Which generation Honda Jazz had a transmission issue related to the CVT?
Asked by Terrye
The early releases of the Honda Jazz had a transmission issue related to the CVT causing the car to shudder. I'd like to buy another Honda Jazz but am concerned about this and any other issues that are inherent to the Jazz. Can you advise on best date of manufacture or edition of Jazz that are hassle free?
Answered by CarsGuide
11 Nov 2020The problem you refer to affected the very first Jazz models sold here up to 2008. Any car made after that date should not exhibit the same problem as Honda made running changes to fix it back in the day.
The problem was actually traced back to the wrong transmission fluid being used in the CVT unit. These modern transmission are very particular about what fluid they use, especially with regard to the complex brew of additives that make up the fluid.
Over time, the fluid in the affected Jazzes would start to break down as the additives became depleted, at which point, it wasn’t doing the complete job necessary. Specifically, the depleted additive package suddenly allowed the starter-motor clutch to remain engaged. Essentially, you had the transmission trying to drive the car and the starter clutch dragging at it, effectively trying to slow it down. Which is when the car would start to shudder.
The solution was to switch to a new, reformulated transmission fluid which was added to the drained CVT, the car driven for a certain distance, the new fluid dumped and refilled and then the ECU reset to recalibrate the transmission. Problem sorted.
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