Problems with 2007 Honda Fit STEERING

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 honda fit. the contact stated that when turning the vehicle on the power steering light would illuminate and then it would shut off. the failure also occurred when the vehicle was idle which made it hard to turn the steering wheel. the vehicle was diagnosed by the dealer for the identical failure; however, they were unable to duplicate the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 35000. the current mileage was 56000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 honda fit. while attempting to reverse from a parking space, the steering wheel would not move. the contact shut off the vehicle and when restarting, the vehicle resumed normal operation. the failure recurred within a month and the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis. the dealer determined that the electrical steering module would need replacing. there were no prior warnings of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the current and failure mileage was 56,000. updated 12/01/10. *lj updated 12/07/10*jb

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

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

Power steering locked up and failed. i could not turn steering wheel. i had to stop car, turn off engine and restart twice before power steering functioned again. some one is going to get killed with this problem and a recall is in order!!! *tr

The electronic power steering on the car failed and the dashboard indicator light came on. there is no way to tell when it will fail, but it is a sudden and complete failure resulting in a hard to control car. honda does have a service bulletin on this issue (tsb 90-043). *tr

My eps unit on my honda fit has failed at random, various points in vehicle operation. while my own experience has been a total of 5 times in 3 years, the cause for concern can be verified through www.fitfreak.net where more than a handful of posters have experienced their units locking up during vehicle operation, thereby "locking" the steering wheel in position until the vehicle is restarted. my unit last locked up in december during the cold weather here in florida. after cranking the car and driving to work, which is 3 miles from home, i took the turn to go onto the road to work. while during the turn, my steering wheel instrument light came on, which signaled to me that i was screwed. because i am aware that this could occur, i slammed my car into neutral, turned off/on my car, and was able to regain control of my steering wheel. if my wife had been driving or if i was not aware of this possibly occurring, i have no doubt that a serious accident could have occurred. as it was, i barely missed the car beside me as well as not running off the road. all the posters that i have seen on fitfreak.net have shown that honda does not see this issue as being a defect and is actually charging people to fix what is a serious issue. my car is out of warranty and has been for 13,000 miles. this has happened to me once when starting the car after it not being run for 3 days, it has occurred when i have been driving and it's been cold weather. i have had it happen during a regular summer day in louisiana while it was raining. and it has even happened just starting my car in the driveway with the eps unit not releasing the steering wheel. in light of the issues of toyota, please consider this an issue requiring attention. *tr

2007 honda fit lost power steering without warning, becoming very hard to steer. dealer reports code #61-04. there is a july 2009 service bulletin on this problem suggesting replacement of the eps control unit, which has been done. an internet search suggests this problem is common--there should be a recall, as serious accidents could occur as a result of sudden loss of power steering. *tr

2007 honda fit lost power steering without warning ! while driving!!! i have 80,000km on it ! lucky to be alive! very lucky! lets take this seriously! *tr

Without warning, the electric power steering (eps) light lit on my dashboard and my power steering locked up completely. i had no ability to turn into a parking lot to safely leave the road. to solve the problem i had to turn my vehicle off at a stop light and restart the engine. i have a 2007 honda fit and luckily, the part is under warranty. however, i've been told by the dealer to continue driving my vehicle while the problem hasn't been fixed. i feel this is a very unsafe performance problem and a recall is in order.*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.

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 honda fit. the power steering warning light illuminated on the instrument control panel immediately after the vehicle was started. he also lost power steering while driving in reverse. the vehicle will be inspected by a dealer. the failure and current mileages were 92,052. updated 12/07/09. *lj the dealer informed the consumer the electronic power steering was failing and it needed to be replaced. updated 12/08/09*jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 honda fit. the contact stated that the electrical power steering failed intermittently when the vehicle had been parked over night. there is also no power steering and the power steering warning light remains illuminated. the contact has to turn the vehicle off and then restart it to reset itself. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for this problem and they stated that they had to replace the control module. the contact is responsible for the repair cost. there are no related recalls on this vehicle. the contact requested that the manufacturer would authorize a goodwill repair for his vehicle. the failure mileage was 62,000. updated 01/19/10 *bf the consumer stated the eps light stays on. and the only way it goes out, is if the consumer shuts the vehicle off and then restart it. on several occasions, the light will illuminate again, and the power steering is lost. updated 01/20/10*jb updated 02/01/10.*jb

The steering wheel locks and lock light is on when the car is running. i turn the engine off and restart the car and it then clears it. i have looked online at other peoples blogs and have come across a few other complaints about this. it hasn't caused an accident but i am concerned about it. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 honda fit. while attempting to make a turn after braking at a stop sign, the contact noticed that the steering wheel suddenly locked up. prior to the failure, the steering wheel would lock into place when the vehicle was started. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. the current and failure mileages were 58,298.

