2015-2020 Honda FIT ABS Light On: Common Causes and Fixes

By Core Brake Parts Tech Team — Circleville, OH warehouse

An amber ABS light on a 2015-2020 Honda Fit means the anti-lock brake system has found a fault and switched itself off. Honda states the car still has normal braking ability, just no anti-lock function, so you can drive it carefully to a repair. On this generation the most common causes are a wheel speed sensor problem, a damaged sensor wire or connector, or a problem at the hub the sensor reads, and a chassis scan tool will usually point you to the exact wheel.

How ABS Works on the 2015-2020 Fit

Every trim of this Fit (LX, Sport, EX and EX-L) came standard with anti-lock brakes, Electronic Brake Distribution, Brake Assist, Vehicle Stability Assist with traction control and Hill Start Assist, according to Honda's own specification sheet. The hardware is simple: power-assisted ventilated front discs and rear drums, listed by Honda at 10.3 inches front and 7.9 inches rear.

The ABS control unit watches a speed sensor at each wheel. When one wheel slows much faster than the others under braking, the unit pulses the brake pressure to that wheel so the tire keeps rolling instead of locking. The same wheel speed data feeds stability control, traction control, EBD and Hill Start Assist. That is why a single bad sensor often lights up more than one warning on the dash.

At start-up the ABS and VSA indicators come on for a moment as a bulb check and then go out. If either stays on, or comes on while driving, the system has stored a fault code.

What the Warning Lights Are Telling You

Pay attention to which lights are on, because the combination tells you how urgent it is.

For the red brake system light, Honda's instructions are to press the brake pedal lightly to check pedal pressure. If the pedal feels normal, check the fluid level when you stop. If it feels abnormal, take immediate action, use engine braking to slow down if needed, and have the car repaired right away.

Common Causes of an ABS Light on the Fit

1. Wheel speed sensor failure or a dirty sensor tip

The sensor sits close to a toothed or magnetic ring that turns with the wheel. The gap between the two is small by design, because a close gap is what produces a strong signal. Brake and Front End notes that magnetic sensors attract metallic debris from brake linings and rotors, and a coating of that dust can weaken the signal enough for the ABS unit to flag it. A sensor can also fail internally, often after years of heat cycles and road salt.

2. Damaged wiring or a corroded connector

The front sensor harness runs down to the knuckle and flexes every time the suspension moves or the wheels turn. Loose or corroded connectors and high resistance in the circuit weaken the signal and can look exactly like a failed sensor. Wires get stretched or pinched during suspension work, and they get snagged when a caliper is left hanging during a brake job.

3. Problems at the tone ring or hub

Brake and Front End points out that even a small nick in the tone ring can disrupt the signal. Where the ring is a magnetic encoder built into the wheel bearing, ACDelco's technical guidance describes metallic debris packing onto the encoder and causing ABS faults, clicking or ABS pump noise at parking-lot speeds. A worn bearing with play in it can also change the sensor gap and set an intermittent code.

4. Mismatched tire sizes or a compact spare

The ABS unit compares wheel speeds. A tire that is a different diameter from the other three makes that wheel spin at a different rate, which can confuse the system. Honda tells owners to get the regular tire repaired and back on the car as soon as possible when the compact spare is fitted. Always run four matching tires at the pressure on the driver's door jamb label.

5. Low brake fluid or a hydraulic fault

Low fluid normally brings on the red brake light, not the amber ABS light, but you will sometimes see both. Fluid drops slowly as pads wear, so a low reservoir can simply mean worn brakes. A fast drop means a leak, which needs to be found before the car goes anywhere.

6. The ABS modulator or control unit

The hydraulic modulator and its control unit can fail, but it is much less common than a sensor, wiring or hub problem. Rule out those simpler causes before condemning an expensive module.

