2015 Honda Fit Gets Second Chance in IIHS Crash Test

The redesigned 2015 Honda Fit received an Acceptable rating in the small overlap frontal crash test performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a significant improvement over the Poor rating that the 2013 model received when it was tested in January.

But it took two tries for the new Fit to get its Acceptable rating. An early-production 2015 Fit was originally tested in March, but received a Marginal rating in the challenging small overlap test. So Honda strengthened the bumper beam welds on the Fit, which earned an Acceptable rating in the second test.

The small overlap test replicates what happens when the front corner of a vehicle collides with another vehicle or an object such as a tree or utility pole. In the test, 25 percent of a vehicle's front end on the driver's side strikes a rigid barrier at 40 miles per hour.

In the new Fit's first test, the nonprofit group said the car's bumper beam, which is a steel bar behind the plastic bumper cover, broke free of the frame rail on the passenger's side early in the crash test, which caused more of the crash energy to be absorbed by the driver's side of the car. The result was 'extensive intrusion into the occupant compartment and excessive upward movement of the steering column.' After Honda engineers improved the beam, it stayed attached to the frame rail, intrusion was reduced and the steering column was much more stable, the group said.

In addition to making changes to production models, Honda says it will replace bumper beams on about 12,000 of the 2015 Fits it has already sold. The replacement will be completed for free at any Honda dealership in the United States. In a call-in news conference, Chuck Thomas, Honda's chief safety engineer, said he thought the repair could take as little as 30 minutes.

Because Honda did not start making changes on the assembly line until June 6, the group said the Acceptable rating applies only to cars built on that date and later. But because consumers know only the month in which their vehicle is built, and not the exact date, Honda says they can check with a dealership to determine if a car is eligible for the update.

Fit owners who have the early production models that need the fix will not be notified by mail until late September, Honda said. At that time, any Honda owner who is concerned about whether their vehicle needs the update can also call 1-800-999-1009 and choose option 4.