Hi,

First post, could use some advice. 2015 automatic Fit, under 46k miles, heard some noise from under the hood, took it in to a local recommended transmission specialist; he says the drive pulley shaft is shot, $3500 rebuild.

He said to check recalls -- Honda had a recall for 2014 - May 2015 Fit builds (purchased mine new in June 15) because CVT software could cause drive shaft to fail.

Honda says my car is not part of the recall despite being built during that same period, and having the same problem.

In addition, I had the transmission serviced at 45k miles in February by the dealer. Local mechanic says they definitely should have caught the pulley deterioration <1k miles, 4 months ago.

My question: do I have any recourse with Honda, or the dealer? Or am I just screwed? Really, really over this car, for those looking at used 2015's. Worst financial decision I've made.

Thanks in advance -

 

No, no, and yes. Sorry.
Buying any car in the first year after a major redesign is always a bad idea.

 

My question is... What transmission fluid was put in?

2015s are NOT automatic transmissions, they're CVT transmissions that specifically use Honda's HCF-2 fluid. This fluid is NOT cross compatible with ATF DW1, ATF Z1, NOR the original Honda CVT fluid.

 

He said... had the transmission serviced at 45k miles in February by the dealer.
I assume the dealer put in the right stuff. The dealer replaced my fluid at 45K at a cost of over $100. Next time, I'm going to get my hands dirty instead.

 

May want to get an analysis of the the transmission fluid . You may find an analysis of DW-1 and H.C.F.-2 C.V.T. fluids at this site , https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forum...n-oil-analysis and https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forum...ans-brakes-p-s . If the transmission fluid analysis is a mix of the 2 fluids you'll likely have more leverage . Keep us up to date and good luck . Honda is terrible about backing their vehicles and not considering a Honda in the future .

 

Found these . Honda DW-1 virgin oil analysis , https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forum...pics/5170266/1 . Used oil analysis of the HCF-2 , https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forum...8k#Post5322415 .

 

Maybe you've had a bad run with a dealership? :/ Honda tends to support their product rather well. I've seen cases of Honda warranting short blocks, transmissions and even entire sets of tires in some cases.

 

Thanks all for the feedback.

For some reason -- probably because it was my first post -- the thread took several days to show up in the forum, and the job was finished yesterday, so unfortunately I wasn't able to see the posts in time to get the transmission fluid for analysis.

Local mechanic rebuilt my transmission for $3500. The dealership ignored any liability or that they should have caught the drive pulley shaft deterioration.

I've looked elsewhere online and it seems that other people have had the same problem -- they have 2015 Fits with VINS not included in the fall 2015 recall but with transmission damage consistent with the recall.

The most painful thing about this was that when the transmission problem was discovered by the local mechanic the car was six days past the end of the 5y / 60k powertrain warranty. Because the warranty had ended, and the local mechanic had opened the transmission to diagnose, Honda refused to help at all. This will be my first and last Honda; I am thinking about cutting my losses and selling it.

Two questions that I could use feedback on:

- Is anyone aware of any class action lawsuits against Honda for this problem? Probably not, but just thought I'd check. It seems like it might be widespread enough that it might be possible.

- More immediately important: the local transmission service was recommended by my local mechanic, and has good reviews, and the guy seemed to know what he was doing. The car sounds good and shifts well now. BUT it made me wonder as a general transmission service shop whether he knew to use the HCF-2 as opposed to others as mentioned above. Should any good mechanic know this, or is it worth following up? His warranty is 1 year / unlimited miles. The last thing I want is more problems.

Apologies for any stupid questions -- as may show, I am new to car ownership and mechanics. This is a great community and I have learned a lot; I wish my experience with Fits was better.

 

Sorry you went through this. My 2015 CVT has been pretty reliable so far. Had the dealership do the first CVT fluid change around 50-60k (not exactly sure as it's been a while) to keep the drive train warranty in place since this was my first CVT vehicle. I'm at almost 92k and so far so good.

Can you link the issues you found online? I'm curious to read about them.

Like you, I'm not enamored with my experience with Honda though. While mechanically good, the quality control, warranty coverage and dealership experience has been lacking. I'm going back to Toyota for next vehicles.

 

Just ask him what fluid he put in. If it wasn't the Honda fluid then I would get it changed.

I'm sure you now realize that taking the car to a mechanic just a few days after the warranty had ended was a mistake. If you had gone to a Honda dealership originally then you would have had a stronger argument for Honda to cover at least part of the cost. These days they are always looking for a reason to avoid covering something.

 

Couple thoughts that no one has explored yet. I offer these to anyone experiencing problems with service or warranty issues with Honda.

1. Schedule a sit-down, face-to-face (at 6 ft., of course) meeting with the Honda district manager. Tell him/her your concerns that the Honda dealer serviced the tranny at 45K, said all was well, and less than a couple thousand miles later it explodes? Obviously there is little opportunity for negligence on your part in the interim.

All companies make mistakes. It's how the company responds to its own mistakes that defines it. Give them the opportunity to address your concerns. Ask them how they would feel in similar circumstances. Sometimes it's harder to discount a problem when it's right in your face asking for help. Might not work, but it's worth a shot.

2. Picket the dealership. I'm not kidding. Check with your police dept first and obey all local laws, do not enter the property, stay to the public right of way. Saturday mornings are good, and if you can bring the spouse and kids, all the better to attract attention. Just offer to tell your side of the story and ask anyone who's shopping for a new Honda if they'd like to hear your experience. Once the dealership gets wind of what you're doing and how it affects their bottom line, they might be a little more amenable to discussion.

 

Years ago we had a dealer service center put gear oil in the manual tranny when it was supposed to be A.T.F.. I had to drain and fill it several times . Then another dealer service department underfilled the auto tranny by a few quarts and put 5 quarts of oil in the engine when it called for 3.6 quarts . Had them correct both .

 

As Woof says , ask what fluid he used . The fluid brand / type should be on the invoice . If not , I would get it on paper for sake of warranty . Keep us up to date . Good luck .

 

The logic was that Honda was going to charge me to look at it, and he did it for free, and that he was much closer than the dealership. But yes, you are right, a potentially very costly decision, and the wrong one.

I checked with the repair shop and they put in the HCF-2, or at least, they say they did.

@ 2Rismo - here are some of the links I have found online:

https://www.carcomplaints.com/Honda/...n_failed.shtml

All but one of the transmission problems here are on 2015 Fits:
https://www.carproblemzoo.com/honda/...e-problems.php

https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdv...ission_issues/

Thanks all for the advice. Working on my options going forward.

 

I would've bought a used transmission from a car dismantler instead of paying 3500. I replaced an engine on a 2017 civic I bought from copart for $450 that had 9700 miles on it. Transmissions are around $600. More than the engine for some reason lol.

Sucks you got screwed over by honda.