NHTSA Complaint #11030048 — 2007 HONDA FIT

THIS PROBLEM SEEMS TO HAVE DEVELOPED OVERNIGHT. IT HAS BEEN AN ISSUE FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS NOW. MY HONDA DOES NOT HAVE A KEYLESS ENTRY, THEREFORE, I UNLOCK MY CAR BY JUST INSERTING MY KEY INTO THE DOOR HANDLE. HOWEVER, ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO, I CAME OUT TO UNLOCK MY CAR AND WAS ONLY ABLE TO STICK MY KEY IN THE DOOR LOCK. THE KEY WOULD NO LONGER TURN. AT FIRST, THIS ISSUE WAS ONLY WITH THE DRIVERS SIDE LOCK; HOWEVER, IT NOW INCLUDES BOTH THE DRIVERS SIDE AND THE PASSENGER SIDE LOCKS. FROM WHAT I HAVE RESEARCHED ON THE ISSUE, IT SEEMS THAT THE CYLINDER COMPONENT OF BOTH THE DRIVERS SIDE AND THE PASSENGER SIDE EXTERIOR DOOR LOCKS IS TO BLAME. IN MY RESEARCH, I CAME ACROSS SEVERAL FORUMS (MOST OF THEM BEING HONDA FORUMS) IN WHICH OTHERS ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE SAME 2007 BASE MODELS OF HONDA FITS INCLUDING THE 08' FITS. I DID TAKE IT TO A HONDA DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THEM CHECK OUT THE ISSUE. THEY DID CONFIRM THAT IT WAS THE CYLINDER THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. HOWEVER, THEY STATED THAT THE CAUSE MAY HAVE BEEN SOMEONE ATTEMPTING TO JAM SOMETHING INTO MY CAR DOOR LOCK IN ORDER TO BREAK IN. ALTHOUGH THAT COULD HAVE BEEN A POSSIBLE CAUSE, I FEEL THAT IF SEVERAL OTHERS WITH THE SAME MODEL AND YEAR OF HONDA ARE HAVING THIS ISSUE THEN IT ISN'T SOMETHING SPECIFIC TO MY HONDA OR THAT SOMEONE WAS MERELY TRYING TO BREAK IN. IT IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE. THE ONLY WAY I AM ABLE TO ENTER MY CAR AT THE MOMENT IS THROUGH THE TRUNK. IF MY KEY STOPS WORKING FOR THAT LOCK THEN I HAVE NO WAY TO GET INTO MY CAR. I STRONGLY FEEL THAT THIS NEEDS TO BE A RECALL FOR SAFETY AS WELL AS BEING ABLE TO ACCESS ONE'S OWN VEHICLE.