2009 Honda Fit problems & reliability
287 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2009 Honda Fit, alongside 11 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
16 complaints report injuries (22 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2009 Honda Fit vehicles were involved in 37 fatal crashes with 31 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 104 | 36% |
| Steering | 46 | 16% |
| Power Train | 33 | 11% |
| Electrical System | 23 | 8% |
| Visibility | 17 | 6% |
| Unknown OR Other | 15 | 5% |
| Structure | 14 | 5% |
| Engine | 13 | 5% |
| Tires | 12 | 4% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 7 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 60,800 miles (middle 50% between 22,000 and 104,000 miles), based on 161 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2009 Honda Fit. The contact stated that there was an abnormal clicking sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 54,247. While the contact’s uncle was using a car app scanner, he discovered that the mileage was…”
Electrical System · filed Jul 28, 2026
“Honda has sent me numerous mailers advertising a gift card and loaner vehicle as incentives for participating in their Takata recall. Honda also cites the promise of a loaner vehicle in every press release trumpeting their so-called commitment to this recall. My local Honda dealership refuses to provide a loaner…”
Air Bags · filed Nov 4, 2024
“At highways speeds vehicle became difficult to maintain in a straight path. Slight change in the steering would result in car drifting to the left or right, requiring constant correction. Car felt unsafe to drive...took to mechanic to be diagnosed. Informed car needed a new steering rack system.”
Steering · filed Jul 18, 2023
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
54 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2009 Honda Fit. The 10 most recent:
Service Bulletin - Warranty Extension: Customer Support Program For Front Passenger's Airbag Inflator.
A18-066 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 30, 2026
Service Bulletin - Warranty Extension: Customer Support Program For Driver's Airbag Inflator for 2007-11 CR-V and Other Listed Years and Models.
A18-048 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 28, 2026
Service News - The navigation clock and date are incorrect. This is due to a limited GPS receiver Capacity resulting in a rollover of the internal chip memory; the rollover occurred on January 1, 2022, at 12:00AM local…
A21120B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 13, 2023
ServiceNews Article - The clock shows the incorrect time. This issue is due to a limited GPS receiver capacity resulting in "rollover" of the internal chip memory; the "rollover" will occur on January 1, 2022 at 12:00AM…
A21120B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 29, 2022
"Service Bulletin - There are several A/C leak detection tools available. -Refrigerant Gas Leak Detector -Ultrasonic Leak Detector -Leak Dye"
A07-030 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 23, 2021
Service Bulletin - This bulletin is a notification of a class action settlement relating to airbag inflators. American Honda is offering a Customer Support Program (Warranty Extension) to cover any manufacturing defects…
A20-016 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 10, 2020
Service Bulletin - This bulletin is a notification of a class action settlement relating to airbag inflators. American Honda is offering a Customer Support Program (Warranty Extension) to cover any manufacturing defects…
A20-011 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 10, 2020
Service Bulletin - American Honda is conducting an inspection of certain vehicles that have previously had the passenger's airbag inflator replaced as part of the Takata Passsenger's Airbag Inflator recall. If you…
A18-115 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 10, 2019
Service bulletin - American Honda is conducting an inspection of certain vehicles that have previously had the passenger's airbag inflator replaced as part of the Takata Passsenger's Airbag Inflator recall.
A18100B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 13, 2018
Service bulletin - This bulletin is a notification of a class action settlement relating to airbag inflators. American Honda is offering a Customer Support Program (Warranty Extension) to cover any manufacturing defects…
A18-055 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 8, 2018
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2009 Honda Fit has 11 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2009 Honda Fit?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 60,800 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.