I was told to check out my hatch handle by my buddy Honda Mechanic.

https://photos.smugmug.com/13-Honda-...DSCN7306-M.jpg

Glad I didn't wait any longer.

Cleaned and greased.
https://photos.smugmug.com/13-Honda-...DSCN7307-M.jpg

I saw one video on Youtube about this which suggested you mangle the hole with vise grips to get the handle out. Seriously? Not necessary.

 

Exactly the same problem my girlfriend's 2009 Base is having. I'm trying to get the handle out now and have the interior hatch cover pulled, the wiper arm & motor pulled. It seems as though the latch handle can't be pulled out from outside unless that exterior trim panel/garnish is removed. Any tips to remove it? I can see all clips from the inside but they seem insanely hard to reach with pliers through all that razor sharp sheet metal.

Were you able to remove the handle without pulling this exterior panel?

 

So I got the exterior trim panel off on 3 of the 4 clips and pulled it clear enough to pull the handle the rest of the way out. In doing so I broke the plastic bracket that is molded into the trim piece corresponding to the clip that is furthest to the left on the driver side (US) when looking at the car from the rear. I think it will be okay because there is a screw that also holds the trim panel on on that side. We'll see.

Maybe I'm missing something, but that is one awful design.

1) The outer most clips on the panel (left most and rightmost) are essentially inaccessible from behind - so you can't pinch the ears in to avoid breaking the clips or the plastic bracket that holds them too the backside of the trim panel.
2) Obviously the schmuck that designed the handle itself wasn't thinking that it could corrode since its exposed to the elements.

 

yah, i posted a while back that it happened on my 09 GE near the end of ownership.

but my '12 GE did not have this issue... the biggest difference was the 09 was rarely washed so the road salt got onto the hinge spring and corroded it, where as my '12 was washed frequently and the spring was in good condition.

it's definitely a good idea to shoot some white lithium grease spray into that hinge from time to time.

 

I checked mine yesterday. Some signs of rust so gave it a shot of WD40 as no lith in the shop

 

For a quick answer to your question for how to remove the exterior trim, scroll down to step 5.

The following are directions for what I did to replace the rear hatch handle on my 2009 Honda Fit Sport, ***however these directions are specific to models having a horizontal exterior trim piece that runs across the hatch under/abutting the rear windshield seam.****

Quick Summary: You'll have to pop off the large plastic INTERIOR "trim" cover that covers the inside mechanics of the hatch and also remove the EXTERNAL rear windshield wiper and INTERNAL wiper motor, which allows you to then remove the EXTERNAL horizontal trim that runs just below the rear windshield seam on the exterior part of the hatch.

​​The horizontal trim piece covers the hatch handle. Figure out if it's relevant to your model. If so, you have to remove this horizontal trim piece, because once everything is detached, you have to lift that exterior horizontal trim up in order to pull the handle out and TWIST the handle to get the notch of it out of the hole and then to insert the new handle before putting the trim back in place.

If you are handy, you can do this on your own. I used a 10mm socket wrench.

1. order a new handle from a Honda dealership

2. Remove the EXTERIOR rear wiper:
- to remove the rear windshield wiper, look for the black cap located at the end of the wiper where the wiper pivots up and down from. Pull off the cap by gently pulling out on each side of the narrower (non-round) part of the cap; the cap should then come right off
- note the location of the mark on the metal circle that is now exposed; mine had a small blue dot at 3 o'clock. Wherever the dot is, that's where you want it to be when you put it back on so the wiper is in the correct position.
- use a 10mm wrench to remove nut on the wiper, then gently twist the wiper and it should slide right off

3. Remove components from the INSIDE part of the hatch:
- Remove the interior plastic hatch cover by popping out the ~2x4 rectangular piece at the bottom center and then gently pulling/popping off the large plastic cover; all the mechanisms and some wires will then be exposed
- Detach the wiper blade mechanism as a unit; it is on the internal side from where the exterior wiper blade attaches. Look for three nuts that hold the unit to the hatch. Use a 10mm socket wrench to remove the nuts; let the unit hang gently down

4. Start detaching the handle from the INSIDE part of the hatch:
- slide the cable (that is attached to internal part of the handle) out of the slot and then twist it so the teeny metal cylindrical end of the cable slides out
- remove the two nuts (that are holding the hatch handle in place) that are on either side of the cable
- you'll notice now that the handle is free and deceitfully feels like it can be removed, but, remember that black horizontal exterior trim piece under the windshield? Notice that it gets in the way. Now is when we start removing it.

