Car Warranty (three years almost up, car not fixed)

L

LisaD

New Member
Jurisdiction
Georgia
Hi,
I have a 2018 Honda Fit with a warranty that expires in early May. Several months ago it began having trouble (sometimes starting, sometimes not: when it did _not_ there was zero power, zero lights, zero turnover, etc.; when it did start, all was fine)

I dropped it off on a weekend, filled out the envelope describing the problem and said that it was definitely _not_ the battery, describing what happened.

They changed the battery despite my pleas and returned the car.

A week or two later, same problem.

They changed a solenoid in the starter.

Two-three weeks later, same problem. And that's where we are now. The car has been in at the dealership for 2 months, and they say that the part needed (wiring harness) will not arrive until mid-May (it has already not arrived twice when it was supposed to; supply chain, I presume).

My fear is that they still don't know what is actually wrong with the car, they will change the wiring harness if/when the part actually arrives, by which time I will be out of warranty.

The info on the Honda site (warranty is from manufacturer, not dealer) is very vague and says nothing about dates.

Because they already did it wrong twice, time is ticking.

Can someone tell me how to make sure they will fix my car, since the problem began months ago even though I will be past warranty? At the moment, they are providing a rental so it's not that bad, but if I didn't have a rental, this would be a huge problem.

MANY THANKS IN ADVANCE!
xLisa
 
You should review this:

The Georgia Lemon Law

If that doesn't apply to you, then, generally, the warranty should be extended by the amount of time that your car is with them for repairs.
 
This is very helpful, Zigner, thank you. Lemon Law does not apply since I am over 24 months.

But if you know of a way to get documentation that would insure what they should do (I am having little faith at the moment), I would love to know.

Also I am fearful that even if they were to extend the warranty by 4 months, I could still end up out of luck if they change the wiring harness and it works for a month or so and then does not (After they changed to solenoid, things were fine for a couple of weeks before it began happening again).

I appreciate your info very much (and am so glad this website/forum exists).
Thank you,
Lisa
 
Adjusterjack, this is incredibly helpful, thank you so much. I will definitely write to Ana Brown. I really appreciate your reply very much.

Thank you,
xLIsa
 
LisaD said:
Also I am fearful that even if they were to extend the warranty by 4 months, I could still end up out of luck if they change the wiring harness and it works for a month or so and then does not (After they changed to solenoid, things were fine for a couple of weeks before it began happening again).
Click to expand...

Most dealerships provide an additional warranty on the services they provide. What you need to do at this point is escalate the problem to the manufacturer.

P.S. The FIt has some known electrical problems that Honda doesn't like to or can't fix. My wife had one and I was able to only lose about $1000 on a trade-in. At another Honda Dealer.
 
According to CarComplaints.com, Honda's Fit has 485 complaints, and the most problematic areas are power steering failure, clutch failure, and uncomfortable seats. According to one user, Honda has acknowledged the problem concerning the electronic steering module and had to issue a warranty extension of up to 10 years. Mar 16, 2022

2018 Fit - problems and reliability? - Unofficial Honda FIT Forums

2018 Honda Fit Reliability - Consumer Reports

What's Wrong with the Honda Fit?

2018 Honda FIT - problems, statistics, and analysis

https://www.carparts.com/blog/honda-fit-reliability-and-common-problems/

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Thank you so much, PayrollGuy. Can I ask, did you negotiate a trade-in without the car being fixed yet, when it was still at the dealership?
 
Thank you so much for this info, ArmyJudge. I will go through each of these links this weekend. Especially interested in the ten year warranty, ha ha.
 
LisaD said:
Thank you so much, PayrollGuy. Can I ask, did you negotiate a trade-in without the car being fixed yet, when it was still at the dealership?
Click to expand...

Yes, I did. I have a feeling they replaced a part after and made a pretty good deal on it but my wife was ready to be done with it and needed a car she knew would start every time so the loss was worth it.
 
That is very interesting. I have no idea how the negotiation process works (and am not great at being demanding, etc.) so if you have any tips as to whom to approach and how to do it, I'd love to hear that!

Regardless, thank you for this info
 
So, I wrote to this email address on March 27 and have yet to receive even an automatic "we have received your message and will reply soon" type of thing.

I am wondering if you, or others, have additional suggestions? In case it is of use, I am pasting below my email to her. Many thanks in advance. (BTW, for whatever reason, tho I selected to have thelaw.com update me on any responses that come in, this does not occur, so aplogies on my lag time. Additionally, when I do attempt to respond I am often told that my response is prohibited and I am never sure why. I go through, delete exclamation points, delete the content of the email I am replying to, etc. Sometimes it works and sometimes I doesn't). x
Lisa

Dear Ana Brown,

I am writing with concern about my 2019 Honda Fit, which has been in the dealership for repairs (this time) since Jan 5.

On November 6, the car would not start. I called roadside assistance for a tow, and though it was 100% dead (no dash lights, no engine turnover, no power at all), when the tow truck driver began to load the car onto his tow truck, he turned the key once more and it started right up. He said he'd never seen anything like this. I drove home and the car did not have this problem again until the next day, when it would not start to begin with, and then on the fourth or fifth try, it did.

After a couple of weeks like this, with it sometimes taking four or five tries to start, I brought it in (on November 21), left detailed information on how it was very definitely not the battery (since sometimes it started fine) and left the car. I requested a systems and wiring check. The following day I was told they had fixed the car by changing the battery. I assured them it was not the battery and they told me there were no other problems found.

So I picked up the car, which worked for a few days until the same thing began happening. I took it back, and they changed a solenoid on the starter (November 17, 2021).

I was hopeful this was the fix, and it seemed to work for a couple of weeks. Then the problems began again. Often, if I kept trying, it would start on the fourth or fifth try, or it would start if I left it for 30 minutes, etc. But eventually it died again and simply would not start at all.

The car has now been in the shop for almost three months (since Jan 5). They changed the fuse box, and before giving the car back to me, it died again, so they didn't return it. Now the part they are waiting for (a wiring harness) has been delayed in arriving at least twice. Currently, they estimate it to arrive in mid-May.

I have two major concerns. The first is that they don't in fact know what the problem is. I don't want them to eventually change the wiring harness, give me back the car claiming it is fixed (as has happened twice before), and have the same problems. The second is that my warranty runs out in May. So if they yet again do not actually fix the car but return it to me, and it takes time for the problem to occur again (as it did after they changed the solenoid), I don't want Honda to claim that I am now out of warranty, since this problem began in November.

I therefore request a guarantee in writing that Honda will extend my warranty by at least one full year. The car is in excellent condition and has far fewer than 10,000 miles on it.

For your records, I bought the car in Atlanta from Curry Honda in May 2019 and am dealing with Rick Zarpentine at the dealership.

I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience. Many thanks,
 
LisaD said:
That is very interesting. I have no idea how the negotiation process works (and am not great at being demanding, etc.) so if you have any tips as to whom to approach and how to do it, I'd love to hear that!

Regardless, thank you for this info
Click to expand...

This forum is not an automotive-purchasing tips 'n' tricks forum. I am sure you can find other, more appropriate forums that will give you assistance with that.
 
I apologize, I was not intending to abuse the forum. Honest. I got too caught up in my situation and lost sight of this being a legal forum.
xLisa
 
LisaD said:
I apologize, I was not intending to abuse the forum. Honest. I got too caught up in my situation and lost sight of this being a legal forum.
xLisa
Click to expand...
I didn't believe that you were "abusing" the forum and there's no need to apologize. I just wanted to make sure you understand what the purpose of this forum is (and isn't). Best of luck to you!
 

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