I don't know what anyone else has done, but yesterday I sent a letter to:

American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
Honda Automobile Customer Service
Mail Stop 500-2N-7A
1919 Torrance Blvd.
Torrance, CA 90501-2746

Including links to all comments made here about observed leak problems and a link to my web page showing what I did. Honda clearly shows what the parameters are for performing a water leak test on page 20-25 of the factory service manual. Doing it any other way is null and void as far as they and most all auto mfg's are concerned, which has been my experience dealing with such issues over the past 50+ years that I've had water leak problems. You have to play by their rules and hope for a proper resolution. Period.
-Rod

 

Yes...but as long as the plastic sheeting under the interior door panel remains sealed at the bottom, the door won't leak. Of course I consider it to be a design issue when there is a large recessed access hole under the window edge, but Honda would not agree. The issue is not the access hole itself, but the fact that it is recessed. And, if I remember correctly, the main issue is the rear driver-side passenger door; I don't think the other rear door is quite so bad, but I fixed both.

Yes, a decent factory retro-fix could be made, something like a plastic insert that would essentially plug or seal this area. What makes me upset is the thought of owners taking in their vehicles due to a rear water leak and having the outside gasket replaced. It doesn't help to fix that which is not the problem. That's why I almost always fix my own vehicles, since I have little trust in dealership work. I would rather spend the time determining the real problem..but that's just me.

 

Yes..that is correct.

 

So I took apart my rear passenger door and fixed my leaking problem. It isn't the prettiest tape job in the world, but it does what it should.

So this is what the finished panel looks like. I posted relevant pictures so you can see exactly what I did

http://www.flickr.com/photos/87743395@N08/

 

I would just suggest for others to keep the tape on the outside of the hole...makes it easier to apply. I ran the tape just shy of the liner goop, which keeps the sticky side of the tape on the inside of the hole, working my way up from the bottom. But either way will work. Hope your car stays water free.

 

Just sharing my findings from when I took my door panels off a couple years ago. Mine was a GD3 Fit (07-08) so I don't know if GE8s might have the same cause of leaks.

My doors didn't ever leak excessively enough that water would get on the interior carpet of the car, but I did notice that water would accumulate between the bottom of the door panels and the bottom of the door frames after heavy rains or heavy carwashing. Then it would just drip down toward the outside of the car, never actually breaching the last seal and getting in to the carpet. I didn't want to bother taking everything apart unless the carpet was getting wet, but found the extra time one day so decided to check it out anyway.

I took everything apart, expecting to find compromised seals along the vapor shield because of everything owners and Honda techs have been saying about this issue since 2006-2007. However, I found the seals were all perfectly intact, and could easily trace that water was actually leaking from the holes all along the perimeter of the door frame. The same holes through which the plastic clips hold the door panels to the doors. It was the same thing all around the car, all 4 doors. Seals all solid and no water marks indicating leakage from them. But water marks and leak indications from several of the holes.

I added some red circles to the pictures pointing out the ones that can be obviously discerned from the photographs, and also marked the line on the bottom of the door frame where you can see the water/mineral deposits from where the water would typically gather up between the door panel and door frame bottoms.

I suggest tackling that design fault if you find that you've resealed your vapor shields but still have leakage.

Note: This was the first time I'd ever taken off my door panels since buying the car new. It's consistent on all 4 doors, and in my opinion, a design flaw. And don't mind that the vapor shield is detached from the seal in the photo, I did that right before I took the photo.

 

I was thinking to do that, but then my dad made a pretty good observation that if I taped it with the sticky side out when I press the plastic liner back onto the car then adhere it to the tape and create a sort of funnel to lead the water back inside the door.

We found where water enters the door, on the outside bottom left of the window trim (the corner closest to the plastic trim piece). There is a gap big enough to see light through the other side. Pretty shoddy effort on Honda's behalf....

 

I have updated my web page that addresses this door leak problem, now including what I found with my initial efforts, a change I made and the big difference in the front door and rear door weather protection on my GD 08 and my conversation with American Honda. The update is here at Rod's Honda Fit page.
I hope you find it useful.
-Rod

 

I've read this whole thread and I am confused. GE? GD?
I am just trying to figure out if this issue affects my new 2012 Sport Fit, or only the previous years...And if it affects all cars or only some of them.
Thanks

 

Both the GE and GD are affected. Both leak, but for different reasons. My GE leaks through the bottom of the plastic inner door liner, while the GD's look like they leak through plastic retaining clips as well as the inner plastic liner.

Even if you have a 2012, I'm pretty sure you'd have the same inner liner as I do. Now will yours leak? Maybe, maybe not; this isn't a widespread problem.