Power steering repeatedly disengages while driving causing power steering failure. this happens approximately 1 out of 25 times the vehicles is driven. when steering fails, it is nearly impossible to control the vehicle. *tr

Driving my 2007 honda fit the power steering stopped working. the car was very difficult to steer. had to pull off the road shut down the engine and wait about 5 minutes before starting car. when car was started power steering returned. i contacted honda of america and was told that they did not receive any other complaints about this problem. i have made an appointment with a honda dealer to have this problem checked. *tr

Problem has occurred multiple time over the past 2+ years: situation 1: while driving, without warning, total loss of power steering, steering warning light and other lights on dash light up: situation goes away by turning off the car and re-starting it. situation 2: starting the car, car starts, power steering and other lights remain on, no power steering. situation goes away by turning off car and re-starting. situation 1 potentially deadly - happened to my wife while driving, very difficult for her to make a necessary turn on winding road.

Lost of power steering on 2007/2008 honda fit. normally on very cold days when the car is cold. in the morning on first startup or after the car has been parked for long time. the powering steering does not work. usually can turn the car off and restart to fix the problem. but sometimes have to do this several times. twice it has quit while i was actually driving both times were with in the first 5 miles of driving from home and work, lost of power steering. problem has happened many times over several years but is intermittent to when it happens. normally happens about 1-3 times a week during the winter season of about 3 months. honda does have a service bulletin about the problem now #09-043. problem seem to be the eps unit, part number 39980-sln-a21. i seriously consider this a safety problem as you all of a sudden can lost your steering ability while driving. the problem is not normal and i think honda should recall this car to fix this problem. i just read that the gm cars and acura cars have a similar power steering problem and gm is recalling their cars to fix it. this thread documents other people that have the same exact problem i have. http://townhall.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f1346c0/33. *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

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 honda fit. while starting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the steering wheel was very stiff and difficult to turn. the contact turned the vehicle off and restarted it; after the restart, the vehicle functioned properly. the failure occurred intermittently for the past two years and was worse in cold weather. the vehicle had not been inspected or repaired. the vin was unavailable. the failure mileage was approximately 40,000 and the current mileage was approximately 90,000.

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.

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.

Over the years i have experienced my power steering fail and is happening more often the older the car gets. what happens each and every time is within the first 5-10 minutes of driving in the morning and usually on a damp and cool day is the power steering will stop working and a indicator light will come up on my dashboard. the first time it happened i did what the manual said and pulled over, turned the car off for about a minute and restarted it. it was fine after that and only happened about twice the first year. when i told the dealership that said they have never heard of this problem before and said to do what the manual said. after telling them this happens several times a year they were never concern or checked error messages from the electrical module. i've brought this to their attention several times without any acknowledgement to the sitiuation. since that first year it is gradually get worse. i started keeping track in a calendar when ever this occurs. one month it happened three times and two of those times were two days in a row. luckily it's only failed on the highway once which was a very scary experience! so far within the last year this has happened nine times. *tt

I experienced a safety issue with my honda fit vehicle (i have a 2007 non-sport model, automatic) on march 26. after stopping at an intersection, i made a right hand turn and the steering wheel seemed to lock into place. the car continued turning to the right, nearly hitting the curb. i managed to force the steering wheel to the left and straightened the car. i then realized what had happened: one of the keys on my key chain had been sticking out and got stuck in a small orifice that is located on the back side of the steering wheel, near where it meets the steering column. the orifice is just big enough to fit a finger inside. (there is an orifice on both the left and right sides of the wheel.) i reported this to both the honda "800" customer service number and to my local honda dealer in princeton, nj. *tr

(1) no warnings or events leading to the failure are evident. it has happened 4 times in that last 2 weeks. (2) the "power steering control unit" quits or "goes out" occasionally causing the total loss of power steering. it is not gradual, it just quits. to get power steering back, the car must be stopped, put in park, engine turned off, wait for a few seconds, then restart the engine. so far, it has not caused an accident, but the last time it quit, i was in the middle of a turn on narrow streets at a city intersection and nearly ran up on a curb. (3) a honda dealership service center performed the honda-specified diagnostics and found an "error code" of some sort and then performed the honda-dictated procedures to remove the code. i was told by the service advisor that they do not know what caused the failure nor could they tell me that the source problem had been corrected, but only that a computer code had been removed. *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

1. power steering did not turn on when car is started and power steering fails when car is in motion. 2. occurs approximately 1x month; the failure results in loss of control of the steering; steering becomes impossible to maneuver around corners at low speeds and very difficult to steer at speeds of 40 - 50 mph. 3. power steering unit was replaced by the dealership. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 honda fit. the contact stated that while driving 30 mph, the power steering malfunctioned. the power steering light also illuminated at the time of the failure. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact stated that there was a short in the power steering system but no remedy was unavailable. the contact found a related tsb but it only applied to vehicles under 36,000 miles. the failure mileage was approximately 51,000. the consumer believed the electronic steering control module was defective. updated evoq 02/03/11. *jb

Tl* - the contact stated that the vehicle accelerates by itself. when he turns the steering wheel either left or right the vehicle proceeds at approximately 2-5 mph. the contact states all he has to do is turn the steering wheel slightly and the vehicle moves forward. he took the car into the dealer to have it looked at and they could not find any problems. he said they compared the vehicle to another honda civic 07 and was told that is how these cars work. the contact is concerned that when he turns the wheel and steps on the gas pedal his speed doubles. the contact has a honda civic ex, it is not listed as an option in the menu.