2016 Honda Civic

Component that failed: The air conditioning system evaporator core failed, causing refrigerant leakage. The vehicle was inspected and diagnosed by a Honda dealership, which confirmed the failure and provided a written quote for replacement. The component is still installed and available for inspection. Safety risk: When the evaporator leaks, the A/C system loses refrigerant and stops cooling. This prevents the defrost/defog system from working properly, which can lead to poor visibility through the windshield in humid or rainy weather. In hot conditions, lack of cooling can also cause driver fatigue and heat stress, creating a safety risk for occupants. Confirmation of problem: Yes, the problem was confirmed by a Honda dealership after the condenser was already replaced under Honda’s extended warranty. Inspection by manufacturer/others: Yes, the vehicle was inspected by a Honda dealership. Honda corporate was contacted but declined to cover the evaporator, even though the condenser was covered under warranty due to a known defect in the A/C system. Warning lamps or symptoms: There were no warning lamps or dashboard messages. The only symptom was a loss of A/C cooling. After recharging the system, the A/C worked temporarily but will lose effectiveness again as refrigerant continues to leak. Summary: This is a premature failure of a critical climate control component that is widespread among 2016–2018 Honda Civics. Honda already extended warranty coverage for defective condensers in these models, but evaporator failures are also common and part of the same defective A/C system. The high cost of repair (quoted over $2,000) combined with the safety risks of poor windshield defogging and cabin overheating warrant NHTSA investigation and corrective action.

2016 Honda civic has 28 000 miles and the air conditioning went out. took it to Honda dealership, compressor, and evaporator and gasket is not working. everything but the evaporator is covered. Been driving in hot weather and unable to maintain comfortable temperature. Unsafe during hot weather to be driving in a car that has no air conditioning, may lead to heat related illness such as heat stoke in long drives. this is a well documented issue with these Hondas. Has been inspected by Honda dealership. unknown.

This report is on the paint defect issue on the 10th generation Honda Civic that can potentially impact the vehicle's structural integrity from the windshield damage. The white paint on my vehicle started peeling around the perimeter of the rear window with the rain groove. I am uncertain of the exact time it started, but the paint defect became noticeable to the naked eye just past the 5 years of ownership. The size of the paint chip has now extended to the rear body of the vehicle. A section of bare steel body around the rear window is exposed to the elements. Based on the inspection and evaluation by the authorized Honda paint and body shop that was recommended by the dealership, I have been informed that the cause is commonly due to improper paint priming during the manufacturing process. According to the paint and body shop owner, such paint peeling is a widely known issue with certain color paint for many auto manufacturers that use the same paint primer. I was warned that paint peeling will likely worsen with the water being captured underneath the paint. I am reporting this incident as a safety concern because the rust on the bare metal chassis of the vehicle can cause corrosion under the windshield adhesive over time and lead to the window breaking. The windshield is critical to the vehicle's structural rigidity as it contributes to both the roof support and the airbag deployment. The Honda dealership service manager submitted goodwill on my vehicle past warranty for a paint defect from the manufacturing process, but American Honda Motor Company has denied the claim as they determined it as cosmetic damage only. There are multiple reports online on paint defects from other Honda Civic owners from various places. There was a lawsuit settlement on older generation Honda Civic vehicles, but it looks like the known issue is still present on the newer generation. Based on the location of the paint defect, it can become a safety concern.

Component: Car AC System The Car AC system of the 10th generation Honda Civics is extremely faulty. My car is a 2016 Honda Civic with 75,000 miles and I have already had 3 "Extended Warranty" repairs on it. One at the condenser system and 2 at the compressor. This were covered under the "Extended Warranty". Now the evaporator is giving out and it is not cover under "Extended Warranty" and consumers are expected to pay for a faulty designed AC repair that just keeps breaking. In very hot areas in the country this is a major issue as the AC constantly blowing hot air can be nauseating and distracting especially with outside temperatures are above the 100 degrees. With the Extended Warranty only lasting 10 years a lot of cars are now going to be considered out of warranty and forced the consumer to pay for the faulty design. I would understand if the warranty repairs would fix the issue and they would never come back. But it seems that they are placing a mere bandaid and kicking the problem down the line until everyone is out of warranty. I've had 3 service to the AC and now I am due for a 4th. The car is not that old to be requiring all these services, and the bandaids place on the service are only lasting 1 to 2 years.

