I'm eyeballing a 2012 Orangeburst Metallic Sport. I've been dying to find a Fit in this color.

So I was pretty heartbroken when I saw there was an open recall on this vehicle.

How worried should I be about this? Will Honda still fix this at no charge for me even though I'm not the original owner (to be clear I don't own this car yet, haven't even test driven it...just looking at it online).

But I don't know if this should be a non-starter before I even go look at the car, or if is much ado about nothing.... This car is being sold by CarMax so it's NOT at a Honda dealer where I can insist they fix it before I buy it.

Here's the recall info:

NHTSA Recall Number: opens new window takes away from VIN lookup section> 13V-157 Recall Date: April 23, 2013
Manufacturer Recall Number: S99

SUMMARY:

HONDA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012-2013 HONDA FIT SPORT VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM MAY 23, 2011, THROUGH MARCH 22, 2013, AND MODEL YEAR 2012-2013 HONDA FIT BASE VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JUNE 27, 2011, THROUGH APRIL 19, 2013. IN APRIL 2013, HONDA RECALLED 43,782 2012-2013 HONDA FIT SPORT VEHICLES. IN JULY 2013, HONDA INFORMED THE AGENCY THAT IT WAS ADDING MODEL YEAR 2012-2013 HONDA FIT VEHICLES IN BASE TRIM TO THE RECALL CAMPAIGN, REPRESENTING AN ADDITIONAL 48,138 VEHICLES.THE TOTAL NUMBER OF VEHICLES BEING RECALLED IS NOW 91,920. THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL SYSTEM OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES MAY ALLOW EXCESSIVE YAW RATES AT HIGH STEERING ANGLES WITH CERTAIN TIRES. THUS, THESE VEHICLES FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL VEHICLE MOTOR SAFETY STANDARD NO. 126, "ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL SYSTEMS." SAFETY RISK:

EXCESSIVE YAW RATES PREVENT THE PROPER FUNCTION OF THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) SYSTEM, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH. REMEDY:

HONDA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL UPDATE THE ESC SOFTWARE FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 1, 2013. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HONDA AUTOMOBILE CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-800-999-1009. HONDA'S RECALL CAMPAIGN NUMBER IS S99.
RECALL STATUS:

Recall INCOMPLETE
MANUFACTURER NOTES:



Thanks in advance!

 

this is already an old recall. just drop it by the honda dealer and they will do the recall no problem. i did not notice any difference before and after the software update.

 

I agree—it's not anything to lose any sleep over.

Vehicle manufacturers (and other manufacturers, generally) will perform safety recall work free of charge on the units in question regardless of who bought them or currently owns them. Ax xxryu said, you can just bring it into any Honda dealer to have the work done if needed. You can also see if it's been done yet or not by looking up the VIN online at https://vinrcl.safercar.gov/vin/ or presumably by calling the local dealer and asking them to look up the VIN.

 

This software tweak, is actually a good thing, making a pretty safe car, even safer. I think it took 15 minutes for the dealer computer to upgrade mine.

 

mine is 12' and i got the recall notice.


i threw it out.

 

i believe car companies are required to fix recalls free of charge no matter when you buy the car.

i noticed no problems with mine, but finally stopped in to get it done. postcard said 18 minutes, service guy said it has been taking closer to an hour. took closer to an hour. notice nothing different now either

 

The update is just that, an update.

You wont notice any change if you are not constantly causing the traction control to engage.

It mentioned steering angles, so it may be related to higher speeds on wet or snow covered ground with higher steering angles.

Nothing to worry about, its just Honda giving a crap about its customers and making sure their vehicles are meeting all current standards.

 

Just out of curiosity how are you guys getting these recall notifications? I purchased my Fit through carmax and I am not sure how they had that set up.