2013 Honda Fit Steering Problems

The power steering goes out while driving randomly and has been happening every drive for at least a year and 6 months. It passes car inspections because the situation is restarted when you turn the car off and turn it on. There is no indication when it will go out and it’s not correlated with another condition. It seems to be totally random. If I turn the car off and restart it, it works again. It could be for another half mile, 30 miles or 1 mile, then it will go out again. When I take it to a garage and get diagnostic testing it comes up with nothing being wrong because it resets when the car is started. It’s extremely frustrating and dangerous because I’ll be driving and without warning power steering shuts down. I have been reading online that Honda has a recall on its electric power steering system, on my model and year however it doesn’t cover my Vin number. Why is that? I can’t even find, a fix for the problem. Please advise as to what to do.

NHTSA ID

11626741

Incident

Nov 21, 2024

Last evening the interior vehicle power (headlights, dash lights, AC/heat fan) intermittently flashed off then back on while driving...when this happened as I arrived home, I completely lost power steering (electronic power steering warning light came on) and could barely turn the steering wheel. Thankfully I was moving at relatively slow speed when I lost power steering, but this could certainly be a life hazard at higher speeds.

NHTSA ID

11556039

Incident

Nov 19, 2023

MY 2013 HONDA FIT HAS ONLY 76,000 ON IT. WHILE DRIVING THE RADIO SHUT OFF, HEAD LIGHTS DIMMED, DASH BOARD LIGHTS FLICKERED AND I LOST POWER STEERING. TOOK IT TO THE HONDA SERVICE STATION IN JASPER ALABAMA AND THEY COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM. THE ENGINE LIGHT AND STEERING WHEEL WITH EXCLAMATION POINT SHOWED UP ON THE DASH BOARD. CAR LOOSES POWER STEERING WHILE DRIVING FOR A FEW SECONDS AND THEN COMES BACK ON. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. WITH A VEHICLE WITH LESS THAN 80,000 MILES ON IT THIS SHOULD BE RECALLED AS I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE ON THIS FORUM TO HAVE A COMPLAINT ABOUT THIS EXACT ISSUE.

NHTSA ID

11290323

Incident

Dec 15, 2019

Mileage

75,000 mi

IT WAS RAINING. I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY, CRUISE CONTROL SET AT 65 MPH. AT THIS POINT, THE ROAD CURVES TO THE RIGHT. I HAD JUST GONE THROUGH A DIP IN THE ROAD AND I THINK I MAY HAVE BEEN HYDROPLANING. THE VSA LIGHT CAME ON AND THE RIDE BECAME VERY CHOPPY. I STARTED PUMPING THE BRAKES AND I TRIED TO STEER MY CAR TO STAY IN THE LANE BUT THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP AND I COULDN'T MOVE IT. I CONTINUED ON A STRAIGHT PATH EVEN THOUGH THE ROAD CURVED. I WAS ON THE LEFT HAND SHOULDER, HEADING OFF THE ROAD COMPLETELY, STILL TRYING TO STEER TO THE RIGHT WHEN THE VSA LIGHT ABRUPTLY TURNED OFF. AT THIS POINT THE STEERING WHEEL SUDDENLY UNLOCKED AND I INADVERTENTLY PULLED IT HARD TO THE RIGHT; SENDING ME ACROSS 2 LANES OF TRAFFIC, ACROSS THE RIGHT HAND SHOULDER, OVER A SMALL CURB AND INTO THE DIRT/DESERT. AS THIS WAS HAPPENING, I WAS ABLE TO CORRECT MY STEERING BACK TO THE LEFT BUT NOT BEFORE I WAS COMPLETELY OFF THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE ROAD AND HIT A SMALL HILL NEXT TO IT WITH THE RIGHT SIDE OF MY CAR. AT THIS POINT, I MANAGED TO GET MY VEHICLE BACK ON THE RIGHT SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE HONDA DEALER TO HAVE IT CHECKED. THEY SAID MY TIRES WERE BALD WHICH CAUSED ME TO HYDROPLANE. REGARDLESS OF THE CONDITION OF THE TIRES, WHEN THE VSA IS ENGAGED, I SHOULD STILL BE ABLE TO STEER THE CAR BUT I COULDN'T. THE TECHNICIAN RAN THE DIAGNOSTIC TEST(S) AND SAID HE FOUND NOTHING WRONG. SOMETHING IS DEFINITELY WRONG WHEN YOUR STEERING WHEEL LOCKS UP AT CLOSE TO 65 MPH WHEN A SAFETY FEATURE IS ENGAGED.

