This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
About a year or two after purchasing the car new in 2016, we noticed that the instrument panel right side which has fuel gauge, odometer, trip information and other key operating vehicle information would go blank or the digital readout would go haywire and turn into gibberish. This generally happened on cold mornings and the display would revert to normal within 10 minutes to one hour. We took it to dealer where vehicle purchased in Phoenix, who was unable to recreate the problem and therefore they did nothing. The problem has persisted since then but recently has worsened to the point where the display is blank almost all of the time and not working in hot weather as well. The only time I can see the gauges is when first starting car in morning, and then it often doesn't work to get to different functions one accesses by pushing a knob/button next to that display -- and stops working completely a short time later. I feel this is a dangerous problem because we can't tell how much gas we have in the car, can't determine mileage via odometer there and lack other key vehicle information that the manufacturer decided to put in a digital panel that is blank or goes blank most of the time. On my listing below of when this incident occurred, that is to indicate when the problem started happening, more or less. The incident has been ongoing since then. The problem started when vehicle had around 20-25K miles and we are now at 58K -- though it's hard for me to tell mileage because I can so rarely see the odometer. I believe odometers and probably fuel gauges are legally required to work in vehicles and mine has been faulty for years and during the warranty period. A recall is needed. Honda is charging more than $1,000 to replace these faulty displays on Honda Fits that are no longer under warranty, like mine, I am told.
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.
The digital information display on the right side of the speedometer goes blank in cold weather. The display will alternate between blank and gibberish, where you cannot read. Once the interior of the car warms up, the display will return to normal.
The fuel gauge and odometer are not visible due to an electrical issue. The screen will glitch making it unusable and dangerous because it is not clear how much fuel is remaining. Due to the way the car's displays are laid out, there is no other way to calculate out many miles have been driven. Nothing has happened to the car to make this issue more than a defective part installed by the manufacturer. I do not feel safe using this car. I am not the only one that has experienced this issue with a 2015-20 Honda Fit. This has been a continuous issue.
- Saint Louis, MO, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
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.
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.
The odometer/gas guage fails in cold weather. This creates a safety hazard when the driver can not accurately guage mileage (needed for maintenance and reporting), and can not accurately guage fuel levels which can strand the motorist and create a bevy of safety issues.
The gauge that shows miles, oil life, gas gauge, and all other functions does not come on all the time when you start the engine. You can be stationary, in motion on any street or highway. It seems to show a bunch of Japanese writings at times. Then lo and behold it comes back on. It was stated that the cluster needs to be replaced, which is ridiculous for a newer vehicle. You need to make it right! there are more and more complaints, so your site is posted to file a complaint. I do not posses the technology to take a photo and upload. Please recall or make good on your cluster replacement. It is an on going problem that started about 7 months ago. Mileage cannot be seen nor oil change, fuel amount, or any other function on screen when it is out. It had about 41, ooo or so when it started. The dealer says my warranty has expired.
Odometer/fuel gauge have started to display random characters. At first it was intermittent and in really cold weather, and would sort itself out after 5-10 minutes. But it has become more common as soon as the car starts and now will not sort itself out. There is no access to the car's mileage or to even know how much gas is left in the tank. This seems to be an issue with the 2015-2016 Honda Fits, but Honda is not regarding this as an actual issue/under warranty even though there is a defect.
When temperatures outside are cold. The gas gauge cluster which also displays odometer miles starts off as lit but will then go blank. As the vehicle warms up the cluster will flicker on /off until ultimately resuming back to normal. Defective fuel/mileage gauge cluster is a manufacture defect caused by temperature related issues, usually during outside temperatures of 45 degrees or less. Numerous complaints have been file against the manufacture but the issue has yet to be resolved. It is not a wiring or car computer related issue and the problem has been narrowed down by a number of Honda dealer mechanics to be a defective gauge cluster. Replacing the cluster would resolve this issue however, parts and labor are over $500. Vehicle is a 2016 Honda Fit with less than 11,000 miles.
Instrument cluster display stops working or displays gibberish randomly. This prevents me from knowing how much fuel is left in the car, sometimes for days. The instrument cluster is also the only place to see the odometer and keep track of mileage for service intervals. This lack of information affects my safety. This occurs when starting the car, other times in the middle of driving, on city and highway. It stays off or unreadable for hours to days.
Car would not start intermittently for about a month. Several times it took over 15 minutes to get the car to start. Dealership states after analysis that it is the 'starter'. they said it is not the starter switch, alternator or battery. A new starter installed will cost over $700. This is happening to many Honda cars that I've researched on the internet, but Honda has no recall on this issue. Something fishy about that.
The fuel guage has stopped working at 35,000 miles. It is backlit but no information in the display. The car was stationary when the display quit working. I took it to the Honda dealer where I purchased the car and they changed the oil and reset the maintenance log and it started working again. When I got home, the display went blank again.
One dial on the instrument panel that shows mileage, etc.. is displaying improperly. This happens more often in cold weather. It typically is malfunctioning when I first start the car. The dial can be completely empty or have some digits. The data is incorrect. This seems to go away after driving for a while. It doesn't happen every time but most times.
2016 Honda Fit with approximately 44,000 miles. Problem started to occur in early December of 2019 and has continued for the past 2 months. Problem is that the car is unable to start. On numerous attempts to start the car, when the key is turned all systems are powered, but the engine won't crank. Battery has been replaced twice to ensure it's not the battery. There is no corrosion on any of the electrical cables. There are multiple accounts online of other Honda Fit owners encountering premature starter failure. Contacted Honda and they informed me it was my responsibility to repair the vehicle despite the vehicle being relatively new.
The digital display in the dash that shows fuel gauge, range, odometer, etc.. will intermittently not display properly. It will either display improperly in a way that is unreadable, or the entire display will go blank while remaining backlit. It happens more often when it is cold out. I also noticed it initiate more during hard acceleration or braking, but it can also remain when the vehicle is parked after I have finished my commute. When the display comes back to working properly, it seems to read accurately again, but I don't want it to go out completely to the point where I no longer know how much fuel is in my vehicle or how many miles I have driven between maintenance.
While driving on a highway in 18 degree weather at night, the odometer and fuel gauge display (the furthest right section of the 3-instrument panel in front of the driver) blanked out. It came back, but blanked out again. Total time out was approximately 4 minutes. With this trim version (LX) is it not possible to obtain an odometer or fuel gauge reading through any other method. A later online search indicated this was an issue for 2015-2016 models, but no recall has been issued. I did not obtain photographic proof because I was traveling at highway speeds and it would have been unsafe to find my phone in the dark and fiddle with it to take a photograph.
Bought a 2016 Honda Fit ex used last year. Took it to the dealer because of multiple check engine warning lights. They told me that rats eat through the electical wiring in the engine compartment. They are clearly aware of this issue of rodents becaulse of the soy based wire coating. If Honda is aware of this issue than why do I have to pay hundreds maybe thousands to apply a new wire coating. I have another sitting next to it and never had a problem. Honda, needs to fix this problem because I believe that this is a bearing a class action law suit. Ill be talking to my attorney about this issue. Please get the word out about this.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Phoenix, AZ, USA