Not 100% sure but I guess it would be the compressor relay.

Here's the part number 39794-SDA-A05 (Relay Assembly)

Good luck!

 

The incoming air temp is not measured. The temperature of the evaporator is measured. The sensor is imbedded in the evaporator on the opposite side from incoming warm air. Replacing it requires removal of the evaporator.

 

This has been happening to my 2012 Fit since I bought it; I assumed it was "normal" since my roommate bought the same car as me a week later and the same thing is happening.
They checked everything you guys listed and they say the car's fine.

 

Presumeably you have run your a/c on recirculate and made sure the drain was free. We've had 2 cases here of the a/c shutting back the a/c but both cured when the a/c was operated on recirculation instead of fresh air.
If you did both of those the dealer must find something wrong. Having gotten down there a couple of times this summer I know there has been heavy hunidity and hot temps which load a/c to the max whedn tryin g to a/c fresh air.

 

I have this problem to. I have owned my 2010 sport for a year now. I thought this was normal for this car.

 

I drive a 2013 Honda Fit. For a few years now the AC has stopped working on road trips. Works fine around town. Stopped to get a sandwich on my last road trip, and when I got back in the car and started backing up, I heard something strange. Looked to see what it was, and it was a large piece of tubular shaped ice. Finally had something tangible to work with.

I found this thread, and the original posters issue sounded identical to mine. Looked up the Honda part he said the dealer replaced and it was $20 on Amazon prime. (39794-SDA-A05 (Relay Assembly)). Wanted it fixed fast though so I could have AC on my 9 hour drive home. Found the same part at O'reillys for $6. Was skeptical, but popped it in there and VOILA!!!! AC the whole friggin way home! I did not do all the 'testing' mentioned here and elsewhere on the web - for $6 it was easier to test it out by just replacing it.

Had a little trouble where/what to replace. You are replacing the AC compressor clutch relay. As I understand it, the compresser is designed to cycle on and off to keep it from freezing. The faulty relay keeps it from cycling off so it freezes. Super easy to replace.

Find the little black box in the engine compartment sitting just in front of the drivers side headlight. Pop the top off that box and you'll see three relays. You want the one that is positioned perpendicular to the other 2. Reach in there with pliers and pop it, and put the $6 part in there, and you'll have working AC.

Couldn't believe this fixed my problem. Thanks to everyone in this thread!

 

This is great information. Like a lot of people I have had a number of very expensive AC failures in our '09. I'll file this for future reference. I quit checking parts stores a long time ago because they had very few Fit parts.
Cheers

 

Somebody tell me if I'm wrong.
Because this is ingrained in my memory, and I can't even remember where I originally heard it.
But for a long time, and with different vehicles, this is how I operate my AC.
I start out with the vent set to recirculate, and I pretty much have everything set to MAX. This is assuming it's a very hot day.
I also have the vents set to blow on the upright..or top setting that blows the maximum amount of air, directly out into the cabin. -On me and passengers.
Once the vehicle feels comfortable, which usually doesn't take too long, I reduce the fan speed, and set the intake to fresh air.

I have never had a problem and this seems to work well.

But reading this thread I'm now questioning where I learned this procedure, and why I think it is right.

EDIT:

My own Google search seems to suggest I've been doing it wrong. However, suggestions and information IS all over the place.
Since I can find seemingly reputable sites, that are advising nearly opposite approaches.
I've read...
Start on low fan....fresh...once cooler, turn up fan-recirculate....
Start on HIGH fan.... vent set to recirculate-always.

There does seem to be a lot of conflicting information on what is actually the best or most efficient way to use your air conditioning.

Now I'm not really sure.

 

I travel 600+ miles quite often. My 2012 Fit does same thing. Won't keep car cool after 2 hrs. Took to shop. They let it sit and run for 1 hr and it kept cooling so they couldn't fix it. I even provided the tests needed I found on this site. I contacted Honda and they basically said the same thing. I did pull out the filter behind glove compartment and it did need replaced. I'm sure that won't correct the problem. My only other thought is to drive it into service department after I've been driving it for the 2 hours or more. As my warranty is about out, I called warranty company and explained the problem and they said they would give me another 30 days since they had it documented. Good lick

 

I think driving it in with the air conditioning not working is your best hope of getting the service department's attention. Take it from a person who has had a lot of trips to the Honda service department: things get a lot tougher one mile over the warranty. Once the warranty is over you spend a lot of time negotiating with people in California and they will never make you completely whole.

Best wishes.

 

Iam also facing this issue in my nissan xtrail. if you find any solution please tell me

 

The same parameters apply no matter what brand of car with AC you are driving. If the r-134 charge is low it will freeze up moisture on the evaporator. When enough ice accumulates you get restricted flow and no AC. If the AC clutch relay sticks on then control to the compressor will not work and the evaporator will freeze up. The relay failure seems to be common on Hondas. I can not tell you anything about Nissans. The low R-134 charge problem is common on all brands of cars. It is simple physics (and chemistry) of the refrigerant being used. The pressure which the liquid refrigerant evaporates determines what the minimum temperature of the air passing by will be. All you want is to control what that pressure will be.

So stick a thermometer (available from Walmart for around $10.00) in the air vent and read the minimum temperature of the air coming out of the vent as you drive. Then ADD a few ounces of r-134 to the system and observe it again as you drive. Use max fan and recirculate as you try to find the actual minimum temp. Bring bring up the temp around 3 or 4 degrees and see if that fixes your problem. If not, add a few oz more until you reach the non- freeze point. I usually set mine to around 39 to 40 degrees F at the vent . Yours may vary depending how far away the vent is from the actual evaporator.

 

I have the same problem, driving around the city works fine but driving on on a highway 60 to 75 the evaporator ice up and restricted the air flow, i have to turn the AC off to Melt the ice then turn on and AC works fine i replace the entire system because the compressor burn out, after the installation i drive it for 2 hours and it start freezing, i will change the relay as you mentioned and other people suggested, low on refrigerant will cause to freeze and too much refrigerant will not cool and damage the system, apparently on my car is
well charged

 

You most likely have a bad expansion valve. Mine has gone bad over time with it freezing up after a 45+ minute drive and after replacement, this solved the issue (you may also need to replace some bolts if they are corroded as well).

 

Please re-read posting #32. I updated it and added a few things.

 

This is an old thread that I have followed for a number of years and I have the same problem as everybody else. The system is fully charged. I replaced the previously mentioned relay. STILL on long trips of three hours or so (give or take), the amount of air coming out the vents decreases as well as the temeprature of the air coming out of the vent INCREASES. I'm assuming freezing up as I will turn off the A/C and leave the fan on high while I drive for 20 minutes or so until the system thaws out. At that point, I turn A/C back on and it blows cold again but for a shorter period of time (typically 30-60 mins).

Has ANYBODY figured out the solution to this apparently common problem once and for all?
Andy

 

What Vinn said above this post.. Expansion Valves go bad.. Every car I've owned Honda Prelude, Acura TL, Scion TC, Honda Fit.. all have had expansion valves go bad and behave like what is being described in the majority of the posts in this thread.

What you will experience is normal cool air being blown.. (sometimes colder than usual..) then driving the car for long periods of time or on hot days.. the AC won't be blowing as cold or stops being cold.