2015 Honda Fit

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation to determine if the failure of airbags to deploy during severe crashes, in certain vehicles, was the result of a safety related defect.  During the investigation a complex failure was studied that can result in non-deployment of subject vehicle air bags and other restraint system devices in severe crash events. The subject vehicles may be equipped with an airbag control unit (ACU) for the supplemental restraint system (SRS) Electronic Control Unit (ECU) manufactured by ZF-TRW.  The ECU receives signals from crash sensors mounted in the vehicle and deploys the vehicle air bags and seat belt pretensioners in accordance with manufacturer design specifications.  The ECU in the subject vehicles contains a model DS84 application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) which controls the communication of the crash sensor signal, firing commands (i.e., when to deploy the airbag(s) and/or pretensioners), and fault information (e.g., diagnostic trouble codes). In September 2016, FCA announced recall 16V-668 for certain model year (MY) 2010 to 2014 Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep products manufactured with the subject ZF-TRW ACU.  In this recall, FCA discussed an EOS condition that resulted in a failure of the subject DS84 ASIC, which caused air bag non-deployment.  FCA noted that the defect condition had only been observed in vehicles equipped with sensor harnessing routed across the front of the vehicle.  Other FCA vehicles that also used the subject ACU, but were not equipped with cross-car harnessing, had not experienced EOS failures, despite similar time in service. During the course of this investigation, ODI sent two separate Information Request (IR) letters to six vehicle manufactures (including FCA, Hyundai, Honda, Kia, Mitsubishi, and Toyota) and one IR letter to ZF-TRW.  These IR letters resulted in ODI receiving comprehensive data from these manufacturers and suppliers. Studies of this data found that the DS84 ASIC does not have sufficient protection against negative electrical transients or electrical overstress (“EOS”) that can be generated in certain severe crashes.  An electrical transient occurs when the electrical power supplied to a circuit changes momentarily over a short duration of time.   In these severe crash cases, the crash sensors and other powered wiring can be damaged and short circuited so as to create a negative electrical transient of sufficient intensity and duration (that are outside the vehicle manufacturer's specification) to damage the ASIC before the restraint device deployment signal is received by the SRS ECU.  This damaged signal can lead to incomplete or nondeployment of the air bags and/or pretensioners.  Airbag non-deployment and/or lack of pretensioner operation can increase the risk or severity of injury in a crash.A total of 8 fatalities and 14 injuries were associated with known EOS events. The common element in all investigated manufacturers vehicles is the SRS ECU containing a DS84 ASIC manufactured by ZF-TRW.  The risk associated with the ASIC is equally shared among all OEMS involved in the investigation.  The actual real-world risk can be mitigated by other factors which were assessed by ODI during this investigation. The first mitigating factor involves protections built into the ACU design which protect the DS84 ASIC from damage.  There are multiple strategies and levels of protection employed by different OEMs that provide effective EOS mitigation.  The two most common strategies at the ACU level are circuit protection diodes on the remote senor signal lines, and current limiting resistors that protect critical components. The second mitigating factor is found at the vehicle level and involves the location and routing of the wires leading from the crash sensors to the SRS ECU.  If the wires are well protected in a crash and are not routed with other power wires carrying large currents, the risk for an EOS event is significantly reduced or eliminated. These design specific factors combine to produce a spectrum of risk for the vehicles equipped with ACUs using the DS84 ASIC.  Given the many of years of field exposure, it is possible to divide the subject population into two groups; vehicles which have experienced EOS events, and vehicles which have not experienced EOS field events. Four of the six OEMs involved in this investigation have experienced EOS field events on at least one of their models equipped with a DS84 ASIC.  All vehicle models (including the Toyota models identified in the Failure Report Summary of the opening resume for this investigation) with field events have been recalled.  In an abundance of caution, ODI kept this investigation open five years to monitor field performance and did not identify any field events on vehicles not included in existing safety recalls. Given the spectrum of risk identified in this investigation and that all vehicles with a demonstrated unreasonable risk have been recalled, ODI is closing this investigation. ODI is closing this investigation with the following manufacturer safety recalls: 16V-668, 18E-043, 18V-137, 18V-363, and 20V-024.  With the recall actions taken by the subject vehicle and equipment manufacturers, this investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exists on other model or model year vehicles outside of the recall scopes. The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.

