Know those turns where like the stoplight has juuuust turned yellow and you're like "I can make it! I just have to not brake until the last minute and then swing left faster than normal!"?

Well there is a light near the gym where this is frequent, and my car makes a distinct grrrrrxrxrrrrxg while turning under load at higher-than-advisable speeds. Left side. What is it?!

It does NOT make any noise while turning from a stop at low speeds, even with the wheel cranked over.
It does NOT make any noise in long sweeping turns, like in an extended rotary.
It does NOT make any noise when the wheel is turned generally or while stationary.
It DOES make a similar noise when backing out of the driveway quickly (which is a turn) .. but only when cold, not on demand.

If a CV joint, that'd be a sad thing to find on a 35K mile car. And an expensive one. Maybe a brake pad scraping as the suspension distorts?

 

sounds more like your tires are rubbing the fender liner or the liner in the quarter? did you check? cars arent perfectly symmetrical so id check for rub marks first.

 

Along with kenchan's line of thought - perhaps the source of the noise is a piece of the plastic undercarriage that is a little loose?

 

Wouldn't it happen at low speeds, then, for any given steering angle?

Good point to check for rub marks though. Just in case .. it does sound more like a metallic scraping though.

 

Unless the added momentum while you are at speed causes the offending part to move more than it would at low speed. Grasping at straws here.Good luck with the search!

 

If not wheel bearing, then Hardened rubber on the strut; problem with the spring; rusting front brake backing plate, separating brake pad?

 

35K? By now you've probably changed your brake pads, but if you haven't it's probably the audible wear sensor telling you that you need to. Yeah it starts out making noise at odd times and not necessarily when you apply the brakes.

 

It's been a while since anyone's been on this thread and it's unfortunate that OP doesn't seem to have found what the issue was.
I'm reviving this thread because I'm having literally the same exact issue as described in OP's initial post, except I'm driving a 3rd gen.
Just like OP, the sound is only apparent when under load, that is to say when I'm hitting the gas pedal attempting to accelerate through the hard left turn.
I've been able to replicate the noise in 1st gear, accelerating with the steering wheel turned left full-lock, but it's really most apparent in 2nd gear around a 90 degree or hairpin left.
I'd take it to a Honda dealership or shop if I thought I could take a technician on a drive with me without offending them with my less-than-safe maneuver.
Could it have anything to do with the differential? Any further insights would be great. Thanks!

 

You're right I haven't solved it. It has maybe increased a little in that now it can show up in more gradual left-hand turns but it's still rare.

Likely not brake wear as the front pads are barely worn (I don't brake much). Some kind of rust somewhere is my guess atm, and will presumably remain that way until it gets worse ...

 

Any luck figuring this one out?

 

wow, you are lucky just happened to check the forum today. i don't own this car any more.

this issue is caused by brake pads contacting the rotor at a rusty point, or the rotor and splash shield. some part of the suspension deforms slightly relative to other parts, which is why you get contact under load and not in straight lines (where contact would likely wear away)

 

Thanks for the reply! So it was the from the front rotors/shields and not the rear drums? Good to know it's something that's easy to deal with.

I hope your new car is more fun than the Fit, cheers!

 

This could also happen on rear drums, when there is rust on the lip of the drums.

 

i forget if it was the rotor and the pads, or the shield. the shield is easy to bend away from the brakes (a screwdriver can bend it), so you can try that as a first step. but i had some abnormal brake wear also, and needed the pads and rotors replaced with new. then 2000 miles later i sold the car suddenly, doh, someone got nice brakes out of their used Fit purchase ..and they better cause Carvana sold it for $15,500 which is a stupidly high number

it was definitely the fronts for me though. the shop told me my rear brakes at 60k miles didn't even need replacing yet. i rarely use the brakes.

if you are poking around you may want to check carefully the sway bar links. this car uses rivets to hold them in place and they can disconnect with age. it can happen and you may not even notice (my dad did not on his car). it is not a massive safety issue under normal driving but it is also a source of noise and something else to have a shop fix (it is cheap).

i got a Civic Hatch, which is probably a very common replacement. it is certainly a nice car and much safer, but I do miss the Fit. i had hoped to keep it a while and do messy projects with it, but realized three cars, the insurance expense and clearing snow off all 3 was too much.