2009 Honda Fit Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2009 Fit most often report front axle or driveshaft breakage at higher mileage, and electric power steering assist that drops out for a few seconds while the radio and dash lights flicker. Airbag inflator recall notices, often with long waits for parts, plus reports of airbags not deploying account for a large share of complaints, while paint fading and body rust come up early in the car's life. Steering and body complaints build gradually, whereas the axle failures are described as sudden.

1. 1
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Front axle / driveshaft breaks, loss of drive

   • 48 complaints (17%)
   • median 84,500 mi at 9.0 yrs old (42 state mileage)
   • 6 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2010–2024

   Owners describe a sudden loss of drive: the engine still runs but the car will not move when the accelerator is pressed, sometimes after a clunk, leaving them coasting or stopped in traffic or an intersection. Several reports describe the front axle or driveshaft broken where it meets a rubber damper on the shaft, and some mention heavy corrosion or rust at that spot. A few owners had the part replaced and had a second axle break later. Complaints also reference recall 20V770000 and ask about reimbursement for the repair. Mostly reported well past 100,000 miles, with a few cases near 40,000 miles; several owners describe corrosion around the rubber damper on the shaft.

   Recall 20V770000

   What to check: Ask whether the 20V770000 driveshaft remedy has been completed, and have the front axles inspected for cracks or corrosion where the rubber damper sits, especially on a car used in salt-road states.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Driving into an intersection, my car suddenly stopped being able to propel forward. There was a clunk noise. I was eventually pushed to a parking lot by police. I got towed to the dealership where they found a broken drive shaft and a recall issued by Honda a few weeks before.”

   NHTSA complaint #11389637, filed 2021-01, 57,000 miles

   “I just exited a highway, stopped at a traffic light on the intesection. When I tried to turn right I heard a noise like the car hit something. But there was nothing for the car to hit upon turning on right. The car started rolling back until I used the handbrake and turned engine off. When I looked under the car, there was nothing obviously adrift. Towing service came and confirmed that the front passenger side axel shaft is broken. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11349971, filed 2020-08, 108,000 miles
2. 2
   Steering

   Power steering assist cuts out briefly

   • 46 complaints (16%)
   • median 84,500 mi at 8.8 yrs old (38 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2009–2023

   Owners report the electric power steering assist dropping out for a few seconds while driving, so the wheel suddenly becomes hard to turn; the EPS warning light comes on and the radio often loses power at the same moment. It happens at parking speeds, on winding roads and on the highway, and usually recovers on its own or after a restart. According to the complaints, dealers often could not reproduce it or find stored codes, and several owners note that earlier Fit model years had a related campaign while their 2009 car did not. Reported from roughly 40,000 to over 180,000 miles, at both low speed and highway speed, and not tied to cold weather in the reports.

   What to check: On a test drive, watch for the EPS light and any flicker of the radio or dash lights, and ask whether a dealer has scanned for stored steering-assist codes.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My radio at random times would turn on and off while driving the vehicle as if it lost power, then about a week or two later my power steering would randomly cut out for a few seconds with the radio shut off and the eps light in the dash would flash then go away, during this the car became hard to handle and control. This would happen unpredictability when driving on the freeway and on surface streets and variable speeds. I checked it with a code reader and nothing came up as a hard code. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11388200, filed 2021-01, 183,000 miles

   “While driving at approx. 35 MPH, radio lights flashed off. Slowing down to make a right turn, radio lights shut off, eps indicator came on for approx. 2 secs, steering wheel became hard to turn, power to steering and radio resumed after 3-5 secs. Same scenario occurs intermittently while driving on local roads at 50mph or below. Occurred at mileage 170,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11173923, filed 2019-02, 170,000 miles
3. 3
   Air bags

   Airbag inflator recalls and non-deployment

   • 99 complaints (34%)
   • median 65,000 mi at 7.8 yrs old (19 state mileage)
   • 13 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2009–2024

   Many complaints concern the Takata front airbag inflator recalls: owners say they were told parts were unavailable, waited months, had only the driver side replaced, or were quoted diagnostic fees when an airbag warning light came on with no crash. A few reports describe airbags failing to deploy in a collision. Service bulletins in the record cover warranty extensions and inspection of replacement inflators. Recall wait complaints arrive from under 20,000 to about 55,000 miles; non-deployment reports come in around 60,000 to 80,000 miles.

   Recall 16V061000Recall 19V500000Recall 19V502000Recall 19V378000Recall 18V268000Recall 18V042000Recall 17V545000Recall 17V030000Recall 16V3460005 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check by VIN that both the driver and passenger inflators were replaced with the final remedy, and confirm the airbag warning light goes out after the cluster self-check.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Takata recall. Notice of recall was sent to me in march, 2016. The letter indicated parts would be available in the summer of 2016. In early august, when I contacted my Honda dealer (shofield homda, wichita ks), I was told the part had to be ordered and would arrive in a couple of weeks. It has now been 7 weeks and I've heard nothing.”

   NHTSA complaint #10907006, filed 2016-09, 18,000 miles

   “Our 2009 Honda FIT sport manual's airbag light came on about a month ago. I took it to the dealer today to have the recall serviced. They mentioned that the airbags were not functioning and we should have that looked at, for a minimum charge of $105 (just to determine the problem!). Shouldn't this be a manufacturer defect and safety issue? The light came on without any cause we are aware of - no crash, etc. It just came on.”

   NHTSA complaint #10419904, filed 2011-08, 50,000 miles
4. 4
   Body and structure

   Paint fading, chipping and body rust

   • 8 complaints (3%)
   • median 66,500 mi at 6.7 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2009–2021

   Owners describe paint fading to a pinkish shade or chipping away within the first years of ownership, and rust forming at welds and seams, including from under the hood outward and on suspension links. Some report that a dealer called the rust normal. Complaints tie this to worries about the body and undercarriage deteriorating rather than to any drivability symptom. Paint complaints come in from under 10,000 miles, while rust reports range from roughly 8,000 to 100,000 miles.

   What to check: Look along hood seams, weld points and suspension links for bubbling or flaking, and compare paint tone across panels in daylight.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The paint on my car has either not cured correctly at the factory, or is too soft. After driving the car for a few months the paint is chipping off and the car looks worse than my 7 year old Honda accord. This is not a safety concern, but will definitely cause the car to rust very soon. This should not happen after 6 months of driving. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10265024, filed 2009-04, 7,000 miles

   “My 2009 Honda sport is red. The paint is fading all over....so much that it appears pink in many places. This is not representative of what Honda's do. I am hopeful that Honda will cover costs for repainting the vehicle.”

   NHTSA complaint #10882459, filed 2016-07, 83,000 miles

Buying note. Confirm that both front airbag inflators were replaced under the recalls and that the 20V770000 driveshaft remedy was completed, then have the front axles and lower body inspected for corrosion. Include low-speed turns and a highway stretch in the test drive, since the steering-assist cutout is intermittent and often leaves no stored codes.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.