Hey everyone

I'm looking to buy a 3rd gen very soon but wanted to double check if the early production cars had any issues, both major and minor. And if there is a specific manufacturing month/year to not buy prior to that date?

It will most likely be a CVT model, unfortunately, ugh...

I know it's quite common with first year models, like my current car, so I want to avoid that if that's a concern.

Thanks very much!

 

Great question. I'd be very cautious about looking at one of the earlier '15 Fits. Not only was it a brand new design with new engineering, but also was a new plant in Celaya with brand new workers. A huge undertaking for Honda and there were delays lasting months with the latest Fit's sales date.

We bought a new '15 Fit in Oct. 2014, and were among the first on the block with one.

In the 5k miles we had it, it was a reliability disaster and proved to be the most sloppily built car we've ever had. During its 18 months with us, it had the following issues:
- The hatch's plastic trim above the license plate snapped off twice
- Taillights filled with water after rain (luckily it didn't rain much in LA!)
- Front bumper began sagging due to weak front clips
- Fuel gauge wouldn't register fill ups and would read "empty" for days after filling up
- Headliner started sagging over the rear hatch
- Alternator was defective with only 300 miles
- Clutch pedal would creak. Despite constant greasing and spring replacement, continued doing so
- Creaks and rattles from drivers door and hatch
- Door panels didn't line up properly
- Spare tire wheel well would fill with water after rain
- Front license plate holder started dislodging itself from the bumper

Needless to say, we weren't impressed. And we're gentle on our cars: owning a pristine 1988 Daihatsu Charade and 1992 Ford Explorer that both do car shows. We meticulously care for our cars but the Fit was a lost cause.

From reading other owner's experience, it's not one size fits all. Some people have had similar experiences and others have had no problems at all from their '15 models. Quality also seems to improve with the later years

If you must have an early '15, check the front bumper alignment, rear hatch trim, any hesitation to start that sounds electrical, and listen for rattles while driving

 

There are many issues. You will need to do a lot of reading on this forum.

 

You might want to look at a site like True Delta which has reliability data.

Many people have reported issues with the 2015, but not all. My April 2014 built car has been flawless.

 

I bought my '15 LX (built 01/15) CPO last year, and have been wondering, this thread prompted me to post without starting a thread about it. I deep down wonder if the previous owner had all of the problems associated with the first year run of Fits, got them fixed, and traded the car in. It had like 40,000 miles on it when I bought it (dude apparently drove it a lot, supposedly a bass player), but the car is immaculate - well, most of it...got a few paint blemishes, but not noticeable.......dunno how they detail the engine compartment, but this thing looked like it had been sitting in a showroom, was that clean....even with the so-called "splash guard" missing The only problem out of all the things folks have reported here is the "rattle" on a cold start on a cold day. We live near Knoxville, so winter's aren't bad at all, has only happened 4 times since I bought it. Dunno if I got a good one or the PO got everythin g rectified and unloaded it...LOL

 

That's a nice long list, wow. Thank you for the input. I am now thinking maybe a new 2017 would be a safer choice.

Well I had a feeling I'd be getting mixed responses. How has your 2016 been?

I do see the 2015s in general have more reported problems than 2016s. Maybe a new 2017 would be a safer overall pick?

That is definitely a possibility. I'm almost certain that is the case with my current car too (Subaru BRZ). It had 4,800 miles on it when I got it and previous owner already had the engine replaced twice.

 

That's not an issue, that's a feature! Automatic refilling of blinker fluid!

 

I'm curious if you know the last 5-6 of your VIN.. I'm in the 28,000's and purchased my LX in Oct 14. Currently at about 40,000 miles, never garaged and the only thing that has caught my eye on quality has been the dash fitment on the passenger side by the window. The car is still as quiet as new. I think the paint chips way too easily on the hood.. But I have a lot of highway time so it's hard to say..

It really seems like you either got a good one or a bad one out of that first run before they switched the plant around again for I think the HRV. Whatever it shares space with....

