Consumers must always stand up for your rights. Don’t let bad products get away with being bad products. You deserve the product that was advertised.
One of the main reasons why I bought a 2015 Honda Fit was due to the advertised fuel economy of 32 MPG City, 38 MPG Highway, and 35 MPG overall. My old vehicle was getting 12-16 MPG as a 2000 SUV, and I wanted something more economical to drive around town and to Lake Tahoe.
After going through 8 gallons of a 10.9 gallon tank (fuel light went on), I discovered that Rhino wasn’t getting anything close to the advertised 32 City MPG.
Rhino clocked in a paltry 21.6 MPG, or a whopping 32.5% lower than advertised. I’ve since refueled the tank and driven another 200 miles and am now getting closer to 20 MPG in the city. I don’t know about you, but I find this difference egregious.
Here are some examples of getting 32.5% less than you paid for:
* Imagine paying $80 for a 60 minute massage and only getting 40.5 minutes worth.
* Imagine paying $100 for an NBA basketball ticket, and being kicked out 10 minutes into the 3rd quarter.
* Imagine paying $70 for a MLB ticket, and not being able to participate in the 7th inning stretch.
* Imagine paying $170,000 for a private university and only getting to attend for three years.
* Imagine paying $299 for the latest iPhone and only getting 43 GB of storage instead of 64 GB.
* Imagine selling an ounce of cocaine for $1,200 to your neighborhood gangsta who discovers that 1/3rd of the weight is actually powdered sugar. You’d probably get shot.
We buy things based on the advertised features. If the company lies about the feature, then obviously the consumer is being misled and should either get his or her money back, or get a discount based on the shortcomings of the advertised feature. I’m not going to buy the latest Macbook Pro 13″ if it performs like a Macbook from 2007.
Besides the MPG, I also bought the Honda Fit due to its short length of 160″ so I can find more parking spots. The final reason why I bought the Fit was due to Honda’s history of producing reliable cars that are hassle free.
I then got a letter in the mail from Honda.
Consumers Getting Screwed Over
Before buying my 2015 Honda Fit I did a ton of due diligence online. The reason why Honda skipped the 2014 Honda Fit version was due to the complete redesign that would better comply with the Insurance Highway Safety Institute for frontal crash tests.
The previous Fits didn’t pass, but supposedly the newest ones did. However, I did read that the initial 2015 production vehicles in June and July needed to get recalled for new front bumper beams to improve narrow offset front crash test dynamics, whatever that means.
So before I bought Rhino, I specifically asked Chris, my salesman whether or not Rhino would need to go through a recall if I bought him. He said, “no” and he checked with his manager Adam, who also said, “no.” Fair enough. Another box checked before buying.
I then get a letter in the mail from Honda on September 27, 2014 stating,
“Dear Fit Owner, After production of the 2015 Fit had begun, the design of the front bumper beam was changed to improve narrow offset front crash test dynamics. Because early production vehicles were manufactured with the original bumper beam design, American Honda has decided to provide the owners of those vehicles with the updated bumper beam.
What should you do? Contact any authorized Honda dealer for an appointment to have your vehicle updated. The dealer will replace the front bumper beam with an improved one. The work will be done free of charge.
Please plan to leave your vehicle at the dealer for one full day to allow them flexibility in scheduling.”
Fantastic. I’ve now got to spend several hours at the dealer and figure out a way to go from the dealer to work or home and back again. Money is not so much the issue, but the time I have to waste doing something I specifically asked about, but was assured before purchase.
Baiting Consumers Into Making A Sale
I understand the goal of sales people is to sell as much of their product as possible. But I really feel misled by the MPG issue and the recall issue. 21 MPG is so far away from the advertised 32 MPG, it’s not even funny.
And the reason why I traded Moose in was to SAVE time, not spend more time dealing with car issues. I gave the SF Honda dealership a call and spoke the manager, Andrew Guzman. I was hoping for some empathy, but here was his response when I asked if I have any recourse.
“Sorry, you’ve got no recourse. All cars are tested on a tank of gas in ideal conditions to report their City and Highway MPG. It’s not just Honda, but every car manufacturer. I don’t know how you were driving, but that’s how it is. You can try coming back in two months and having our service department check it out after the break-in period. The valves are self-adjusting, so the MPG should get better as they adjust to your driving habits.
Regarding the bumper recall, we don’t have a crystal ball regarding recalls. We can’t legally sell you a car if there is an outstanding recall. If Honda decides to issue a recall after, then so be it. Toyota does it all the time.”
