Service bulletin - The MIL comes on with DTC P0300 (random misfire detected) or P0301âP0304 (cylinder misfire detected). Carbon buildup on the intake valves may be affecting combustion.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗2016 Honda Fit electrical problems
moderate 54 complaints filed with NHTSA · avg repair $850 · see electrical across all vehicles →
Failure mileage
Complaints
54
Recalls
0
Avg fix
$850
When does it fail?
Of the 54 electrical complaints filed for the 2016 Honda Fit, here's the actual mileage breakdown — failures cluster heaviest at 0-25,000 mi.
0-25k
25-50k
50-75k
75-100k
100-125k
125-150k
150k+
Each bar shows the share of total complaints filed at that mileage range. Peak failure window highlighted. Some owners report problems earlier; some make it well past 150,000 miles symptom-free. Maintenance habits and driving conditions shift the curve as much as mileage alone.
What stands out
Electrical accounts for 47% of every owner complaint on file for this vehicle — the dominant problem area across 8 categories tracked.
Owners have filed 54 electrical complaints with NHTSA against this vehicle, but no formal recall covers the issue — the federal record reflects what manufacturers have admitted, not everything owners are reporting.
Is there a fix? Manufacturer service bulletins
The manufacturer has issued service bulletins covering electrical on this vehicle — documented repair instructions, service campaigns, or warranty extensions sent to dealers. A TSB isn't a recall (it's not a free safety remedy), but it's the manufacturer acknowledging the issue and how to fix it.
Service Bulletin - 2015-16 Fit: MIL Is On with DTC P0300, P0301, P0302, P0303, P0304
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗Service Bulletin - 2015-16 Fit: MIL Is On with DTC P0420
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗Service Bulletin - The MIL comes on with DTC P0300 (random misfire detected) or P0301-P0304 (cylinder misfire detected).
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗Owner Notification Letter - The vehicle may not start upon first press of the ENGINE START/STOP button. Also, the MID displays the error message KEYLESS START SYSTEM ERROR, and DTC B12C5 (Engine Start/Stop Switch Failure) is stored. American Honda is extending the warranty on the engine start/stop switch to 9 years from the original date of purchase or 125,000 miles, whichever comes first.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications. Bring the bulletin number to your dealer or shop.
The failure pattern owners describe
The 2016 Honda Fit has a persistent right-side instrument panel digital display problem affecting the fuel gauge, odometer, oil life indicator, and time. The display either goes completely blank (backlit but empty), shows gibberish or random characters, or flickers on and off. The failure is temperature-dependent—predominantly in cold weather (below 45–60°F), though owners report it now happens in warm weather too. The issue typically begins around 20,000–45,000 miles and has worsened over time. Owners say it occurs at startup, during acceleration or braking, or randomly while driving. The gauge may come back on after a few minutes to 20 minutes of driving, then fail again. Owners cite this as a safety hazard because they cannot see remaining fuel, forcing reliance on low-fuel warning lights, and cannot track odometer mileage for maintenance intervals. Multiple owners mention online forums and Reddit posts confirming this is widespread across 2015–2016 model year Fits. Honda dealerships have quoted $1,000–$1,100+ to replace the entire cluster panel. Some dealerships acknowledge it as a known common issue and suggest waiting for a recall. Owners report the problem occurred during or immediately after the factory warranty expired. One owner and a dealership mechanic mention cracked or failing solder joints as the likely cause. A separate but related failure involves the Smart Power Control Unit (door locks and alarm) when the gauge display malfunctions, also costly to repair.
Same Honda Fit electrical reports on nearby years: 2013 · 2015 · 2017 · 2018 · 2019
Failure modes owners describe
Right-side instrument panel display failure (fuel gauge, odometer, oil life)
The digital display on the right side of the instrument cluster intermittently blanks out (shows backlit screen with no data), displays gibberish or random characters, or flickers on and off. Temperature-dependent, primarily cold weather (<45–60°F), but increasingly occurs in warmer conditions. Failure worsens over vehicle life.
