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2008 Honda FITProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 217 owner complaints about the 2008 Honda FIT, most often about the air bags. It is covered by 8 safety recalls, and for recall 19V-501 the manufacturer reports only 42% of affected cars repaired.

2008 Honda FIT
40
CarFlaw IndexUse caution1.5× the FIT median · #4 of 13 years by complaints
Safety recalls8Lowest repair rate 42%Owner complaints21748 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage80kAir bags, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through April 2, 2026. Updated daily. Photo: Elise240SX, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Complaints by system

Where the 2008 Honda FIT has problems

217 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Air bags5716
Structure433
Power train242
Engine231
Electrical system182
Exterior lighting172
Vehicle speed control146
Service brakes, hydraulic134
Steering120
15 other systems4712

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

8 recalls

2008 Honda FIT recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

49%repaired · 2022 Q4

Driveline: driveshaft

Recall 20V-770 · Dec 10, 2020 · 248,358 vehicles · 121,408 repaired

Risk. A broken drive shaft may cause a sudden loss of drive power.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

42%repaired · 2020 Q4

Passenger side: inflator module

Recall 19V-501 · Jun 27, 2019 · 1,657,752 vehicles · 703,124 repaired

Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

68%repaired · 2018 Q2

Passenger side: inflator module

Recall 17V-029 · Jan 10, 2017 · 308,884 vehicles · 209,114 repaired

Risk. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

58%repaired · 2017 Q3

Passenger side: inflator module

Recall 16V-344 · May 23, 2016 · 1,790,894 vehicles · 1,032,577 repaired

Risk. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Show 4 more recalls
–no report yet

Headlights: high/low beam dimmer switch

Recall 10V-624 · Dec 15, 2010 · 143,083 vehicles

Risk. THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS CAN BECOME INOPERATIVE DECREASING THE DRIVER'S VISIBILITY AS WELL AS THE VEHICLE'S VISIBILITY TO OTHER DRIVERS, INCREASING THE RISK OF…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Air bags: frontal

Recall 07V-549 · Dec 3, 2007 · 34,300 vehicles

Risk. IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, A DEPLOYING FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG OR FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAG WILL INCREASE THE RISK OF INJURY TO SMALL OR OUT-OF-POSITION…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Honda.

Mileage at failure

When do air bags problems start?

80kmiles, median

Based on the odometer reading in 21 air bags complaints. 57% were reported before 100,000 miles.

median0k50k100k150k200k+
5under 30k miles12under 100k miles9100k miles or more
Best & worst years

2008 vs. every other FIT year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the FIT median. How we score

'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'15'16'17'18'19'20
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
NHTSA crash tests

2008 Honda FIT safety ratings

2008 Honda Fit 4-DR. w/SAB in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

2008 Honda FIT frontal crash test, NHTSA
Frontal crashNot rated
2008 Honda FIT side barrier test, NHTSA
Side barrierNot rated
  • Stability control: No
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No
1 investigation

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2008 Honda FIT, and the recalls they led to.

  1. Low Beam HeadlightsPE10037 · closed Dec 20, 2010
    Led to recall 10V-624
In owners' words

What FIT owners report

Recent air bags complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

LOST CONTROL OF STEERING AND VEERED INTO LIGHT POST. THE POST WAS IMPACTED AT APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH. THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. THERE WAS SMOKE AND GUN POWDER SMELL. THE CAR WAS A TOTAL LOSS. THE AIRBAG OBVIOUSLY FIRED, BUT DID NOT DEPLOY.
Complaint 11384459 · Dec 21, 2020 · 142,000 miles
MY AIR BAGS LIGHT CAME ON. TESTING SHOWED AIR BAG MODULE NEEDED. IT TURNED MY AIRBAGS OFF. UNSAFE TO DRIVE. 2007 & 2009 HAS AN AIR BAG RECALL. WHAT ABOUT 2008?
Complaint 11353014 · Sep 3, 2020 · 252,000 miles
TAKATA RECALL MY AIRBAG INFLATOR ON THE DRIVER SIDE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED IN MY 2008 HONDA FIT, PER THE WEIR CANYON HONDA DEALER. THE LIGHT WENT ON ON MY DASHBOARD WHEN I WAS DRIVING. I DON'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING THE CAR WITH THIS DEFECT, AND I CAN'T AFFORD $1325 TO REPLACE IT. I FEEL THAT THIS IS A…
Complaint 11113848 · Jul 26, 2018 · 165,000 miles

Own a 2008 FIT?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.