NHTSA Complaint #10418409 — 2007 HONDA FIT

ABOUT THREE WEEKS AGO, WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING TO WORK, SHORTLY AFTER LEAVING OUR HOME, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME EXTREMELY ROUGH AND STARTED TO SHAKE THE CAR VIOLENTLY THROUGH A TURN AND THE EPS MALFUNCTION INDICATOR CAME ON. SHE TURNED THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON AGAIN AND THE ISSUE REMEDIED ITSELF AND THE EPS LIGHT TURNED OFF. THIS PAST WEEKEND, AS I WAS DRIVING THE CAR, THE SAME ISSUE PRESENTED ITSELF. THIS TIME, HOWEVER, THE UNEXPECTED LOSS OF POWER STEERING CAUSED ME TO VEER INTO OPPOSING TRAFFIC. LUCKILY, OTHER DRIVERS IN THE OPPOSING LANE WERE ABLE TO RESPOND QUICKLY AND AVERT AN ACCIDENT. I RESEARCHED THIS ISSUE ONLINE, INCLUDING ON POPULAR HONDA-SPECIFIC FORUMS, WHICH I AM A MEMBER OF, SUCH AS HONDA-TECH.COM AND FITFREAK.NET, AS WELL AS GENERAL AUTO FORUMS SUCH AS ON EDMUNDS.COM. IT BECAME APPARENT THAT THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE AMONG OWNERS OF HONDA FITS, WITH SOME OWNERS STATING THAT THIS OCCURS 1-2 TIMES A MONTH. UPON FURTHER RESEARCH, I FOUND HONDA TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN 09-043, STATING SYMPTOMS OF 'THE STEERING FEELS HEAVIER THAN NORMAL,' A EUPHEMISM FOR THE POWER STEERING FAILING'A VERY DANGEROUS OCCURRENCE, WHICH I AM DISAPPOINTED THAT HONDA DID NOT ISSUE A FULL SAFETY RECALL FOR, AND WHICH WE HAD TO FIND OUT THE HARD/DANGEROUS WAY THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE WITH OUR VEHICLE. *TR