On Dec. 25, 2019, I was driving from California to Colorado in my 2013 Honda Fit when my engine light began to blink. My car lost power and I was forced to exit the highway and immediately pull over.
I called my roadside assistance program, but because it was Christmas night, they were unable to find a towing company available and told me to call the police instead. I called the Colorado state police, informed them of my situation, and they said they would send out an officer. While I was waiting, I called family members in CO, but could not reach anyone. I had to wait about an hour and a half before I was able to reach a family member who could come pick me up (the police never arrived despite my calling back). The whole time I was waiting in the car, the temperature was well below freezing and I felt that my life was potentially in danger from cold exposure or hypothermia.
The next morning (Thursday, 12/26), I was able to have my Honda Fit towed to a Honda dealership (Planet Honda in Golden, CO). They diagnosed the problem as an engine cylinder misfire and proceeded to try and repair the vehicle. This repair ended up taking 5 days, involved multiple procedures, and cost $904.77. Briefly, my car engine was found to have two major problems that caused my breakdown: engine valves out of adjustment, and a failed fuel injector.
I believe Honda Motor Co. is largely responsible the breakdown of my Fit, as well as the dangerous situation that arose because of the breakdown and the expensive repair bill that I incurred. At the time of the breakdown, my Fit had under 60,000 miles on it. According to several Honda service technicians I spoke to, valve clearance adjustments are normally not recommended until 100,000 miles unless the valves are noisy. My valves were not noisy as I'd had my Fit inspected at a Honda dealership prior to traveling and no noise was detected. In addition, fuel injector replacements are not mentioned at all as a maintenance service item. In fact, it is so unusual for a fuel injector to fail that that the Honda dealership that repaired my vehicle did not even keep them in stock (they had to order them from out of state). The fact that these maintenance items are either not mentioned to customers or not recommended until a vehicle has much higher mileage than did my car, is evidence that the engine failure was not my fault. Rather, the facts indicate my Honda Fit came with faulty parts and/or design that caused its premature failure and breakdown.
According to the 2013 Honda Fit "Warranties" booklet that came with the new purchase of my vehicle, "some repairs may be covered beyond the limited warranty". Given the details of my breakdown and the fact that my Fit is still under the 60,000 mileage portion of your warranty (although it is over the 5-year portion), I contacted Honda and requested that they reimburse me for the $904.77 I spent repairing my vehicle. A customer service representative named Lucy reviewed my case and informed me that Honda would not reimburse me for the amount I requested. While she offered me a $200 Honda gift card, I feel this is an unreasonable and inadequate reimbursement and believe I am owed a full (or at least adequate partial) reimbursement from Honda.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
On Dec. 25, 2019, I was driving from California to Colorado in my 2013 Honda Fit when my engine light began to blink. My car lost power and I was forced to exit the highway and immediately pull over.
I called my roadside assistance program, but because it was Christmas night, they were unable to find a towing company available and told me to call the police instead. I called the Colorado state police, informed them of my situation, and they said they would send out an officer. While I was waiting, I called family members in CO, but could not reach anyone. I had to wait about an hour and a half before I was able to reach a family member who could come pick me up (the police never arrived despite my calling back). The whole time I was waiting in the car, the temperature was well below freezing and I felt that my life was potentially in danger from cold exposure or hypothermia.
The next morning (Thursday, 12/26), I was able to have my Honda Fit towed to a Honda dealership (Planet Honda in Golden, CO). They diagnosed the problem as an engine cylinder misfire and proceeded to try and repair the vehicle. This repair ended up taking 5 days, involved multiple procedures, and cost $904.77. Briefly, my car engine was found to have two major problems that caused my breakdown: engine valves out of adjustment, and a failed fuel injector.
I believe Honda Motor Co. is largely responsible the breakdown of my Fit, as well as the dangerous situation that arose because of the breakdown and the expensive repair bill that I incurred. At the time of the breakdown, my Fit had under 60,000 miles on it. According to several Honda service technicians I spoke to, valve clearance adjustments are normally not recommended until 100,000 miles unless the valves are noisy. My valves were not noisy as I'd had my Fit inspected at a Honda dealership prior to traveling and no noise was detected. In addition, fuel injector replacements are not mentioned at all as a maintenance service item. In fact, it is so unusual for a fuel injector to fail that that the Honda dealership that repaired my vehicle did not even keep them in stock (they had to order them from out of state). The fact that these maintenance items are either not mentioned to customers or not recommended until a vehicle has much higher mileage than did my car, is evidence that the engine failure was not my fault. Rather, the facts indicate my Honda Fit came with faulty parts and/or design that caused its premature failure and breakdown.
According to the 2013 Honda Fit "Warranties" booklet that came with the new purchase of my vehicle, "some repairs may be covered beyond the limited warranty". Given the details of my breakdown and the fact that my Fit is still under the 60,000 mileage portion of your warranty (although it is over the 5-year portion), I contacted Honda and requested that they reimburse me for the $904.77 I spent repairing my vehicle. A customer service representative named Lucy reviewed my case and informed me that Honda would not reimburse me for the amount I requested. While she offered me a $200 Honda gift card, I feel this is an unreasonable and inadequate reimbursement and believe I am owed a full (or at least adequate partial) reimbursement from Honda.
- David W., San Luis Obispo, US