I've waited since April and finally took delivery on my Fit LX a week ago. This evening (3 hours from home when it got dark) was the first time I've driven at night. And the headlights don't work! With the switch in the off position, the lights shine dimly (and no taillights of course), but when in the auto or on position -- no headlights at all except when clicked to high beams. Did find the fuse which seemed fine, although the fuse map on the cover is backwards so it took awhile. So I annoyed people all the way home with my high beams, but didn't get stopped.

I've been a little worried about having a new model made in a new plant -- and now I'm more than a little worried. If they can't even get such a simple thing as headlights right . . .

Of course I'll be at the dealer's (an hour and a half away) tomorrow, but even if it's a simple fix, it's rather concerning. Up until now, I've been delighted with my Fit. Amazing gas mileage (44 mpg on the first tank), enjoying the electronic perks, etc.

Has anyone else had this problem?

Debbie L.

 

Not at all. I just keep mine on auto. DRLs when no headlight icon on the dash, 2 little headlights beaming outward icon when headlights automatically come on, then one headlight with lots of beam lines icon if i turn the brights on. Not sure if they come on auto since haven't been anywhere that dark yet. All functioning normally.

 

Me too. I double checked this morning and it was all systems go.

 

I too have good lighting while not on bright, and the high beam just goes brighter. I think you have a problem.

 

Hi Debbie,

This is Jonathan from Honda's Social Media Team. We would like to apologize that you are having an issue with your brand new Honda Fit. We would like to assist you in looking into your concern. Please private message us with your VIN, mileage, and dealer so we can better assist you.

Thank you,

Jonathan
Social Media Team
Honda Automobile Customer Service
Twitter: @HondaCustSvc

 

The "official reps" that surf the forums feel nice, but I hate to tell you, it really comes down to your dealer in the end. Don't ask how I know. It's a cheap way to look good.

 

Actually, it is an effective way to build confidence in the Honda brand. I for one appreciate the fact they are here, although this is the first time I have seen them post in the open. When we had the problem with our "lane watch/black screen issue", they contacted us with a PM. Since then they have been on top of the issue with the dealer we chose to use (purchasing dealer was far away, so we chose a local dealer for service). We get phone calls from them with updates weekly. They also deal directly with the dealer for us. All we need to do is show up. Honda stock has risen in my book, as a result of Honda Customer Service, and a fellow named Jonathan.

 

Kia Rios were also aggressively advertising 10 years of warranty. Honda never NEEDED that. It may now.

 

you guys are over-reacting on one incident.

If any of you dont already know, any new honda has only the bare essentials to power it off the truck when it gets to the dealership. the dealer techs are the ones installing fuses and relays and doing the diagnostics to ensure 100%

My guess is a lazy dealer tech is at fault

 

It took awhile for the dealer to find the problem (nearly 2 hours) but it was something loose (a "pin"?) under the fuse box. They were great at the dealer -- took it right back and kept me posted as they figured it out.

I did notice last night when re-reading the various manuals and handouts that the tech who did the pre-delivery inspection (or whatever it's called -- putting in fuses, etc) had checked the box that said the headlights worked. So either he didn't actually check, or the part somehow loosened in the few days between me getting the car and driving in the dark.

Anyway, if that's the biggest problem I encounter, I'm happy. I'm loving everything about the car, including the gas mileage -- better than the Prius (previous car). On a trip last week that was mostly on rural roads with some hills, the average was at 46mpg when I filled the tank.

Debbie

 

Yes I agree... come on people... nobody, no manufacturer, and no product delivery system is perfectly flawless all the time. Problems will occur.

My guess is that everybody was putting forth their best effort but still a flukey mistake occurred.

 

It was probably a pin not fully seated in its connector, which means that it did not mate with the matching pin under the fuse block.

I don't agree that this is a minor issue. If it were a squeak or perhaps a blob of stray sealant it would be minor. Delivering a car with a major safety defect isn't excusable. Function of all equipment is checked at the end of the production line and this should have been caught and shunted to rework.

