I have a 2009 Fit Sport that just went out of warranty. Of course. If I try to lock or unlock the car using the key fob, you can hear things moving and the lights flash, but the driver's door will not lock or unlock. And since it won't, the other doors won't. Using the key manually works fine, and turning it right twice still unlocks all doors. Using the power lock button inside successfully locks and unlocks the other doors, but the driver's side door lock must be pushed to lock it once inside the car. If you don't lock it, it will sound like it's trying to automatically lock if you start driving, but never succeeds unless you do it yourself.

In other words, it's like my first car, which would be fine, but since the passenger side door has no outside key access, it's a bit of a pain. Anyone had this and know a fix or know how much Honda's going to try and charge?

Thanks!

 

You describe my Fits lock problem that just started. Did you ever resolve the problem? If so, what was the cause? Thanks in advance

 

I have my second Fit. 2009 Base. First one saved my life (2010 Sport - and sacrificed itself) after a significant collision (with a wild boar who was just over the crest of a blind hill!) so I got a second...





Shortly after buying it from its first and only owner my key wouldn't go into the driver door lock. I tried the graphite powder, the WD, the jiggling an tapping, but no solution. Before I could get it repaired, a few days pass and now the key won't go into the ignition. Car wont start. Picked the brains of a few trusted mechanic friends who sent me in the direction of a locksmith and called a few and got a wide variety of diagnosis until they all directed me to one guy who knows his auto locks. And man, did he. He was a regular key guru, and fixed the problem, and here is the genius he imparted. I can't vouch for it except that I watched him do the work and he showed me every dang part of the process. It passed my test for no BS.





Honda uses locks that are made to very tight tolerances. Now that everything has a computer chip in it, the mechanical lock having such a tight tolerance isn't necessary, but que sera sera, Honda continues to use it.


The tight tolerance means that there's not a lot of room for things to wiggle, and at about ten years old, he's seen these locks go, almost like clockwork. (My car is a just past 10.)


If your key is worn, it doesn't engage perfectly with the tumblers (AKA wafers), the little puzzle pieces that slide away when your key is put into the right keyhole. When they aren't perfectly pushed out of the way they start to wear, and pretty soon your old worn key is wearing your lock cylinder parts and your lock cylinder parts are wearing your key further. This helps to wear all the locks you use your key for.





(If you look at your key and the tip is worn, if there is no tiny, flat "ledge", then it is guilty of this contagion. Go get a new one cut according to your VIN, pronto.)


He said humidity increases this problem, and in Hawai'i we have humidity. We also have a lot of old cars. After a rain or a bought of humidity he gets a bought of 10 or so Hondas in need, and then crickets until things get sticky again.





Also, before I called him and was still reading and fussing with this problem myself, I had an old fob from the first Fit and followed the instructions someone so kindly shared on a related thread, to hopefully add keyless entry to the 2009, (hoping to solve the door problem) to no avail. Two thoughts, first, make sure the battery is good (AKA red light goes on when you hit a button), second, pop open that fob. If there is only a black box inside, then you can't reprogram it without finding someone who has a computer that does it. If there is a tiny "pill" on the left near where the metal part of the key extends, then you are good to go and do it yourself. He explained that the existence of this "magic pill" this all depends, not on what year or base/sport option, but on what factory your car was made in. Living in Hawai'i we get cars from everywhere.





He says WD for sticky locks is fine, but only temporary, and graphite responds to humidity and will get sticky is best used when you have a lot of torque. Don't use it. These little, tiny, fussy Honda locks are not in the business of needing high torque. Lock tumblers don't require lots of force, they are very delicate, and prefer finesse. His best recommendation for long term slide was a lubricant that would only dry up and flake away, worst case. Forget the one he recommended. Just don't use graphite.





He came to my driveway where the stranded Fit stood in vain, rebuilt the ignition tumbler before my very eyes, reprogrammed the old key fob and granted the magic powers of keyless entry, and cut me a new key according to the lock code engraved onto the outside of the ignition lock cylinder (which you can only see when it is removed from the steering column). He placed the new key into the old fob, cut me a regular non-remote key as back up, and instructed me to never use my old back-up keys lest they start the problem all over again. $400, good to go. He said he could rebuild the door lock but since I now have a remote, he thought I should use it for a bit and see if I really care before I shell out another $150 so I can mechanically open my driver door with the key, which I doubt I will ever do again. (The dang dealer couldn't even tell me if a remote would work on my car and they offered to find out, AFTER I paid them $250 for a remote key...)


This locksmith was a good human. Amazing skills. Wish I could send him to all y'all who are stuck in the same boat as I was!