2007 Honda Fit Steering

2007 HONDA SPORTS FIT. POWER STEERING FAILED A FEW TIMES ALREADY WITHOUT NOTICE SINCE I BOUGHT IT LAST WEEKEND. POWER STEERING DID NOT LOCK UP AND WAS JUST FINE DURING TEST DRIVE. A FEW DAYS AGO, WARNING SIGN CAME ON. STOPPED THE CAR AND RESTARTED AGAIN A FEW TIMES AND WARNING SIGN WENT AWAY AND I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE OFF. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND HONDA SHOULD RECALL THIS ASAP. *JS

WHILE DRIVING MY CAR ACROSS A BUSY INTERSECTION, I WAS WANTING TO TURN LEFT AND IN DOING SO, THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT OF THE CAR AND I HEADED RIGHT INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I WAS UNABLE TO RE-ATTAIN POWER STEERING AND HAD TO GET MY CAR PUSHED INTO A PARKING LOT. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME I HAVE LOST POWER STEERING (FIRST TIME WHILE DRIVING IN A BUSY INTERSECTION). I NO LONGER FEEL SAFE DRIVING MY CAR AS IT HAD THE POTENTIAL TO BE A VERY DANGEROUS INCIDENT. I HAVE READ ON MULTIPLE WEBSITES THAT THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUES FOR HONDA FITS BUT THERE HAS STILL NOT BEEN A RECALL ISSUED. I KNOW THAT I FEEL UNSAFE NOW IN MY OWN CAR, SOMETHING I WOULD NEVER WANT ANYONE TO FEEL. THIS NEEDS TO BE ISSUED AS A RECALL TO ENSURE THAT NO INJURIES ARE SUSTAINED DUE TO THIS OCCURRING. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP, HOWEVER THEY ARE NOT SHOWING ANY IDENTIFICATION CODE THAT THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. DUE TO THE FACT THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS AND THERE IS A SERVICE BULLETIN OUT, IT IS ONLY RIGHT TO ISSUE A RECALL AND ENSURE EVERYONE'S SAFETY ON THE ROAD. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 HONDA FIT. WHILE DRIVING ON A MOUNTAINOUS ROAD APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE UNCONTROLLABLY TRAVELED OFF THE ROAD AND CRASHED INTO A FENCE. THE VEHICLE THEN TURNED COMPLETELY OVER AND LANDED BACK ON THE WHEELS. THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED AND THE CONTACT AND FRONT SEAT PASSENGER SUSTAINED SEVERE INJURIES. BOTH WERE TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL BY MEDICAL EVACUATION. THE VEHICLE WAS DECLARED AS DESTROYED AND TOWED TO A COLLISION FACILITY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000.

STEERING WHEEL SUDDENLY SEIZED UP, RANGE OF MOTION ABOUT 10 DEGREES EITHER WAY; PS WARNING LIGHT APPEARED ON DASH. WAS ABLE TO SLOW, TURN OFF ROAD, PARK, CONSULT MANUAL. RESTARTED ENGINE, PS WARNING LIGHT WENT OFF; WAS ABLE TO DRIVE NORMALLY TO DEALER SERVICE DEPT. FOR ADVICE. THEY SAID CONTINUE DRIVING, RETURN IF ANY FUTURE INCIDENTS. *TR

POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT CAME ON IMMEDIATELY AFTER CAR WAS STARTED, AND STEERING WHEEL WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN. CAR WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO DRIVE FOR EVEN A SHORT DISTANCE. TURNED CAR OFF AND BACK ON 15 MINUTES LATER AND PROBLEM WAS GONE. PROBLEM, HAS NOT RETURNED SINCE. WEATHER WAS 60 DEGREES, HAD RAINED EARLIER IN THE DAY, HIGH HUMIDITY. I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS MAY REPRESENT A SAFETY ISSUE, BUT AM UNCLEAR WHAT ACTION TO TAKE: 1) IMMEDIATE DEALER REPAIR, -OR- 2) WAIT AND SEE IF THE PROBLEM RETURNS. I WANT A STATEMENT FROM HONDA CORP EXPLAINING TO OWNERS WHAT TO DO IN VARIOUS CASES AND CLEARLY STATING WHEN IT IS SAFETY ISSUE AND WHEN IT IS NOT. EXAMPLE: 1 OCCURRENCE... DO THIS. MULTIPLE OCCURRENCES... DO THIS. SPECIFICALLY, WHEN IS IT SAFE, AND WHEN HAS IT NOT SAFE TO CONTINUE DRIVING THE CAR ? *TR

THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM ACTS UP AND CAUSES YOU TO LOOSE POWER STEERING WHILE YOU'RE DRIVING MAKING THE STEERING OF THE CAR SUPER STIFF AT A MOMENTS NOTICE. ACCORDING TO FORUMS ONLINE THIS, PROBLEM IS VERY COMMON AMONGST HONDA FIT OWNERS AND MOST PEOPLES' ISSUE IS CAUSED BY A FAULTY ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING CONTROL UNIT. MY ISSUE IS THE SAME FAULTY COMPONENT. *TR

POWER STEERING FAILS INTERMITTANTLY AND CAN BE ELIMINATED TEMPORARILY BY RESTARTING THE CAR. SERVICE BULLETIN 09-043 DELINEATES THIS PROBLEM AND HONDA DEALERS WANT IN THE VICINITY OF $1000 FOR THE FIX. AS THIS IS A SEVERE SAFETY PROBLEM, I AM REPORTING IT NOW.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 HONDA FIT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT IMMEDIATELY AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE POWER STEERING WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 70,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

I HAVE A 2007 HONDA FIT SPORT. THE STEERING LIGHT IN THE DASH CAME ON AND I LOST POWERING STEERING AND HAD TO DRIVE MY CAR HOME IN SNOWY HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS. IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER MY CAR HOME I WAS AFRAID I WAS GOING TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT. I DROVE VERY SLOW AND CAUTIOUS BUT I GOT HOME SAFELY. I GOT HOME AND TOLD MY HUSBAND AND SON TO LOOK AT MY CAR. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND WHEN THEY TURNED IT BACK ON, THE STEERING LIGHT TURNED OFF AND I HAD POWER STEERING AGAIN. THE NEXT DAY I STARTED MY CAR AND THE LIGHT WAS ON AGAIN AND I TURNED THE IGNITION OFF AND TURNED IT BACK ON AND THE LIGHT WENT AWAY AND POWER STEERING CAME BACK. I WAS FORTUNATE THIS TIME I DIDN'T HAVE TO DRIVE IT WITHOUT POWER STEERING. WE DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT HONDA BULLETIN 09-043 AND FOUND MULTIPLE PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM. THE BULLETIN SAID THAT ALL 2007 FITS WERE EFFECTED AND THAT IT IS THE EPS (ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING) UNIT. I AM AFRAID THAT I WILL BE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND THIS MAY HAPPEN AGAIN AND THIS MAY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE MY CAR AND I THINK HONDA SHOULD HAVE A VOLUNTARY RECALL ON THIS PART AS IT IS VERY EXPENSIVE. I WAS QUOTED BY THE DEALER FOR THE PART ONLY WAS $734.00 NOT INCLUDING LABOR. I BELIEVE THIS IS A HIGH PRIORITY SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD BE ACTED UPON IMMEDIATELY BY THE NHTSA. *TR

A FEW TIMES OVER THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS, THE STEERING LIGHT UP ON THE COLUMN BUT WE WERE ABLE TO TURN THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON AGAIN WITH THE ISSUE RESOLVED. HOWEVER, THIS TIME WE WERE DRIVING ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND THE LIGHT TURNED ON AND NEVER TURNED OFF AGAIN. POWER STEERING WAS COMPLETELY GONE. IT WAS DIFFICULT TO TURN THE WHEEL AND DRIVE THE CAR AT ALL. *TR

ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS ELECTRIC POWER STEERING ASSIST WOULD FAIL ON START UP, PARTICULARLY AFTER SOME OVERNIGHT RAIN. WITHOUT THE STEERING ASSIST THIS CAR BECOMES DIFFICULT AND DANGEROUS TO HANDLE. RESTARTING THE ENGINE HAS CORRECTED THIS INTERMITTENT PROBLEM SO FAR, BUT IT POSES A CONSIDERABLE DANGER, ESPECIALLY IF THE STEERING ASSIST WERE TO CUT OUT DURING HIGH SPEED DRIVING. *TR

ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING HAS FAILED NUMEROUS TIMES DURING THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE. FAILURE OCCURRED TWICE DURING DRIVING AND CAUSED NEAR MISSES OF OTHER CARS. FAILURE MOSTLY OCCURS AT STARTUP, MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO IMPOSSIBLE TO DRIVE CAR. IT TENDS TO OCCUR WHEN THE TEMPERATURE IS CLOSER TO FREEZING BUT IT HAS OCCURRED IN THE SUMMER. TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN 09-043 HAS BEEN DISCUSSED ON SEVERAL FORUMS. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM DISCUSSED IN NUMEROUS FORUMS AND IS A DEFECT IN THE MANUFACTURING OF THE 2007 HONDA FITS. A RECALL IS REQUESTED AS IT POSSES A SIGNIFICANT RISK TO HUMAN LIFE AND LIMB, PARTICULARLY WHEN FAILURE OCCURS DURING DRIVING. *TR

I WAS DRIVING AND WITHOUT WARNING THE POWER STEERING FAILED. AT THE SAME TIME THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT LIT UP ON THE DASHBOARD. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO MANEUVER TO SAFETY INTO A PARKING LOT. I SHUT OFF AND RESTARTED THE ENGINE AND THE POWER STEERING FUNCTIONED NORMALLY. SOMEONE WITH LESS ARM STRENGTH MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MANEUVER TO SAFETY. THIS PROBLEM HAS REOCCURRED TWICE SINCE THEN.

WE ARE HAVING CONSISTENT PROBLEMS WITH RUBBING AND SQUEALING NOISES WITH RIGHT TURNS. IT IS VERY CONCERNING AS THE RUBBING HAS TO BE DAMAGING THE STEERING SYSTEM IN SOME WAY. SOMETHING IS DEFINITELY GOING WRONG HERE. IT NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED. *TR

AFTER HAVING PURCHASED MY FIT, ONE MORNING AT ABOUT 10,000 MILES, I STARTED MY CAR A POWER STEERING INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON, THE ORANGE STEERING WHEEL LIGHT ON MY DASH. MY POWER STEERING WOULDN'T WORK. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON THEN THE POWER STEERING REENGAGED. THIS HAPPENED ONLY ONCE AND I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST FROM BEING COLD. AS I CONTINUED DRIVING THE VEHICLE IT STARTED HAPPENING MORE AND MORE FREQUENTLY, USUALLY WHEN THE CAR WAS COLD IN THE MORNING AND NOT VERY OFTEN IN THE SUMMER. I HAD MY DEALERSHIP LOOK AT IT AND GIVE ME AN ESTIMATE ON THE CHARGES SINCE IT WAS NOW OUT OF WARRANTY. THE COST WAS VERY EXPENSIVE AND SINCE IT WAS INTERMITTENT I THOUGHT I WOULD WAIT UNTIL IT FAILED COMPLETELY. HONDA REFUSED TO COVER THE ISSUE, EVENTHOUGH I WAS TOLD THIS WAS A VERY RARE INCIDENT AND SHOULDN'T BE HAPPENING. I AM SUBMITTING THIS REVIEW BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND IT IS NOT SO UNCOMMON ON THIS VEHICLE AND FOR SOME IT OCCURS WHILE DRIVING. I WILL NOW HAVE THE ISSUE FIXED BECAUSE IT WOULD BE VERY DANGEROUS FOR THE POWER STEERING TO DISENGAGE WHILE DRIVING. I HOPE THIS ISSUE IS CONSIDERED IMPORTANT BECAUSE HONDA SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE TO FIX THIS FAILURE WEATHER IN OR OUT OF WARRANTY. THERE IS OBVIOUSLY A DEFECT IN THE PART AND DUE TO THE POSSIBLE POTENTIAL FOR FATALITIES IF THIS SHOULD FAIL WHILE DRIVING A RECALL SHOULD BE CONSIDERED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION. *TR *KB

