If you are considering buying a used Honda Jazz, there are several major reliability issues worth knowing about first. Our garage database tracks 2 known faults for this model, 1 of them rated high severity. Every one below is a repair bill a seller has good reason not to mention.
Are you about to buy a lemon?
Sellers rarely admit these faults outright. Our database tracks 6 specific phrases sellers use in adverts to soft-pedal these exact issues. Paste any Honda Jazz advert and we will check it in seconds.
i-SHIFT automated manual transmission actuator and clutch failure, often costing more to fix than the car is worth
Rough guide
£1000-2500
Typical symptoms
cog warning light on dash
gearbox gets stuck in neutral and won't engage gear
severe lurching and jerky gear changes
Affected vehicles
Engines:
All i-SHIFT Automatics
Typical mileage:
50000-90000 miles
🔍 We have a specific pre-purchase check for this faultCheck an advert →
Honda Jazz Mk1 (GD) (2002-2008) problems
Bodywork/ChassisMedium severity💬 Owner reports
Rear wheel arch rust, starting at the leading edge of each arch just in front of the rear wheel, where a slot in the panel design collects stones, sand and salt. It is common enough on the Mk1 Jazz that model-specific arch repair panels are sold for it, and it undermines the car's otherwise excellent reliability reputation: the mechanicals outlast the arches. Once bubbling shows on the lip, the metal behind is usually far worse, and a proper repair is cut-and-weld, not filler.
Rough guide
£150-800
Typical symptoms
bubbling on the rear arch lip, usually starting at the front edge of the arch
rust staining running down from behind the arch
filler or a slightly wavy arch line from a cheap previous repair
Affected vehicles
Engines:
All
Typically appears:
10-20 years
🔍 We have a specific pre-purchase check for this faultCheck an advert →
Repair costs are typical UK ranges, not quotes. Actual cost depends on condition and garage.Data last verified: August 2026
Where this Honda Jazz fault data comes from
If you used to check the Honest John “Good & Bad” section before the site closed in 2026, this page is where that information now lives. We rebuilt the Honda Jazz owner-report history from the archived Honest John dataset, added our own research, specialist and owner-club sources and DVSA recall data, and we keep it free. Each fault above is badged with its source. The same data feeds our free advert check, which reads a listing against every known fault for the exact engine and year.