Honda remote fob only locks/unlocks one door, what's wrong?

January 12, 2021 1:29 PM

I have a 2015 Honda Fit LX, very base model. I noticed a few weeks ago that the remote key fob only locks/unlocks the driver side rear door and the hatch. I can still lock/unlock manually so this isn't the end of the world, but how can I troubleshoot this?

This happens with both my regular and spare key fobs. It's been going on at least a couple of weeks, but I'm not 100% sure when it started. It also doesn't sound the horn/set the alarm when I double-lock, which makes sense since the doors are not locking.
I had recent work done on my car: oil change and an adjustment to the shift linkage, because the reverse was misaligned.
The Fit may be one of the official cars of metafilter, but it's also nigh-impossible to google due to its name. I already checked the Unofficial Honda Fit Forums with limited success; I did see something about it maybe being a fuse but didn't try changing any of those out yet.

posted by assenav to Travel & Transportation (12 answers total)

Perhaps a new battery is needed in your key fob?
posted by tipsyBumblebee at 1:58 PM on January 12, 2021

I don't know anything about cars but I have a Fit and I was having fob issues like this...and then I went outside one morning and my battery was dead. (The car battery, not the fob's.) After I got a jump the battery has been ok and the locks are working fine, so maybe that's connected?
posted by BlahLaLa at 2:00 PM on January 12, 2021

Best answer: What happens when you press the master lock switch inside on the driver side door armrest? If thing are functioning normally all the doors and the tailgate should lock/unlock at the same time. If you lock/unlock with the interior master lock switch and only the driver side rear door and the tailgate lock and unlock then you can rule out the fob as the issue.
posted by RichardP at 3:28 PM on January 12, 2021 [1 favorite]

Big question...Is it a Honda fob or an aftermarket fob? For the longest time, base Fits didn’t come with factory alarms and dealers made good money installing aftermarket systems, which would, of course, work the car’s doorlocks. A lot of those aftermarket systems can be squirrelly to troubleshoot/repair.
posted by Thorzdad at 3:29 PM on January 12, 2021

That's an option, you can change which doors the fob controls. Your answer is in your manual, but may also be here
posted by tiamat at 3:54 PM on January 12, 2021 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Each door has an electronic module thing that does the lock/unlock thing. They wear out. Change the battery in the fob (or get it changed at a dealer or wherever), then take the car in to a mechanic to get the doors looked at if that doesn't work.
posted by rhizome at 4:42 PM on January 12, 2021 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thank you! The master lock doesn’t work so sounds like it’s the doors, not the fob.
posted by assenav at 5:50 PM on January 12, 2021 [1 favorite]

But in that case, can you listen carefully and see if they are 'trying' to lock? If so some dry lock lube like this may solve the problem:

https://www.3inone.com/products/lock-dry-lube/
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:11 PM on January 12, 2021 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I would be very surprised if three of four lock actuators burned out at the same time.

Check the fuses and the relays. They should be pretty straightforward to find (relays may be under the hood). Check the fuses first. If they're all good, swap relays between doors and see if the driver rear relay can "cure" the others when it's swapped into that spot.
posted by notsnot at 6:12 PM on January 12, 2021 [1 favorite]

Best answer: > but it's also nigh-impossible to google due to its name.

Googling this works:
"Honda fit" fob fuse

The double quotes limits search results to only those containing the phrase within the double quotes.
posted by Homer42 at 11:19 PM on January 12, 2021

It’s very likely to just be the battery in your fob slowly failing.
posted by spitbull at 10:23 AM on January 13, 2021

👉Is the passenger door equipped with a child protection switch? That can be accidentally bumped and then the lock only unlocks when manually opened. As long as it's in child safety mode you cant lock or unlock with the key fob
posted by The_imp_inimpossible at 4:58 AM on January 17, 2021