I read the reviews and was impressed with the CVT when I went to buy my Fits, and got my wife a 2015 Fit EX and the 2016 Fit EX, for myself. I have been very happy with both, but lately Ive been seeing issues with the CVT Transmissions..
https://lifeonfour.co/car-talk/9-mos...-and-symptoms/

It seems they are having problems with slipping, jerking or barely moving at all, anyone had a issue with their Honda Fit?

 

CVTs represent totally new technology as compared to the regular transmissions which have been around for so many decades. Unfortunately car makers are simply not good at introducing new technology. Maybe that's because they don't want to spend enough on R&D or maybe they are just in too much of a rush to get new product out to their customers ahead of the competition. Some manufacturers such as Nissan with their in house Jatco CVTs have been particularly horrid, but all car makers had problems.

The good news is that those quality problems with CVTs seem to be passing now and they are much more reliable (on small cars). Car makers are confident enough now to start moving on to their next new technology disaster, the electric car.

 

2016 LX/CVT, no issues. I specifically wanted the CVT over the stick because of the much higher top gear and better fuel economy. Wasn't against the stick - last six cars were all manual trannys.

So far, the problem areas on the GK5 are:

--fuel injector / rail design prone to carbon fouling if Top Tier gas not used, hence the extended warranty.

--starter and start switch on pushbutton start models. Key start doesn't seem to be affected.

--VTC actuator. Makes a grinding noise at startup, but possibly causing engine problems down the line - debate about this.

--Fuel pump recall in '18 if memory serves.

--Door, sunroof and hatch leaks, worse in the '18 midcycle refresh.

So the CVT is the least of my worries with this vehicle.

 

Can't comment, mine has a clutch and 6 gears

 

2017 CVT. No problem at 115K miles. Single driver, rarely a passenger in the car. I don't demand too muich from the Fit, just get me there type of driving.

12/15/25 update: 175K miles, no issue. Most of my driving is highways so hardly and stress on the CVT.

 

I've never seen a GK5 have a transmission failure. Although the HR-Vs have a lot.

My car is a 6 speed, but my mom has a 15 CR-V with the CVT and she's had her car for 6 years now. I change the fluid every 30,000 miles and it's been good to her.

 

i had a 2015 cvt with about 150k miles on it. it drove smoothly and i didnt notice any issues. i was a little paranoid about the cvt reliability so i was super gentle with my driving if that changes anything lmao
im not sure if the previous owners ever did the cvt fluid, but i plan to do it when i see my sister. she has the car now and so far she still hasnt had any problems

 

i have a '19 lx 6 six speed , i think around 47k . did have the water leak from the passenger side door ( which i fixed around three years ago )
also had the fuel pump changed with the recall . i'll be changing the transaxle oil soon and i've got oil catch can to install this spring . changed
the front pads last year , but could have gone probably another year and a half i think . original battery . averaging just over 34 mpg mixed driving .
i'd say the only weak link is the modern metal paint color . was put on very thin in a few spots . also changed the oem plugs to a higher grade of NGK ,
the car was developing a tricky hesitation from a stop . at 33k switched over the NGK IZs . the original weren't IZs , they seemed to have a lot of blow by
on the ceramic stems . maybe that's normal on such small plugs ?

 

Make sure you change the CVT fluid every 30-50K miles and you should be fine.

 

Mine makes a weird swoosh sound when I fake shift the paddle shifters.

 

2016 EX, 115k miles, (2nd) owner. Dec '24 had trans oil changed, but was waaay overdue. Slowly but surely I've been noticing increasing slipping issues - obviously why I am here now - trying to see what others have to say.

 

168K miles on 2017 Fit CVT. No issues. CVT trans oil changed twice, going for 3rd soon.

 

It wasn't until Toyota came out with a fixed first gear in their CVTs that I found out that the greatest wear in a CVT takes place at startup as you begin to accelerate. If you like to floor it from a standing stop your CVT will have a short life. Once you get going it's OK. With the Toyota design this is not an issue because of that fixed first gear..

 

You guys should have got the 6 speed manual transmission.


CVT transmissions suck.

 

Why would I want a car with obsolete technology? The last manual I bought was a VW back in 1975. And as far as the Fit goes, the MTs are rated for poorer gas mileage than the CVT.

According to J.D. Power, manuals accounted for 1.7% of total new vehicle sales in 2023, up from 1.2% in 2022 and a low of 0.9% in 2021. Yup, obsolete technology.

 

Agreed.

I did 114k trouble free miles on my 2015 with CVT and I was expecting to do at least another 100k, but it got totaled in September. If you think about it, more trouble free miles have been driven on the fit versus the manual.

When I was shopping for a commuter car, I was initially going to buy the manual because in the past, the manual typically got better has mileage than the auto. I was surprised to find the CVT was rated higher mpg. So I went with the CVT and didn't have any regrets.

10 years of ownership
Average MPG 40.460 Average Fuel Cost $18.39 Average Per Gallon $2.264 Total spent $6,584.80

The CVT has a much lower RPM at highway speeds and probably contributed to the better mileage.

 

I would have liked the manual, but its gearing would have driven me crazy on our road trips. At 100k miles it's been just fine.

 

Says the guy who had to replace his clutch at 80k.

 

Manual transmission is alot more fun and keeps you engaged in driving.

Clutch is still strong at 122,000 miles.

I'll bet my manual transmission Fit lasts longer than your automatic transmission Fit.

 

You win cause mine got totaled by a drunk driver lol Crash pictures

Still it had more miles and didn't need a clutch replacement at 80k. Only needed CVT fluids 2x. I'm glad I dragged out doing the 3rd to 120k and didn't waste that money.

Rolling around in a 2025 Ridgeline these days.