2009 Honda Fit

4 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASING MY NEW CAR, THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED. THEN, WITHIN 10 DAYS, IT DEVELOPED A 2ND CRACK WHILE I WAS DRIVING IT TO OREGON (I LIVE IN CA). THE FIRST CRACK BEGAN IN THE BOTTOM CENTER OF MY WINDSHIELD, THE 2ND CRACK BEGAN AT THE TOP CENTER (BEHIND MY REAR VIEW MIRROR). AFTER SEARCHING THE INTERNET, I FOUND SEVERAL WEBSITE DEVOTED TO THIS SAME PROBLEM ON THE SAME MAKE/MODEL/YEAR AS MY CAR FROM PEOPLE ALL OVER THE U.S. *TR

THIS COMPLAINT REGARDS A 2009 HONDA FIT THAT WE HAVE/HAD OWNED FOR A LITTLE OVER ONE YEAR. LAST SATURDAY, WHEN MY HUSBAND WAS TURNING LEFT INTO OUR DRIVEWAY, AND SO WAS GOING QUITE SLOW, HE TURNED INTO A PERSON WHO WAS COMING STRAIGHT TOWARD HIM ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD. SHE WAS APPROACHING BY COMING UP A MODERATE INCLINE, BUT WELL NOTICEABLE BY ANY OTHER CAR THAT I HAVE DRIVEN. WE HAVE OWNED THIS PROPERTY FOR OVER 30 YEARS AND THERE HAS BEEN NO OTHER TROUBLE IN THIS VICINITY. I HAVE BEEN VERY LEERY OF DRIVING THE FIT SINCE A FEW DAYS AFTER PURCHASE BECAUSE OF THE BLIND SPOTS THAT I NOTICED WHEN DRIVING THE CAR. THE SAME KIND OF ACCIDENT HAS ALMOST HAPPENED TO ME AND TO MY HUSBAND SEVERAL OTHER TIMES WITH THIS CAR, THE 2009 HONDA FIT, SINCE OUR OWNERSHIP OF IT. THE MAJOR PROBLEM HAS BEEN THE A-PILLARS IN THE LARGE FRONT WINDOW. THE FIRST TIME THAT I NOTICED IT WAS A FEW DAYS AFTER OWNERSHIP IN 2009, A PERSON STEPPED OFF A CURB AS I WAS TURNING, AND I DID NOT INITIALLY SEE HIM. FORTUNATELY, I DID SEE HIM AS THE CAR MOVED AND THE BLIND SPOT WAS NO LONGER IMPEDING MY VIEW. UNFORTUNATELY FOR MY HUSBAND, WHEN HE TURNED LAST SATURDAY THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT ACCIDENT WITH HOPEFULLY MINOR INJURIES, AND THE FIT WAS TOTALED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY. THE OTHER DRIVER INVOLVED ALSO SUSTAINED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE AND WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL TO BE CHECKED FOR INJURY. THERE IS NO WAY FOR US TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM, BUT I HOPE THAT SOMEONE WILL TAKE A LOOK AT THIS ISSUE SO THAT INJURY AND DAMAGE AND POSSIBLY, DEATH, CAN BE AVOIDED FOR OTHERS. EXCEPT FOR THIS SIGNIFICANT SAFETY PROBLEM, THE CAR FIT OUR LIFESTYLE PERFECTLY, BUT I WILL NEVER OWN ANOTHER AS LONG AS THIS PROBLEM PERSISTS. *TR

