Cheap plastic trunk hatch release
 

So yesterday I was going to close the trunk on my less-than-a-month-old 2015 fit - pushed down the trunk release like I always do, with a usual amount of force.. (was not punching it with my fist or something) - and the frigging thing snapped in half! I did not know before this that there was this large part of my trunk that is not made out of metal, but cheap plastic!

Has anyone else had this issue? I think I am going to call Honda Canada and complain about this. The idea that you can snap your hatch latch just from normal everyday use is insane.

The piece I am referring to is the grey piece here

http://o.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/mida...nda-fit-fd.jpg
http://o.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/mida...nda-fit-fd.jpg

Has anyone else had this snap from normal use?

The chrome piece surrounding the Honda emblem?

Yes, that piece is 100% plastic, from side to side the whole length of the trunk. It snapped right in half, just from closing the trunk by pressing on it.

It should be noted that that plastic *is where the hatch release is*, so one is expected to put pressure on it.

Welcome to Honda quality... or did you not research this car before you bought it... has a sunshade fallen off your ceiling and whacked you in the face yet?

Wow, that's amazing that broke. I usually use the little handle on the bottom of the HB to close it.

:rotfl: wat a pos!

my wife and i usually dont touch the outside of the gate (dirty) so probably not an issue for us, but just cracked up that thing snapped right in half. lol

hope u get that fixed under warranty. :)

This. Use the handle on the bottom of the hatch, it's there for that reason. The other alternative is to close the hatch by pushing on the license plate. But like the chrome strip, you'll dirty your hands.

patient: Doctor, it hurts when I press here....
doctor: Then don't press there...

Really, you broke it that easily? The piece should be made of something like ABS, and not easily broken. Even plastic from yogurt containers are not that easily broken. it has to be a defect. Are you secretly on some steroid regimen?

What happened to me is that I almost pulled it out/off the 3rd time I opened the hatch door and lifted. .It's pretty flimsy. I'm sure Honda worked hard to keep the weight as low as possible.Madza's Miata looked to save just a few grams anywhere in the car. American car manufacturers up until recently just did not worry about small weight savings.

I don't touch the chrome piece. I use the handle on the inside bottom part of the hatch. Give it a good yanking it will close properly. Plus I use the hatch four times a day. Never an issue.

I had the exact same thing happen to mine about one month into ownership back in December, 2014. I shut the hatch one day with my hands pushing down on it and heard a "pop" come from the trim piece. Several days later, the entire thing snapped in two like you described when I pulled on it to open the hatch.


I went to my nearby Honda dealer and they had the audacity to accuse me of abuse and refused to have the warranty cover it. I was pretty pi$$ed off


Several days later I went to the Honda dealer where I bought the car and they said it's been an issue even with the new Fits still on the lot. They fixed it with no questions asked. The new piece, now eight months old, is starting to flex and feels flimsy even though I have been super gentle with it. I've owned mostly hatchbacks/wagons my whole driving career and have never had to be so delicate opening/closing the hatch on a car


Here is a pic of mine when it did break:


Attachment 10708


In MotorTrend's latest update of their long-term Fit, they also stated that this piece was coming loose and felt delicate. It's not just us!

Maybe I've been doing it wrong, and possibly because I'm tall and reaching the bottom of the hatch to open and shut is literally a stretch, but I have usually used the handle/strip above the car's license plate for leverage and never had a problem on any other car.


I did this same test on my husband's Aveo hatch and on several rental hatches I've had in the past few months, and they are solid as can be.


The Fit's is really flimsy and represents some of the cuts they've made in quality. I really hope that Honda addresses this issue, as it's maddening.

Anyone have a picture of what the back of that piece looks like?

I use the little handle on the bottom of the HB and if I need the extra push, the license plate.

We can hope, but I'm not holding my breath. So far, none of the quality issues I've complained about on mine have been fixed. All the dealer seems to be able to do is replace one defective part with a new, equally defective part, throw their hands in the air and say, "We can't fix this."

Fortunately, the car has been reliable so far, but my confidence in Honda's quality has certainly been shaken.

The dealer can't redesign the parts or change their production processes or tolerances. Nor, absent a TSB, will they just start "modding" it. Not sure what you are expecting them to do.

I guess I was being naïve in assuming that the manufacturer's warranty would correct the defects in the car and lapses in quality, such as the sagging front bumper cover, the poor fit of the drivers side corner of the interior panels (they're NOT all like this, so why is mine?), the sagging rear fender liners and so on.

I bought this car based on the excellent quality and service I had from my '09 Fit. I'm beginning to regret trading it.

Within the first few days of owing the fit, I felt the rear "garnish" give while using it for leverage closing the hatch. Lucky for me it did not break. Since then I only use the recessed fingerhold at the bottom of the hatch to close it. This works fine, but I have to make a point of telling others to be careful to use the handle as well, so I do wish they had added more strength to the garnish.

I heard mine creak once while lifting or shutting, so I use the inside handle to pull down and spread fingers on the license plate to complete the closure from the outside. I don't touch the chrome plastic piece anymore.

I've always used the inside handle to close the hatch, but sometimes it doesn't completely close and a push on the hatch is necessary, therefore, this information will be helpful. I will make a point not to push too hard in the wrong places from now on.

The hatch handle (or "trim" as the manufacturer calls it) was also a major issue with some Scions, to the point where Toyota did a TSB 8 years after the car came out.

Once I learned that the handle was fragile, I made a handle out of 1/8 aluminum strip attached to the license plate screws. I pull on that, not the hatch handle.

The same solution might be a good idea for a Fit. We can argue all day long about the flimsy piece, but Honda won't do a thing about it.