2009-2024 Honda City Problems: 5 Known Issues

The CVT fitted to the sixth-generation City (Brazil, 2015+) and the India-market fourth-generation City (2014+) is a chronic complaint source. Owners report judder/shudder when pulling away from a stop, slipping and RPM flare under acceleration, whining noises, and in the worst cases complete loss of drive. Brazilian owners on Reclame Aqui and the automotive press (Vrum, Mobiauto) document failures from roughly 30,000 km onward, with an internal dealer bulletin reportedly acknowledging chronic CVT bearing problems on 2015 units; one 2019 City EXL suffered catastrophic failure just past 100,000 km. On Team-BHP, a 2016 City 1.5 CVT lost drive entirely at 56,500 km and the service center quoted approximately Rs 4 lakh (~USD 4,800) for a replacement gearbox. Brazilian dealer repair quotes above R$ 10,000-20,000 are common. The judder itself is widely attributed to starter-clutch contamination and degraded CVT fluid; Honda has historically extended CVT warranties in other markets for the same judder phenomenon.

Brazilian-market Honda City sedans built from 2010 through 2014 were swept into the global Takata airbag recall — the largest recall in automotive history. The ammonium-nitrate inflators degrade in hot, humid climates (exactly Brazil's conditions); in a crash that triggers the airbag, the inflator housing can rupture and fire metal fragments at occupants, a defect linked to at least 21 deaths worldwide at the time of the Brazilian campaigns. Recall waves included City units with chassis in the AZ100032-BZ213443 range (2010-2011) and a January 2018 campaign covering 86,156 Fit/City units (City production 12 April 2012 to 1 July 2013). Honda Brazil's overall Takata campaign covered roughly 943,000 vehicles requiring 1.6 million inflators, and as of January 2026 was still at about 94% completion — meaning unrepaired City units remain on Brazilian roads.

Honda City (and sister-model Fit) units from roughly 2015-2018 have a chronic failure of the starter motor brush holder (porta-escova). The brush holder wears prematurely, causing intermittent no-starts: the key is turned and nothing happens, or the engine only cranks after several attempts, typically appearing around 50,000 km — often just after the factory warranty expires. The problem is so widespread in Brazil that aftermarket suppliers sell dedicated brush-holder repair kits specifically for the 2015+ City/Fit/Civic/CR-V starter, and Brazilian outlets Vrum and Mobiauto both list it among the model's defining chronic defects, with recurring Reclame Aqui complaints and City Club forum threads describing the identical intermittent-crank pattern.

Owners of the GM-generation City (2009-2014) extensively document wear in the electric power steering rack: play develops at the rack bushing/base, producing clicking when turning the wheel, dry knocks from the front end on uneven pavement, and a loose feel in the steering. Honda City Club forum threads describe the steering-box bushing wear as a known weak point, with owners resorting to custom-machined bushings because of the cost of a complete rack. The complaint resurfaced on the GN generation (2022-2024): Reclame Aqui carries multiple 'barulho na caixa de direção' complaints for the 2022 City, Auto+TV lists steering-box noise among the new model's recurring problems (often at low mileage, ~25,000 km), and one owner group reportedly gathered over 40 participants with the same steering noise complaint.

City (and Fit) units built from around 2015 onward in Brazil show premature rust spots and paint blistering, most characteristically on the hood's leading edge, often while the car is still nearly new. Vrum and Mobiauto both list hood rust among the model's chronic complaints, noting it frequently surfaces right after the corrosion warranty discussion begins, and dedicated owner-complaint blogs document City units with rust not only on the hood but also on door hinges and the metal panel behind the rear-seat backrest — areas dealers admitted receive no anti-rust treatment. In Brazil's hot, humid coastal climate the blistering progresses quickly. In many documented Fit/City cases, Honda analyzed the vehicle and authorized full hood replacement; other owners were denied once the warranty had lapsed.