NHTSA Complaint #11399973 — 2008 HONDA FIT

ON 2/17/21 THE DRIVER SIDE AXLE BROKE AND RIGHT SIDE AXLE RUSTED. I HAD MY VEHICLE TOWED TO THE HONDA DEALERSHIP TO HAVE VEHICLE FIXED. THEY INSTALLED AFTERMARKET AXLES AND WHEN THE FACTORY HONDA AXLES BECOME AVAILABLE, THEY SAID THEY WOULD CONTACT ME TO COME BACK AND THEY WOULD SWITCH THE PARTS OUT FOR FREE. I THEN PICKED UP MY CAR ON 2/19/21. ON 3/7/21 (AFTER ONLY PUTTING ABOUT 400 MILES ON IT) THE TRANSMISSION STARTED SKIPPING GEARS. EVERYTIME I CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP AND THEN PROCEEDED TO GO AGAIN, IT WOULD SKIP OUT OF 1ST GEAR AND INTO 3RD. ALSO, EVERY TIME MY SPEEDOMETER WENT ABOVE 60, THE RPMS WOULD GET HIGHER THAN NORMAL AND FLUCTUATE. WHEN I TRIED TO PUT THE CAR INTO SPORT MODE, IT DID NOT COME ON EITHER. ON 3/8/21 I IMMEDIATELY CALLED MY HONDA DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THAT I WOULD NEED TO BRING THE VEHICLE IN FOR THEM TO LOOK AT IT. I ASKED THEM TO TOW IT, AS I DID NOT WANT TO DRIVE IT, AND POSSIBLY DAMAGE IT MORE. THEY AGREED TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THEIR DEALERSHIP ON 3/8/21. AFTER THEY LOOKED AT IT THAT SAME DAY, THEY TOLD ME THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG AND THAT THE CAR DID NOT HAVE ANY ISSUES. I TOLD THEM TO DRIVE IT AGAIN AND TRY TO USE THE SPORT MODE AS WELL BECAUSE IT WAS NOT WORKING ON 3/7/21. ON 3/9/21, THEY SAID THAT WHEN THEY DROVE THE CAR, IT DID NOT SKIP GEARS AND THE SPORT MODE WAS WORKING. I BELIEVE THAT THERE IS NOW DAMAGE TO THE TRANSMISSION AND THE SERVICE TECH IS JUST TRYING TO COVER UP HIS MISTAKE AND MAKE ME PAY FOR THE TOW BILL. PLEASE SEE ATTACHED PAPER WORK FROM THE DEALERSHIP AND NOTE THAT THEY DID NOT EVEN CHECK MY TRANSMISSION FLUID TO WHEN THEY INITIALLY DID THE WORK TO REPLACE THE AXLES. I KNOW THAT WHEN YOU REPLACE DRIVE AXLES, YOU WILL ALWAYS NEED TO CHECK AND ADD TRANSMISSION FLUID, BECAUSE WHEN YOU REMOVE THE OLD DRIVE AXLES, TRANSMISSION FLUID DOES LEAK OUT AND FLUID WILL ALWAYS NEED TO BE REPLENISHED WHEN DOING THIS TYPE OF WORK.