Andrew was very curt and unsympathetic. He basically told me I had no rights and to just deal with the issues despite precedence for a past MPG lawsuit. At least he is willing to have a service technician check my fuel efficiency in a couple months. I do hope the MPG gets better, because right now I’m very disappointed.
Consumers Shouldn’t Let Things Slid
Everybody knows that the advertised MPG on cars is misleading. I have yet to read a single review that has been able to replicate the advertised MPGs on cars. Yet, auto manufacturers still produce such false advertising!
The reason why auto manufacturers do it is because consumers haven’t risen up in mass to demand more transparency and honesty. We are letting auto makers take advantage of us for some reason. Is it apathy? Or is it massive lobby dollars to our politicians for sweeping these issues under the rug and allowing for huge compensation packages to companies that have been bailed out?
I’m not at the red line level yet of getting pissed because I’m still holding out for some type of recourse. Maybe SF Honda will throw in a trunk cover they tried to make me buy for $300. Or maybe they’ll buy me as much gasoline as it would take to drive 12,000 miles a year based on my real MPG of 21.6 so far? That would only be fair right?
Dropping Rhino off to swap the bumper shouldn’t be too much of a PITA, especially since it’s a free upgrade. But I do plan to ask for some concessions while I’m there. I’m hopeful the MPG issue will get better within a couple of months.
Update: Hyundai and KIA Motors agree to pay an equivalent of $350 MILLION in fines for overstating their MPG fuel economy on 11/3/2014. The Seoul-based affiliates, which share engines, model platforms and a chairman, will pay a $100 million fine, forfeit $200 million in greenhouse-gas emission credits and will be required to spend $50 million to set up independent tests to certify future mileage claims, according to the settlement with the U.S. Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency.
Recommendations
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Updated for 2021 and beyond.
I have the 2019 Honda Accord Hybrid. This car was advertised as 48 mpg, but I am only getting 32 mpg. Honda is lying about their fuel efficiency. I spoke with the Vice President of Honda Marketing, and he told me it wasn’t “professional” or “appropriate” to contact him. Honda, and this VP aren’t taking responsibility for their false claims.
I bought a 2015 Honda Accord Hybrid (Touring) and will say the first 20k miles I was getting 48-50 MPG and over 900 miles per tank. I live in So Cal and was extremely happy at the time. Yes I drive like a grandpa (55 MPH) on freeway and drive very conservative on the streets (slow starts and begin breaking 200-300 ft before stops). However, I noticed several problems after my first minor service. First, After picking the car up I had 3 sensor alarms (tire pressure, gas cap, and exhaust) go off which Honda said was nothing and cleared the codes. I also noticed my MPG dropped to 42-43, just an FI, my driving habits have not changed. Again I went to Honda who said there is nothing they could do and that it all depends on your driving habits even after I stated my habits had not changed.
Have 2015 Honda Fit EX with cvt. Drive exclusively in Econ Mode. Use cruise control as much as possible. Drive the speed limit and use cruise control to accelerate. Coast down to red lights. In warm weather open sun roof to minimize use of ac. Averaging 42 mpg over 25,000 miles.
Hondas perform best when driving in the 50-60 mph range in my experience, I find 70-75 mph uses a little more gas, city driving stop and go is worse of course, but I think the dealer who said if you drive it like grandma it will outperform its rating was probably right. if you hot pedal it or don’t use cruise on the highway you don’t really know how eco friendly you are driving, my last two have the green ring and the instant mpg and you can watch it rise and fall based on rpms, this can give you an idea of how you are driving.
As for the fit, maybe its just the fluke of the bunch, it is the least expensive Honda at base price so it may be built cheaper I’m not not sure, all I can say is the accords have exceeded all my expectations with only the exception on the last two, the 2014 stereo/console was kind of buggy. and the 2017 is a tad bit so too, mostly you don’t notice but once in awhile something like your phone doesn’t pair just right leaving txt message readout off or it fails to read flash drive, the 2017 has an android interface and wifi, but the version of android is way out of date and they locked it down so no apps can be installed which is a major letdown. android auto works well but requires usb wired connect which is ugly and the phone is too big for the caddy behind the door.
I agree. My Fit does really well and outperforms on MPG on the highway.
Speaking of buggy, my 2015 Fit now can’t reliably play podcasts or Pandora with Bluetooth. Sigh.
I’m not sure why everyone is complaining, I have had 4 accords, 2009 ex, 2011 ex-l, 2014 ex-l, 2017 – touring v6.
