Honda Fit common problems: what to check before you buy
Credov's researched list of the 19 faults the Honda Fit is known for (2013–2015), 18 of them serious or costly. Each one says what to look for when you check the car, so you can spot it before you buy. Not every car has these faults: they are the ones worth checking on this model.
Known problems on the Honda Fit
Compulsory Takata airbag recall
Safety risk
2001–2012 · Paperwork
What to look for: Check the plate on the NZTA Takata lookup and ask for paperwork showing the airbag inflator was replaced.
Why it matters: The NZ Government made the Alpha recall compulsory on 4 April 2018. An unrepaired car fails its warrant of fitness and a trader cannot legally sell it, so an open Alpha recall makes the car unsaleable until Honda replaces the inflator - which Honda still does at no cost. Buy one unchecked and you own a car you cannot retail.
What to look for: Check the VIN on the NZTA Takata pages, look for a Japanese recall certificate, and ask if an airbag was replaced.
Why it matters: Honda's non-Alpha inflator campaigns run across a wide slice of the models NZ buyers see, and a Japanese import will not have been chased by a NZ owner letter. From 1 November 2018 non-Alpha recalls are flagged at the NZ border and an open recall means the vehicle is rejected for entry certification until the manufacturer's evidence of replacement is produced.
What to look for: Ask for proof the gearbox software update was done, and feel for slipping or shudder when accelerating hard from low speed.
Why it matters: Honda recalled 2014-2015 Civic and 2015 Fit because the software settings controlling transmission operation could damage the CVT drive pulley shaft. If that shaft breaks the car can lose acceleration or the front wheels can lock while driving. A car outside the campaign is a warranty and safety exposure you are buying.
What to look for: Ask for the fuel pump recall paperwork, and listen for a long crank when restarting hot after ten minutes.
Why it matters: Honda's fuel pump recall spans model years 2013 to 2023 across most of the models NZ dealers stock, though each model has its own band, and the failure mode is an engine stall while driving. A Japanese import in this range is very unlikely to have had a NZ owner letter, so the campaign status is worth confirming before the car goes on your yard.
What to look for: Feel for the car gaining speed by itself when the engine starts in EV mode, or lunging away from a stop.
Why it matters: Honda Japan filed this one after both market reports and a direct instruction from the Ministry, and recorded property damage: 5 incidents on the first failure mode and 6 on the second. The remedy is an engine-control reflash. On an import there is no local letter chain, so nothing tells the buyer whether it was ever done.
What to look for: Ask if it has ever cut out while driving, and watch the dash for blanking with all the electrics on.
Why it matters: The Japanese campaign records 78 cases where noise from the car's own electrical accessories made the power-control unit misbehave, so the relay feeding the engine control computer dropped out, the instrument panel went dark and the engine stopped while the car was moving. The remedy is a noise filter added to the supply circuit. The same notification also covers ignition-coil breakdown with 571 recorded cases.
What to look for: Look and smell at the back of the engine bay for scorched or melted plastic, and check idle-stop restarts every time.
Why it matters: This is one of the few Japanese Honda campaigns filed with fires already recorded: the notification lists two fires. The converter's internal device is not adequately protected against the overcurrent seen on restart, and once it is damaged the resin around it can carbonise and keep conducting, giving smoke, heat and at worst a fire. The remedy is replacement of the converter, not a reflash.
What to look for: Check every rear belt stops dead when yanked out sharply, then pays out and rewinds smoothly.
Why it matters: The notification describes a spring in the retractor lock mechanism fitted bent because an assembly machine was out of adjustment; it fouls other parts and the belt does not lock when pulled out quickly. Honda Japan's remedy was to check the belt serial numbers and replace matching belts. A rear belt that will not lock is also a warrant of fitness failure in New Zealand.
What to look for: Ask a Honda dealer to check Japanese airbag recalls on the chassis number, and check the passenger visor for an airbag-off label.
Why it matters: Stream, Airwave, Mobilio, Edix, That's, Zest, Partner, Inspire and Fit Shuttle were never sold new in New Zealand, so no local recall campaign was ever run against them and a New Zealand plate lookup has nothing to say. The Japanese notifications cover them across more than a dozen filings, driver and passenger side, several of them explicitly preventive with the cause not yet established at the time of filing.
What to look for: Ask a Honda dealer to check the replacement airbag fitted under an earlier recall isn't itself under a later recall.
