Hi all,

I am looking to purchase my first Fit (and first car, period!) and am so excited to get one -- except that the best deal in my area is for a 2015 Fit EX. Great mileage, pretty good price, all looks good, but -- the relatively low reliability ratings on the 2015 models have me spooked. I have found relatively little information on how people's experiences were with 2015 Fits that were produced late summer/fall 2014, as opposed to early 2014 (which seemed to be when the truly awful reliability problems came from). This one was first put up for sale in November 2014, so my only hope is that the 2015 model's reliability was better for Fits produced towards the end of 2014. I'm not equipped to do my own car work, and I don't have oodles of cash for repairs (who does? lol), so reliability is really important for me.

So... Is anyone out there who has a 2015 Fit? How has it held up? Do you know when it was first produced/sold in 2014/2015? Any help would be much appreciated! I am absolutely *dying* to get a Fit, and would love to hear about your experiences.

Thanks in advance!
One eager NewFitFinder

 

Welcome. Problem areas for the GK5 you should be aware of:

1. Fuel injector / rail assembly. All the 2015s and the first few thousand 2016s had a TSB issued that if the injectors failed under warranty, they were replaced at no charge. Problem is, many fail just after the warranty expires. Have to purchase in quad-matched sets (can't buy just one). $2-3 k repair easy.

2. Starters & start switch on pushbutton start models. I've long believed that the circuit design of the pushbutton start models is inadequate to buffer the load at startup. As a result, both the starters & start switches are prone to premature failure, and often when one goes, it's ascribed to the other. $700 roughly for a new starter installation. Honda has recently started goodwilling the start switch according to some posts here.

3. VTC actuator. Makes a horrible grinding noise at cold startup (my 2016 does this), but otherwise harmless. Some folks here are having theirs replaced nonetheless.

4. Door / hatch / sunroof leaks. Worse on the newer redesign.

Since the entire injector / rail assembly is suspect, I vote pass. Nobody wants a $2-3k repair out of pocket. I sure don't.

 

Oh, man, thank you so much... I am continuing to learn how to navigate these forums, and so after posting, I started to see some similar posts about people complaining about the fuel injectors. Yikes. I did not realize about the starters/start switches also posing problems. Great to know. I will have to keep looking... Maybe I will have to go for a more expensive used 2019 Fit in the area, or else (worst case scenario) wait until the used car prices settle back down to normal post-COVID.

Thanks once again! This is very helpful. I will have to "steer" clear of the 2015.

 

Unfortunately, we're still hearing reports of injector failure even on the 2019 & 2020 models. I don't think going to a 2019 would help. The whole design is suspect.

 

Any Honda Fit will be more reliable and hold up a lot longer than a Chevy Spark/Sonic or a Ford Fiesta, that's for sure. The engines don't blow up like the Hyundai Accent/Kia Rio. The 2013 and prior models don't have the already mentioned fuel injector issues, so if you can find one of those it would be less of a concern.

If sheer reliability is your top priority, I have seen the 2011-2013 Toyota Corollas go well beyond 100k miles with just regular maintenance. 2008-2011 Honda Civics are a similar story.

I'm very happy with my 2020 so far.

 

I drove my 2009 Toyota Corolla until 221k before I replaced the original engine. Paid out of pocket for a rebuilt engine than buying another car at the time. I sold the Corolla with 280k for the price that I paid for the rebuilt engine. It still ran fine I just wanted a new car.

 

Thanks all so much for these responses! This is so helpful. Yes, based on your comments, I am going to inch away from the 3rd gen towards the 2nd gen, towards something hopefully more reliable. I actually found a great deal on a 2013 this evening (or, great deal considering the current used car shortage!) but the dealership told me a "stop sale" had been issued. (??!!) I'll be looking more into these issues and seeing what else I can find!

These injector issues are a true "yikes"...

 

Does anybody know if the parts in the Japanese-built Fits (like my 2016) are the same as in the Mexican-built Fits?

 

My early 2015 EX has been perfect. Highly recommend.

 

I bought a 2016 Honda Fit EX last year with 98K miles, and I've been very happy with it so far. I've only performed regular maintenance on the car since I've had it, and no major issues have come up so far. Currently sitting on 127K miles. Try checking out the Certified Pre-Owned Fits at Honda dealerships too. Good luck with your search!

 

They would in theory be the same, built to the same specs BUT they may have been built by different manufacturers, for example a Japanese manufacturer of some part vs a Mexican manufacturer of the same part. They should be almost indistinguishable from each other, other than for any markings. And of course there might be differences in quality

 

Right, it's the quality I was wondering about, just like the Mexican-built Fits didn't seem the same as the Japanese-built Fits.

 

I've got a 2015 and have had an issue with the injectors and currently having the issue with the ignition switch. Luckily I got the car from carmax and was able to get a 5 year extended warranty.

The injector issue was cleared up for only 150 out of pocket. I haven't done anything with the intuition because it's not a real issue right now. My key light on the dash is usually on but there's no issues with starting.

If you can get a warranty I would recommend it, I love my fit and have done just a few things to it that completely changed the car from the stock feel.

 

Hey all, I edited out my last post bc it was my attempt to crunch numbers that actually might not have made a huge amount of sense... Essentially, more numbers add up to tell the story that the Corolla is more reliable over time than the 3rd gen Fit, but that both are very reliable. According to the NHTSA complaint numbers, the 2nd gen Fit actually had less complaints per car than Corollas of the same years, so that was actually pretty surprising. Both were pretty close though.

I have done a ton of research on what the best deals in my area are and what will make the most sense financially long-term, and I have decided to move forward with a 2019 Fit LX that seems like an all-around great deal. Less than 2k miles, CPO. Thank you so much again for the flags for reliability issues... I am hoping that because this car still has a couple years left under warranty and is being sold at a really good price, that will make up for the cost of potential future repairs. I am however hoping that I don't have to face those issues down the line.

In the meantime I cannot wait to sign the paperwork and get this car. Just absolutely psyched.