All of my four cylinder engines got well over rated gas mileage in the right driving conditions on highway, my test, reset trip meter right as I get on the highway, set cruise and drive a couple hours. the 2014 got 44 mpg at 55 mph regular gas.
my 2017 v6 is brand new clocking 30mpg 1/3 city driving 2/3 70mph hwy on my commute to work (45 minutes)
I found all of these cars to be built with the best quality I’ve seen compared to all the other cars ive examined, not a single one has needed any repairs.
sorry you guys have had bad experience, I find eco mode is a tad worse on my 2017 and in my current driving situation I leave it off
My Mini Coupe Turbo is getting 34 mgp in daily start and stop traffic. Drive 26 miles one way to work.
Hi Sam ! I guess we can add another item on your recommendations list: not having a car and use an app like the one Audi just launched whenever one needs a car (it’s fully functional in SF).
https://www.audiondemand.com/us/service/en_ondemand.html
Keep up with the good work !
-Christian
Sam,
Sorry to hear. I actually get better than the advertised mpg. Around a hilly town I typically get 38 to 42 mpg and on my commute I have gotten 50+ mpg often but usually get in the 48 range. The AC has brought those numbers down. I will be getting a car with a new job and I am sad that I will have to sell my 2015 Fit. The more I drive it, the more I like it.
I have the same issue of greater than 30% difference in the promised mpg which is 50 mpg ( city drive) for the honda accord Hybrid 2015 that I bought. It gives around 32 mpg. Odometer reads 41 and Honda service claims it gives 57 mpg for the 30 miles that they drove as test drive to determine fuel economy using 0.6 gallons of gas. They told me you can get 50mpg if you drive like grandma drives. when I told this to the Honda customer service they laughed it off. If Companies like honda overstate their mpg, who can you trust. I am most definately not buying a HONDA vehicle again. Sad thing is there is no recourse, but I sure hope to take it to the media, so that people will think twice before buying the 2015 Honda Hybrid accord and note the overstated 50 mpg.
Good news, there is some justice in the world! I read in this morning’s FT that Honda has cut the pay of its CEO by a fifth following the fifth recall of its Fit model in a year owing to safety issues. “The carmaker announced the move yesterday after it said it was recalling about 426,000 more vehicles to address defects in ignition coils and circuits.”
While not inexpensive to own & maintain, the one type of consumer-level vehicle that exceeds EPA MPG estimates are VW diesels. I regularly get 30 mpg driving around my hilly neighborhood and over 45 on the highway.
Sam,
I think your dealer’s first mistake was to not set your expectations about performance, whether it is due to the break-in period, or driving in SF, which does not match test conditions, I am sure! (more congestion, hills) Now you are surprised, and angry. It is a short-term mindset to make the deal, and let you deal with it–and probably not go there again, even if you eventually like your Fit. If you want to see how different the test is from your driving conditions, you can see the detailed test specifications at http://www.fueleconomy.gov.
One question: are you driving with the Eco mode on? I am not sure if this is engaged during government testing (or whether it is mandated to or not, or optional) but it would be interesting to see how much of a difference it makes.
I’m not angry, I’m miffed there can be a 32% difference in results from advertised results.
Econo mode improved mpg by 5% they say, but makes the car sluggish so it is not worth it.
The hills are definitely not congested up here.
I do think that guy was right, however. I have heard about how cars today are built with technology to optimize the transmission to how you drive, this can lead to a big difference. I found with my Ford Escape that I gained 5 or so mpg after the first few months. Maybe look into if your Fit has that technology. If it does they can “reflash” or reprogram the system to throttle the power or give you more, depending on what you’d like.
Sam – I love me some McDonald’s. I drive thru every morning for coffee and a McMuffin, and then oftentimes for lunch or dinner (depending on how late I have to stay in the office). I always wondered how much gas I was burning at 0 MPG while idling in line at the drive thru, so I tested it. If I have the air-conditioning on (I’m in FL), I burn about 0.2-0.4 gallons (avg. 15 mins/day idling total – two trips) every week just idling at the drive-thru, and sometimes longer if I pull in a parking spot and devour the McMuffin right then and there (my mouth is already salivating thinking about it!). This is when my belly spoke to me, ”Why not park and go inside to get my morning nectar (coffee) and food?” I tried it. I’m now getting an additional 5% better MPG in my Honda Fit. Bottom line, eat more McDonald’s but stop using those pesky drive thru lines!!!
Wonderful insight. Love them 99 cent cheeseburgers.