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My new Honda Jazz suffers from a braking fault - how can I get this fixed?

I previously had two new Honda Jazz 1.4ES CVTs and found them to be excellent in all respects. In June this year I purchased, from Holden's Norwich, a new Jazz 1.4ES CVT and have quite bad trouble with the brakes. The braking is not progressive. On pressing the brake pedal there is only very slight braking. Further pressure puts the brakes viciously full-on, causing passengers and myself to shoot forward. It is impossible to progressively brake in traffic, parking and at lights, and the sudden stopping causes trouble with the cars behind me. This was reported a few weeks after buying the vehicle and I was told by the salesman it would be all right when you get a few miles on the clock. This did not happen with 1500 miles on the clock. I have taken the car back twice since then to Holdens and complained but they say there is nothing wrong and last time the salesman said all these small cars do this. Any ideas where I can get this fixed as it is quite dangerous in the recent frosty weather?

Asked on 19 January 2013 by AB, Norwich

Answered by Honest John
With petrol-engined cars the power assistance to the brakes is created by a vacuum servo. I think there is a fault with yours. This function does vary from car to car, but, having driven thousands of cars, including old Jazz I-DSIs and current Jazz I-VTECs, I think that if the brakes are unprogressively sharp then there is something wrong. Put your complaint in writing to the dealer, stating that if a crash should result you will hold the dealer liable for not rectifying this potentially dangerous fault.
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