Hi - I have just taken delivery of the base model Jazz (UK) and am very surprised how stiff the steering feels. I didn't test drive the JAzz, so I have no reference point to what is normal. The stiffness is most noticable at normal driving speeds - the steering will not self centre after turning and requires quite firm correction. I have read that the steering is normaly considered to be light.

I have googled this issue and only found a few references and can't find any references here.

Could someone comment about how light/stiff their steering is?

MAny thanks
Graham

 

If you have to manually straighten out the course of your car, something is wrong. Since it happens more at speed it could be alignment. Whatever it is, it definitely deserves a once-over by the dealer. Alignment, tire pressures, steering system, power steering system; have them check it all.

 

Thanks for the commend wdb. I took a drive in a simalar spec vehicle with 4K miles on yesterday - it was exactly the same. Considerable friction is present in the steering column and the steering certainly does not self centre correctly. I was really surprised to see this 'feature' in a second vehicle. I have an appointment with the service manager on Monday - hopefull we can make some progress there.

Cheer Graham

 

well any updates on this?! i have a UK spec jazz sport, steering seems fine to me, not too light not too stiff.. tho i have changed the suspension so it mite b bit diff...

 

Hi Graham, with regards to the Jazz you have bought. My advice although easier said than done is to refuse this car. I have an 03 Jazz which I bought new and has exactly the same symptoms. The steering is stiff and notchy, has to be pulled back to the centre steering position when coming out of corners and has to be constantly nudged about the straight ahead position to try and maintain a straight course. You can actually feel mine flop either side of centre. According to the dealer and Honda technical the symptoms and feel are down to the electronic power steering and you need to adapt to it (LoL). It also self servos to extreme lock either side when parking unless you maintain a firm grip on the steering wheel. From day one I complained time and time again about this car and its steering and was told that there was nothing wrong with it, even had it laser checked twice. Take my advice if it doesn`t feel right don`t buy it or you will experience the worst driving experience of your life. Check the rear wheel well too since some cars have a leak which fills the well with water and you won`t notice until you hear it sloshing around or need the spare wheel. Ask me how I know.

Golem T Snatch

 

Steering of all Fits I have serviced have been light and accurate. Check alignment, steering box, and tire pressures to start.

 

Mine behaves the same way. I believe the stiff steering stems from a design decision: Honda gave the first generation Jazz only 5mm of caster. This leads to excellent agility in the city but more nervous behaviour on the highway (and not a lot of self centering). In order to combat the nervousness, they build in a steering damper.

My dealer denies the existence of a steering damper, but you can find various references to a steering damper in PR material for the Jazz: search for Honda damper-equipped wormshaft.

On top of this, the Electronic Power Steering does not run all the time: this is after all the main advantage of EPS over hydraulic power steering. The power steering takes a while to react and may not even kick in for small steering corrections, like you do on a straight highway at 80 mph. The upside is that you do not notice it in the twisties.

Honda redesigned the entire front suspension for the second generation Jazz and caster has been enlarged to a more normal 20 mm. Electronic Power Steering has evolved in the meantime and I haven't seen a reference to a steering damper anywhere.

I just learned to live with it. The basic idea is not to fight the car with a lot of small steering corrections but give gentle but firm input and let the car track its own way. Besides, according to my dealer, the stiff steering is not limited to the Jazz but exists in the previous generation Civic too.

 

Well that's shed some light on the source of the problem. I suspect that there is still a batch of cars out there with a manufacturing fault that emphasises the shortcomings of the original design hence some people being satisfied and others not. I have only hung on to this particular car because it is phenomenally economical on fuel but as a rewarding driving experience my particular example rates on a par with an 1970`s Morris Marina with the Marina having the edge. A lesson learned here is that the next car I buy will be the one that I have driven and not one that has been coloured by a test drive in a demonstrator.

 

well the base does not come with power steering but if it is really stiff you should go by the dealer for a service check just to make sure

 

I don't believe there's a Jazz without power steering. It certainly doesn't seem to be a good idea for a car with a 62/38 front/rear weight distribution.

Nor do I beleive there's a significant difference in steering effort between different Jazzes. I just think some people are more sensitive to it than others. Plus, it matters a lot what kind of roads you're travelling. I had loads of fun with the Jazz on twisty roads in the south of France but the steering annoys me pretty quickly on any straight highway. City traffic is effortless too -- which is basically what this car was designed for -- thanks to the quick steering ratio (which makes the problem worse on straight highways).

 

i am sorry i had it confused with cruise control