Illustration2016 Civic air conditioner continues to blow hot air. Problem started in spring of 2018. Honda claimed they fixed in in summer of 2020 but it hasn’t worked at all in 2021. Seems to repeat pattern every spring.
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.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Civic years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
2120–25K
16225–50K
8050–75K
2575–100K
9100–150K
6150K+
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
Unknown Or Other complaints
253 reportsAir conditioner compressor gasket broke. Had to replace compressor, clutch, coil and add new freon. Cost of repair was $2,346. Based upon internet postings this is a common defect in 2016 civics. Honda should be compelled to provide an extended warranty covering the costs for repairs.
Honda has installed faulty A/C systems and expect the consumer to pay for repairs on their faulty equipment. A 2016 Honda Civic should not have a bad compressor for a car that is barely used.
The ac blows hot on drivers side causing the driver to sweat and lose grip of steering wheel. This is a known issue of faulty ac systems in this year of civics.
AC Problems in this generation of the vehicle are rampant. We recently had the condenser in this vehicle changed under an extended warranty via American Honda less than a year ago because the ac was blowing warm. It worked fine until present day where the AC seems to be blowing warm again. The problem this time is the evaporator…
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AC Problems in this generation of the vehicle are rampant. We recently had the condenser in this vehicle changed under an extended warranty via American Honda less than a year ago because the ac was blowing warm. It worked fine until present day where the AC seems to be blowing warm again. The problem this time is the evaporator. The car only has 52K miles. For this many problems in the AC system to break before the car even hits 100K miles is unheard of. Honda should cover the entire AC system and not only the condenser in its warranty as the entire AC system in the car is poorly made. Honda is well aware of these issues which are rampant for 2015-2019 Honda Civics.
ON 10/11/2019 AC STOPPED BLOWING COLD AIR. HAD TO REPAIR OUT OF POCKET. REPLACED CONDENSER AND COMPRESSOR. ON 06/15/2021 AC stopped blowing cold air AGAIN. Just fixed this, ~ 14,000 miles later.
A/C QUIT BLOWING COLD AIR. TURNED ON FOR FIRST TIME THIS SEASON AFTER A/C NOT RUNNING DURING WINTER. $2000 TO FIX COMPRESSOR.
VEHICLE IS LIGHTLY DRIVEN FOR 5 YEARS WITH ONLY 40K MILES. ALL RECOMMENDED SERVICES WERE PERFORMED ON SCHEDULE. SUDDENLY, THE A/C STARTED TO BLOW ONLY HOT AIR AND DID NOT SEEM TO HAVE ANY COOLING CAPACITY. THE SYSTEM IS LIKELY LEAKING REFRIGERANT AS HONDA HAS OFFICIALLY ACCEPTED THAT SOME A/C PARTS ARE IMPROPERLY MANUFACTURED FO…
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VEHICLE IS LIGHTLY DRIVEN FOR 5 YEARS WITH ONLY 40K MILES. ALL RECOMMENDED SERVICES WERE PERFORMED ON SCHEDULE. SUDDENLY, THE A/C STARTED TO BLOW ONLY HOT AIR AND DID NOT SEEM TO HAVE ANY COOLING CAPACITY. THE SYSTEM IS LIKELY LEAKING REFRIGERANT AS HONDA HAS OFFICIALLY ACCEPTED THAT SOME A/C PARTS ARE IMPROPERLY MANUFACTURED FOR 16' HONDA CIVICS. A RECALL SHOULD BE CREATED FOR ALL 16' HONDA CIVIC A/C SYSTEMS.
A/C BLOWING WARM ON DRIVER SIDE AT ALL TIMES
MY MAIN DISPLAY IS UNUSABLE AFTER DIFFERENT TYPE OF COLORS APPEAR ON THE DISPLAY. I CAN LISTEN TO THE MUSIC BUT MAIN DISPLAY IS NOT RESPONSIVE AND COLORS ON IT GO FROM BLUE LINES TO COMPLETELY BLACK. TRIED RESETING BY REMOVING THE BATTERY, REPLACING THE FUSE BUT NOT LUCK. ONCE IN A WHILE SCREEN WILL START WORKING AGAIN BUT AS SO…
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MY MAIN DISPLAY IS UNUSABLE AFTER DIFFERENT TYPE OF COLORS APPEAR ON THE DISPLAY. I CAN LISTEN TO THE MUSIC BUT MAIN DISPLAY IS NOT RESPONSIVE AND COLORS ON IT GO FROM BLUE LINES TO COMPLETELY BLACK. TRIED RESETING BY REMOVING THE BATTERY, REPLACING THE FUSE BUT NOT LUCK. ONCE IN A WHILE SCREEN WILL START WORKING AGAIN BUT AS SOON AS I TURN OFF THE CAR SCREEN GOES DARK AGAIN WITH LINES IN IT. I AM UNABLE TO USE THE REAR BACK CAMERA, UNABLE TO RESET SERVICE MAINTENANCE MINDERS. IT IS A DISTRACTION.
Official recalls
526V332000 · 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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.