2008 Honda Fit brakes problems

Filed May 8, 2017 · Acceleration, Brakes · 96,000 miles · CA · crash

Tl* the contact owned a 2008 honda fit. While driving 70 MPH with the cruise control activated, a tractor trailer pulled in front of the vehicle. The brake pedal was depressed to disengage the cruise control; however, the vehicle accelerated instead. The contact stated that the brake pedal was depressed a second time and the vehicle accelerated again. The vehicle crashed through several bushes in the median of the highway and came to a stop on the opposite side of the highway towards oncoming traffic. The contact was not injured and a police report was not filed. The contact stated that the shift lever was in the park position; however, the cruise control indicator was still illuminated and the engine revved independently. The vehicle was turned off and towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired and the insurance company deemed the vehicle destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 96,000...updated 06/06/17 *bf updated 9/28/18

Filed Feb 2, 2016 · Brakes · 80,000 miles · MN

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 honda fit. The contact stated that while driving, the brake pedal was depressed and failed to correspond due to the anti lock brake functioning. The contact mentioned that the vehicle had stopped independently after three miles. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

Filed Jul 16, 2015 · Body, Brakes · 96,000 miles · MD

The upper rear panel (where there is a groove where the frame comes together and you could attach a roof rack) on the driver's side separated a little and water came into the car. It soaked the trunk and floor behind the drivers seat. The water also damaged the ABS sensors. I had to replace the ABS sensors and sort of caulk the gap between the panels. I found out about the problem when my ABS light on my dash went on.

Filed Jul 1, 2014 · Acceleration, Brakes · 36,000 miles · HI

My 2008 honda fit sport began having a "surging" issue from the 2nd week after I bought it new in 2008. I would tap the brakes to slow down and the engine would surge. Hitting the brakes a second time usually stopped it but throwing it into neutral helped too. I reported it frequently to the honda dealer and they could not find the problem and said they had never heard of it. It continued for 4 years, and then seemed to stop for the next two years. This past march, it started again, and I was able to stop the car before an accident occurred. Then it happened while I was coming down the hill I live on. The car was in 2nd gear (using the shifter), and I tapped the brakes to slow a bit. The engine began accelerating and going faster. The brakes did no good; neither did the emergency brake; finally, the brakes gave out and my foot was flat on the floor. I finally put it into park and it slowed down to a stop. I had it towed to the dealer and they found no problem, even though I put it into park while moving, nor could they find any reason for the acceleration. American honda is no help either. They did buy the car back, but have sold it as a used car, and I fear for the person who purchased it. I'm sure they did not look into the problem further. On your website, I found seven (7) similar reports for the 2008 fit and five (5) more for the 2009. Owners have reported this problem on edmunds.com for several years, yet the honda sales manager did not want to look at the printout I gave him. Here are the federal safety agency id#s that report a similar problem: 10523098, 1049187, 10425811, 10344231, 10323002, 10317179, 10282552, 10266390, 10368077, 10329557, 10308988, 10280593. Please investigate this matter - it is very serious.

Filed Mar 19, 2014 · Airbags, Brakes · 102,000 miles · GA · crash · 4 injuries

Air bags did not deploy yet I smelled the smoke from them. Air bags should have deployed due to the damage caused to my vehicle. The vehicle is a total loss. This caused injuries to myself and others. Brakes also failed to properly function.

Filed Jul 3, 2013 · Acceleration, Brakes · 32,540 miles · MO · crash

Parking on a side street behind another car applying brake, and woosh! Car took off in what I've later learned was an "unintended acceleration," running into the car in front and smushing in the hood of my car. I thought I had let my foot slip or had skid on some ice, but later similar incidences made me wonder. This last time (may 30, 2013), again was parking car and applying break in a parking lot (full of lawyers' cars!) and as I approached the space, car very quickly sped up and I nearly crashed into a light pole and/or beautiful new (expensive) car to my right. I'm sure anyone witnessing this would see a driver slowing down and then car jerking amazingly forward, like a horse at the beginning of a race. I was so very lucky in that I was able to steer racing car into parking spot and make an abrupt stop (I don't know how). Quite scary! I looked up what could be the cause of this phenomenon and discovered this as an unacknowledged "known issue" with supposedly no known fix. Dangerous!

Filed May 6, 2013 · Brakes · 48,000 miles · WI

Noticed the braking after initially starting the vehicle and driving has a spongy response with the travel of the brake going to the floor. This happens periodically. I thought it was because of the car not being used often, but this has occurred after the car has been sitting after only a short while.

Filed Jan 8, 2013 · Brakes · 50,000 miles · CO

My 2008 honda fit sometimes experiences loss of braking power when it has been started after sitting for many hours. This behavior is not always present, but is intermittent, perhaps occurring about 50% of the time. There is a very large loss of braking power, such that the car will roll to a stop, even if I apply strong pressure to the pedal or if I pump the brakes. The brake pedal can be depressed only a very short amount of travel when this behavior occurs, and the pedal does not go to the floor. If I wait with the engine running and in "park" for several minutes, then the problem goes away, and the brakes work normally. I had bought this car used in spring of 2011 from its first owner, and experienced this problem for the first time in approximately july 2012. Since that time, the problem has become more common.

Filed May 9, 2012 · Brakes · 76,000 miles · CO

At start-up there seems to be enough brake booster vacuum for one braking; the next time I hit the brakes it goes to the floor as if there is no power brake assist. There are brakes there, but it takes a huge amount of force and if you're not expecting it would be easy to hit something. It happens 50% of the time I start the vehicle (after sitting 8+ hours). The issue is worse when in reverse (lower gear and thus more power from the engine?). The second dealer I went to said this is a known issue with no known repair. While at the dealership, a civic owner said she has the same problem and the dealers told her that it is "normal". The service manager told me to let the car warm up for 2-minutes before driving. A year ago, I had 32,000 miles when this first occurred 20% of the time; now I have 76,000 miles and it occurs 50% of the time. I can understand that some people with similar complaints may think the brakes are not working at all, when you have to push extremely hard to get them to work (as when your brake booster fails). It is difficult for me to stop even though I'm 6'7", 200 pounds, very strong and I'm a heavy equipment operator so I'm prepared for things to go wrong.

Filed Jan 18, 2012 · Brakes · 25,000 miles · CA

There is something seriously wrong with the brakes. The brakes lack feel and are "spongy." this causes great difficulty during braking. At high speeds, the brakes seem to function properly, but at low speeds it does not. When I press the brake pedal, instead of braking, the brake pedal will drop. The car continues to move as if the brake pedal is not being pressed down. The creates a situation where the last few seconds, I must hit the brakes even harder for the vehicle to begin stopping. This creates a hazard for vehicles both in front and in back of me. There is very little control in the braking system. From the forums, it appears there are many other honda fit owners with the similar problem. Some have gotten into accidents due to this failure, while others have been more lucky. This is certainly a accident waiting to happen. I have taken my car to the honda dealership, whom have denied anything being wrong. I urge you to investigate this matter before another person is killed/ injured due to this failure.