The vehicle experienced transmission drive issues accompanied by a Check Engine Light. An independent repair facility scanned the vehicle and confirmed diagnostic trouble code P0717 for a transmission speed sensor open circuit. The failure causes unexpected loss of acceleration and erratic power delivery while driving, redlining at 45 mph, malfunctioning of the gear selection display, and creating a safety hazard in active traffic. These symptoms line up with the CVT drive pulley shaft defect addressed in NHTSA Recall 15V574. When I contacted an authorized Honda dealership to address the issue, they stated this specific VIN is not included in the recall campaign. The vehicle and its diagnostic records are available for inspection upon request.

NHTSA ID

11753703

Incident

Jul 24, 2026

The contact owns a 2015 Honda Fit. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Check Charging System" warning light illuminated. Additionally, the engine start button intermittently failed to start the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was initially diagnosed with battery failure. However, the failure persisted after the battery was replaced. A diagnostic scan retrieved 6 Diagnostic Trouble Codes stored in the computer. Upon further diagnostic test, the independent mechanic identified Technical Service Bulletin: 20-098 (Warranty Extension: 2015–17 Fit Keyless Start System Error with DTC B12C5). The vehicle could not be repaired under the TSB because the vehicle was outside of the warranty period. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 42,000.

NHTSA ID

11750584

Incident

May 1, 2026

Mileage

42,000 mi

The paint (white orchid pearl) is peeling down to the metal on three of the doors. I did have a spot on the roof repaired during the extended 7 year warranty. But this current problem happened after the warranty expired.

NHTSA ID

11746985

Incident

Feb 1, 2025

Honda confirmed my 2015 Honda fit VIN was part of the paint warranty extension program, yet the paint has continued to fail and spread significantly after the warranty extension expired.

NHTSA ID

11741965

Incident

Jul 15, 2023

• While driving, 2015 Honda Fit lost acceleration and stalled. Further attempts to drive showed engine would fail past 2000 rpm. • Failure occurred accelerating into traffic, risking collision. • The failure was diagnosed by Coggin Honda Orlando as an In - Tank Fuel Pump Low Pressure Remove and Replace. • UNKOWN if dealer referred issue to manufacturer. • No warning lamps, messages or symptoms of the problem appeared prior to failure. Only after engine failure After research found multiple recalls related to same FIT fuel pump for other years (23v858, 21v215, 20v314).

NHTSA ID

11735570

Incident

Apr 30, 2026

The start/stop switch on my 2015 Honda Fit failed — a known defect acknowledged by Honda through Service Bulletin A20-098. A faulty start/stop switch creates serious safety hazards including the inability to start the vehicle in an emergency, becoming stranded in dangerous locations such as intersections or highways, and potential inability to shut the engine off. My vehicle is UNDER the mileage threshold specified in the bulletin, yet Honda refused to cover any portion of my $750 repair. This lack of professional accountability could lead to other consumers avoiding this costly repair, which in turn could create dangerous situations.

NHTSA ID

11734909

Incident

Oct 1, 2025

Tire size 185/55/r16. The side wall of my tire has 5 areas where the tire came apart. Purchased tires from Walmart about 3-5 months ago

NHTSA ID

11733851

Incident

Apr 26, 2026

The info display that reports millage, fuel levels etc has been intermittent. When the car starts in cold and/or wet weather The display Is "blued out" or it's digitized and unreadable. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11727022

Incident

Mar 25, 2026

Service bulletin - The MIL comes on with DTC P0300 (random misfire detected) or P0301–P0304 (cylinder misfire detected). Carbon buildup on the intake valves may be affecting combustion.

"Customer letter - On some 2015-2016 Fit vehicles, certain fuel injectors may not have been installed to proper specifications. An incorrectly installed fuel injector may lead to increased wear inside the injectors. This could result in reduced flow in the injectors and cause misfire, air/fuel ratio imbalance, catalyst deterioration misdetection and/or fuel metering, resulting in MIL (Malfunction Indicator Lamp) turning on."

Dealer Message - Today, February 18, 2022, American Honda is announcing a warranty extension for certain 2015-2016 Fit vehicles. This warranty extension covers fuel injectors to address concerns of internal wear inside one or more injectors. American Honda is extending the warranty coverage of the fuel injectors to 10 years from the original date of purchase or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Service Bulletin - 2015-16 Fit: MIL Is On with DTC P0420

Service Bulletin - 2015-16 Fit: MIL Is On with DTC P0300, P0301, P0302, P0303, P0304

Service Bulletin - The MIL comes on with DTC P0300 (random misfire detected) or P0301-P0304 (cylinder misfire detected).