How to Diagnose It Step by Step

1. Read the chassis codes. A basic engine code reader often cannot see ABS or VSA faults. You need a scan tool that reads the brake and stability modules. The code tells you which wheel and whether the fault is in the circuit or in the signal.
2. Look at the wiring. Follow the harness from the sensor at the flagged wheel back to the body connector. Look for chafing, stretched sections, broken clips and green corrosion in the connector.
3. Clean and inspect. Remove the sensor, clean the tip and the ring it reads, and look for missing teeth, cracks or packed debris. Do not use a magnetic tool on a magnetic encoder, since ACDelco warns an outside magnet can damage it.
4. Test the sensor. Brake and Front End's guidance is to check the sensor against the manufacturer's specification and check wiring continuity before replacing it. The right test depends on the sensor design, so use the procedure in the Honda service information for your year.
5. Watch live data. With a scan tool showing all four wheel speeds, drive slowly in a safe place. A wheel that reads zero, drops out or jumps around is your problem.
6. Check the bearing. With the car raised, rock the wheel at the top and bottom. Play or a grinding noise points to a hub bearing, which can also be the source of the ABS fault.

After the repair, clear the codes and road test. Once the system sees a good signal from every wheel, the light should stay off.

ABS Lights After a Brake Job

A lot of ABS lights show up right after a front brake job. The usual reasons are a sensor wire that got pulled while the caliper was hanging, a connector that was knocked loose, or a sensor that was pried out and not seated fully. If your light came on after pads and rotors were replaced, check the front sensor wiring on both sides before buying anything.

When you do the front brakes on this Fit, support the caliper with a hook instead of letting it hang, keep the rotor and sensor area clean, and replace worn hardware at the same time. If your pads and rotors are due anyway, our 2015-2020 Honda Fit front brake kit covers both parts in one box. You can also shop replacement brake pads, brake rotors and brake hardware kits separately. The rear drums on this car use shoes rather than pads, and you can find those in our brake shoes collection.

Recalls and How Hard the Repair Is

We checked NHTSA's recall database for the 2015 through 2020 Fit. It lists recalls for fuel pumps, the passenger airbag occupant sensor, the rearview camera display, side airbags, ignition and transmission control software, but no recall for the brakes or ABS on these years. Run your own VIN at nhtsa.gov anyway, since recall coverage is tied to individual vehicles.

For a home mechanic, cleaning or replacing a wheel speed sensor is one of the easier brake-related jobs: the wheel comes off, a bolt holds the sensor, and the connector unclips. Tighten the sensor bolt to the value in the factory service manual and route the new wire exactly like the old one, through every clip. A hub bearing is a bigger job that may call for a press depending on the design. Wiring repairs need solder and heat shrink, not twist connectors, because the signal is sensitive to resistance. Modulator problems are a job for a shop with a capable scan tool.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it safe to drive a Honda Fit with the ABS light on?

Honda says the car keeps normal braking ability with no anti-lock function, so you can drive it carefully to a repair. The wheels can lock in a hard stop, especially on wet or icy roads, so leave more room. If the red brake light is also on, check the pedal and fluid first and have it repaired immediately.

Why are the ABS and VSA lights on at the same time?

Stability control and traction control use the same wheel speed signals as ABS. When one wheel speed sensor stops reporting correctly, both systems shut off and both lights come on.

Can new brake pads cause an ABS light?

The pads themselves do not, but the job can. A pulled sensor wire, an unplugged connector or debris on the sensor tip after a brake job are common causes. Check the wiring at the wheels that were worked on.

Will disconnecting the battery clear the ABS light?

It may turn the light off for a moment, but if the fault is still there the system will find it again on the next drive and relight the warning. The code needs to be read and the cause fixed.

Does the 2015-2020 Fit have rear disc brakes?

No. Honda's specifications list ventilated front discs and rear drums on every trim. Each rear wheel still has its own speed sensor for the ABS.

Sources

1. Honda Owners - Fit Dashboard Details - ABS, VSA and brake system light meanings, Honda's red brake light steps, compact spare advice
2. Honda - 2015 Fit LX Quick Start Guide - indicators appear briefly at start-up, door jamb tire pressure label
3. Honda News - 2018 Honda Fit Specifications and Features - standard ABS, EBD, Brake Assist, VSA, Hill Start Assist; front disc and rear drum sizes
4. NHTSA - Honda Fit recall data - Fit recall campaigns, none for brakes or ABS in 2015-2020
5. Brake and Front End - Wheel Speed Sensor Service - air gap, debris, tone ring damage, wiring resistance and sensor testing
6. ACDelco TechConnect - Wheel Speed Sensor Diagnosis - debris on magnetic encoder rings, cleaning without magnetic tools