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When the car ahead of me came to a stop, I applied my brakes but they would not engage. I had plenty of time to stop but the brakes failed and I rear-ended another car. It was so frightening to know that I couldn't stop and that I was going to hit the guy ahead of me. Even on impact and with the extensive damage to my front end, the airbag never deployed.
An ambulance was called because I was in pain and could not stand without my legs giving out. Eventually, with assistance I was able to move. This has been very unsettling and although I am feeling better, I am still hurting.
Police were also called to the scene. After their investigation , they did not issue me a citation and waited at the scene until the car was towed.
Later that evening I received a call from my Hondadealership informing me that the ABS light was illuminated and that it indicated brake failure. I explained that that fact was also documented in the police report.
I no longer feel safe in this car. . I have found the blogs and forum reporting thousands of similar accidents involving the 2008 Honda Fit.
Why wasn’t I advised before now that there could be an issue? I am a mother of three. Thankfully I suffered only bruising and lower back pain. I daresay that if I had been travelling at a higher rate of speed, this accident could have been fatal to me or someone else.
The Fit does not seem to do very well at all on ice and snow. It has low ground clearance, for one, but the large wheels and the tires it comes with just do not seem to generate any traction at all. The slipping and sliding on snow is probably a different problem than the brakes not holding or the car surging forward from a stop or slow down. You can try putting something heavy in the back--a couple of bags of sand or kitty litter, for instance, or potting soil, etc.
fyi - The last thing in the world you want to do with a front wheel drive car in the winter is to weigh down the back of it as you suggest above. It will magnify any traction problems.
Two words: snow tires.
I want to thank you for your original posting and for keeping up with it. I'm at the dealer now waiting for my '08 Fit Sport to come off the lift for it's 75K service. The only issue I've had with this car, to date, is the ABS "drop 'n' grind".
The pedal drops and the ABS kicks in when it shouldn't. Mine mostly happens in the warmer weather, strangely enough. I've been complaining about this to my dealer for the last 40K+ miles to no avail. I've also presented your thread several times since finding it about 20K ago. Today, the "drop 'n' grind" happend to the tech, FINALLY!!! He originally told me it was working as expected and there was nothing he could do about it. He did have to go to extremes, which could legitimately have caused a wheel to slide (left turn onto a small sand patch while braking). I kept the pressure on and mentioned your posting, AGAIN. This time he and the service consultant told me to share the posting and they would speak to their manager.
At 60K I shared your post with a service consultant, who is no longer with the dealer, and he finally noted it in the computer. I do have my prior complaints scribbled on the work orders, however.
Today is a good day. I suggest any of you Fit owners who recognize this issue to stay on your dealer. Thank you again for your post. Regardless of what happens, your post has been central to my arguments to this point.
I'm so glad that someone at Honda is finally listening to you about your brake problems. Unfortunately, I was so afraid that I might be hurt in my Honda Fit I had to sell it for a huge loss. Furthermore, my insurance increased by $120 per month as a result of a "chargeable accident." Please notify NHTSA as soon as you can (as noted in my previous post). If they see a pattern, perhaps a life saving recall will be announced. Thanks for your feedback. Be safe!
I have had several vehicles with ABS and I've actually tested the brakes on slippery snow just as you are thinking of doing. It is amazing how it pumps control to each of the tires and brings me to a controlled stop.
Since I do not have a stability control system on the Fit I think the ABS is kicking in with just one tire on slippery surfaces at speeds higher than 40 mph. Since I can't get any confirmation as to what is wrong, I've decided to get a different vehicle before winter.
I liked everything else about the Fit, but I just don't feel safe.
I called American Honda and they got back to me but it was really odd...they called to ask me about "unintended acceleration" when I was very clear that the brakes had failed. The dealership had the brakes checked and they said there was nothing wrong.
If you bought a fit It would be best to get rid of it for your sake and the sake of your family. Honda knows there is something wrong but won't admit it..look what happened to Toyota...All those people who had to die in Toyotas before the NTSB did something! I say as consumers our biggest impact is word of mouth and refusal to purchase. I went and bought an Older Buick. No Computer tied to the brakes. Much happier now!!
Recently, the brake booster on my Fit seems to be sporadically malfunctioning for the first 30 seconds after starting the car. During this time the brake pedal is VERY hard and it requires a huge amount of force to get the car to stop (and I'm a big guy).
It only happens occasionally (about 20% of cold starts) and it "fixes itself" after 30 seconds or less.
I took it into the dealership and they could not find any problems. I did report this to the NHTSA.
Has anyone else experienced this, and what was the resolution?
Thanks.
northernfit. Yes I have experience the same thing, since I am in North California. Weather is not as cold in NH mind you, which volumes of what may be wrong the brake system.
I've had the Fit into the dealer 4 times in the last year, and the dealer has tried a few things to fix the issue, but with no resolution.
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 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 and now I have 76,000 miles. The problem is worse with no resolution in sight. And it scares me that if my wife drives the car (I usually drive it) she might not be ready to hit the brakes as hard as needed. Unless this gets fixed by a dealer, I won't be buying another Honda.
I have posted here before about my crash and another near miss due to brake failures. You can read those posts for more detail if you like. Please report your issue to NHTSA. It only takes a few moments. They are the only entity that can make a recall happen. Honda isn't going to voluntarily recall their cars.
As far as you or your wife driving the car, an emergency can never be anticipated. If it could, it wouldn't be an "emergency." No matter your skill or anticipation of a problem, if the car doesn't stop in time, you or someone else could be seriously injured or die.
I sold my car to a dealership...and yes, I disclosed the problem with the brakes. Though I suffered a significant financial loss because the car was only about a year old, the money was not worth my life or that of my daughter. Please be safe.
Thanks for any help.