The MOT Files

Known faults, from the test record

Honda Jazz common problems

What fails on the Honda Jazz at MOT, which parts are behind it, and how each model year compares. From 339,803 DVSA test records.

Data updated

Quick answer

The Honda Jazz's most common MOT problems are bulbs and lamps, suspension bushes, tyres, recorded in 35.7%, 26.6% and 26.6% of failed tests respectively. By model year, 2022 cars pass most often (94.0%) and 2005 cars least (53.5%), though most of that gap is age. Every figure here is what testers recorded, not what owners reported.

A “common problems” list is usually a forum thread: whoever had the worst day writes the longest post. This one is built the other way, from every Honda Jazz that took an MOT last year and what the tester wrote down. It cannot see breakdowns, electrical gremlins or a gearbox that hunts, because the test does not check those. What it can see, it sees across 339,803 cars.

By component

What wears out on a Jazz

Failure items grouped by the part behind them, with the share of failed Honda Jazz tests recording each. A part can carry several DVSA wordings; they are listed beneath. One failed test often lists several items, so shares do not sum to 100%.

  1. 1.Bulbs and lamps

    35.7% of failed tests

    Filament bulbs simply expire; the cheapest and most avoidable failure on the test, and one of the most recorded.

    • “A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning” — explained16.8%
    • “A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps” — explained5.1%
    • “Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning” — explained4.8%
    • “Product on the lens or light source which obviously reduces light intensity or changes emitted colour to other than white or yellow” — explained4.1%

    Across all cars, bulbs and lamps failures climb 15-fold between three and fifteen years, peaking at 15+ years. How long bulbs and lamps last

  2. 2.Suspension bushes

    26.6% of failed tests

    Rubber bushes in arms and links perish and split with age and load; the most recorded suspension item on the test.

    • “A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc” — explained8.5%
    • “A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn” — explained6.4%
    • “A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn” — explained6.3%
    • “A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc” — explained3.5%

    Across all cars, suspension bushes failures climb 20-fold between three and fifteen years, peaking at 15+ years. How long suspension bushes last

  3. 3.Tyres

    26.6% of failed tests

    Tread wears with every mile and sidewalls age and take kerb damage; the legal minimum is 1.6 mm across the central three-quarters.

    • “Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements” — explained8.2%
    • “A tyre seriously damaged” — explained7.1%
    • “A tyre seriously damaged” — explained4.5%
    • “A tyre cords visible or damaged” — explained4.3%

    Across all cars, tyres failures run at a similar rate at every age, because they are replaced on a cycle rather than wearing out with the car. How long tyres last

  4. 4.Wiper blades and washers

    19.3% of failed tests

    Rubber blades harden and split within a year or two; washer jets block and pumps fail.

    • “Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen” — explained12.5%
    • “Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen” — explained4.0%
    • “Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen” — explained2.9%

    Across all cars, wiper blades and washers failures run at a similar rate at every age, because they are replaced on a cycle rather than wearing out with the car. How long wiper blades and washers last

  5. 5.Parking brake

    15.4% of failed tests

    Cables stretch and seize, rear shoes and adjusters wear; efficiency is measured on the roller tester against the vehicle's weight.

    • “Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement” — explained11.3%
    • “Parking brake inoperative on one side” — explained2.3%
    • “Parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the required value” — explained1.7%

  6. 6.Brake pads and shoes

    14.3% of failed tests

    Friction material wears with use; the MOT limit is 1.5 mm and a pad that thin is close to metal on metal.

    • “a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm” — explained14.3%

    Across all cars, brake pads and shoes failures run at a similar rate at every age, because they are replaced on a cycle rather than wearing out with the car. How long brake pads and shoes last

  7. 7.Headlamp aim

    13.3% of failed tests

    Aim drifts with sagging suspension, a knocked lamp or a botched bulb change; adjustment, not a part.

    • “The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements” — explained10.7%
    • “The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements” — explained2.6%

  8. 8.Suspension arms and mountings

    12.5% of failed tests

    Arms bend on impact and mountings corrode into the body; a corroded mounting is a structural item and fails as one.

    • “The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired” — explained12.5%

By registration year

Jazz problems by year

MOT pass rate for Honda Jazz cars by the year they were first registered, from years with at least 1,000 tests. Every car in a row is the same age, so the rate is raw. Neighbouring years differ by a year of wear — a step of a point or two is age. The step at 2009, up 8.2 points, is larger than wear explains and most likely marks a change in the cars themselves.

200254%
200355%+0.5
200454%−1.0
200554%−0.4
200655%+1.3
200756%+1.0
200856%+0.0
200964%+8.2
201067%+3.2
201173%+5.5
201275%+2.5
201378%+2.4
201481%+3.4
201584%+2.4
201686%+2.9
201788%+1.3
201889%+1.5
201990%+1.0
202092%+1.3
202193%+1.3
202294%+1.2

Last column: change on the previous year, in points. Years registered within the last three years have not yet been tested and are not shown.

Before it fails

What testers warn Jazz owners about

Advisories are the same parts a year or two earlier. Share of all Honda Jazz tests carrying an advisory for each.

Go deeper

The rest of the Jazz file

Common questions

What are the most common problems with a Honda Jazz?
Going by what fails the MOT, bulbs and lamps (recorded in 35.7% of failed tests), suspension bushes (recorded in 26.6% of failed tests), and tyres (recorded in 26.6% of failed tests). These are the items testers actually record across 339,803 tests, not reports from owners, so they describe what goes wrong at the point where it has to be fixed.
Which Honda Jazz year is the most reliable?
By MOT pass rate, Honda Jazz cars registered in 2022 do best at 94.0% and 2005 cars do worst at 53.5%. Most of that ordering is simply age — newer cars pass more — so read the year table for steps larger than a couple of points between neighbouring years; those mark a change in the cars rather than the calendar. The largest such step is at 2009, up 8.2 points on 2008.
Is the Honda Jazz reliable?
Adjusted for the age and mileage of the cars tested, the Honda Jazz passes 75.5% of MOTs against a national 72.3%. An MOT measures roadworthiness on the day rather than breakdowns or running costs, so this is a reliability measure in the narrow sense: how often the car meets the legal standard, and what stops it.
What should I check when buying a used Honda Jazz?
Start with what fails most: bulbs and lamps, suspension bushes, tyres. Then read the car's own MOT history for advisories carried year to year without repair — the model tells you what to expect, the history tells you whether this owner dealt with it.

Analysis built from DVSA data of