I have an '10 Fit AT that is having starting problems. There are 50k milese on the car. Here's what it does:

Problem:
1. Turn the key from off to start position.
2. The engine turns over, and fires up as normal.
3. Within 3 seconds, the engine dies.
4. If you try to crank the engine without cycling the key to the off position, the engine will just crank with NO ignition.
5. Cycle the key to off and try to start, repeating steps 2-4 above.

The car does start if:
--Turn the key to the on position and leave it there for 3-5 minutes. Cycle the key to off and then start, the car fires, runs and stays running.
--I have also put a heater under the steering wheel for 45-50 minutes and the car starts with no issue.
--The car will restart with no issues if it has been running and has not sat long enough to get cold, totally cold.

Notes:
--The car cranks at normal speeds and all lights appear. This is not a battery issue.
--When running, the car runs absolutely normal. No stalling, no sluggishness. Hi highly doubt this is a fuel supply issue or an oil type issue.
--From my testing, this has something to do with an electrical component inside the cabin of the car that doesn't like to be cold. When the cabin is warm or electricity is activating components, it warms enough to be happy.
--There is some sort of a button attached to the lower dashboard/fuse cover panel that I have no idea what it does. It has been added by a previous owner and that information was not shared with me. Pushing the button doesn't seem to help either.

Thoughts?

 

I think maybe the immobilizer is engaging for some reason. If so, you should see its light turn on and stay on when the car won't start properly. This light is (at least on my '12) a green one shaped like a key, and it normally only blinks on very briefly when the car is first cranking.

 

The car has been sitting in the garage for the past three hours. So I thought it would be cold enough for a test, but I was wrong. The car started up and stayed running. I'll test it out in the a.m.

 

whens the last time u changed the battery. if its still the original one it may be at end of life. the oem battery is already crap being so tiny with very little CCA. when you leave the key turned on to the I position it will slowly warm the battery up. the manual states to try to start the car for 15 seconds, then let it sit for a few minutes before trying again to warm the battery.

button? post a picture please. some old school people install a fuel cut off or immobilizer so the car won't start. maybe its something else.

 

The battery is only 1 year old.

 

I have tried over and over to post pictures, but it appears this site doesn't like them very much.