That did not used to be true. Sad, but I think it may be now.

 

Im having the same problem. I’m a mechanic and yep 60k miles and the starter needs replaced. These cars are junk. Wait until you get the dreaded P215A dtc. Newer fits and civics have defective injectors that will cause your car to hesitate and eventually stop running. Honda refused to fix my car that is just out of warranty. The cost to repair is $1500, including the fuel rail which is insane since Honda manufactured all new injectors and rail as a replacement but they won’t recall the cars. The newly manufactured injectors won’t work with the existing rail.

 

I hear you can buy a used starter for around $100 at the junk yard.

 

My 2015 Honda Fit just had the same problem. At just 34k miles it wouldn't always start with the remote. Over the next 2k miles it got worse. I replaced the batteries in the remotes and replaced the car battery. I found this forum at 36,063 a few days ago and read the 2 different experiences working with Honda Corporate/dealership. I called Honda Corporate and started a case file even before taking it to the dealership. Unfortunately, my car was just over 1 yr out of warranty even though the miles were only right at 36k (factory warranty). The dealership initially quoted me $801 over the phone. Honda Corporate said I had to take it to the dealership to get the official diagnosis for them to help. The dealership confirmed it was the starter and lowered the quote to $705. They didn't initially tell me there was a diagnostic fee if they didn't fix it. The technician was just like, "yes, we will help you" when I had it towed over. But, it was a gamble. I had already found a remanufactured starter online with a 3yr/36k warranty for $100 and my mechanic would install it for $90. I took the chance and took it to the dealership instead not realizing it was 1 yr out of warranty. I thought the miles would be more important. Unfortunately, between Corporate and the dealership (Honda Gilman - Houston) the best they said they could get it to was $252.46. This assistance includes loyalty credit for having just bought a CRV last month at another dealership and having just had a "36k check-up" last month (when it was still at 34k) in which they didn't find the problem. But, I was penalized for it being 4 years and not 3 years from date of purchase. If I didn't have them do the repair I would still have to pay the $135 diagnostic fee.

In hindsight, I wish that I had just stuck with my own mechanic and bought the part myself to pay only a total of $190. I took the risk and will end up paying $60 more. I shouldn't have had to pay anything because it's a well-known factory issued failed part and the time I had it should have been arbitrary because it started crapping out under 36k miles which is ridiculous. Also, my experience with the Corporate case manager was less than impressive. It was like talking to a robot.

If anyone is contemplating whether to go to the dealership or repair elsewhere if it's just barely out of the warranty - don't risk it. Get it fixed elsewhere and save your $. I have told the dealership and Corporate this experience was disappointing enough that I'm not buying any more Hondas.

 

And I noticed the grinding noise... I'm located at 77406 and debating taking it to Gillman FB instead. Car was originally purchased on 04/16/2016 so its over the 3 yrs but is still under 30K.

 

Mind sharing where you found it and your mechanic info.

 

You can find the remanufactured starter from DB Electric (https://www.dbelectrical.com/product...0-5r7-a01.html) or on Amazon or Walmart (just look for the same one as DB Electric) ... and then goto a local mechanic and it should cost ~100 in lablor

 

Warrany is 3 years or 36,000 miles whole car, 5 years 60,000 miles drive train. Is the starter part of the drive train or not?

 

I been having problems with power on the car. Five times I need to turn the key in order to start. I went to a electrical engineer and told me it was a bad starter. And checking all the system said that it was a bad ground connection that was causing the problem. He show me but I'm not an eléctric guy so I just said yes. At least he put me a gound wire and all the check up was 10 dollars. Good I live in a cheap place. ( 5 dollars a day minium wage).
he asked me if I didn't loose power if I didn't notice. But yes I did feel it slower. It said it was the bad connection that cause that the starter to fail as well and make the car not accelerate as it should.
As soon I i drove it with the new ground terminal it felt like new again.
So it is not a starter problem it is a bad assembly that cause the starter to fail.
I haven't but the starter yet but I wi Buy one in autozone 100 dollars compared to the 600 to 800 dollars what the dealer well it at.
Not sure it I can wait to buy it in my next trip to the usa and buy one oem.
But check your grind connection

 

I ordered and used this starter in my 2015 EX-L when the original one gave out at ~55,000. It was clicking once or twice before starting then got progressively worse. The DB Electrical starter has been great and starts first time, every time!

I followed the FSM procedure which matches what is posted here: Starter replacement

 

I just completed this replacement on my daughter's 2015 Fit with 65,000 miles which we've owned since new. It has push button start and would click at the relays and starter, but no start -- about 50% of the time, just like reported on this forum. So far, this seems to have fixed the problem. There's a pretty good video showing the process to change it out at:
I have a terrible habit of using info on the web but not contributing, but this was such a hassle I was motivated to add this write-up and hopefully it will help others if you are struggling with this.

