2009 Honda Fit

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.

THE INCIDENT OCCURRED ON A COLD DAY IN FEBRUARY OF 2019 WHEN MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR ON HER WAY TO WORK IN THE MORNING. SHE BACKED OUT OF HER PARKING SPOT LIKE NORMAL AND THEN PROCEEDED TO AN INTERSECTION WHERE SHE FOUND THAT HER BRAKE PEDAL HAD BECOME HARD AND WOULD NOT DEPRESS AND SHE COULD NOT SLOW DOWN. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED MOVING INTO THE MAIN STREET AT APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH, WHERE CROSS TRAFFIC WAS PRESENT. SHE NARROWLY MISSED HITTING OTHER VEHICLES AND WAS GRAZED BY ANOTHER VEHICLE AS SHE TURNED LEFT ONTO THE ROAD (T INTERSECTION). FURTHER INSPECTION OF THE BRAKE SYSTEM BY A HONDA DEALERSHIP DID NOT YIELD ANY FINDINGS, BUT I HAVE TESTED AND WITNESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL BECOMING HARD AND NOT DEPRESSING ON COLD WINTER MORNINGS HERE IN THE NORTHEAST. THIS SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED IN AN OLDER HONDA ACCORD HYBRID THAT I HAD OWNED AND THE SOLUTION WAS TO REPLACE A FAULTY BRAKE BOOSTER VACUUM HOSE WITH INTEGRATED CHECK VALVE. WE WERE VERY LUCKY THAT NOBODY WAS FATALLY INJURED IN THIS INCIDENT BUT THIS TYPE OF FAILURE HAS HAPPENED TWICE TO OUR FAMILY ALREADY. I SUSPECT THAT OTHER INCIDENTS INVOLVING A FAILING BRAKE BOOSTER CHECK VALVE RESULTED IN THE TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF THE CAR OR THAT DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES BY MECHANICS WOULD REPLACE THE MASTER CYLINDER OR BRAKE BOOSTER AND FINALLY ALL THE HOSES, THEREBY ELIMINATING THE PROBLEM. I'M REPORTING THESE TWO INCIDENTS BECAUSE I HOPE THAT THIS WILL INFORM AUTO MANUFACTURERS TO ADD THE INSPECTION OF BRAKE BOOSTER CHECK VALVES TO REQUIRED MAINTENANCE SCHEDULES TO HELP AVOID FUTURE INJURIES OR FATALITIES AS A RESULT OF THE FAILING PART.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HONDA FIT. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, EXTRA STRENGTH WAS NEEDED TO STEER THE VEHICLE AND THE POWER STEERING WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS INTERMITTENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO FIRST TEXAS HONDA (3400 STECK AVE, AUSTIN, TX 78757, (512) 220-1121) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ELECTRONIC STEERING MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 153,000.

WHILE DRIVING AT APPROX. 35 MPH, RADIO LIGHTS FLASHED OFF. SLOWING DOWN TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN, RADIO LIGHTS SHUT OFF, EPS INDICATOR CAME ON FOR APPROX. 2 SECS, STEERING WHEEL BECAME HARD TO TURN, POWER TO STEERING AND RADIO RESUMED AFTER 3-5 SECS. SAME SCENARIO OCCURS INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING ON LOCAL ROADS AT 50MPH OR BELOW. OCCURRED AT MILEAGE 170,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HONDA FIT. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED AND MADE IT DIFFICULT TO STEER THE VEHICLE. ALSO, THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 55,000.

POWER STEERING FAILURE. FOLLOWED BY WARNING LIGHT AND VERY HEAVY STEERING, WAS DRIVING AT ABOUT FORTY TO FORTY FIVE MPH ON A PAVED ROAD IN TRAFFIC. STOPPED, SHUT THE ENGINE OFF. AFTER A FEW MINUTES RESTARTED THE ENGINE, THE PS FAILURE LIGHT WAS OUT, THE PS WORKED BUT ONLY FOR ABOUT FIVE SECONDS. THE PS FAILURE LIGHT CAME BACK ON AND THE PS FAILED AGAIN. DROVE HOME AND PARKED THE CAR.

THE CAR DASHBOARD LIGHTS/RADIO LOST ALL POWER FOR 2-3 SECONDS AND THEN THE EPS LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD LIT UP. THE CAR LOST POWER STEERING AND WAS EXTREMELY HARD TO STEER DURING THIS TIME. STEERING WHEEL LOCKED WHILE DRIVING AND COULD NOT TURN IT FOR THE 2-3 SECONDS THAT THE CAR SYSTEMS WERE 'OFFLINE.' THE NEXT DAY, THE CAR DID THE SAME THING AND I LOST POWER STEERING WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS IN VARIOUS WEATHERS THROUGHOUT THE DAY ON BOTH THE HIGHWAY AND BACK ROADS. UTTERLY TERRIFYING. TOWED IT TO THE HONDA DEALERSHIP. THEY WERE UNABLE TO REPLICATE THE ISSUES AND CAR WAS RETURNED TO ME WITH 0 FIXES DONE. WAS ADVISED TO PICK UP THE VEHICLE AND DRIVE IT AS NORMAL SINCE NO COMPLAINTS COULD BE PROVEN WITH DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. DROVE IT WITH TREPIDATION FOR THE NEXT 5 DAYS AND ON THE 5TH DAY, THE CAR AGAIN LOST ALL POWER TO VEHICLE, DASHBOARD LIGHTS LIT UP, ENGINE LIGHT LIT UP, RADIO TURNED OFF AND TURNED BACK ON, STEERING BECAME VERY DIFFICULT AND WHEEL LOCKED WHILE DRIVING. CAR CONTINUED TO DO THIS OVER THE PERIOD OF AN HR 50+ TIMES. PARKED CAR, VIDEO RECORDED IT LOSING POWER, EPS LIGHT TURNING ON/RADIO TURNING ON/OFF, STEERING WHEEL LOCKING WHILE PARKING AND DRIVING. TOWED IT A 2ND TIME TO THE HONDA DEALERSHIP WHO HAS DRIVEN IT A TOTAL OF 38 MILES WITH NOTHING BEING ABLE TO BE PROVEN WITH DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. NO HARD CODES TO BE FOUND, AS ANYTIME THE CAR IS TURNED OFF ALL CODES ARE ERASED FROM THE EPS SYSTEM. CALLED HONDA CORP. AND THEY STATED SINCE THERE IS NO RECALL ON MY VIN NUMBER THAT NO PROBLEM EXISTS FOR THIS VEHICLE AND SINCE THE DEALERSHIP CANNOT PROVE ANY ISSUES THROUGH DIAGNOSTIC TESTING THAT MY CLAIM IS UNFOUNDED. HONDA SERVICE BULLETIN 14-058 WAS RELEASED AND THE WARRANTY EXTENDED FOR 2007-08 HONDA FITS, BUT THEY ARE DENYING ISSUES WITH 2009 EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE REPORTS ALL OVER THE INTERNET ABOUT THEM. DEALERSHIP UNWILLING TO FIX 'UNKNOWN ISSUE'.