Common problems

Honda CR-Z common problems

What MOT testers find on the Honda CR-Z: the parts that fail or get advisories most often at each age, against all cars of the same age. From 14,697 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

At 12 years, the most tested age

Brakes fails per 100 MOTs (n=3,679)8.4

All cars at 12 years (n=7,303,151)8.2

Brakes advisories and minor defects per 100 MOTs (n=3,679)24.5

All cars, same age (n=7,303,151)24.0

What stands out

No part area of the Honda CR-Z fails more than 1 point per 100 MOTs above all cars at 12 years old (n=3,679; all cars n=7,303,151).
Lights and electrics fails are less common: 4.9 per 100 MOTs against 15.4 for all cars at the same age.
The fail item testers record most often at 12 years: handbrake too weak, on 2.3 per 100 MOTs (all cars 1.5).
The most common advisory or minor defect: brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened, on 13.5 per 100 MOTs.

Problems by part at 12 years

How many of every 100 MOTs found a fail, or an advisory or minor defect, in each area. A test with faults in two areas counts in both.

Honda CR-Z at 12 years (n=3,679) against all cars at 12 years (n=7,303,151). Per 100 MOTs.
Area	Fails	All cars	Advisories	All cars
Brakes	8.4	8.2	24.5	24.0
Suspension	6.0	13.4	18.3	24.9
Tyres	5.2	7.1	23.2	27.7
Lights and electrics	4.9	15.4	6.1	9.3
Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	3.2	5.2	3.9	4.4
Body and structure	2.3	4.3	4.5	6.5
Steering	1.0	2.8	5.3	3.1
Exhaust, emissions and leaks	0.7	3.7	0.5	6.9
Number plates and VIN	0.4	0.4	1.5	2.8
Seat belts and airbags	0.2	1.0	0.4	0.6
Road wheels	0.2	0.5	1.3	1.1

What testers fail most on the CR-Z at 12 years

Fail items on the Honda CR-Z at 12 years (n=3,679), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=7,303,151).
Item	Area	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	Typical repair (estimate)
Handbrake too weak	Brakes	2.3	1.5
Brake pads under 1.5 mm	Brakes	2.2	2.1	£72 to £174 per axle (rough guide)
Wipers not clearing screen	Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	2.2	2.0	£15 to £30 per blade
Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt	Suspension	2.1	1.2	£33 to £102 per link (rough guide)
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm	Tyres	1.8	2.9	£88 to £145 per tyre
Service brake performance: excessively binding	Brakes	1.7	0.9	£55 to £267 per wheel (rough guide)
Tyre condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords	Tyres	1.0	1.2	£88 to £145 per tyre
Headlamp aim: too low	Lights and electrics	1.0	1.5	£16 to £39 per car (rough guide)
Anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt	Suspension	1.0	0.5	£33 to £102 per link (rough guide)
Exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases	Body and structure	0.9	1.0	£182 to £263 per section

Early warnings: advisories and minor defects at 12 years

Advisories and minor defects are recorded, but the car still passes. Across all cars, a part with an advisory or minor defect failed at the next MOT 5.5 times in 100 (n=88,666,940 pairs of consecutive MOTs), against 0.3 times in 100 when the same part had none (n=12,936,860,350).

Advisories and minor defects on the Honda CR-Z at 12 years (n=3,679), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=7,303,151).
Item	Area	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	If it needs replacing (estimate)
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened	Brakes	13.5	10.4	£148 to £376 per axle (rough guide)
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge	Tyres	12.5	18.0	£88 to £145 per tyre
Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing	Tyres	10.0	8.9	£88 to £145 per tyre
Brake pads: wearing thin	Brakes	8.3	7.6	£72 to £174 per axle (rough guide)
Track rod end: ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt	Steering	4.8	0.7
Service brake performance: binding but not excessively	Brakes	4.5	1.8	£55 to £267 per wheel (rough guide)
Suspension arm ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated	Suspension	4.4	1.0
Coil spring: corroded	Suspension	3.3	4.7
Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil	Suspension	3.2	3.8	£122 to £484 per axle (pair) (rough guide)
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources	Lights and electrics	3.0	4.6

Repair estimates are a guide for an independent garage: labour at the national median local garage rate (median £78 an hour from 65 garages, ONS price quotes) times estimated labour hours, plus a parts band. Labour hours and most parts bands are estimates, not quotes, and prices vary by model, engine and region. A warning light fault shows the cost of the diagnosis only.

How problems change with age

Fails per 100 MOTs in the three most common areas at 12 years. Ages with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
Age	Tests (n)	Brakes	Suspension	Tyres
10 years	1,106	7.6	3.6	3.9
11 years	2,572	7.9	6.1	5.2
12 years	3,679	8.4	6.0	5.2
13 years	3,338	9.8	7.7	5.5
14 years	2,731	10.0	9.6	4.8
15 years	1,271	8.7	9.8	4.5

What to check on a viewing

On the Honda CR-Z, testers most often record handbrake too weak; brake pads under 1.5 mm; wipers not clearing screen. Look at these first, then the areas below.

Brakes

On the test drive the car should stop in a straight line without pulling, juddering or grinding.
Look at the discs through the wheels for a deep lip, heavy rust or scoring.
Check that the handbrake or electronic parking brake holds the car on a slope.
Ask when the pads, discs and brake fluid were last changed, and for the receipts.

Suspension

Listen for knocks or clonks over speed bumps and rough roads on the test drive.
Push down hard on each corner: the car should settle at once rather than keep bouncing.
Look behind the wheels for broken or heavily rusted coil springs and split rubber bushes.
Check that the car sits level and that no tyre is worn on one edge only.

Tyres

Check the tread across the full width of all four tyres, and the spare if there is one.
Look for cuts, bulges and cracking in the sidewalls.
Wear on one edge only can point to worn suspension or the tracking being out.

Ask for the car's MOT history and service record: advisories that repeat from one year to the next show what has been left. GOV.UK MOT history.

Questions

What are the most common problems on the Honda CR-Z?

At 12 years, the age with the most MOT tests (3,679), the fail items testers record most often on the Honda CR-Z are handbrake too weak (2.3 per 100 MOTs), brake pads under 1.5 mm (2.2 per 100 MOTs), wipers not clearing screen (2.2 per 100 MOTs). The most common advisories or minor defects are brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (13.5) and tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (12.5).

Which parts of the Honda CR-Z fail more often than on other cars?

None by more than 1 point per 100 MOTs at 12 years, compared with 7,303,151 MOTs of all cars the same age.

Honda CR-Z problems by area

Other Honda models

All Honda models · Common problems by make

Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.

The all cars figures cover all class 4 vehicles (cars and light vans) tested at the same age.

Looking at a Honda CR-Z?

These figures describe the model, not the car in front of you. Found one you might buy? See what the VetTheCar Buying Report covers, or use the tools that work without a registration.

See a sample report Car tools · MOT fail rates by model · Compare models by MOT record

Repair estimates: ONS consumer price quotes for local garage labour (09/2025 to 08/2026), the MOT inspection manual for defect wording, and estimated labour hours and parts bands. Not affiliated with or endorsed by ONS.

Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025. MOT data updated 28 September 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources