I have a 2015 Honda Fit that recently started to balk at keeping the rear hatch up after it has been opened and raised.

I use the Fit for a window washing business, so the hatch is up and down several times a day. Ergo, it's possible I wore out the struts that keep it open.

But perhaps cold weather in Michigan played a part, too.

Has anyone else had trouble with their hatches staying open (and up) in cold weather?

 

It's been pretty cold in the mid-atlantic and I haven't had a problem with mine. Maybe there are some aftermarket ones that aren't too expensive versus the OEM.

On my 4Runner it the struts on the hatch have a harder time in the winter, but in the warmer months it doesn't have a problem.

 

This is a common issue on cars that rely on gas-charged lift supports to keep their relatively heavy hatches open.

Both cold weather and wear are factors. (On my sports car, I joke that I can determine my garage temperature by the amount the hatch stays up!)

Since you need that hatch to open, I'd resign myself to replacing them as a maintenance item.

 

If it's not a warranty situation, . I easily replaced them on my minivan. You don't want the hatch to crush anyone's hand.

 

i was at -10F the other day and the GK's rear gate held up just fine.

 

Can anyone offer guidance on the method of replacing the struts?

 

 

Thanks for your help, everyone. I wound up having a mechanic at my local Discount Tire install the lift gate struts. He did it in five minutes and didn't even charge me!

 

awesome! good to hear happy endings.

 

2015 Fit LX... my struts no longer hold up the hatch in cold weather. I have a trick I use instead of buying new struts. I get a small hose clamp, the expensive kind with the little screw that you use to tighten it. I put it around the rod on one strut, lift the hatch, and tighten the clamp.When I want to let the hatch down, I give the screw half a turn and the hatch falls down.I keep a nut driver (it is like a screwdriver handle but with a 6 point or 12 point socket on the end instead of a screw driver blade) in the car to use to turn the screw that tightens-loosens the clamp.

I think maybe I got some oil on the rods and I wonder oil on rods got into the rubber seals inside the struts and caused them to deteriorate.

 

The struts are wear items.
The OP admits greater than average use of the hatch due to his business. So I think 4 years, might just be normal wear.

I agree with just considering it's replacement as a part of normal maintenance issue. Assuming a good quality replacement, and it's at least another 4 years of a reliability.

 

If anyone is interested, I started a thread in the third generation DIY section, here, about replacing the struts oneself.

 

posted in the other thread, but .... here is my "fix" for a bad hatch lift support: