACES THAT MAY ALLOW A ROCK TO GO THROUGH AND HIT THE AC CONDENSER. THIS IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT AND HONDA SHOULD COVER THE COST OF THE REPAIR. *TR

DEC. 8TH, 2011 - 18694 MILES DEC. 8TH, 2012 - 24941 MILES DEC. 21ST, 2012 - 25225 MILES MARCH 30TH, 2013 - 28300 MILES THE PROBLEM IS THAT SUDDENLY THE CAR LOSSES POWER WHILE DRIVING, IT DOES NOT RESPOND TO ANY ACTION AND STALLS; THE ENGINE AND VSA LIGHTS COME ON. THE EXACT SAME INCIDENT OCCURRED AT EACH ONE OF THE DATES PROVIDED. EVERY TIME THIS HAPPENED I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT, GOT IT BACK SUPPOSEDLY FIXED, AND WITH THE ASSURANCE THAT THE PROBLEM HAD BEEN TAKEN CARE OF, OBVIOUSLY THIS IS NOT THE CASE. THE PROBLEM PERSISTS, THE CAR HAS BROKEN DOWN ON AN AVERAGE OF EVERY 3,000 MILES. FROM THE VERY FIRST TIME, BESIDES BEEN TOLD BY THE SERVICE ADVISOR (MARY ROE) AT COURTESY HONDA IN SANFORD, FL; I KNEW WITHOUT ANY DOUBT THAT WE WERE DEALING WITH A SAFETY ISSUE. I AM SUBMITTING THE INFORMATION PERTINENT TO THESE OCCURRENCES BECAUSE MY CONFIDENCE IN THIS CAR IS COMPLEATLY ERODED SINCE THE NATURE OF THE PROBLEN COULD DEFINITELY BE THE CAUSE OF A CRASH, INJURY OR DEATH. I CONSIDER MYSELF FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE BEEN DRIVING ON LOCAL ROADS EVERY TIME THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED, THE RESULT OF THIS TYPE OF MALFUNCTION ON AN EXPESSWAY COULD CERTAINLY HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS. SINCE MARCH 30TH, 2013 THE CAR HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP, AND IT HAS PROVEN DIFFICULT COMMUNICATING WITH HONDA. THEIR WILLINGNESS TO ASSIST ME WITH THIS LESS THAN SAFE AND UNRELIABLE VEHICLE, SEEMS TO BE DECREASING RAPIDLY WITH EACH NEW INCIDENT. ANY ASSISTANCE YOUR OFFICE PROVIDES ON THIS MATTER WILL BE IMMENSELY APPRECIATED. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

THE POWER STEERING HAS BEEN INTERMITTENTLY GOING OUT ON RANDOM OCCASIONS FOR UP TO 20 SECONDS AT A TIME. THIS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND IN THE MIDDLE OF TURNS. I CAN HANDLE POWER STEERING GOING OUT, BUT IF IT HAPPENS TO HAPPEN AT THE WRONG TIME, THAT IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO TWO DIFFERENT MECHANICS AND NEITHER HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS WRONG. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HONDA FIT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING 55 MPH, ANOTHER VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE. THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS PUSHED INTO A PRECEDING VEHICLE FROM THE FORCE OF THE IMPACT. THE DRIVER'S SEAT COLLAPSED ABNORMALLY AND THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE NECK AND CHEST. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED AND THE VEHICLE WAS NEVER INSPECTED FOR THE CAUSE OF THE AIR BAG AND SEAT FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 90,800.

REAR PASSENGER FELL ASLEEP WITH RIGHT REAR SEAT BELT ON. WHEN AT DESTINATION, SEAT BELT WAS TWISTED AND WHEN THE LATCH WAS RELEASED, THE SEAT BELT TIGHTENED AROUND THE PASSENGER'S WAIST AND LOCKED. IT WOULD NOT RELEASE AND CONTINUED TO TIGHTEN. THE ONLY WAY THE PASSENGER COULD GET OUT WAS TO CUT THE SEAT BELT WITH SCISSORS. *TR

WINDSHIELD CRACKED ON ITS OWN WHILE PARKED, STARTING FROM THE CENTER OF COWL AND CRAWLING UP TOWARD THE ROOF LINE. HONDA HAS A SERVICE BULLETIN OUT THERE THAT RECOGNIZE THIS ISSUE ( 12-006 ) FOR 2009-2010 HONDA FIT BUT WILL ONLY ADDRESS THE ISSUE IF THE CRACK OCCURRED WHILE THE CAR WAS STILL UNDER THE BUMPER TO BUMPER 3 YEAR OR 36,000 MILE WARRANTY (ACCORDING TO HONDA DEALER). THE CRACK ON MY CAR HAPPENED FEW DAYS BEYOND THE WARRANTY PERIOD AND WAS NOT COVERED. I CONSIDER THE CRACKING TO BE A SAFETY ISSUE AS I COULD FEEL THAT THE CRACKED AREA WAS TRYING TO BOW OUTWARD AND DID NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING THE CAR AT ANY MAJOR SPEED. I REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD IMMEDIATELY OUT-OF-POCKET. IF HONDA RECOGNIZES THAT 2009-2010 HONDA FIT HAS WINDSHIELD CRACK ISSUES DUE TO MISAPPLIED MOLDING OR OTHER DEFECTS INHERENT TO THE CAR AND NOT DUE TO IMPACT TO THE WINDSHIELD, THEN THE REPAIR SHOULD BE COVERED REGARDLESS OF WHEN THIS CRACKED OCCURRED. *TR