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2016 Honda Civic

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Civic years

Owner complaints for the 2016 Honda Civic are substantially higher than the model-year median of 183.5.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

494 reports with mileage · 586 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Steering. Review the 444 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 119 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 95 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

36 crash reports4 fire reports13 injury reports

Steering complaints

444 reports
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Mileage unknown · Jun 21, 2023
Steering

Sticki steering wheel on the freeway

NHTSA ODI #11528051

Mileage unknown · Jun 19, 2023
Steering

The vehicle steering is sticky. When the vehicle is started, the steering is fine. However, after about 15 minutes of driving, the problem is most noticeable when trying to keep the car straight at around 40 mph and higher. When making fine adjustments to keep the car straight on the freeway, the steering gets stuck then suddenl…

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The vehicle steering is sticky. When the vehicle is started, the steering is fine. However, after about 15 minutes of driving, the problem is most noticeable when trying to keep the car straight at around 40 mph and higher. When making fine adjustments to keep the car straight on the freeway, the steering gets stuck then suddenly releases when making fine adjustments. This causes the vehicle to jerk from side to side when trying to keep my vehicle in my lane...I have taken my vehicle in to 2 independent service centers but the problem seems to temporarily go away if the vehicle is turned off for a little while. Only to return when I leave the service center around 15 minutes later...There are no codes or warning lights that appear...My Civic is a 2016 but only has 12,400 miles. The steering problem started at around 9,000 miles.

NHTSA ODI #11527784

Mileage unknown · Jun 11, 2023
Electrical SystemSteering

My car has had a sticky steering wheel problem for over a year now. I’m at 75k miles, the problem started at least around 60k miles. The wheel feels heavy and I have to over correct due to that stickiness. I can’t drive straight when I am on the highway. I continuously have to correct to keep the wheel straight. It does not feel…

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My car has had a sticky steering wheel problem for over a year now. I’m at 75k miles, the problem started at least around 60k miles. The wheel feels heavy and I have to over correct due to that stickiness. I can’t drive straight when I am on the highway. I continuously have to correct to keep the wheel straight. It does not feel safe. Last year my battery died and changing the battery helped the sticky steering a little but only for a short time. I think the problem has something to do with the power steering.

NHTSA ODI #11526459

Mileage unknown · Jun 8, 2023
Steering

Steering, same as other complaints. Intermittent sticking of the steering wheel. Constantly have to force steering wheel in order to maintain lane. Steering wheel seems to lock, have to force it to stay straight. Problem started couple years ago, at about 35K miles, and at 70K it is getting worse. And the cost---ha-unreal!!!

NHTSA ODI #11526126

Mileage unknown · Jun 7, 2023
EngineSteering

This car has given me the same repeating issues. Winter time the screen blinks blank. AC issues because of the design. Feeling the car with my foot on the break at a red light makes me want to puke. And the big one the steering. After driving on the highway for a bit, I notice the steering has a sticky kind of groove it likes to…

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This car has given me the same repeating issues. Winter time the screen blinks blank. AC issues because of the design. Feeling the car with my foot on the break at a red light makes me want to puke. And the big one the steering. After driving on the highway for a bit, I notice the steering has a sticky kind of groove it likes to be in. I have not found a solution to the problem. Safety-camera screen blinking but you're used to using it, could potentially hit something. Nausea in traffic not good for any one. Steering-trying to maintain a lane while the steering gets stuck to the left but the road is veering to the right, it's terrifying. The car has a mind of its own and only performs when it wants...no official dealer report. I don't believe there are any official reports in regards to my vehicle. There have been NO lights or any kind of warning or messages about this. AC was about a year into having the car. The screen happened first winter and every winter since. The sticky steering wheel has been like herpes for about the past 5 years. I just want to have nice things that work. Thank you for your time.

