I have a 2009 Fit with less than 30,000 miles on it (I don't go very far...). The past two mornings I have had acceleration problems. Yesterday, the repair at the dealership mentioned it may be a loose fuel cap. I tightened cap, and voila! Proper acceleration, and I drove it around all day. This a.m., again, engine light (not blinking) on, and very little acceleration. Drove it slowly to dealership, they ran the code and said I need new throttle body to the tune of $1000 bucks.

Anyone else have this experience? I don't trust the diagnosis...

 

Can you drive the car still? I'd take it to autozone or buy my own code reader first. Find the code, do an online search and see what it come up with. Share that code on this forum and there are plenty of helpful owners here.

My personal take: Not sure about the miles and without codes It's just a guess but the MAF sensor is a cornerstone for this car....if it goes bad, you're dead in the water....but since you're still driving it could be a coil pack or plug....call Honda customer service, give them your vin and confirm any warranties for throttle body, coil packs since you fall in mileage.....


Biggest thing is get the CEL code first!

 

Well, I was barely able to drive it. I had to do that drive on the right and wave people past me thing. This is the first time I've been hit with a major repair on the basis of a code, so I'm a little blindsided & didn't think to ask for the code. Thought I asked them for more details & waiting for them to get back to me.

Just a quick question (and thank you very much for your response!).. is the MAF sensor the same as the throttle body, or is it a component of the throttle body? Maybe it's just the MAF sensor that is bad....

 

If you open up your hood and find your air intake (to the left of the battery, it's huge), the MAF(mass air flow) sensor is located on top of box where your filter is.

These things can go bad over time and I had the unpleasant experience of having mine go out.....I could barely drive and then the car would just stumble and turn off. Repair to the tune of 1k....and it turns out all I really needed was a new MAF sensor (but the dealership replaced coils, plugs and the sensor)

Since then I drive with a can of MAF sensor cleaner in the trunk just in case and have recently purchased a spare MAF online...all just in case

Back to your scenario: do you have anyone handy in the family? I ask because there is an ebay seller that has a throttle body for the fit and he is selling it here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Throttle-Body-Assembly-Honda-Fit-2009-L15A7-1-5-/291113651361?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item43c7b9cca1

You'll find his prices are WAY fair....but I doubt it's the throttle body...

If there is an autozone or advance auto nearby, I'd go there and get a can of MAF sensor cleaner, use a star screwdriver to get the sensor out, and give the sensor area a few bursts....

Dont ask the dealership to do this....they'll probably BS you since they have you in the pipeline for a 1k repair...mine told me they didnt know about such a cleaner and could spray brake cleaner if I wanted (yeah right....would have killed the sensor)

 

Thanks so much, Santiad. I'm lucky to have a fairly handy husband, so I can pass on this information. I really do appreciate your ideas on this. Stressed to the max about it, though. I'll let you know what happens.

 

You're welcome...

remember Autozone and Advance can pull the codes for free and tell you what they are....just write them down and check online.

If it is the throttle body or anything along that route (coil pack, etc) you can do this own your own (through your husband ).

Not that hard, just alot of time since you'll have to take off the wipers, the wiper motor, cowl cover, cowl plate, etc.....lots of screws and clips but it's straightforward and will get you very "intimate" with your fit.

It's its the sensor, well that 30 minutes (5 to get it out and clean, 25 to clean, let it dry, then reinstall).

Good luck....keep us updated since it may help someone else down the road!

 

Santiad: the I got from the dealer is P2101.

 

ETCSMDTC


P2101: Electronic Throttle Control System (ETCS) Malfunction
.
So yea if the proper diagnosis was performed than the throttle body would need to be replaced. Theres really no way around that if the throttle body sensor itself is bad. Hopefully the Tech diagnosed it properly tho. If I were you I would erase the DTC and drive it around and see how fast the code reappears. It COULD just be intermittent. This is strange to me cause I have yet to come across a bad Throttle body on 2nd gen fits, but never say never.

 

damn....

I agree with D429302.....disconnect the black cable on the battery for 10 mins (make sure you have the radio code first though.....I saved mine to the notepad on my phone but you should have it somewhere)

reconnect and see how quickly it comes back.

BTW here is another site we all use for parts (it WILL be cheaper than what the dealership quotes since they mark it up) OEM Honda Parts & Honda Accessories - Bernardi Honda Parts and Accessories

these are oem parts....even if you go to an independent mechanic, always use OEM parts when it comes down to parts that will be used under the hood.

 

Thank you both, Santiad and D429302 for your help. The dealership did insist that replacement is the only fix (apologetically). At this point, I don't know if I want to put my hubby under the stress of fixing it or attempting to fix it. Honda will definitely be hearing from me, though, for whatever good it will do.

 

well...call their Customer Care number...you call under warranty mileage and years and the throttle body certainly isn't a part that is replaced often...ask the service manager for a goodwill repair also, never hurts.

 

Good news! While I had planned on writing some letters today (I had to go home to get VIN), I got a message from my dealership repair that the part *is* under warranty, and it will be done at no cost. So, Whew! However, the fact that the part can't be cleaned and must be replaced because it is a "closed unit" (as explained to me) seems like a very bad design. Thanks again, everyone, for your help.

 

I was about to ask about warranty, then got to the OP's post at the bottom. I see many folks on auto forums spending their own $$ and time chasing around an issue that should be covered under warranty. Everyone should read their owner's manuals: in the USA, there are various warranties besides the standard OEM bumper-to-bumper, and of course there are the classic "goodwill" repairs, so the first thought on anything but a standard maintenance item should be "can I get Honda to pay for it?"

 

So true. Now, I am a lot smarter, and will definitely know better how to handle such situations. Thanks!

 

So did replacing the throttle body fix the issue?

 

Bump

Tired of this piece of shit not working properly.

 

That was 6 years ago, Tapatio.

 

And this is the last Honda I buy. I have maintained this vehicle perfectly from day one and it’s falling apart at 70K miles. Bunch of bullshit.

UPDATE:

I had to replace the throttle body. Honda's are pieces of shit now. So sad to see them go from top dog back in the late 90's early 2000's to what they have become now. I'm done with this brand. Off to Tesla for my next car.

 

Another update: I ended up finding a used throttle body on EBay for $45. I took it to my local mechanic and he charged me $150 for install and reprogram. So the total ended up being about $200 to fix the issue. It’s been driving well since then. I still won’t be buying a Honda again but at least I didn’t have to junk this one as there’s no way I would have put $2500 into it to fix it at the dealer.

 

I am having the same problem but i have a 2018.
P219a and P0420.
My MPG dropped from 35-37 to 30-32.
Also it only comes on when the weather gets below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. But still with the light off i have poor MPGs.

Ive only seen people post on here with ‘15-‘16 problems. Is it possible I have another issue?