 

I just discovered this problem with my recently purchased 2008 Fit Sport from a used car dealer. I saw rust on the door sill (not on the door, but on the body where the door meets the body) prior to purchasing, but was told the previous owner used it for a step, and that it was surface rust. They gave me $50 off the purchase price. Easy cheap fix, right?

Well, I had the autobody shop start that fix, and we discovered rust on the bottom of the door also (not visible from exterior, and only seen if you get low and look up at the bottom of the door). This discovery shows this problem to be more than a previous owner stepping on the sill when entering the vehicle. The autobody shop said his best guess (without taking off the door panel) was that this rust was coming from the inside of the door.

That's when I started my research, and found this thread. I am thinking this could be my problem. I purchased this car last week, 10/3, and am having a meeting with the used car dealer (Volvo Dealer tomorrow).

I am not sure what kind of response I will get, but this is disheartening. I will have serious buyers remorse if they can't make it right.

 

Just bought a '03 GD3 here in Japan last week, the day after I bought it we had some heavy rain and high winds. The next morning I opened the car door to the nasty smell of rotten carpet....GREAT! First thing I did was check the carpet and the rear floor board behind my drivers was soaked. Opened the boot to find a little bit of water by the spare tyre, but not up top. I can see were it came from an it could not have gone forward.

I was doing my research and found this and Rod's fit page which had pictures. I am about to take the panels off and check this out. Hopefully I can get it fixed before I my wife drives it.....I bought it for her but have been tuning it up and fixing little thing around the car (cvt fluid change, air filter, loose bumpers, fog lights pointed straight down, new tyres, red badges, leather wrapped the steering wheel, buffed the car including the headlights....ect)

 

AN UPDATE -
8+ inches (203mm) of rain and very high winds from hurricane Sandy and my Fit stayed bone dry! Not a drop of water to be found anywhere in the vehicle and very happy about that, after my door seal fixes, a week or so before the storm!
-Rod

 

Great thread. Seems like I'm affected by this too. Mine's a 2005 GD1.

My observation is that the left rear floorboard carpet begins getting soaked when I drive through the rain with the seats folded down. I'm not sure what the seat back does differently with the sealing arrangement on the left rear door, but for some reason the water is more reluctant to pool into the interior when the seats are up.

I'll need to grab a bit of spare time but I'll look into this on my own car. Fingers crossed there isn't a lot of rust yet. Thanks again!

 

Spacecoast you have a great website. That EZCARLIFT is a must have. I have been looking for a vehicle lift like this for a long time and never came across it before.

Does anyone know if the leaking door problem was fixed by Honda after the 2009 model year? I have a 2012 MY Fit and have not noticed a problem. If Honda did not do anything to improve the design, it will just be a matter of time before the 2012 and 2011 cars start to leak.

 

Dick,
I think you are talking about my website, as it doesn't appear that Spacecoast has a web site.(?) Yes, the EZcarlift is a great product, which I've now owned for 5 years and have used to lift many different vehicles, from my '08 Honda Fit to my '88 4400 lb Chevy 4x4 pickup truck, plus other makes that friends own. A solid, well designed compact lift system, in my experience.
FWIW,
-Rod

 

Yea, Rod I got that wrong -- sorry for that. Based on your website info, I contacted Boytcho at EZcarlift and bought one. Hopefully, it will be delivered right after Thanksgiving.

 

That's okay, at least you found out about it and ordered one (Boytcho called me to thank me for putting the info here on FitFreak) and I am sure you'll be very happy with it. As I said earlier, I've had my EZcarlift for 5 years this month and it certainly has repaid me many times over in doing work on the underside of vehicles, without the hassle of floor jacks and jack stands, while trying to get all four corners up in the air, SAFELY!
-Rod

 

I used this product in lieu of a/c tape. It works great and also deadens the sound.
Quick Roof from The Home Depot - Model#: QR625

 

I'm glad you guys have given a heads up of what might be coming my way in a few years. I'm in Southern California, and I've had my 2008 Fit since it was new. No leaks yet, and it's been through rain storms. I've been keeping it maintained; any time a plastic retainer has gone bad, I would get a replacement from the dealer quickly. The key to prevent the leak is to make sure your weather seals haven't shrunk. The seals that come in contact with the windows need to stay in good shape...that is the key to keeping the water out of the door in the first place. If you live in either an extremely hot climate or the "salt belt" where your car's in contact with snow and road salts, your window seals will age faster, and start leaking water into the door. If you can promptly rinse your car after a storm, that will help slow down the wear on the rubber.