When: Typically starts 20,000–45,000 miles; worsens over time; some cars under 11,000 miles
Symptoms owners cite: Display completely blank with backlight on; Random gibberish or unintelligible characters; Flickering or flashing on and off; Intermittent malfunction at startup or during driving; Worse in cold weather, improving as car warms up; Occurs during acceleration, braking, or randomly; Display eventually comes back after minutes to 20+ minutes of driving
Repairs/costs cited: Dealership replacement of entire instrument cluster panel quoted at $1,000–$1,100+. Owners and one mechanic mention likely cracked or failing solder joints on the circuit board, though dealers do not diagnose this specifically.
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: No recalls issued as of complaint dates. Dealerships suggest waiting for recall or recommend replacement at owner cost. Honda informed out-of-warranty owners repair is not covered; one owner reports Honda told them vehicle was no longer under warranty despite problem occurring during warranty period.
Starter failure
Engine cranks intermittently or not at all despite battery being charged. Multiple start attempts required before engine turns over. Occurs on relatively low-mileage vehicles (under 45,000 miles).
When: One vehicle at 43,900 miles; another reported around 44,000 miles
Symptoms owners cite: No cranking on first start attempt; No clicking or noise from starter; Multiple attempts (2–4) required to start engine; Engine eventually starts after repeated tries; Problem recurs 10–15+ times; Jump-start temporarily resolves issue
Repairs/costs cited: Starter replacement cost over $700 including labor (parts quoted at $500). One owner with extended warranty paid $44 copay; another mechanic tested and confirmed starter failure.
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: No recalls. Honda informed owner out-of-warranty repairs are owner's responsibility.
Smart Power Control Unit malfunction (related to display failure)
Door locks, alarm system, and keyless entry fail to operate when the instrument panel display is malfunctioning. The vehicle has only one key hole (driver's side), so manual operation requires going around the car to unlock.
When: Coincides with instrument panel display failure
Symptoms owners cite: Door locks do not respond to power control; Unable to set or disarm alarm system; Keyless entry does not function; Manual lock/unlock of doors required; Problem resolves when display comes back online
Repairs/costs cited: One owner reported dealership quote over $1,000 for Smart Power Control Unit repair; the dealership invoice noted operation of door locks runs through the gauge cluster.
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: No recall information provided by owners. Out-of-warranty owners informed repair cost is their responsibility.
Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) warning light cannot be cleared
Once the low tire pressure warning light activates, the vehicle owner cannot clear it using manual or electronic reset options. The light remains on even after tire pressures are corrected and the vehicle has been driven the required distance, effectively disabling the low-pressure warning system.
When: <UNKNOWN>
Symptoms owners cite: Low tire pressure warning light stays on; Cannot be cleared manually or electronically by owner; Persists after tire pressures corrected; Persists after driving 60+ miles; Owner has no warning capability for future low-pressure events
Rodent damage to soy-coated wiring harness
Rats or rodents chew through wiring in the engine compartment, causing electrical failures and check engine lights. Honda uses soy-based wire coating which attracts rodents.
When: One vehicle with only 612 miles reported; occurs on multiple vehicles
Symptoms owners cite: Check engine warning light activation; Visible wiring damage from rodent chewing; Multiple wiring harness damage in engine compartment
Repairs/costs cited: Repair cost hundreds to thousands of dollars. One owner reported insurance deductible of $500.
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Honda informed owners this is not covered under warranty despite acknowledged known issue with soy-coated wires.
Battery drain and intermittent no-start condition
Vehicle fails to start or has difficulty starting after sitting for several days. Battery drains completely in parked state without apparent cause.
When: One vehicle reported at approximately 2,000 miles
Symptoms owners cite: Vehicle fails to start after sitting several days; All electrical systems powered when key turned but engine will not crank; Battery drains even when parked
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Honda informed owner this was manufactured that way and declined to acknowledge manufacturing failure.
Synthesized from 54 NHTSA owner complaints — unverified consumer allegations, summarized for patterns. The verbatim filings appear below.
What owners are reporting 14 most recent
Right-side of Instrument display cluster failure upon start up (no data appears). After warm up and a few miles driven, display appeared garbled information. After a few more miles, the display did seem to correct, but this should not be happening. I believe this should be considered a safety issue.
