Recall Alert: 2012-2013 Honda Fit

Honda is issuing a voluntary recall of 43,782 model-year 2012 and 2013 versions of the Fit hatchback due to a problem with the electronic stability system; only Sport trim models are being recalled.

According to Honda, the electronic stability system in the affected vehicles doesn't comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Standards regarding yaw rates (how far a car tilts during a turn). "Honda is not aware of any related crashes or injuries," it said in a statement.

Honda will notify affected owners starting in mid-May and dealers will reprogram the system's software for free. Owners can call Honda at 800 999-1009 (option 4) for more info.

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Honda Fit Wheel-Theft Trend Hits Home

If Jennifer Newman had known her family's 2007 Honda Fit Sport was a target for thieves, she might not have traded her 2009 Nissan Versa hatchback with her father last summer. Newman — a senior editor for Kicking Tires — said she and her father made a mutually beneficial swap; he found the Fit's seats and suspension uncomfortable, and her family needed its cargo room. But then she woke up one recent morning to a text message from her neighbor: The wheels of her Fit were gone.

"I didn't know at the time that Fit wheels were being stolen," Newman said. "Had I known, I'm not sure I would have traded cars." Why the Fit specifically? Its alloy wheels are attracting thieves.

Honda Urban SUV Concept at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show

• Looks like: Honda is getting ready to enter the subcompact SUV segment
• Defining characteristics: Aggressive styling for a Honda
• Ridiculous features: Light-pipe head- and taillamps
• Chances of being mass-produced: Confirmed — launches in Japan later this year and in late 2014 for the U.S.

Honda has announced a new segment entry for the U.S. market, a subcompact SUV based on the small Fit hatchback. The rather uncreatively named Honda Urban SUV concept offers a sneak peek at this upcoming new model, which will share both a platform and a manufacturing plant with the Fit in Honda's new Mexico assembly facility.

More 2013 Detroit Auto Show Coverage

The new crossover will slot below the CR-V, coming in nearly 9 inches shorter than Honda's popular compact family SUV. It will retain some semblance of off-road capability, according to Honda, for active young people who want to be able to head to the countryside on a weekend escape.

Honda Dominates Cars.com's 2012 Face-offs

Pitted against competitors in three of the most bustling auto-sales segments today, Honda prevailed in Cars.com's 2012 head-to-head face-offs, emerging as the last brand standing. The 2013 Honda Accord, 2012 Honda Fit and 2012 Honda CR-V earned the automaker a flawless victory in Cars.com's trio of challenges, including the $26,000 midsize-sedan, $16,000 subcompact and $25,000 compact-SUV challenges. In each face-off, judged by a panel of five experts plus a real-world family, Honda averaged a nearly 26-point lead over the runner-up, including a very narrow nine-point lead in the competitive midsize-sedan showdown.

Check out the links below to revisit the scores of Cars.com's 2012 faceoffs:

$16,000 Subcompact Shootout: Overview
$25,000 Compact SUV Shootout: Overview
$26,000 Midsize Sedan Shootout: Overview

Cars.com Reviews the 2013 Mazda2

You might have dated someone like this: attractive looks and fun to be around, but dealing with problems inside that are revealed as you get to know each other better. Cars.com reviewer Jennifer Geiger says the 2013 Mazda2 offers potential suitors a nice, sculpted body with a grinning grille, along with good maneuverability and more zippiness than its petite horsepower might suggest. However, its interior is uncomfortably sparse, offering backseat passengers scant "cushy for their tushy" and deceptively little cargo space. That might be why the competing Ford Fiesta gets more than three times as many dates with buyers.

2013 Mazda2 Review

Black Friday: Best Cars for Serious Shoppers

A successful Black Friday shopping trip is all in the planning. Bargain hunters study store ads and websites as though they're cramming for a test, and now they have less time to do so as several major chains — Sears, Wal-Mart, Target and Toys R Us — will open their doors on Thanksgiving evening instead of 4 or 5 a.m. the Friday after Thanksgiving.

There's one thing that Black Friday shoppers can plan before the deal-laden store circulars arrive: which car to take.

Black Friday shoppers might think bigger is better — big SUVs, minivans — when it comes to picking a car for hauling all their bargains. They're not wrong, especially if they're hoping to bag a gigantic flat-screen TV at a low price. But nimble, small cars in busy parking lots shouldn't be left out of the Black Friday fun. Here are our top picks for Black Friday haulers.

Honda Fit's Backseat Design Creates Pit of Despair

In theory, the Honda Fit's second row — with bottom cushions that fold up for added storage on the go — sounds like a winner. After driving a Honda Fit for the summer and loading the backseat with my two school-age boys and all their stuff, it's a wannabe neat-freak's nightmare.

As one of the judges in Cars.com's $16,000 Subcompact Shootout, I was impressed with the Fit's ability to carry cargo of all sizes; the flip-up cushions allow the Fit to haul taller items, like a kid's bike. The rear seats are hinged at the seat bight, where the back and bottom cushions meet, and the front of the bottom seat cushion is supported by foldable metal legs that remind me of a lawn chair.

It sounds great, but it's that design that has caused all sorts of problems in our family car, which serves as a rolling locker room for my baseball-playing son and his father (the coach).

August's Fastest- and Slowest-Selling Cars

The Hyundai Santa Fe Sport topped last month's fastest-selling cars — a list that mixed the usual influx of redesigns and introductions with a lot of older cars. The 2013 Toyota Corolla, Honda Fit, Mini Cooper, Audi A3 and Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen flew off dealer lots last month. All but the A3 saw sales increases, with the Corolla, Fit and Cooper up more than 25% apiece. But all five cars have been on the market for some time since their last update, and none offer major incentives. One possible factor is gas prices, which have risen 20 cents in the past month. All five cars have variants with combined EPA mileage of 30 mpg or better.

Response to the redesigned Hyundai Santa Fe has been "nothing short of remarkable," Hyundai sales chief Dave Zuchowski said in a statement Tuesday. However, sales for the nameplate — whose redesign sprouts a new Santa Fe Sport derivative that's lumped into the same sales figure — fell nearly 50% for the month. What gives?

Honda Makes Backup Cameras Standard on Most Models

Starting with the 2013 model year, a backup camera will be standard on the redesigned Honda Accord along with the Crosstour, Odyssey, Pilot, Ridgeline and CR-Z. That means Honda's 12-model lineup goes from having just two models with a standard backup camera — the FCX Clarity hydrogen vehicle and the CR-V crossover — to nine models. A backup camera was already standard on the 2012 Honda CR-V and remains that way for the 2013 model year. The 2013 Honda Fit EV also has a standard backup camera.

That's a drastic change for Honda; previously, backup cameras were an option that had to be coupled with an expensive navigation system. In fact, the update means Honda offers a backup camera on more of its lineup than any other mainstream automaker – other strong contenders include Kia and Hyundai.

Daily News Briefs: June 11, 2012

Honda says that shipping vehicles from Japan to the United States is not profitable, and the automaker will limit the amount of vehicles it sends to the country, according to Automotive News. Honda produces most of its popular vehicles in the U.S. — about 85% of the cars it sells here are made in North America — but a glaring omission is the Honda Fit, which makes up the bulk of Honda's exports to the U.S. The Fit makes absolutely no profit for Honda in America and very little for dealers, too, people familiar with the matter told Automotive News. Because of this, and combined with "red hot" Fit sales in Japan, U.S. allocation of the subcompact will remain extremely tight, the trade paper reports. Honda is building a factory in Mexico that will make a new, more profitable version of the Fit for the U.S. market by 2014.

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