Why it matters: Honda Japan filed notification 4528 specifically against replacement driver-side inflators - the parts fitted to fix an earlier campaign - because the propellant in them can degrade with repeated temperature and humidity cycling in the same way. Notification 4527 does the same on the passenger side and lists the earlier campaign numbers it supersedes, including 3141, 3375, 3493, 3568, 3582 and 3638.
What to look for: Watch the EPS light at start-up, then turn the wheel lock to lock at a standstill feeling for heavy or notchy patches.
Why it matters: A sudden, unexpected loss of power steering assist while driving is a genuine safety hazard, not just an inconvenience, and the usual fix is an EPS control unit or a whole steering column assembly.
Typical repair: NZ$500–NZ$1,800 in New Zealand · A$520–A$1,850 in Australia
What to look for: Feel for an uneven idle from cold, and a stumble or flashing engine light under load on the drive.
Why it matters: Honda recalled these cars because wires inside the plug-top ignition coils can be damaged by inadequate protection against electrical noise; a damaged coil can overheat and stall the engine. A stall in traffic is the safety case, and a car outside the campaign has original-design coils fitted.
What to look for: Check the car shows READY with no gearbox warning after ten minutes off, then creeps forward in D and back in R.
Why it matters: The Japanese campaign describes three separate software faults on the 7-speed dual-clutch hybrid: an engine-control fault that can stall the engine at low speed, a transmission driver unit fault that can leave the car refusing to start from park, and a hydrostatic clutch actuator fault that can leave the car unable to move off or reverse.
What to look for: Listen for an uneven idle from cold, and feel for a stumble or hesitation when you press the accelerator hard.
Why it matters: The noise-suppression resistor inside the coil can go open circuit from arcing. Honda Japan says the car can run rough with the engine lamp lit and, at worst, the engine can stop - either because the coil output collapses or because ignition noise stops the engine computer controlling properly.
What to look for: Feel for the steering suddenly going heavy or a steering warning light when turning lock to lock at walking pace.
Why it matters: Honda Japan's notification says the assist cut-out voltage in the electric power steering computer was set wrongly, so with a degraded battery a large steering input can pull the voltage below the threshold, the warning lamp lights and assist stops, leaving the steering suddenly heavy. Imports frequently arrive on their original Japanese battery, which is exactly the condition described.
What to look for: From cold, pull away gently several times including up a slope and in reverse, feeling for shudder or grabbing.
Why it matters: Many cars settle down with correct fluid and a relearn, but a badly worn unit needs a rebuild or a used gearbox - a wide range of possible outcomes that makes a proper test drive essential before agreeing a price.
Typical repair: NZ$300–NZ$4,500 in New Zealand · A$310–A$4,640 in Australia
What to look for: Cold-start and idle, feeling for a shake or stumble, and watch for a flashing check-engine light on acceleration.
Why it matters: A car that fails again after a single injector is replaced usually needs all four done at once, so a seller's claim of 'just fixed' is worth checking against the actual invoice before it changes how you price the car.
Typical repair: NZ$1,500–NZ$3,200 in New Zealand · A$1,550–A$3,300 in Australia
What to look for: In stop-start traffic creep, stop and pull away on a slope, feeling for judder, clunks or a delay before drive engages.
Why it matters: A dry dual-clutch gearbox that is already jerky or clunking at low speed is showing clutch wear, and repeated hill crawling or heavy traffic use wears it further; the repair for a worn clutch or shift actuator is a specialist hybrid-transmission job, not a quick adjustment.
Typical repair: NZ$300–NZ$6,000 in New Zealand · A$310–A$6,180 in Australia
What to look for: Look in the driver's door frame near the latch for small numbered recall stickers, and photograph each one.
Why it matters: Every Japanese recall schedule in this overlay ends with the same line: completed vehicles get a sticker bearing the campaign number near the driver's-side door striker. Nothing in a New Zealand recall lookup covers Japanese campaign numbers, so for an import this sticker cluster is often the only outstanding-work evidence physically on the car.
Got a question about a Honda Fit? Ask Credov: a noise, a warning light, a part or how to fix it.
Also check on every car
On top of the faults above, every Credov inspection covers the basics: fuel smell, leaks or filler rust, engine oil leaks, power steering fluid leak, drive belt cracks or squeal, rust underneath: chassis and mounts, engine mounts, engine oil level and colour, coolant level, colour and leaks, head gasket failure signs, cold start: rattle, knock or smoke, rough or hunting idle, engine running hot on gauge, gearbox or diff oil leak, swapped gearbox without lvv and more.
Researched by Credov from manufacturer recalls and service bulletins, owner reports and workshop sources. Repair prices are typical ranges, not quotes. See also fault codes and repair costs.