Sadly, it isnt so much that Honda has fallen off with respect to reliability, but has been dealing with economic forces that have forced them to make some bad decisions since 2000. Acura certain Honda automatics have been notorious for issues and build quality has dropped since the 90's, which was their golden age when they were slaying dragons left and right (see Hyundai/Kia for that now....jury still out on Mazda)

with the 15 fit I find the decision to source CVT's with pulley densities on the lower end of the allowable spectrum about as embarrassing as anything else other manufacturers has done this year. CVT's aren't known for stellar reliability and that decision was in line with forced obsolescence. I love my 09 fit, but I'm not sure if my next car will be a Honda.

If a reliable hatchback with decent handling and good mileage is a must for me, I may go with a used CT200h....think is about as fast as the fit as well \

I think Toyota's cvt's are built with reliability in mind lest they kill the Lexus reliability rep.

 

Looking at the numbers posted by Time magazine last year Honda is not perfect but they beat the pants off of GM and Ford who in the last 10 years have had 756 and 559 recalls each. Honda came in 6th on that list with 253 recalls.

While Honda is better than most, I am still not overly excited about taking a new car in to have it serviced. On the other hand, those issues I have seen Honda recall have all been voluntary on their part and none of them appear to threaten the safety of my family. (I'm looking at you faulty ignition Chrysler and could burst into flames at any moment Jeep)

I think with todays competitive market manufacturers are looking to save a penny and undercut the competition. Thus lower quality parts are being used, plants are trying to cut costs and get more out of their workforce, and we as the consumers will continue to see more recalls.


As Santiad stated, the days of quality are behind us. We have moved into the days of disposable short term use objects. Look at that old Nokia brick phone that would last 10 years on the original battery and could be used as a hammer in a pinch. Compare that your last smartphone that lasted (hopefully) two full years.

Technology is advancing so rapidly and we all want to keep up, so we are willing to spend less and get more temporarily. Instead of future proofing our purchase and spending more up front for durability.


If Honda charged us $35,000 for the fit, but made it with only high quality parts, that would last into the 300k+ range, would you be driving one? Or would you have gone for one of the other low end options out there?


Also, below is a link to the article if anyone wants to look at the numbers.
GM Leads Pack in Recalled Car Models - TIME

 

i used to be a ford guy.had a 2013 fiesta titanium. nice car, but small inside, but pretty good car. last monday, wife and i decided to purchase a fit, mosty for the mystic yellow pearl color. i find it strikingly attractive. however, we did not buy the ex-l, with nav. because my wife had a comfort problem with the leather seats. we traded our 2014 kia forte, a very nice car, and was able to order the same fit without nav and leather. after reading this, i am fearful that we have errored. i hope not. bought a honda mostly because the accord has a long history of reliability and resale,as does the fit. the salesman and pecheles dealer in new bern, n.c., were sensational. i hope it does not take too long to get this car. it is already built, just has to be assigned to this dealer. any ideas how long before we recieve it. also, what is the dealer installed paint protection? a good thing or a rip off? it costs $399.

 

I cannot comment on how long it will take you to get your car. My dealer said my car was already built and "on rail", or in transit and it still took 4 weeks to get from Mexico to Canada. Maybe next time they should just fly!

As for the dealer installed paint protection, the one offered here in Canada is from First Canadian Protection Products, Platinum Shield Protection, and costs $353 + tax. I have searched it and others have found it to be a rub on coating, sort of like a wax. Not worth $400 and not very protective. My dealer's financial guy said it was an additional liquid clear coat, which is not even close to the truth. You cannot add an additional layer of clear coat with a simple liquid. I did not do the paint protection.

 

As has been stated before, a site like this is about 10% fan boys/gals, 15% whiners/complainers. The rest of us are seeking information, tips, and DIYs.
Relax, btw, Honda's navigation equipment and iPhone app generally suck. Get a nice Garmin or the like, bit suction cup since the supplied one doesn't, suck that is.

