2012 Honda Fit Problems, Recalls & Reliability

130 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2012 Honda Fit, alongside 11 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 26/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Airbags leads the reports.

130Complaints
26/100Trouble index
11Recalls
49,056Typical trouble mileage

Typical

Where 2012 sits among all Fit years

Darker = quieter yearsBrighter amber = more trouble

What owners report

Airbags 41 complaints (32%)
“Takata recall - i am frustrated because i was notified in early march that this product is defective, and 6 months later, there is still not any parts available.i am fearful every day i drive this car. What is being done to get us replacement parts? This is much too long.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Fit
Steering 16 complaints (12%) · typically ~37,000 miles
Transmission & drivetrain 14 complaints (11%) · typically ~88,542 miles
Engine 13 complaints (10%) · typically ~58,000 miles
Electrical 10 complaints (8%) · typically ~17,000 miles
Other 9 complaints (7%)

Mileage when trouble shows up

Among the 82 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 49,056 miles. Half of those reports fall between 16,700 and 74,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.

Recalls (11)

POWER TRAIN 20V770000 2020

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…

Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the drive shafts, replacing either the left or right drive shaft, if necessary, free of charge. Owners were notified of the safety risk with an…

AIR BAGS 19V500000 2019

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013 Acura ILX, 2015 RDX, 2005-2010 and 2012 RL, 2009-2014 TL, 2010 and 2012 ZDX, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2011-2013 and 2015 CR-Z, 2009-2013 Fit, 2013 Fit EV, 2010-2011 and 2013 Insight and 2007-2014 Ridgeline…

Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at…

AIR BAGS 19V502000 2019

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Acura TSX, 2011-2014 TSX Sport Wagon, 2010-2013 ZDX, 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic and Civic Hybrid, 2008-2010 Civic GX NGV, 2012-2015 Crosstour, 2007-2011…

Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at…

AIR BAGS 19V378000 2019

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Acura TSX, 2011-2013 TSX Sport Wagon, and 2010-2012 ZDX and 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic, Civic Hybrid and Civic NGV, 2012-2014 Crosstour, 2007-2011 CR-V,…

Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the inflator installation and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began July 5, 2019.…

AIR BAGS 18V661000 2018

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2014 Honda Insight and Acura TSX and TSX Wagon, 2014-2015 Honda Crosstour and Pilot vehicles nationwide, as well as certain 2014 Honda FCX Clarity and Fit EV vehicles in Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico,…

Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at…

AIR BAGS 18V268000 2018

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003-2012 Honda Accord and Pilot, 2010 Accord Crosstour, 2001-2011 Civic, 2002-2011 CR-V, 2003-2004, 2006-2008 and 2011 Element, 2007 and 2009-2013 Fit, 2010-2012 Insight, 2002-2004 Odyssey, and 2012…

Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began June 22, 2018. Owners may contact Honda…

AIR BAGS 18V042000 2018

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Acura TSX, ZDX, Honda Accord Crosstour, Fit, Insight and Pilot vehicles, 2011-13 Acura TSX Sportswagon, 2010-2012 Honda Accord,, 2010-2011 Honda Civic, Civic NGV, Civic Hybrid and CR-V vehicles…

Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 16, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at…

AIR BAGS 17V545000 2017

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2008-2012 Accord, 2010-2012 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2009-2012 Fit and Pilot, 2010-2012 Insight, and 2009-2012 Acura TSX vehicles that received replacement passenger frontal air…

Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began October 30, 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at…

AIR BAGS 17V030000 2017

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2012 Acura TSX, 2011-2012 Acura TSX Wagon, 2010-2012 Acura ZDX, 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2012 Honda Accord Crosstour and Honda Insight, 2009-2012 Honda Fit, 2009-2012 Pilot, 2007-2011 Honda CR-V,…

Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger side air bag inflator, free of charge. The manufacturer has mailed an interim notification, and will send a second notification…

AIR BAGS 16V061000 2016

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Honda CR-V, 2011-2015 CR-Z, 2010-2014 FCX, and Insight, 2009-2013 Fit, 2013-2014 Fit EV, 2007-2014 Ridgeline, 2013-2016 Acura ILX, 2013-2014 Acura ILX Hybrid, 2007-2016 RDX, 2005-2012…

Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this…

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 13V157000 2013

Honda is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Honda Fit Sport vehicles manufactured from May 23, 2011, through March 22, 2013, and model year 2012-2013 Honda Fit base vehicles manufactured from June 27, 2011, through April 19, 2013. In April 2013, Honda…

Fix: Honda will notify owners and dealers will update the ESC software free of charge. The safety recall began on August 1, 2013. Owners may contact Honda automobile customer service at 1-800-999-1009.…

Federal defect investigations

Electrical overstress EA19001 opened 2019, closed 2024

Led to recall campaign 20V024.

Technical service bulletins

44 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on airbags and electrical — are on file for the 2012 Honda Fit. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.

See the 2012 Fit TSB list →

Complaint history for this model year

When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.

2012peak 41 in 20162026

Questions buyers ask

Is the 2012 Honda Fit reliable?

The 2012 Honda Fit drew 130 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 26/100, scored against the model's worst year (2007).

What are the most common 2012 Honda Fit problems?

The top reported problems for the 2012 Honda Fit are airbags (41 complaints), steering (16), and transmission & drivetrain (14).

At what mileage do 2012 Honda Fit problems show up?

Owners most often report 2012 Honda Fit problems around 49,056 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 16,700 and 74,000 miles.

Does the 2012 Honda Fit have recalls?

11 recall campaigns apply to the 2012 Honda Fit. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.

← 2011 Fit All Fit years 2013 Fit →
Data updated 2026-08-20 from NHTSA's public records

Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.