Right side gauge in dashboard keeps shutting down, displaying random symbols, etc. It is the guage that shows fuel usage, levels, etc. 1000's of reports of this online validate it is not a problem with just my Fit. It does this almost everyday now. After the interior of the vehicle gets warm and the guage gets to a certain temperature, it works normally.
Fuel gage display (including ODOMETER, time and temperature) has disappeared. Backlight on, but no information displayed. This is unsafe when 40+ miles away from a gas station and cannot see the neither the fuel gage or the odometer! First occurred in 2019, with around 40,000 miles, as the years pass it goes out for longer periods of time and more frequently, almost daily, sometimes for a few…
The digital display in the dash that shows fuel gauge, range, odometer, etc.. Will intermittently not display properly. It will either display improperly in a way that is unreadable, or the entire display will go blank while remaining backlit. It happens more often when it is cold out. I also noticed it initiate more during hard acceleration or braking, but it can also remain when the vehicle is…
Odometer/fuel gauge have started to display random characters. At first it was intermittent and in really cold weather, and would sort itself out after 5-10 minutes. But it has become more common as soon as the car starts and now will not sort itself out. There is no access to the car's mileage or to even know how much gas is left in the tank. This seems to be an issue with the 2015-2016 Honda…
The odometer/fuel gauge of the instrument panel has display issues. Intermittently blanks out with no info on it, especially when I first start the car on cold days. Takes like 20 mins of driving on the highway before it warms up enough for the display to flash a few times, display gibberish, and then suddenly come back on. Does not affect other functionalities of the car fortunately. However I…
The gauge cluster started flickering in cold weather only. I asked Honda to review it and take a picture of the problem and explain. Every explanation online for this existing problems seems to be cracked solder joints. Yet HONDA wants to charge me 1.1K the replace the entire system for what they vaguely described as “internal error” if it was internal error, I’d see lot more of a problem with…
About a year or two after purchasing the car new in 2016, we noticed that the instrument panel right side which has fuel gauge, odometer, trip information and other key operating vehicle information would go blank or the digital readout would go haywire and turn into gibberish. This generally happened on cold mornings and the display would revert to normal within 10 minutes to one hour. We took…
While driving on a highway in 18 degree weather at night, the odometer and fuel gauge display (the furthest right section of the 3-instrument panel in front of the driver) blanked out. It came back, but blanked out again. Total time out was approximately 4 minutes. With this trim version (lx) is it not possible to obtain an odometer or fuel gauge reading through any other method. A later online…
We own a 2016 Honda Fit with 52,000 miles, and the fuel gauge/speed/odometer display does not work. It completely fails in the cold. This is major safety issue since we can't read the fuel level nor see how fast or slow I'm driving. Our car is currently at the Conicelli Honda dealership. After trying to get this fix or diagnosed for years, Conicelli thinks the problem is a loose or failing…
Had electrical trouble with your 2016 Honda Fit?
File a complaint with NHTSA → It's free, official, and how every report above got here — owner filings are the federal safety record this page is built on.
Common questions
How serious is the electrical problem on the 2016 Honda Fit?
It's a documented issue but not catastrophic. 54 complaints have been filed. Repairs average $850 and most owners catch it before it causes a breakdown.
At what mileage does the electrical typically fail?
Across the 23 complaints that reported odometer mileage, most electrical failures cluster between 26,000 and 58,000 miles, with the median around 43,500. A quarter of owners report trouble before 26,000; a quarter make it past 58,000. Maintenance history matters more than the odometer alone — this is the reported failure window, not a guarantee.
What does it cost to fix?
Independent shops typically charge around $850 for electrical repairs on this vehicle. Dealer pricing tends to run 20-40% higher. The exact figure depends on the specific failure mode, parts availability, and your local labor rates. If you're outside factory warranty, an extended service contract often covers this category.
Are there any recalls related to electrical?
No active recalls currently cover electrical issues on this vehicle. The complaints filed represent owner-reported failures that haven't risen to the level of a manufacturer-issued recall — but they're still worth knowing about before you buy or budget for repairs.
Related
Complaint and recall data sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
public records database. Verify the raw federal record at
nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2016/Honda/Fit.
Severity ratings are derived from reported crashes, fires, injuries, and fatalities. Repair cost estimates are
independent-shop national averages and may differ in your area. Some links on this page are affiliate links.