NHTSA Complaint #10575960 — 2007 HONDA FIT

SINCE AROUND 100 K MILES, MY CAR'S CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS BEEN FLICKERING OR STAYING ON AND THEN GOING OFF ON ITS OWN AFTER A COLD START. SOMETIMES THE LIGHT FLICKERS UPON DRIVING BEFORE WARM, ONCE THE GAS IS LET UP, THE LIGHT EITHER STOPS FLICKERING, OR CONTINUES TO FLICKER AND THEN REMAINS ON FOR A FEW DAYS, THEN GOES OFF ON ITS OWN. EVERY TIME THE CAR HAS BEEN TAKEN IN TO HAVE THE CODE READ, IT'S A MISFIRE ON A SPECIFIC COIL. I HAD ONE COIL REPLACED, AND THIS FIXED THE PROBLEM (OR NOT, BECAUSE SOON AFTER, THE WEATHER WARMED AND THIS PROBLEM DOES NOT OCCUR IN WARMER WEATHER). THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED FOR AT LEAST THE LAST 3 WINTERS, MAYBE 4. I JUST HAD ALL 4 COIL PACKS AND ALL SPARK PLUGS REPLACED. THIS FIXED THE PROBLEM FOR ABOUT A WEEK, AND THE CEL FLICKERED AND EVENTUALLY REMAINED ON. THIS IS COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL OF FIT, AND IT SEEMS THAT NOT EVEN HONDA DEALERSHIPS CAN REMEDY THE ISSUE. THE CAR NOW HAS APPROXIMATELY 150 K MILES, AND THERE ARE ABSOLUTELY NO OTHER MAJOR ISSUES. ROUTINE MAINTENANCE HAS BEEN KEPT UP ON THE VEHICLE, AND MY MECHANIC HAS CHECKED FOR HOSE LEAKS, ETC. HE SUGGESTED USING A FUEL INJECTOR CLEANER, WHICH ALSO HELPED THE ISSUE VERY TEMPORARILY. THE ONLY PROBLEM THAT HAS BEEN REMEDIED WITH THE SPARK/COIL PACK REPLACEMENT IS THAT THE CAR NO LONGER STUTTERS DURING HIGHWAY DRIVING (AT 50-70 MPH, THE CAR SEEMED AS THOUGH IT WAS ABOUT TO STALL - THIS PROBLEM WAS REMEDIED BY USING SPARK PLUGS WITH A SHORTER DISTANCE ON THE DIODE, THERE HAS BEEN NO DIFFERENCE AFTER THE COIL PACK REPLACEMENT, AND THE LAST TIME THE CODES WERE READ, ALL COILS WERE RANDOMLY PUTTING OUT MISFIRE CODES). *TR