NHTSA ODI #11525793

Mileage unknown · Jun 5, 2023
Steering

The steering wheel sticks constantly while driving the car. This is a major safety concern because many times it sticks hard enough to the point where you can over correct while trying to overcome the stuck position of the steering wheel. This can cause you to drive erratically trying to keep the car between the lanes. We have …

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The steering wheel sticks constantly while driving the car. This is a major safety concern because many times it sticks hard enough to the point where you can over correct while trying to overcome the stuck position of the steering wheel. This can cause you to drive erratically trying to keep the car between the lanes. We have not taken it to the dealership since we are aware now that this is a an issue amongst a large number of Honda Civic owners and the manufacture needs to step in and rectify this problem they already know about. It's not just our 2012 model, it is an issue amongst several different year models with the Honda Civic. We are just another victim of negligence by the manufacturer. Something needs to be done to correct this issue before people are injured because of it.

NHTSA ODI #11525454

Mileage unknown · Jun 2, 2023
Steering

Car has an intermittent steering problem noticeable mostly at highway speeds. Its not constant, just shows up randomly. While driving straight ahead attempting to keep it going straight the steering wheel becomes sticky and jerky when you attempt to slightly adjust (turn left or right). Wile applying slight pressure to turn m…

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Car has an intermittent steering problem noticeable mostly at highway speeds. Its not constant, just shows up randomly. While driving straight ahead attempting to keep it going straight the steering wheel becomes sticky and jerky when you attempt to slightly adjust (turn left or right). Wile applying slight pressure to turn minimally the steering wheel sticks in place, then suddenly jerks in the direction you trying to steer it towards, causing oversteering and resulting in an attempt to oversteer it back to the other direction (to try and keep it in the lane going straight). It is not only annoying but also very unsafe as the sudden jerking and oversteering can cause a highway collision unexpectedly. My car has only 7,500 miles on it and this just started happening (May 2023).

NHTSA ODI #11525051

Mileage unknown · Jun 1, 2023
Steering

The incident started 2-3 years ago and has progressively gotten worse. When driving, for usually 20+ minutes, the steering wheel will become stiff. This is most noticeable when driving in straight lines or trying to keep the car in the lane on the highway. This requires more effort to straighten the car out which leads to overst…

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The incident started 2-3 years ago and has progressively gotten worse. When driving, for usually 20+ minutes, the steering wheel will become stiff. This is most noticeable when driving in straight lines or trying to keep the car in the lane on the highway. This requires more effort to straighten the car out which leads to oversteering. Given the high speeds on the highway and impact of small movements in the steering wheel, I believe this to be a serious safety concern to occupants of the Honda Civics and nearby vehicles. I am unsure if a system has failed or if there is a malfunction but upon further research this appears to not be an isolated incidence with a significant amount of forum discussions relating to this exact issue. The problem has not been reproduced a this time in front of a service center representative. There has been no warning of any kind relating to this issue.

NHTSA ODI #11524780

Mileage unknown · May 26, 2023
Steering

Steering wheel becomes stiff when driving at highway speeds, especially after the car has been operating for at least 20 minutes. The experience is similar to turning your steering wheel with the ignition off and no power assist. I thought I was going to lose control of the vehicle as I fought the steering wheel to stay centered…

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Steering wheel becomes stiff when driving at highway speeds, especially after the car has been operating for at least 20 minutes. The experience is similar to turning your steering wheel with the ignition off and no power assist. I thought I was going to lose control of the vehicle as I fought the steering wheel to stay centered in my lane and had to immediately pull over to the shoulder on the highway. First time it happened was September of 2020. When it continued, I no longer drove on the highway. I also experienced the issue when driving through a roundabout at 5 mph. It felt like the steering wheel locked up and I nearly crashed into the median before regaining control. Almost three years later, it continues to happen at highway speeds so I took it to the dealership for diagnosis because I only have 24,000 miles on the vehicle and cannot take it on road trips. Dealer confirmed the electronic power steering rack needs to be replaced at a cost of $4,000.00. This is a 2016 Honda Civic purchased new with only 24,000 miles to date and is undriveable at highway speeds due to safety issues and the dealer actually diagnosed a defective electronic power steering rack. Service tech said "too bad you don't own the 2017 Civic because a recall was issued for the power steering and you'd be covered 100%." This is an extremely expensive repair for a known defect. Please issue a recall for the 2016 Honda Civic electronic power steering system. Customers should not have to pay for the repair out of pocket for a defective part.