CRACK IN WINDSHIELD OF 2009 HONDA FIT; LESS THAN THREE MONTHS OLD. PARKED CAR THE NIGHT OF 2/9/10 IN DRIVEWAY FACING IN. WOKE TO CRACK THE NEXT MORNING. CALLED DEALER 2/10/10 TOLD TO COME IN BUT NOT A STRESS FRACTURE. CALLED HONDA TO REPORT, TOLD TO TAKE TO DEALER FOR DOCUMENTATION. LOOKED ON LINE AND THERE ARE SEVERAL COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME. 2/11/10 REPORTS IN HAND I WENT TO DEALER. AGAIN THEY SAY IMPACT-- THE CAR WAS SITTING STILL AT NIGHT IN DRIVEWAY AND THE SKY FELL!! EVEN WENT UNDER A HALF INCH SPACE UNDER THE WIPERARM AND HIT GLASS.?? DEALER CALLED ME BACK 2/16/10 SAID NO COMPLAINTS STILL IMPACT AND WEATHER CAUSED BRAKE, TIM STATED HE SPOKE TO REP PAT THOMAS OF HONDA AND THEY WONT FIX IT. NOW WHAT NO ONE LISTENING TO ME. SEEMS FUNNY THERE ARE OTHER COMPLAINTS ON LINE AND THEY DON'T KNOW ABOUT IT PLEASE HELP I DRIVE THE FREEWAYS AND THIS CRACK IS ONE THIRD MY WINDSHIELD NOW AND IS A SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

I WENT TO MY CAR ON A COLD MORNING AND FOUND A CRACK WHICH WAS NOT THERE WHEN I PARKED THE CAR THE NIGHT BEFORE. IT WAS A LINEAR CRACK ABOUT 6 INCHES LONG EXTENDING STRAIGHT FROM THE MIDDLE BOTTOM OF THE FRONT WINDSHIELD. NO EVIDENCE OF ANYTHING STRIKING THE WINDSHIELD OR CAR. NO DEBRIS. NO OBVIOUS CHIP. I DROVE TO DEALER THE NEXT AND THEY TRIED TO TELL ME THERE WAS A "CHIP", WHICH WAS SMALLER THAN A PINHEAD WHICH THEY FELT INDICATED THAT IT WAS AN IMPACT FRACTURE. WHEN PRESSED ON WHY IT WASN'T A THERMAL OR STRESS FRACTURE, THE SERVICE MANAGER EVEN ONCE SAID "YES, IT'S A THERMAL FRACTURE, BUT IT WAS CAUSED BY AN IMPACT. THE AREA WHERE THE "CHIP" WAS ABOVE THE ORIGINAL EXTENT OF THE ORIGINAL CRACK AND WAS IN A REGION OF SPREAD WHICH DEVELOPED LATER, AFTER DRIVING THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID THAT CAN HAPPEN, WITH THE CRACK STARTING AT A POINT SEPARATE FROM THE IMPACT SITE. THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE CRACK IS ABOUT 18 INCHES CURRENTLY. THE SERVICE MANAGER, GENERAL MANAGER, AND REGIONAL SERVICE MANAGER ALL CLAIM THAT THIS IS A IMPACT FRACTURE AND REFUSE TO COVER IT UNDER THE WARRANTY. THE SERVICE MANAGER AVOIDS PHONES CALLS. THE GENERAL MANAGER REFUSES TO GIVE ME A WRITTEN ATTESTATION THAT THIS IS AN IMPACT FRACTURE AND REFUSES TO DEAL WITH ME. THE REGIONAL SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE CANNOT BE CONTACTED AND DOES NOT DEAL WITH CONSUMERS. THE HONDA CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE SAID THAT I COULD TAKE IT TO A DIFFERENT DEALER, BUT WARNED THAT THEY PROBABLY ANSWER TO THE SAME DISTRICT SERVICE MANAGER. *TR

