2017 Honda Fit Engine Problems

The contact owns 2017 Honda Fit. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle hesitated. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed, and it was determined that cylinders #1, #2, and #4 had failed and cylinder #3 was currently operating. The mechanic performed a pressure test on all cylinders and that the cylinders needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure, and the contact was transferred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA ID

11699810

Incident

Jun 15, 2025

Mileage

100,000 mi

Rattling noise coming from engine when starting engine cold

NHTSA ID

11686890

Incident

Sep 11, 2025

After replacing fuel injectors recently I have no warning lights on but the car has been stalling and pulling. Today on the freeway as I attempted to accelerate from 30 mph my car jerked and pulled 3 times harshly almost causing an accident. Still no warning lights and this has happened multiple times. I have submitted a prior concern and it has not been addressed and the problem only continues and has gotten worse.

NHTSA ID

11629134

Incident

Dec 5, 2024

The car will stall while on the freeway. Had fuel injectors replaced and still does not drive well. I am now being told I may have to look at the fuel pump which should be working automatically. I have now invested almost 3,000 on a car with less than 90,000 miles on it that is maintained religiously so that nothing happens to it.

NHTSA ID

11620651

Incident

Oct 7, 2024

7/14/24 This scenario has happened previously. The first time the engine light, steering light, tire light have come on and remained on. Driving around 65 mph the car judders, loses power, & engine light flashes. Thankfully, there was a shoulder to pull over onto because the ability to maintain speed is lost. Also, the highway I was on has extremely busy portions without any shoulder, so the situation could have been much worse. With traffic all around, I have to put on hazard lights and pull over onto a shoulder filled with tons of debris, which I then got a flat tire, which I then I had to change in the side of the highway. The immediate loss of power and subsequent events is extremely dangerous. The vehicle is well maintained. When taken for diagnosis shops have referred me to the dealer. I’ve called Honda America customer service and am also referred to the dealer. Dealerships are extremely difficult, expensive, & unreliable. Through research I’ve found fuel injector and carbon buildup issues that may be the cause, which of course can cause damage of the engine and catalytic converter. The cost of these repairs is very high. Therefore, I am unable to use a basic economical vehicle I purchased out of necessity, which I can barely afford already, and has now become much more expensive due to major repairs that are needed but incomplete due to lack of funds. If I try to drive it I become a potential hazard on the road. This seems like a manufacturing defect if it is an injector issue. If it is carbon buildup on the intake valves it requires an expensive service not disclosed at purchase in the owners manual, which seems dishonest and deceptive. The private shops I’ve been to have diagnosed the issue as faulty fuel injectors, catalytic converter, or unsure. Honda says go to the dealership, yet without any assistance from Honda they will require a diagnostic fee of around $200 and will require expensive out-of-pocket repairs of a likely Honda defect.

NHTSA ID

11602356

Incident

Jul 14, 2024

Like 4 others on NHTSA, I am reporting intermittent cold start rattle coming from the VTC actuator. I have tried the following: cleaning the intake valves, changing the oil every 3k miles, using a high quality oil filter with a silicone drain back valve, and using Top Tier fuel on every fuel up. 2015-2016 Honda Fits have a TSB regarding this issue, and my 2017 Honda Fit also has this issue. @HondaMotorCompany, please right this design defect by releasing a TSB. I recommend replacing the VTC Actuator (Part#:14310-5R1-013), CAM CHAIN (Part#:14401-5K9-004), CAM CHAIN TENSIONER ARM (Part#:14520-5R0-003) and CAM CHAIN TENSIONER (Part#:14510-5R1-003). Thank you. Related to Complaint NHTSA ID NUMBERS: 11518951, 11507525, 11455247, and 11431811

NHTSA ID

11539956

Incident

Aug 21, 2023

Vehicle is experiencing intermittent fault with air-fuel ratio of cylinder. Problems began at 50,000 miles and the dealer recommended engine cleaning due to carbon buildup. This did not solve the issues. Warranty repair was refused at that time, and has since lapsed out of warranty. This results in a malfunction indicator lamp on the dash. Car has additionally failed to start on occasion, and varies greatly in the number of cranks necessary to start. Also sometimes experience shuddering and movement of the vehicle when stopped. The reliability of the vehicle is compromised, which is a significant safety issue.

NHTSA ID

11511253

Incident

Sep 8, 2022

The VTC actuator is showing signs of failing. Upon starting the car cold, there is a harsh rattling sound for about 2 seconds. If the VTC actuator fails it could do serious damage to the engine and cause an accident if the engine fails while driving, potentially resulting in death. The 3rd Generation Fits seem to have the same issues with them that the 2015-2016 models had. I have had issues with my fuel injectors also. Honda has failed to address these issues claiming that these issues were remedied with the 3rd generation car when they really were not.

NHTSA ID

11507525

Incident

Feb 15, 2023

After the routine transmission fluid flush at about 36K miles, the vehicle stalls out/jerks after switching the selector from P to D. The issue is intermittent though. Also, the vehicle got a worsened MPG which decreased from 38-39mpg (average) to 31-33mpg on the same driving routine. And most important, the CVT transmission "switches" to neutral every time you decelerate making the vehicle unstable at higher speeds. The vehicle was inspected at the two different dealerships and none of those bring out a solution, stating that this is beyond their ability to fix something since no warning lights or messages are being illuminating. Called the manufacturer, got advised to follow up with another dealership. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE WARMER FILTER IN THE CVT TRANSMISSION WAS IMPROPERLY INSTALLED. THIS CAUSED THE FLUID FLOW OBSTRUCTION WHILE DECELERATING. THE CVT SWITCHED TO NEUTRAL DUE TO LACK OF PRESSURE TO A HYDRAULIC CIRCUIT.

NHTSA ID

11444652

Incident

Nov 6, 2021

At cold start up, the engine rattles loudly for about 2 seconds. This is intermittent and occurs on cold starts when the car has not been started for 6-8 hours.

NHTSA ID

11431811

Incident

Aug 24, 2021

THE VEHICLE INCLUDES AN EARTH DREAMS ENGINE, DIRECT INJECTION AND CUT TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE HAS AN ABNORMAL VIBRATION AT IDLE WHEN IN PARK, NEUTRAL, OR UNDER LOAD IN DRIVE AT A STOP. SOME COMPONENTS OF THE SUSPENSION ARE NOT ADJUSTABLE AND OUT OF SPEC.

NHTSA ID

11366458

Incident

Sep 30, 2020

Mileage

28,500 mi