NHTSA ODI #11524054

Mileage unknown · May 23, 2023
Steering

Hello, I've had my 2016 Honda Civic LX for almost 4 years now and noticed within the first year that the steering seemed to start getting "sticky" once I reach speeds over 35 mph. I brushed it off with the excuse that I live in a hot area, and maybe some things that I just don't understand are happening with the components. Yet,…

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Hello, I've had my 2016 Honda Civic LX for almost 4 years now and noticed within the first year that the steering seemed to start getting "sticky" once I reach speeds over 35 mph. I brushed it off with the excuse that I live in a hot area, and maybe some things that I just don't understand are happening with the components. Yet, throughout the last year (55k-65k miles) it's becoming unbearable. To be specific, when I'm on the highway and I turn the vehicle towards the left or the right, the entire steering wheel feels like it catches on some kind of notch. This "catch" results in me having to use excessive force to steer the vehicle in the direction I'm trying to go. This makes me very concerned and nervous when I'm changing lanes, turning onto a street, or even simply following the curve of the road, as it can cause jerking motion and overcorrection. I've brought the vehicle into a Honda dealership before and the mechanic said he noticed what I was talking about, but was unsure of the cause. It did not get resolved, as I don't have the money to throw random components at it. This is my only vehicle and daily driver, I would be open to making it available for inspection. I have not had any one besides the dealership look into the problem. There has been no warning lights in the dash, and no other issues with this vehicle. The first experience I have with the sticky steering was 2020, at around 35k miles.

NHTSA ODI #11523564

Official recalls

5

26V332000 · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification:front Passenger

May 21, 2026

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH, NOC, POD, BOE, UOF, POB, EOG, AOI, QO8, TOJ, DO7, and SOK. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.

23V858000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump

Dec 18, 2023

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.

16V725000 · Parking Brake

Oct 11, 2016

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2016 Honda Civic two door and four door 1.5L turbo and 2.0L vehicles. The electric parking brake (EPB) may not engage if it is applied immediately after turning the ignition off.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the EPB is not applied, the vehicle may roll away, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the vehicle's software to allow the EPB to engage immediately after the ignition is turned off, free of charge. The recall began on November 8, 2016. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is KC6.

16V526000 · Exterior Lighting

Jul 11, 2016

American Honda Motor Co. (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2016 Civic 2-Door vehicles manufactured February 23, 2016, through May 20, 2016. The affected vehicles may have a damaged LED side marker light circuit board inside the taillight assembly, making the marker light inoperable. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Assoc. Equipment."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If a side marker light does not function, vehicle visibility can be decreased to other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect both the taillight assemblies, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on August 31, 2016. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is KB8.

16V074000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine

Feb 9, 2016

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2016 Civic vehicles manufactured September 22, 2015, to February 3, 2016 and equipped with 2.0L engines. The affected vehicles have engines with piston assemblies that may have been manufactured without a piston wrist pin circlip or with an incorrectly installed piston wrist pin circlip.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If a circlip is missing or incorrectly installed, the piston wrist pin may not be secure and may drift and damage the engine cylinder causing the engine to seize, and increasing the risk of a crash or a fire.

Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the piston assemblies and damaged engine components, as necessary, free of charge. Parts are expected to be available in the Summer of 2016. Owners were mailed an interim notification beginning March 31, 2016, and will be mailed a second notice when parts are available. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is JX9.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

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