WHILE DRIVING MY 2009 HONDA FIT AROUND NOON TIME, MY WINDSHIELD CRACKED. OUT OF NO WHERE. THE CRACK RAN FROM THE TOP - WHERE IT MEETS THE ROOF - UP TO THE POINT WHERE THE REAR-VIEW MIRROR ATTACHES TO THE WINDSHIELD, APPROXIMATELY 4 INCHES LONG. THE NEXT MORNING, I REALIZED THE CRACK HAD EXTENDED EVEN FURTHER. NOW, THE CRACK IS ABOUT 10 INCHES LONG. THE FIRST THING I DID WAS CALL AMERICA HONDA WHOM IS RESPONSIBLE FOR HONDA CARE WARRANTY AND THEY TOLD ME WINDSHIELDS WERE NOT COVERED BY HONDA CARE, EVEN THOUGH I CLAIMED THAT COULD BE A DEFECT AND COULD HARM THE SAFETY OF THE DRIVER AND THE PASSENGER. AFTER TALKING WITH AMERICA HONDA, I CALLED THE DEALER FROM WHICH THE 2009 HONDA FIT WAS PURCHASED AND ALL THEY TOLD ME WAS TO FILE A COMPREHENSIVE COMPLAINT WITH MY CAR INSURANCE. THE INSURANCE THEN INFORMED ME THAT IT WOULD COST ABOUT $425.00 TO REPAIR A DEFECT, WHICH I BELIEVE HONDA SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR, SINCE THAT COULD VERY WELL BE A MANUFACTURE DEFECT. *TR

2009 HONDA FIT WINDSHIELD RESTRICTS DRIVER'S VIEW. THE FIRST TIME I DROVE MY NEW BASE MODEL 2009 HONDA FIT IN BUMPER-TO-BUMPER RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC I DISCOVERED THAT I COULD NOT SEE ENOUGH THROUGH ITS TOO HIGH, TOO NARROW (FROM TOP TO BOTTOM) WINDSHIELD TO ACCURATELY POSITION THE FIT BEHIND THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. THE DASHBOARD IN THE 2009 FIT SLOPES UPWARD, NOT DOWNWARD, TO MEET THE WINDSHIELD, AND IT MEETS THE WINDSHIELD AT A POINT ONE TO TWO INCHES HIGHER THAN IN ANY OTHER VEHICLE I HAVE EVER DRIVEN. THE RESULT IS THAT THE UPPER EDGE OF THE DASHBOARD BLOCKS THE DRIVER'S VIEW OF THE ROAD IN FRONT OF THE CAR. TO SEE THIS, DO THIS SIMPLE TEST. DRAW A "STARTING" LINE ACROSS A TWO LANE DRIVEWAY. PARK A 2009 FIT BASE MODEL AND ANY OTHER MODEL OF CAR SIDE BY SIDE SO THAT THEIR FRONT BUMPERS ARE AT THE "STARTING LINE". SIT IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT OF THE FIT AND LOOK THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD TO FIND THE FIRST PART OF THE ROAD YOU CAN SEE. MARK IT MENTALLY OR HAVE A FRIEND CHALK IT FOR YOU. NOW SIT IN THE OTHER CAR'S DRIVER'S SEAT AND MARK THE FIRST PART OF THE ROAD YOU CAN SEE. FOR ME THE FIRST PIECE OF VISIBLE ROAD IS 15 TO 20 FEET IN FRONT OF THE FIT AND 5 TO 10 FEET IN FRONT OF A 2008 COROLLA. THAT LOSS OF 10 FEET OF VISIBLE ROAD DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF CAR BECOMES CRITICAL WHEN DRIVING AT HIGH SPEED IN CLOSELY SPACED TRAFFIC. IT'S ALSO A THREAT WHEN DRIVING IN A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE SMALL CHILDREN OR THEIR PETS OCCASIONALLY DART INTO THE STREET. I SURVIVED A TERRIFYING DRIVE THROUGH RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC BY LEAVING A LOT OF EXTRA SPACE BETWEEN THE FIT AND THE CAR AHEAD OF ME. I RETURNED THE 2009 FIT TO THE DEALER WHO SOLD IT TO ME. NOW I AM DRIVING A 2008 COROLLA. THE COROLLA WINDSHIELD AND SIDE WINDOWS PROVIDE AN EXCELLENT 180 DEGREE VIEW OF THE ROAD, BOTH CLOSE TO THE CAR AND FARTHER AWAY. *TR