2009 Honda Fit

Pulling out onto a busy highway my car lost propulsion. It died in the middle of the highway with cars coming towards me. I found out the front right drive axle broke. I have photos of the broken drive axle. I later found out the part was recalled. I was never notified of any recall. I had my mechanic fix the car. He put in a new axle. Then I found out (on Facebook) that the axle was covered by recall. I called Honda. They said they will reimburse me for the repair. I sent them all the info, detailed bill and paid in full receipt. They did not pay. They closed my case. They do not return phone calls or letters.

On April 25, 2022 our 2009 Fit started rolling away when it was parked, not in gear and the parking brake was not set. In trying to "catch" the car from traveling into the street, my elderly husband took a bad fall and sustained a shattered shoulder, nerve damage, and other injuries. The car continued to travel into the street, and finally stopped after hitting the car parked across the street (my 2005 Toyota). At first, we thought it was simply an unfortunate incident and did not report the incident. Last week, however, we received the notice from Honda about the NHTSA Recall 20V-770. This is the first time we were notified about the recall! When I went to your website, it appears Honda knew about this in 2020. We are taking the car to the dealership tomorrow (August 5, 2022). I am grateful you have a site that puts our safety first. Hopefully, we will know whether a defect was a factor in the accident. I have a related safety question. The dealership said they would inspect the part, and order a new one if it needs it, and let us know when the work could be done. Is it safe to keep driving the Fit while we wait for the part? I'd rather get an answer from an unbiased professional like yourselves. Many thanks for your help.

The contact owns a 2009 Honda Fit. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled, causing the vehicle to reverse into oncoming traffic. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with the driveshaft needing to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact then stated two months later, she received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 20V770000 (Power train). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and informed the contact to send over documentation of the repairs. The failure mileage was approximately 135,703.

On Jan. 28, 2018 the drive shaft on my Honda Fit snapped while up shifting onto the main road. Car was towed and repaired the following day by a local shop. At the time there was no know recall for this part. My information and claim was submitted to Honda on 2/08/2021 with invoice and paid receipt. Honda verified that the part was repaired on my car and paid for. Honda has failed to either pay for the repair or send a letter of denial. Honda has also failed to return phone calls or return email. It should be noted that Honda claim agent harassed me by asking for unreasonable documentation such to prove the car was not in an accident or had to be pushed into the service bay at the repair shop. Claim number available upon request.

This is related to the Honda Fit 2000 manual transmission driver shaft recall (Service Bulletin 21-009). Part of the background of this recall reads: “Due to improper manufacturing, the paint on the driveshaft near the dynamic damper may peel and chip over time, exposing the bare metal and potentially causing it to corrode under the dynamic damper. A corroded driveshaft may break during high torque conditions, rendering the vehicle without propulsion, or allowing the vehicle to roll while in Park, which can increase the potential of a crash or injury.” I was surprised to see that only the driver shaft where the dynamic damper is located would be replaced. After I brought in my car (a manual transmission) in for the recall I noticed that the other driver shaft (does not have a damper) is corroded as well. If the drive shaft can break due to corrosion on one side why would it not break on the other side? I would assume it’s made of the same material with only differences that one has a damper and the other does not. Is the damper what would cause the breakage of the driver shaft or the corrosion? The manufacturer failed to apply proper coding on both sides of the driver shaft not just on the side of the damper. I want to bring this to your attention and want to understand the reasoning behind the decision. I am concerned that this still poses a danger for breakage of the drive shaft that wasn’t replaced and where proper coding was not used. Attached are pictures of the driver shaft that was not replaced as well as the bulletin. Thank you

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HONDA FIT. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V770000 (POWER TRAIN) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT CALLED HERB CHAMBERS HONDA IN BOSTON (720 MORRISSEY BLVD, BOSTON, MA 02122, (617) 731-0100) WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE PART WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HONDA FIT. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V770000 (POWER TRAIN) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE VEHICLE LOSS POWER WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO JOYCE HONDA (NJ-10, DENVILLE, NJ 07834, (973)361-3000) TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE DRIVESHAFT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 138,087. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING STRAIGHT AND LEVEL AT A SPEED OF AROUND 35 MPH WHEN THE DRIVER LOST THE ABILITY TO ACCELERATE. THE ROAD HAS 4 LANES (2 IN EACH DIRECTION) WITH NO SHOULDER AND NO DIVISION BETWEEN ONCOMING TRAFFIC. WE FEEL VERY FORTUNATE THAT POLICE CAME QUICKLY TO PUSH THE CAR OUT OF TRAFFIC. WE LEARNED LATER THAT THE DRIVESHAFT FAILED SUDDENLY WHILE DRIVING AND IS NOW UNDER A SAFETY RECALL ORDER. WE HAVE REQUESTED REIMBURSEMENT FROM THE MANUFACTURER FOR THE DRIVESHAFT REPAIR.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HONDA FIT. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V770000 (POWER TRAIN) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. NO DEALER WAS CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.