I believe I read somewhere that car manufacturers find it cheaper to roll out cars with faults and sort them out when complained about. Unfortunately, the problem is exacerbated by poor dealer experience. Just reading the comments on this topic does in fact bear this out. Our little Jazz is now 7 yrs old and when doing odd jobs I am still finding bits and pieces that are broken or missing. Clearly the car has been involved in a couple of 'kibbles', there are not many cars these days that haven't. BUT whether or not the car was repaired by a Honda dealer or an independent I know not but there is evidence of mediocre workmanship. So it's the Jazz's fault when it is not the cars fault it's a case of some person not willing to do the job properly.
Going back to the good old days, I remember that Mr Henry's cars were absolute pigs to start in wet weather and when a rural copper I had a Ford 5cwt van which was OK just and then I was awarded a 1 ltr Metro. That little car went anywhere literally. I do know it was put off the road when one of my 'locals' spotted the number plate was not reflective. I cannot honestly remember it breaking down except because the other copper that shared it used to do something with the ignition lock that caused it to fail. Then, I was upgraded to a 1.3 ltr Metro. Both BL products, it was not a Rover metro. The Hillman Avenger, Vauxhall Cavalier, BL Montego and the Ford Sierra all had their problems but then they were on the road 24hrs a day except for servicing driven by usually 6 different people a day. Now days cars are more reliable but are still dependent on the people that service them. I personally think the Jazz deserves it's accolade.