ABOUT THREE WEEKS AGO, WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING TO WORK, SHORTLY AFTER LEAVING OUR HOME, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME EXTREMELY ROUGH AND STARTED TO SHAKE THE CAR VIOLENTLY THROUGH A TURN AND THE EPS MALFUNCTION INDICATOR CAME ON. SHE TURNED THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON AGAIN AND THE ISSUE REMEDIED ITSELF AND THE EPS LIGHT TURNED OFF. THIS PAST WEEKEND, AS I WAS DRIVING THE CAR, THE SAME ISSUE PRESENTED ITSELF. THIS TIME, HOWEVER, THE UNEXPECTED LOSS OF POWER STEERING CAUSED ME TO VEER INTO OPPOSING TRAFFIC. LUCKILY, OTHER DRIVERS IN THE OPPOSING LANE WERE ABLE TO RESPOND QUICKLY AND AVERT AN ACCIDENT. I RESEARCHED THIS ISSUE ONLINE, INCLUDING ON POPULAR HONDA-SPECIFIC FORUMS, WHICH I AM A MEMBER OF, SUCH AS HONDA-TECH.COM AND FITFREAK.NET, AS WELL AS GENERAL AUTO FORUMS SUCH AS ON EDMUNDS.COM. IT BECAME APPARENT THAT THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE AMONG OWNERS OF HONDA FITS, WITH SOME OWNERS STATING THAT THIS OCCURS 1-2 TIMES A MONTH. UPON FURTHER RESEARCH, I FOUND HONDA TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN 09-043, STATING SYMPTOMS OF 'THE STEERING FEELS HEAVIER THAN NORMAL,' A EUPHEMISM FOR THE POWER STEERING FAILING'A VERY DANGEROUS OCCURRENCE, WHICH I AM DISAPPOINTED THAT HONDA DID NOT ISSUE A FULL SAFETY RECALL FOR, AND WHICH WE HAD TO FIND OUT THE HARD/DANGEROUS WAY THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE WITH OUR VEHICLE. *TR

AROUND JUNE 30, 2011, SHORTLY AFTER STARTING THE CAR, THE POWER STEERING CAUTION LIGHT CAME ON, AND THE POWER STEERING FAILED LEAVING THE CAR WITH NO STEERING CAPABILITIES. AFTER TURNING THE CAR OFF AND THEN BACK ON, THE POWER STEERING RETURNED TO ITS NORMAL OPERATION. THIS SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN AROUND JULY 4, 2011, ON JULY 19, 2011, JULY 22, 2011, AND JULY 25, 2011, ALL SHORTLY AFTER STARTING THE CAR. THE CAR WAS DIAGNOSED BY APPLETREE HONDA AND THEY REPORTED THAT THE ELECTRONIC POWERING STEERING UNIT WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF NEARLY $900.00 AT OUR EXPENSE DUE TO THE EXPIRED WARRANTY. THEY BASED THIS DIAGNOSED PARTIALLY ON A HONDA SERVICE BULLETIN #09-043. WHEN THE POWERING STEERING FAILS, ALL VEHICLE OPERATIONS REMAIN ACTIVE, THE CAR IS IMPOSSIBLE TO STEER, THUS CAUSING A SAFETY HAZARD NOT ONLY TO THE PASSENGERS OF THE FIT, BUT ALSO TO OTHER MOTORISTS ON THE ROAD. AFTER CONTACTING HONDA, THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO EXCEPT REPLACE IT AT OUR COST.

