Totalled our current (past tense) 2012 Fit on 3/28/2014 when another driver pulled out in front of us so we are in the same boat (pun intended - what is a "short-sea" anyway?) as many of the rest of you posting on this forum. I am in the Atlanta, GA marketplace & the story from 2 dealers we have been negotating with is consistant: shipping activities have been curtailed due to a "component" problem.

Before that it was a logistics problem with rail transportation; before that it was: "We have 10 units, 2 of which are EX-L with Navigation in our preferred colorway due in by Monday - stay by your phone .....
Well, you get the idea. These 2 dealers are flush with 2013 Fit's & with the much heralded news of the Gen3 arriving in April (?) sales are flat-to-nonexistant. With little doubt, they are playing us like a flute.

Sooooo, does anyone know what the "component" is that seems to be creating the stir?

 

Sorry about your difficult situation. I hope it gets resolved to your satisfaction soon.

The components that I WOULD NOT want to have serious quality issues the most would be the following:

- Direct fuel injection related
- Camshafts (problem due to assembly issues)
- Timing chain or tensioner issues/failures
- Problem with Piston Rings
- Snapping CVT belts
- Head gasket that fails withing 100 miles
- Wheels impossible to align
- Severe body alignment issues
- Poor welding quality/ separation
- Severe problems resulting from improper torque application to crucial components of engine and transmission
- There could be even worse potential issues!
Feel free to add.

 

Thanks you for finding that info...very informative.....every little bit helps to lighten the wait...Thanks again.

 

Well after reading this I will wait or get a different car (even though two different dealerships GM's- Los Angeles Region) have agreed to sell me a EX-L Nav for true cost (dealer invoice less hold back and any dealer incentives).

 

Couple questions, why would a dealer do that and why won't you buy one?

 

if anything that article makes me feel better that they are going through that. Like someone else mentioned at least it's not GM who just pushed out their cars and then had mass recalls. I would rather NOT be sitting in my fit right now having to keep taking it back to the dealership and hoping that the wheels don't fall off on the highway.

 

Because I am deciding between three other cars- 2014 Toyota Prius C or 2014 Ford Fiesta Titanium or 2014 Lexus CT200H - all of which I can and have received email quotes and/or worksheets at identical pricing terms!

Helps to pay Cash- no financing and even though it doesn't matter having a FICO Score of 816.

So hesitation for the 2015 Honda Fit is not for the delay on shipping but on Hondas- so far unwilling to say exactly what defect (s) they found during their added new products final assembly inspections (usual for new product launch) but again a bad business decision to use less robots than if produced in Japan as before.

 

Ahh, makes sense now! Thanks for the clarification

 

I wouldn't hold your breath. Since no cars were sold with the defect it legally doesn't exist. Honda doesn't want their customers made aware of any possible issue with a part or system. That way, if a few slip through, customers who experience problems can be kept separate and unaware that the problem was a known issue.

Of course, forums like this make keeping customers in the dark more difficult!

 

Thanks for this bit, car compulsive. It seems to be actual news vs rumor, speculation and spin. Agree with others comments that Honda's approach is a good one. As for complaints that Honda is hiding something, any large company PR department will stifle bad news about delays or QA troubles. No one should be condemned for failures, but on how those are addressed and remedied.

 

Honda Manhattan phoned to tell me they'll have a car for test drives on June 5.

 

Thats encouraging! Thanks and keep us updated, only a week away!

 

Actually, the greater reason not to say what it specifically was is not to allow the competition to get a hold of a car and pick apart at the problem area.

Honda has said the issue has been resolved at the manufacturing level and that each vehicle found before then will be double checked before being sent to dealers. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

 

You guys are complaining about June delivery date, Honda South Africa just told me they are only releasing "sometime" next year.

 

This is the part that stood out to me the most when I read the article. Direct injection, new plant with new workers and the CVT tranny does not seem like a good mix. The robotics they use in Japan worked well. Cheaper costs to use manual labor I can understand but why change the formula with what already worked so well?

 

I would like to think that the people are so glad to have a job in such a poor country that they would want to do a great job so they can keep it.

You have to remember that a robot is only as good as the inspector checking it. They will do something exactly wrong 10,000 times if no one stops or corrects it.

 

I agree… increased L, less K… my argument that Mexican assembly couldn't significantly affect quality… because the robots would still be programmed by Honda Engineering Japan…. that argument is down the tubes….

 

Several years ago I had the happy occurrence of touring the Honda Assembly Facility in Sayama, Saitama… assembling 3rd generation CR-Vs bound for the States.

It was characterized as a relatively old factory, but I recall being impressed with the amount of sheet metal stamping, manipulation, welding, etc. that was done by the robots. Very few factory personnel within view. Just body parts being move around, flipped over, and sparks flying everywhere as parts were being welded together.

The only thing breaking the rhythm was a blinking green light that periodically flashed yellow… but then suddenly if flashed red... and everything stopped. From out of nowhere, upwards of a dozen technicians appeared, meters were looked at, knobs were turned… and maybe even a few wrenches were used. After 90 seconds or so, the line was restarted…. slowly at first… the technicians hung around for a few minutes, the light flashed only green, and the technicians disappeared… maybe into the rafters… I never looked up.

Personally, I'd prefer more robotics… less (cheap, motivated, or otherwise) labor, less tequila, less mañana…more fiducials, more self-adjusting robotics.

In fact, the longer Mexico holds the U.S. Marine who apparently innocently made a wrong turn, the less likely I am to buy a damned Mexican-assembled anything… TV, refrigerator, Fit, Vezel, or anything…..

But that's just me

 

Not fair to punish the people for what their government does.

 

To some extent, I agree. However, I think the key term in your judgement is "their government." Consequently, with our democracies, I'll stick with my criticism of both governments.