 

Don't waste your time on the dealer paint plan. They'll just pre-install swirl marks for you.

The Fit does have a long history of reliability....for Japanese built models.

Not even 10% of us are enthusiasts any more.

MAYBE 2%.

 

I have a 2015 and haven't received any recall notices.

 

So you've polled everyone? Mine was opinion and so is yours. YMMV/

 

thanks. we already have a relatively recent garmin with road updates. don't like leather. salesman told us paint protection is a required dealer installed option. so we are getting an ex in mystic yellow oearl. i am a car detail guy and will take care of the paint regardless. we like the color and hope it is not too long. thanks again.

 

The ability to share on a forum (and access everything else the internet offers car buyers), can be a good thing as well. Our initial (and only major) problem with our 2015 Fit was with the head unit getting confused between the rear view and lane watch view (and sometimes no view).

Reading about the same issue on this forum is what confirmed the problem for us, and after we posted about the issue as well, it was Honda Customer Service that contacted us via PM. That led to the replacement and resolution of the issue.

In the old days (before the internet), you would have been spending all your time with the Service Writer, trying to explain the issue that, because it was random in nature, you would never be able to recreate on demand. The standard response "we haven't heard anything about this problem", would be about all you could expect.

I don't mind recalls at all. Particularly when they are voluntary. It is how a company responds to a problem that I care about. I view a trip to the dealer as an opportunity to both see new Honda models, and eat free hotdogs and popcorn.....

We love the 2015 Fit we purchased last July for our oldest daughter (as does she), but did notice a substantial difference between the "fit and finish" of the Honda, and that of the 2015 Toyota Prius we purchased for our middle daughter last week. I'm afraid Toyota won that battle...but I have already posted on that subject, so I won't rehash the details again here.

In conclusion, I would not hesitate to buy another Honda should we decide to replace our 2007 Honda Odyssey anytime soon. I will say however, when that time comes, I will be spending more time comparing Honda with the competition, and won't just automatically migrate to Honda as I have tended to do in the past (2007 Honda Odyssey, 2008 Honda Fit, 2015 Honda Fit).

 

The Garmin is a good choice and it fits on the windshield close to the dash IF the suction cup it wide enough. Mine is so old it talks to me but I cannot talk back to it except in comic relief to my daughter who some times rides along. Jack tends to mangle some of the local street names, i.e. Cahal can come out two different ways.

Leather? NFW, here in the Mid South. Burn rear all summer, freeze tail off in winter.

 

Dear old Jonathan, if memory serves me right. May Honda rest his damage control soul.

 

That was the guy. He always gave the same canned answer to every issue, like he was reading it off a script. Something about "I'm sorry you're having difficulties," and "please call Honda customer service at XXX-XXX-XXXX", or something like that.


I wonder if anybody ever took him up on that, and what the outcome was.

 

That is the same guy (and script), we encountered with our defective head unit issue. I remember the very first night we had the car, driving it back to Nashville from Jackson, TN., I just assumed it would not work at night, so did not think anything about the black screen (in hindsight, pretty stupid). Later the problem grew into an issue with the screen showing the wrong view (example; rear view rather than lane watch).

After the issue came up on a thread here, and I realized it was a major problem, we posted about it ourselves. Within days, we received a PM from Jonathan and the rest is history. He arranged for us to have the unit exchanged from our choice of local dealers, and as far as I know, the issue has gone away. I can see why Honda jumped all over the problem, realizing now just how dangerous the confusion of an incorrect view could be, particularly to an inexperienced driver such as my daughter.

In the early days, due to the shear volume of issues with the new Fit, I can also see how his canned or scripted responses could become fodder for everyone's jokes, but let me assure you, he was highly effective in our case. We never even had to call the dealer, or discuss the problem. We just showed up and everything else was taken care of , in advance.

 

Now that is good customer service! That's the way it should always be.

 

Glad to hear that your experience was good. I can't comment as I had no contact with Jonathan personally, but it's good to know that he was on the ball in your case.