2007 HONDA FIT POWER STEERING STOPPED FUNCTIONING ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING OPERATED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 HONDA FIT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE IN REVERSE, THE POWER STEERING FAILED WITH THE ILLUMINATION OF THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS AWAITING DIAGNOSIS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 15,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 75,000.

THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING DOESN'T WORK. *TR

EVERY MORNING WHEN THE TEMPERATURE IS BELOW 40 DEGREES I HAVE NO POWER STEERING MAKING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO DRIVE THE CAR. IT IS A 2007 HONDA FIT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 HONDA FIT SPORT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE STARTED THE VEHICLE, THE POWER STEERING SUDDENLY FAILED. THE CONTACT TRIED TO MOVE THE VEHICLE BUT THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD NOT TURN. THE CONTACT TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF AND RESTARTED IT; THE POWER STEERING RESET ITSELF. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000.

I PURCHASED MY 2007 HONDA FIT APPROXIMATELY ONE YEAR AGO AT 49,000 MILES. MY EPS INDICATOR CAME ON LESS THAN ONE WEEK AFTER PURCHASE; IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THIS WAS AN ISSUE PRIOR TO THE PURCHASE OF MY CAR. ON PAGE 62 OF MY OWNERS MANUAL IT SAYS TO RESTART THE ENGINE AND THE ISSUE SHOULD GO AWAY SO THAT IS WHAT I DID. IT ONLY RECOMMENDED TO HAVE IT CHECKED IF THE LIGHT DIDN'T GO AWAY WHEN RESTARTED. THE ISSUE HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE PAST YEAR BUT ALWAYS WENT AWAY AFTER RESTARTING THE ENGINE. IT SEEMS TO HAPPEN MORE DURING COLD WEATHER. I HAD IT CHECKED BY A LOCAL MECHANIC AND HE COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. AFTER IT STARTED HAPPENING WITH INCREASED FREQUENCY, AND PERSISTED AFTER MULTIPLE RESTARTS (ALTHOUGH IF I CAME BACK HOURS LATER IT WOULD BE FINE) I DECIDED TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH "EPS CONTROL UNIT INTERNAL FAILURE, EPS CONTROL UNIT NEEDS REPLACED" NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AND IT COSTS $800 TO REPLACE. THIS IS A FRIGHTENING SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE THE WHEEL IS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO TURN WHEN THIS INDICATOR IS ON. I HAVE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE IN THAT IT HAS NEVER COME ON WHILE I AM DRIVING ALTHOUGH FROM MY RESEARCH ON THIS ISSUE I HAVE LEARNED THERE ARE OTHERS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN AS LUCKY AS I HAVE IN THIS REGARD. IT IS ALSO FRIGHTENING THAT THIS IS NOT AN ISSUE THAT IS EASILY DIAGNOSED MY MECHANICS OUTSIDE THE DEALERSHIP. FOR HONDA OWNERS LIKE MYSELF THAT LIVE AN HOUR AWAY FROM THE CLOSEST DEALER; WE ARE LIKELY TO TAKE IT SOMEWHERE CLOSER FIRST; WHERE WE ARE TOLD THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH OUR CAR, ALTHOUGH THERE IS A POTENTIALLY LIFE-THREATENING ISSUE WRONG WITH THE CAR. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 HONDA FIT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT IN COLD WEATHER WHEN TURNING THE VEHICLE ON, THE ELECTRICAL POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE ON THE INSTRUMENTAL PANEL. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE POWER STEERING WOULD FAIL WHEN MAKING A TURN CAUSING IT TO BE DIFFICULT TO MANUEVER. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALER WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THERE WAS A TSB RELATED TO THE FAILURE AND THEY ARE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 27,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING ON MY HONDA FIT FAILED TO FUNCTION. FORTUNATELY, THE EVENT HAPPENED IN MY GARAGE, BUT IT WAS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO STEER THE WHEELS. SO, I HAD TO FIND OTHER TRANSPORTATION TO MAKE MY THANKSGIVING DINNER. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A DISASTER HAD THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON THE ROAD.