After disconnecting the negative battery terminal, I first removed the 10mm nut holding the plastic box above and in front of the starter, and then un-clicked the tab on the right so it could be pulled slightly forward. It won't move much, but its enough to access the power connection and the upper blot. You can't really see the upper bolt from the top without a mirror, but you can feel it. For the power wire nut, I used a universal joint and extensions. A magnet on a stick makes it easy to get the nut out and also putting it back much easier. I bent a coat hangar and used it for pulling the boot on and off. Unlike the post above, I didn't have any trouble disconnecting the solenoid connector by hand with the starter in place. It is accessed most easily from the below. Pay attention to how the solenoid connector releases. You press down the clip from the rear (where the wire is) and then pull out. I didn't pay attention to this at first, and tried to lift up the rear tab with a small flat screwdriver, and couldn't get the connector to release. Then after I looked at it carefully, I realized you need to press down at the rear which raises the tab, then pull while holding it down. If you have this right, it pops right off.

Even though you can see the 14mm upper starter bolt from the top if you pull the plastic box back (or use a mirror), it is much easier to loosen and tighten the upper bolt from below. A deep well 14mm socket works well for this to give you the extension you need to get the ratchet in a good position from below. and allow the ratchet to stay in one place as the bolt moves outward when loosened and inward when tightened.

I had a devil of a time with the lower bolt. Others have mentioned it was tough, but that was an understatement in my case. Be careful with this bolt. The flats are tapered, and thus only about half of the bolt head actually engages the socket by my estimation. I used a quality 12 point, but maybe it would have been better with a 6 point for better grip. I had to use a 18" breaker bar with a 1/2" drive to get it to budge, pushing in the whole time to make sure the socket was bottomed out on the bolt head so it wouldn't slip and round the bolt off. However, once it came free, my "whew" was ruined when I got about 2 turns and then it seized again. I could tighten it back, but could only run it in and out about two turns. Over a 4 hour period of effort, including PB blaster, working it back and forth, and eventually applying heat with a propane torch on the flange and working it with the breaker bar, I was able to get the bolt out. Miraculously, the bolt didn't break, and the socket didn't break or slip. I seriously considered using a Dremel or oscillating tool to cut through the starter flange to get the starter out, that's how bad it was. (The material was non-magnetic, so it might have cut somewhat easily.) It turned out that the bolt was apparently cross-threaded during Honda's original assembly of the car (or the threads were not formed or tapped correctly when the flange was manufactured), and the threaded aluminum flange of the starter had galled into the steel bolt, and about 1/2" of the threads were jammed with metal from the flange.

I've worked on a lot of stuff over the years, and never seen anything like this. I ordered a new bolt from the Honda dealer, which at $3 was a bargain but I had to wait for it to arrive.

While looking at this issue, I examined the threads on the remanufactured starter (a Duralast from AutoZone). The threads on this one also appeared to be in pretty poor shape, but it was hard to tell if it was pain in the threads of if the threads were mangled just like my old starter. I took it back to AutoZone, and they agreed that it didn't look good, so they ordered me another one and swapped it. The new one looked like it had a brand-new flange -- the metal was shiny/mirror, and appeared to be a brand-new part and not a re-used one that had been cleaned up and painted. The 12*95mm fine thread lower blot screwed in and out by hand with ease. So -- be sure to check the threads in any rebuilt starter that you use. Maybe Honda got a batch of starters that had poorly formed threads in the flange, and that is why folks have trouble with that bolt. The threads of the new rebuilt one looked as bad as the one I removed, but the replacement was perfect and easy to thread and bottom the bolt by hand.

The reassembly with a new starter (and good threads) was easy and took maybe 30 minutes. Install the new starter from below and hold it in place with the lower bolt, but don't snug it down yet. Then you can "feel" the upper bolt into position from above the starter. After hand-threading it, I used a u-joint, socket and extension to snug the upper bolt from above tightened it fully from below using the deep well socket. Then I tightened the lower bolt. The power cable could be positioned in place by hand, and then I used a stick magnet to put the nut in place, held it with my finger and removed the magnet, then got it started before using the socket, u-joint, and extension to tighten, The solenoid connector simply clicks by inserting, and it's easiest to do that from below. Reinstall the plastic box by engaging the plastic clip on the right and the 10mm on the left. Reattach the battery and you're done.

I didn't need to remove the radiator overflow, lower radiator hose, or oil filter. But when I was reassembling, I decided to go ahead and change the oil and filter since it was right in front of me.

In summary, a magnet on a stick, universal joints for the sockets and extensions, and a good size breaker bar with quality sockets are good to have on hand. I hope no one ever has the same problem with the lower bolt that I did!

 

I also have a fit EX 2015 with less than 50,000 miles and needs a new started.. Dealership can replace for $800… Wow. How do I report this to the Honda corporation ?

 

finally found someone with my same exact symptoms!!! It start it with 2 attmepts and then 3 thats where im at now. Ive been blaming the start button recall but i have no warning lights.

 

lastly, after replacing the starter did the issues go away?

 

it's your starter. the bushings inside the starter goes off really easy. so if you take the starter apart and just replace the bushings inside which cost like $12 online, put it back together and you're good to go. I've had to do this twice in the last 3 years I've owned this vehicle. I don't know why they go out easy it just wears off that fast I suppose? Although theyre not suppose to, something to do with the building the enginge and electrical wiring and what not that makes it run out so fast.

 

it's the starter, replace the starter, read my last reply to the entire thread. I've had this done myself more than a couple of times. It is just the starter the bushings inside the actual starter goes out quick, at least every 3 months on a regular use of the car.

 

you were absolutely correct . It indeed was the starter