NHTSA ID

11242413

Incident

Aug 3, 2019

Mileage

38,250 mi

WHILE DRIVING THE RADIO, DASH LIGHTS, HEAD LIGHTS, AND POWER STEERING CUTS OUT FOR A MOMENT THEN COMES BACK ON. THIS STARTED OCCASIONALLY 3 MONTHS AGO WITH JUST THE RADIO AND DASH LIGHTS AND HAS PROGRESSED TO SEVERAL TIMES IN A ROW AND NOW INCLUDES THE HEAD LIGHTS AND POWER STEERING. THERE IS NO PREDICTABILITY TO WHEN OR HOW MANY TIMES IT WILL HAPPEN. ONCE IT HAPPENED WHEN I WAS COMING OFF THE HIGHWAY GOING AROUND THE RAMP AT A GOOD SPEED, THE ELECTRICAL WENT OUT I LOST POWER STEERING AND ALMOST HIT THE GUARD RAIL IT CAME BACK ON JUST IN TIME FOR ME TO REGAIN CONTROL. TOOK IT TO HONDA DEALER WITH MY COMPLAINTS; THEY DID A MULTI POINT INSPECTION AND CHECKED FAULTS-NO FAULTS STORED. ALSO CHECKED WIRING AND CONNECTORS-ALL OK. TOLD ME IT WAS PROBABLY THE AFTER MARKET STARTER, I SHOULD BE FINE, TO CONTACT THE STARTER PEOPLE AS IT IS MOST LIKELY THEIR PRODUCT ISSUE AND NOT HONDA'S, THEN SENT ME HOME CHARGING ME OVER AN HOUR OF LABOR. A FEW DAYS LATER IT CUT OUT 12 TIMES IN LESS THAN 3 MILE; I HAD TO FIND A GAS STATION TO PULL OVER IN AS I DID NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING THE CAR. TURNED IT OFF & LET IT SIT FOR A FEW MINUTES, STARTED IT AGAIN & HAD NO FURTHER ISSUES UNTIL THE FOLLOWING DAY WHEN IT HAPPENED ANOTHER 8 TIMES IN A ROW. CONTACTED THE CAR STARTER COMPANY TOLD THEM WHAT WAS GOING ON; THEY REMOVED THE STARTER. BUT TOLD ME HE LOOKED IT UP ONLINE & DISCOVERED THIS HAS HAPPENED TO OTHER HONDA FITS & IS MOST LIKELY RELATED TO A FAULTY ALTERNATOR. ANOTHER ISSUE RELATED WITH THIS ALTERNATOR PROBLEM IS DEAD BATTERIES WHICH HAS HAPPENED TO ME AS WELL & AM ON MY 3RD BATTERY WITH IN 6 YEARS! THE CAR STARTER GUY SAID HE WAS CONCERNED WITH MY SAFETY & TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT BY MY MECHANIC AND HAVE THEM LOOK AT THE ALTERNATOR. WELL 2 DAYS LATER THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON & IS IN THE GARAGE TODAY; NOT THE HONDA DEALERSHIP

NHTSA ID

11203349

Incident

Apr 23, 2019

Mileage

83,000 mi

WHEN DRIVING MY HONDA, THE CAR INTERMITTENTLY LOSES ELECTRICAL POWER FOR ABOUT A SECOND. WHEN THIS HAPPENS THE POWER STEERING IS DISABLED. I FEAR LOSING CONTROL ESPECIALLY WHEN MAKING TURNS. THE STEERING WILL LOCK UP. THIS HAPPENS LITERALLY DAILY AT THIS POINT. DOESN'T MATTER IF I AM ON THE FREEWAY OR CITY STREET.

NHTSA ID

11154745

Incident

Oct 2, 2018

Mileage

80,000 mi

SWERVING IN UNSAFE MANNER DURING NORMAL WIND AT 55 MPH. HONDA FIT 2013 HB FWD TRAVELING AT 55 MPH ON INNER LOOP OF WASHINGTON DC BELTWAY SWERVED MULTIPLE TIMES TO AN UNSAFE MANNER (MOVED OUTSIDE OF LANE) FOR 1 TO 2 SECONDS WHEN MET WITH LIGHT WIND. MANY OTHER CARS/TRUCKS TRAVELED ON SAME PATHS AT SAME OR HIGHER SPEEDS WERE NOTICEABLY UNAFFECTED. TIRES TREADS ARE IN GOOD CONDITION, BALANCED, AND ALIGNED. PROBLEM NOT NOTICED BEFORE DUE TO TRAVELING MAINLY IN CITY ROADS WITH LESS WIND; THIS SWERVING OCCURRED ALMOST DAILY ON OPEN HIGHWAY FOR PAST FEW WEEKS.

NHTSA ID

10966289

Incident

Mar 9, 2017

Mileage

89,200 mi

STEERING LOCKS UP WHILE DRIVING AND ATTEMPTING TO TURN THE WHEEL. STEERING LOCKS UP ALSO WHILE STANDING STILL. ELECTRICAL POWER SEEMS TO BE INTERRUPTED FOR A COUPLE SECONDS WHILE THIS IS HAPPENING. HEADLIGHTS DIM AND RADIO QUITS FOR THAT PERIOD OF TIME. THE EVENT ELECTRICALLY SEEMS TO BE INTERRELATED. VERY SCARY AND DANGEROUS WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION.

NHTSA ID

10839590

Incident

Mar 2, 2016

Mileage

29,000 mi