The 2008 Honda Fit's elevated safety profile includes 5 recall campaigns and 217 owner-reported complaints. Make recall verification part of your pre-purchase checklist.

Recalls

217

Complaints

Crashes

Fires

Recall Findings

20V7700002020-10-12

POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Acura ILX, 2013 Acura ILX Hybrid, 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid, and 2007-2008 Honda Fit vehicles with a manual transmission and 2009-2013 Honda Fit vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The drive shafts' protective coating may not have been applied properly during manufacturing, making it more susceptible to damage from road salt, or other contaminants, and potentially cause it to break.

A broken drive shaft may cause a sudden loss of drive power. The vehicle could also roll away if the parking brake has not been applied before the vehicle has been exited. Either condition can increase the risk of a crash or injury.

View at NHTSA

13V2600002013-24-06

VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS

Honda is re-recalling certain model year 2007-2008 Fit vehicles covered under previous recall 10V-033. The remedy applied in this earlier recall may have been insufficient. In the affected vehicles, over time, the plastic cover may separate from the master power window switch allowing water to enter the driver's window and reach the master power window switch. If the master power window switch is damaged as a result of the water intrusion, overheating and failure of the switch may result.

An overheated switch can cause smoke, melting and fire.

View at NHTSA

10V0330002010-02-02

VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS

HONDA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2007-2008 FIT VEHICLES. UNDER SEVERE CONDITION, WATER MAY ENTER THE DRIVER'S WINDOW AND REACH THE MASTER POWER WINDOW SWITCH. IF THE MASTER POWER WINDOW SWITCH IS DAMAGED AS A RESULT OF THE WATER INTRUSION, OVERHEATING AND FAILURE OF THE SWITCH MAY RESULT.

AN OVERHEATED SWITCH CAN CAUSE SMOKE, MELTING AND FIRE.

View at NHTSA

View all 5 recalls

10V6240002010-15-12

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS:HIGH/LOW BEAM DIMMER SWITCH

HONDA IS RECALLING MODEL YEAR 2007-2008 HONDA FIT VEHICLES. DUE TO AN ERROR DURING INSTALLATION OF THE WIRING HARNESS FOR THE COMBINATION SWITCH THAT CONTROLS LOW HEAD BEAM FUNCTION, THE WIRES FOR THE LOWER BEAM CIRCUIT WERE PULLED TIGHTER THAN INTENDED. AFTER REPEATED USE OF THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH, THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR TERMINAL FOR THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT CIRCUIT CAN BECOME WORN AS A RESULT OF THIS TENSION, WHICH CAN RESULT IN LOW CONDUCTIVITY AND CAUSE AN ACCUMULATION OF COPPER OXIDE IN THE AREA OF THE CONTACTS.

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 A CRASH.

View at NHTSA

07V5490002007-03-12

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

ON CERTAIN VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, VIRGINIA, WEST VIRGINIA , WISCONSIN AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. THE WIRE HARNESS FOR THE OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM (ODS) AND THE OCCUPANT POSITION DETECTION SYSTEM (OPDS) IS ROUTED UNDERNEATH THE CARPET ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE FLOORBOARD. IN AREAS WHERE ROAD SALT IS USED, SALT FROM THE SNOW ON THE DRIVER'S SHOES WILL MELT AND MAY PENETRATE THE CARPET AND LEAK INTO THE WIRE HARNESS. IF THE HARNESS IS EXPOSED TO SALT BRINE, CORROSION MAY OCCUR AND THE WIRE MAY BREAK CAUSING THE SRS INDICATOR LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE. A FAILURE OF THE ODS AND OPDS MAY NOT DETECT THE PRESENCE OF A CHILD SEAT OR AN OUT-OF-POSITION PASSENGER AND DEPLOYMENT OF BOTH THE FRONT SEAT PASSENGER'S FRONTAL AND SIDE AIR BAGS WILL NOT BE SUPPRESSED.

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 OCCUPANTS.

View at NHTSA

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

Top Complaint Areas

The 2008 Honda Fit has accumulated 217 NHTSA complaints over 1 years, with air bags leading the pack. Know what to look for before you buy.

01Air Bags48

02Structure28

03Power Train17

04Service Brakes, Hydraulic11

05Steering10

217 total across 1 model years (2008–2008)Full data at NHTSA.gov

Honda Fit Fuel Economy

29–31mpg combined

27-28city

33-34hwy

$1,400-$1,500/yr

With 3 configurations tested, the 2008 Honda Fit ranges from 29 to 31 MPG combined. That's a 2 MPG gap that can add up to hundreds of dollars a year in fuel costs.

By Trim

Fit - Manual 5-spd

31mpg

1.5L 4-cyl · Front-Wheel Drive

28 city34 hwy~$1,400/yr-1/10 Poor

Fit - Automatic 5-spd

30mpg

1.5L 4-cyl · Front-Wheel Drive

27 city34 hwy~$1,450/yr-1/10 Poor

Fit - Automatic (S5)

29mpg

1.5L 4-cyl · Front-Wheel Drive

27 city33 hwy~$1,500/yr-1/10 Poor

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Where to Find 2008 Honda Fit

35States

22%in top 3

If you're near California, you're in luck: 10% of listings are there. But with 35 states represented, there's likely one near you too.

CACalifornia

6110%

WAWashington

376%

DCWashington DC

376%

FLFlorida

376%

TXTexas

376%

ILIllinois

274%

PAPennsylvania

274%

NHNew Hampshire

224%

GAGeorgia

224%

NCNorth Carolina

213%

MDMaryland

203%

NYNew York

183%

DEDelaware

163%

HIHawaii

152%

MAMassachusetts

152%

OROregon

152%

NJNew Jersey

142%

OHOhio

142%

WIWisconsin

132%

MOMissouri

132%

MI13

AZ11

NE10

KY9

MN8

IN8

NV8

CO8

TN7

UT6

CT6

VA5

OK5

RI4

WY4

Geographic distribution reflects all active listings for this model, not just 2008.

2008 Honda Fit Buyer FAQ

What to know before you buy

Is the 2008 Honda Fit a good car to buy?

Here's the short version on the 2008 Honda Fit. There are 5 recalls to verify before purchase. Dig into the safety overview and pricing trends for recall-by-recall detail.

Are there recalls on the 2008 Honda Fit?

NHTSA shows 5 recall campaigns for the 2008 Honda Fit. Before buying, verify all recalls are complete. The dealer must fix them at no charge. See the safety section for the full list.

What's the gas mileage of the 2008 Honda Fit?

You'll get between 29 and 31 MPG combined from the 2008 Honda Fit, depending on engine and drivetrain. That's a meaningful difference over time. The fuel economy table shows exactly which configs get what.

What are common problems with the 2008 Honda Fit?

AIR BAGS problems top the list with 217 total complaints filed. Not every car is affected, but it's worth asking about and inspecting. Full details in the known issues section.