At the start of the summer in 2023, I noticed that my AC was only blowing hot air (during >110 degF Phoenix summer). I took it to a Brakes Plus on 4/7/2023 and had an evac and recharge service performed along with a leak test. The test detected a leak from the condenser, and I had the Brakes Plus shop replace that part. At the start of the summer of 2024 I was back at Brakes Plus with the same issue, my AC had gradually reverted to blowing only hot air. At that time, I did another evac and recharge service along with a leak test that was not able to detect any issues. Most recently, on 2/28/2025, I took my car to Brakes Plus again due to the same issue with my car AC only blowing hot air. This time, the technicians performed a leak test and saw signs of a leak near the compressor shaft in the form of dye found splattered around that area. So, that prompted us to find the warranty extension for the AC compressor shaft seal. So, I figured this time I would stop and take it to the Bell Honda Service Center to confirm that finding. I then set up an appointment with the Bell Honda Service Center in Phoenix on 3/1/2025. I was told that the only way to check for any leaks in my system would of course be to do an evac and recharge of the system and add some of the dye needed to detect any leak. That cost me ~$320. The diagnosis from the Bell Honda Service Center did NOT find any signs of leakage near the compressor shaft seal and I was not allowed the same courtesy of showing me that in person (or even via a picture) as I had been offered at Brakes Plus. Instead, the diagnosis suggested that my new issue was excessive build up of freon in the evaporator, resulting in a leak, which I was also not visually demonstrated. I asked if there was any warranty eligibility for the evaporator and was able to confirm at the dealership that there was no warranty extension or recall for the evaporator at the moment. However, I did hear of numerous reports of similar evaporator issues.

In 2019, Honda extended the warranty on two components of the A/C systems in 2016-2018 Civics: the condenser and the compressor shaft seal. However, it did not extend the warranty on the evaporator. I took my Civic to the dealer to diagnose an A/C issue where the system stopped putting out cold air after approximately 45 mins of driving. The dealer found leaks in the condenser, compressor shaft seal, and evaporator. Dealer received approval to replace the first two parts under warranty. However, Honda would not cover the evaporator. The dealer told me I would need to replace the evaporator, at a cost of nearly $2500, in order to recharge the A/C. Simple internet research confirms this is a common problem. Honda should be including the evaporator in its extended warranty because it seems to fail at the same rate as the other parts and because it is effectively impossible to replace the two covered parts without replacing the evaporator--which is by far the most expensive of the 3 parts to replace.

Complaint Description for NHTSA Vehicle Information: • Year: 2016 • Make: Honda • Model: Civic • VIN: [XXX] : 90,484 Description of the Issue: I am experiencing a complete AC failure in my 2016 Honda Civic due to an evaporator leak, which has resulted in an unreasonable $4,000 repair cost quoted by my local Honda dealership. This is a well-documented and widespread issue among 2016-2020 Honda Civic owners, where the AC system components, including the compressor, condenser, and evaporator, fail prematurely. Honda has already acknowledged defects in the AC condenser and extended the warranty for that part. However, they have not extended the warranty for the evaporator, which is also failing at an alarmingly high rate. Safety Concerns: • Visibility Issues: Without a working AC system, the defrost function does not operate properly, causing windshield fogging, which can obstruct visibility and create a safety hazard while driving. • Extreme Heat Risk: In hot climates, the lack of AC can lead to dangerous cabin temperatures, which is a health and safety risk, especially for passengers with medical conditions or young children. Honda’s Response & Requested Action: • I contacted Honda Customer Service to request goodwill assistance, but they have not yet agreed to cover the repair cost. • Many Honda Civic owners have filed similar complaints about evaporator failures, yet Honda has failed to take action. • Given the widespread nature of this issue, Honda should extend the warranty for the evaporator, just as they did for the AC condenser. I am filing this complaint to formally urge NHTSA to investigate this issue and hold Honda accountable for what appears to be a defective AC system across multiple model years. Thank you for your time and consideration. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)