Honda Jazz Problems

The Jazz presented small cars in a new way. It wasn't a downsized sedan or sedan-based hatch as had been the normal way of designing a small car.It was about the efficient use of interior space. It had ample room for five adults with the seats in their normal positions, but the seats could be flipped or folded flat to allow a wide range of objects to be carried. It was a big car in a small package.The performance was sporty with a choice of 1.3-litre and 1.5-litre single overhead camshaft four-cylinder engines. The smaller engine put out 61kW at 5700 revs and 119Nm at 2800 revs and returned 5.6L/100km. The larger VTEC engine boasted 81kW at 6000 revs and 143Nm at 4800 revs for more zip and returned 6.0L/100km.Both engines came with the choice of a five-speed manual gearbox or a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) automatic, the CVT trans hooked up to the larger engine offered a seven-speed sequential shift function.The suspension was a combination of MacPherson strut front and torsion beam rear with stabiliser bars at both ends, while the brakes were a blend of disc front and drum rear with anti-skid protection, and the steering was electric-power assisted. Honda offered the Jazz in three models; the GLi, VTi and VTi-S. The GLi opened the range and came nicely equipped with cloth trim, power windows and mirrors, central locking, tilt-adjustable steering column, a full array of instruments, and a CD player.The VTi came with all of that plus air-conditioning, and sports cloth trim, while the sporty VTi-S came with front and rear spoilers, front fog lamps and alloy wheels.The Jazz is a city car and often driven by people living in inner-city areas, which exposes them to more of the bump and grind of gridlock than cars living in the outer suburban areas. They can often be left parked in the street, under trees and light poles, and subject to the things that fall out of the sky.So look for body bumps and scrapes, and stains on the paint work. Look for a car that has been well-maintained on a regular basis, and not just cleaned up for sale.Cars left exposed to the elements need more washing, waxing and polishing than those parked under cover.Look at the wheels for evidence of being scraped on or bumped into kerbs. If you find damaged rims, have the suspension inspected for damage. It is relatively easy to damage a drive line or steering joint by accidentally hitting a kerb. Listen for odd clicking noises when turning that might indicate a damaged joint.Check for a service record indicating regular oil changes, and lift the oil-filler cap and take a look for sludge as a result of missed oil services. On average a Jazz should have done around 60,000km if it was a 2002 model, less if a later delivery.All models boasted airbags for the driver and front passenger for reasonable protection in a crash from the front, while anti-skid brakes help you to get out of trouble when confronted with a crash situation.The chassis dynamics aren't brilliant, and steering is accurate without being responsive, but the chassis is quite well balanced, but with a slight bias towards understeer.

In extreme situations, owners have been warned their vehicles may catch fire.Mitsubishi was hit with the biggest safety recall for the three month period. It has written to owners of Pajeros built between 2000 and 2003 to warn them of a potential brake problem. As many as 13,400 vehicles may need to be checked.The company also recalled 4400 of its now-defunct 380 sedan, built between 2006 and 2007, which may have a faulty fuel tank retaining strap. In a severe collision the tank may be dislodged and spill fuel.Mitsubishi is also checking more than 8300 Colts built this year which may have a problem with door windows which may drop and unlock or open the door while the car is being driven.Honda has recalled 11,800 of its 2004-05 Jazz to check whether they have a faulty handbrake, while Mazda needs to look at 1770 of its B4000 utes built between 2005-2006 because the bonnet may open unexpectedly.Subaru has recalled 5380 of its Imprezas, built between 2001 and 2003 because of a faulty rear tailgate which may suddenly drop.Subaru Australia spokesman, Dave Rowley, said many of the recalls were to check for "minor or niggling" faults."We have had no incidents of anyone being injured in Australia and we found only six cars which had the faulty (tailgate strut) connection."Many recalls are done as a pre-emptive measure to avoid possible problems further down the track, " he said.Other potential faults include electrical short circuits, which in extreme circumstances, may start a cabin fire in Landrover Freelander diesels built since 2007. Landrover warns the fault may occur when the vehicle is parked and unattended.Other recalls were to check for short circuits in Fiat's Grande Punto; and a chance that the panoramic glass roof in a small number of Citroen's Picasso could be dislodged.Suzuki has warned of potential fire risk in its 3-door Suzuki Grand Vitara (2006-07) because of a possible cracked fuel pipe, while the 2005-08 Vitara diesel has a remote fire risk in a filter because of a problem with the intercooler outlet pipe insulator.Other problems include faulty rear seat belt D-loop attachments in the current Jaguar XF, and the potential for a loss of steering in Chrysler's 300C built last year because of a problem with rear axle hub nuts which could see the half shaft disengage from the wheel hub.Mercedes Benz wants to look at axles, springs and the park brake in its Sprinter or Vito vans.Jayco has recalled some of its motor homes to check and fix awning and exhaust pipe problems.Of the 1500 motorcycles recalled, safety issues to be fixed include a faulty fuel filler on Kawasaki models, a windshield which may come off Buell bikes if ridden at high speed and a rear view mirror which may fall off on certain Yamaha models.An ACCC spokeswoman said this year's figures were actually less than last year but the number has been steadily rising over the past 20 years.The ACCC says there have been 52 individual recalls this year compared to 171 last year.Full details of the recalls can be found at www.recalls.gov.au