 

I'm an electronics tech for over 30 years and I would say that this is a very plausible hypothesis. But it also is pure speculation. AKA a guess. You don't know. The guy who fixed might not know exactly. He may have replaced an entire assembly and he himself is not even sure but, just gave the very generic "loose connection" response. Which is accurate but not specific. I could think of 10 other good explanations (besides your pin seating hypothesis) for this so-called loose connection without even breaking a sweat. I can think of several scenarios where the electrical failure could have been unpredictable by any test or system that could have been applied. I don't know what happened here and neither do you.

You and I have two different ideas of what is serious and what minor. Safety is definitely important and lights are, in fact, saftey equipment. But that doesn't automatically make this failure serious. The driver can see if his lights don't work and he can adjust his behavior to compensate. It is undeniable that this imperfection put the driver at a teensy tiny bit higher risk of death or injury but come on... he didn't have to drive his car if he felt unsafe. Nobody was hurt or even came close to being hurt. The problem was quickly remedied and the customer is happy. Text book definition of "minor"

Don't be silly... when I take MY CAR back to the dealer I always ask them to apply EXTRA blobs of sealant! This is my baby! I don't care if the lights work but, he is definitely going to be very well sealed... no if's and's or but's...

Nonsense. I just excused it. I excused it before YOU even said it was inexcusable. So it IS excusable.

Maybe it was working at the end of production, after the dealer PDI-ed it and subsequently failed. How do you rework something that is working? If this was a piece of electronics equipment we call this type of failure an out-of-box failure. Every step of the manufacturing process was successful, including testing and quality control steps. But, when the customer tried to use it, the failure occurred. No matter how hard you try there will be some of these that do happen. Not all defects show up at the end of the production line. If they did, then we would not need warranties.

I understand why OP was upset and disappointed initially... but as OP said in the end, this WAS a minor issue and Honda fixed it almost immediately... So, don't be so hard them George and don't be so hard on yourself either because I know you are... *wink*

 

Well, I'm glad that the problem wasn't intermittent. If it were it could leave the driver suddenly in the dark which is quite hazardous.

Whether the problem existed at the factory is a matter of speculation. In most cases with modern connectors they seldom slip out of contact, the exception being a pin that isn't fully inserted into the connector which is why I thought that this might be an issue. It would be a real pain to find, too, considering the number of pins in those connectors.

You're right that it might just be mechanic BS. He might have just wiggled the right thing and the problem fixed itself.

Still, having to take one's brand new car back to the dealer is hardly a fun experience. At least it is a clear-cut problem that the service writer can't try to explain away as "They're all built that way!"

 

I believe the official term is called "damage control". But, don't speak badly of the new Fit, lest the forum yum-yums who own "perfect" examples of the car spank you with accusations that you work for a competing manufacturer, or that you're overstating your issues with the car in order to purposely hurt Honda's reputation. And for God's sake, don't post in this section if you don't already own the car. I say FU to that.

My take on reputation is that it takes years to build, and much less time to tarnish. That includes North American Honda.

 

Who you callin' yum-yum??? You porcupine!!!

 

Thanks for the laugh. Actually, I wasn't even referring to you. I'll take porcupine over some other things I've been called in my day.

 

All I am saying is that every brand car internet forum seems to have an internet "rep" now, but they are very very powerless if you have an actual issue. You will get passed to a regional rep that claims to work with the dealer directly. In the end, you are at the mercy of your local dealer. So don't put too much value in the forum rep. This is not Honda specific, and I am actually waiting for the Honda HR-V.

 

My head lights come on automatically in the day when I pull up to wall in front of car in my garage. When I back out they off unless it is dark outside.
I just leave them on auto.

 

Forum rep may not be able to remedy your specific issue but by having this "exposure" on the forums, show's how Honda is caring/not caring for their customers. I don't think Honda would pay someone to monitor this forum unless it would help customer relations.

Many people (potential Fit owners) read these forums and if they see too many complaints it may be enough to sway their decision in buying a Fit. Just my .02.