5. Detach the horizontal exterior trim piece that covers the handle
NOTE: Once I loosened it, I didn't pull it all the way off; I removed enough of it to allow enough space to TWIST the handle out from under it
- from the INTERIOR side of the hatch, look up into the crevices of the metal hatch and you'll see white/yellow/green plastic cone shaped-looking things about 1 cm long. You'll need to pop this up into where they're coming from - to pop them, put pressure on the CENTER tip. I used the flat surface of my linesman pliers to push firmly up on the center tip and with enough umph, the center pops up and releases the tension and loosens that area of the external trim
- you'll need to look around and even reach your tool pretty deep inside the metal area to pop all the cones up (I think I popped five of them?)
- after you've popped them, you'll notice the exterior trim loosens. Gently pull at it to see where it still feels snug and attached; look on the internal side at that area to see if there's another cone to pop

6. Remove the handle
**PAY ATTENTION to the ORIENTATION OF the handle so when you install the new one, you know how it goes!**
- once the external trim is loose enough, you'll be able to TWIST the already detached handle out of the hole

7. Install the new handle
- install the new handle by TWISTING it into the hole; MAKE SURE IT IS ORIENTED THE CORRECT WAY!
- attach the two nuts on the inside to secure the handle
- attach the black cable to the inside part of the handle

8. TEST the handle
- close the hatch and test the handle; if it works, you're good to go!
- if it doesn't work... check that you attached the cable correctly
- if it still doesn't work, follow the black cable down to where it attaches to the lock assy/solenoid. The little round part of the plastic white assy and the black metal lever have to both be in the correct position for them to properly work together. In the unlocked position, the white plastic part should be pushed down and the black metal lever should be pushed to the left. Make sure the lock is in the unlocked position before you test the handle! (In the locked position, the white round plastic part is up higher and the black metal lever is pulled almost underneath it)

8. If the test worked, reattach the exterior trim
**It is very important to PAY ATTENTION to the rear windshield seal a you reattach the exterior trim; make sure it is flat and flush; if it is twisted, you'll need to detach the trim to fix the seal**
**I reattached the trim from left to right, paying attention to the windshield seal as I went
- once you've taken note of the windshield seal, position the trim where it should be and firmly hit the trip with a hard pop to pop it back into place
- move your hand 6" to the right and give it another firm hit to pop the next cone back into its seat; if the trim feels snug, you know it's re-attached properly
- ensure all areas of that horizontal trim piece are firmly back in place with a nice smooth windshield seal

9. Retrace your steps for the rest of it:
- attach the interior wiper unit back to the interior side of the hatch by feeding the cylindrical pin up through the wiper hole; then attach the unit in place with three nuts
- set the wiper blade on the pin making sure it is positioned correctly (remember the dot?) and attach it with a nut
- put the cap back on the bottom part of the wiper to cover the nut
- firmly pop the large interior plastic cover back in place
- attach the small 2x4 plastic piece in the bottom center of the large plastic trim

 

Being lazy, I just spray Tri-Flow liberally in where the pivots are. Seems to work pretty well.

 

I am even more lazy and I'll just use what ever I have LOL. My rear latch is now a PITA I really like this youtube I just found as he shows access to the mechanism.

 

Just used these steps to replace my latch. It turned out perfectly, and I added a backup camera under license plate lights while I was at it (hope to wire it up soon!) Thanks for the instructions!

 

Cool, I ended up spraying PB-Blaster on mine and it opened up. Glad this helped.

 

I've replaced my handle. Sadly, it hasn't been redesigned since the 02'- 05' Civic Si hatchback (same part). I imagine those cars had similar issues. It's in the perfect spot to collect salt, dirt, and everything else.

 

Go here for pictures and other input on hatch handle . https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...le-sticks.html

 

I couldn’t remove my trim without breaking it so I bent the metal part of the handle to get it out and did the same to the new one to get it in. Worked great.