 

Sept. 14 build, 36,000 miles. Rear axle welded out of alignment causing rapid tire wear-replaced under warranty. Starter motor failed-replaced under warranty. Front bumper developed the sag about four months into ownership-dealer/Honda can't/won't fix. Ugly gap and misalignment between dashboard left side, A pillar trim and quarter window trim. Apparently the body was welded out of spec and there's no fix for this. Not a major issue to be sure but it's right where I see it all the time while driving.

Love the car, but build quality not what I've come to expect from Honda.

 

Yours and mine must be pretty close, as we bought ours in October 2014 as well. I recall the dealership having Halloween decorations all over.

The last five digits on mine were 28640, so maybe it was a Monday morning/Friday afternoon build. Whatever it was, it wasn't Honda's best mom.

Glad yours has been trouble free and with that many miles. The dash trim alignment is another common issue but it least it doesn't hamper function. It's just in line of sight while driving every time!

 

They were some pretty squeaky clean bulbs!

 

Major correction... sorry, 21860. Short moment of dyslexia. I'm a very picky car owner too and I've felt very lucky to not suffer some of the issues mentioned.

I think my only real issue I've had with Honda, that will stick with me forever, has been the lack of professionalism in the showroom. I expected to be treated no different than someone buying a loaded pilot.

 

Well guys, I bought a new 2017 Fit. Hoping it is trouble-free. I love the car so far.

 

I got 85k on my 09 sport MT and keep watching these threads
I still love my little snark but jones for a new one

 

I have a 3 week old '17 Fit LX (1.5k miles) and so far, I have not experienced any build quality issues except one. When I was detailing the car, I noticed that the sealant and wax were more difficult to remove than any other car I can remember. Its almost as if the sealant wasnt being absorbed into the clear coat. As if there was no clear coat.

Then, I started to notice that car was scratching very easily, revealing white marks on the car. I just seems the clear coat layer is very very thin.

I did some research and learned that Honda paint quality are not the best and I guess our Fits fall into that category.

Even though the car was built with cheap materials, all else seems to have pretty good build quality.

 

I have a 2018 Fit Sport bought brand new. My cylinder head cracked after 1 month. This was causing the fuel injectors to fail. It took Honda about 8 weeks to fix. I am not sure the car is 100% afterwards.

 

I purchased a 2015 Honda Fit Gillman Subaru right next to their Gillman Honda Acura dealership in Houston/Spring area. Within 1 year, I went back to them because I noticed paint flaking, they said since it was a second owner and they didn't certify it from their neighbor dealership and it had 50,000 miles that the paint isn't covered. They said to contact Honda Corporate so that's what I did. Honda corporate took my information and said the same thing and that they would put me on a list of the paint was ever recalled. I've heard nothing and seen hundreds if not thousands of complaints. I'm doing what I can to slow the process but it's flaking everywhere. This is my first and probably last Honda since I've never purchased a vehicle, even a low milage used vehicle that the manufacturer won't warranty. Even Hyundai replaced an engine free of charge on a 10 year old Elantra we had. I can't believe that I'm stuck with a car that I can't even trade in unless I spend $2,500 on a paint job first and I now only have a little over 60k miles.

If anyone can help, contact me please
Joe Lovrek/ IM through the site or look me up on the Facebook or web address link on my profile for my number, easy to find in Google search. Thank you

 

Definitely a your mileage may vary. I've got one built on Christmas week 2014. at 114000 miles. I'm fairly rough on cars (red line full throttle often... it's a Fit, you wanna get on the interstate . No real issues. Some annoying electrical crap. Only annoying.

 

Yeah, you have to use a weak car charger plug, if you try and use a fast charge cigarette lighter plug, it will pop your fuses.

 

To be honest I didn't think I would like the CVT transmission when I first got it.
But I've been pleasantly surprised.
Aside from the obvious MPG efficiency that the transmission promotes, it seems to me to offer good torque and acceleration from a start. I've been surprised at how strong the Fit feels in those situations.
And of course you don't get the slight hesitation of a traditional transmissions shift points...because there aren't any.

I've decided I like the CVT.
Going forward now, my only concern is long term durability.