I have a 2008 Fit. Yesterday, the key would not go into the ignition without much effort and problems. It finally went in and the car started right up. It did it again and now I am afraid to take the key out of the ignition. I had a similar issue with the key and the lock on the driver's side door. They replaced the lock but now the key takes some jiggling in the lock to make it work. I have never had a car that had this problem. I thought the keys were supposed to last forever. Anyone else had this issue. Thanks.

 

The key might be bent or worn out? Might wanna check and compare with a spare key (if you have one)

The key should have no problem sliding right in, unless the ignition lock cylinder or the key is messed up.

 

I suggest lubing the locks with Tri-Flow or some similar oil that's also light and contains teflon, then see how they behave. With the key out, see if it's straight and/or there are any burrs on it.

The key is basically stainless steel but they do wear over time.

 

Hi, While I love our 2007 Fit I am very frustrated by the locks. So far I have had to replace bent lock pins in the drivers door, the ignition switch, the hatch lock. Also, the passenger door lock no longer works! Now the drivers door lock is again resisting key insertion without wiggling it, as is the ignition key! We have 3 keys, and one of them has less problems, but non work perfectly, and non work on the passenger door. Tried "Lock Lube" and WD40. Lubricating the locks eased the problems but still key insertion is fiddly in the drivers door lock and ignition lock. Meanwhile the passenger door lock allows easy key insertion, but zero key rotation! The keys do not seem to have unusual wear, but this is hard to assess. Now I need to decide do I go back to a locksmith to have the lock pins fixed on two doors and ignition ($800+), or get new keys cut first (which may be a non fix). Also, will I be repeating this yearly! I notice lots of similar complaints, so is there no recall or Honda technical response?

 

That sounds really unusual. Do you live or drive a lot in dusty or sandy areas?

 

This issue has just started occurring with my 2009 DX-A Fit with manual transmission.

The key/lock feel really weird when inserting the key. The key goes in part way and stops. When I pull the key out, it feels like the lock doesn't want to let go. If I jiggle the key while trying to insert, without applying enough force to damage anything, it will eventually slip right in very smoothly as if there was never anything wrong to begin with.

I was about 400 km from home when this started consistently happening, so I made a beeline straight for home, hoping not to have to pull the key out along the way.

I've just had the drivers-side door lock replaced because of a similar issue. That was about $250 when fixed by the dealer.

I do tend to drive a lot on dusty grid roads, so I'm sure that the dust is a major contributor. Still, this is the first Honda I've owned that has given me this kind of grief.

I've checked the key. It looks very straight, but I'll try the spare and see if that works any better. After that, I'll try a lock lubricator. After that, I guess I'll have to set up an appointment with the local Honda shop.

 

I would get some spray contact cleaner (you can get it from Radio Shack) and spray it copiously into the keyholes to blow out the crud. Give it awhile to dry, then spray dry teflon spray into the locks (Lowe's or Home Depot). After that, see if you can slide the key in and out.

 

I called my Honda Dealer`s service department and told them that I wanted to try fixing the problem with a lubricant before bringing the car in. They told me that they only use a dry graphite lubricant. So, that`s what I tried.

As I was inserting and re-inserting the key to try to work the lubricant in, I found that if I slid the key in at a particular angle, it inserted effortlessly every time. A little away from the angle, and the key would jam in that weird, grabby manner. So, I think my issue is solved for now. I just have to be careful to insert the key with that particular angle.

 

My key wore out after 8 years, wound up wrecking my ignition with the worn out key. Had to get it fixed, and got a new key cut. My passenger side lock had been very difficult to get the key in and turned with the old key (had my drivers side replaced TWICE), after getting the new key it went in and turned like butter.

 

If you look at a newly cut key you will see that the ends of the key have nice squared edges. As the key is used it causes these to round off. Once they are rounded off the key no longer pushes the pins in the cylinder up and down as they should. Once they are rounded off they begin to push the pins sideways as well as up and down. This causes the pin to bend which causes it to bind up and jam.

Any time the locks are repaired key replacement is highly suggested because an old key can wear a new lock very quickly. And you should not use lube on honda lock cylinders except as a last resort. They are lubed with grease from the factory. Graphite will clump in the grease, oil will wash away the grease, and dirt will stick to the oil causing more wear. Issues like these are why I started a thread over in the 1st generation forum about how to get cheaper keys for 2007(and only) models.

 

I guess graphite is OK but I prefer dry teflon spray.

 

Grease in locks is a new one on me (30+ year locksmith), but this is what Honda sells and recommends:
Lock Lube 08732-0010 6985634 A grease that’s safe to use in all types of locks: door, ignition, and trunk."

 

This weekend, this ignition switch finally did me in while I was over 250km from home at a remote ghost town. I slip the key in and it just would not turn. I tried over and over, jiggle it, moving the steering wheel to both locked extremes, on and on and on. Luckily there was cell-phone service (there's oil company activity nearby) so I could call a tow truck. One window was down, another partially down. Nothing could be changed.

Anyhow, I got it back home and to my Honda dealer. Estimated repair will take a few days (to order the lock, get it keyed, and install it) and around $800. I've only had the car for a year. Cost of ownership is taking a huge hit.

 

Had a locksmith repair the ignition when it went, $200 plus $70 for a new key which solved my door lock stubbornness

 

It's not very difficult to fix the lock yourself- watch the very helpful YouTube videos from user 'flip keys'.

 

I have Three Honda Fits (2007, 2008 and 2009) and the first two have had continuous door lock problems. All three have rear door latch problems, one even after having been repaired by the dealer. They claim that this now a rear lock problem rather that a latch issue.

The locks on the 2007 finally got so bad that the car could only be accessed via the tailgate and that was failing fast. I decided to remove the door lock cylinder from the driver's door and I am now convinced that the part was designed by someone who had it in for Honda's reputation. It is clearly a piece of poorly deigned junk and not worthy to be called a Honda part. On the other hand, Honda has known about this problem for years and has done nothing about it, and so possibly my high opinion of Honda is flawed.

The bottom line is that the door lock cylinder removal is one of the worst jobs that I have done on a car. Replacing engines on some cars was far easier. The English factory repair manual did not cover the task and I had to revert to a German manual, which can be found at Honda Jazz / Honda Fit Online Repair Manual. That oversimplified the problem and was essentially useless. The Youtube link below was helpful but eventually, I was so frustrated that I levered the door handle to the side and gained another 1/4 inch of access. That was all that I needed to remove the clip that holds the lock cylinder to the lock bracket so that it could be removed.

After taking the part to a Honda dealer, I was told that the lock cylinder could only be sold as a complete assembly at a cost of $118 per door. Remember, this is the lock assembly that cannot be removed without being disassembled inside the car. Presumably, that means that it cannot be replaced without disassembly also. In addition, the lock cylinder looks like it originally cost about $1.00 For another $0.50, they could have sold us a real one that lasted the life of the car like other manufacturers have managed to do for the last 50-60 years.

Tomorrow, I will take the existing lock cylinder to a locksmith to see if it can be rebuilt, or a new one from Ebay modified so that it uses my existing key.

The moral of the story for me is that sometimes selecting a cheaper part and saving less than a buck can really screw your customers and jeopardize their goodwill towards you. I feel much less warm to Honda than I did before actually trying to remove one of their junk lock cylinders. If they designed their engines using the same crew that created their locks, I would not touch a Honda with a ten foot barge pole.

 

Hmm sounds like the sports remote to unlock the doors is a better deal than I thought..