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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.

About this comparison →

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

What owners actually said

1,080 reports
Mileage unknown · Aug 16, 2021
Power Train

When driving for over 15-20 minutes started to noticed my steering begin to become stiff then would being to stick. Found the longer I drove the stiffer it would become, as well if I was going over 55 mpg it would stick more and more. Took it to the Dealership had no error codes and they couldn't find anything. Have taken back t…

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When driving for over 15-20 minutes started to noticed my steering begin to become stiff then would being to stick. Found the longer I drove the stiffer it would become, as well if I was going over 55 mpg it would stick more and more. Took it to the Dealership had no error codes and they couldn't find anything. Have taken back to the Dealership after having a private mechanic look at it as well as doing some research and other people having the same issue and they have confirmed the issue being with the Power Steering Assembly(Part # 53650-TVC-A21). This issue is sporadic and gradually gets worse.

NHTSA ODI #11429359

Mileage unknown · Aug 16, 2021
Electrical SystemCrash

2016 Honda Civic sport- push start ignition can turn engine power off when parking without the operator knowing, or receiving sufficient warning that the automatic transmition is still in drive or neutral. Yes, the vehicle is available for inspection. Yesterday, my husband parked our 2016 Civic after a trip to the store. He wa…

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2016 Honda Civic sport- push start ignition can turn engine power off when parking without the operator knowing, or receiving sufficient warning that the automatic transmition is still in drive or neutral. Yes, the vehicle is available for inspection. Yesterday, my husband parked our 2016 Civic after a trip to the store. He was unaware that the had not placed the vehicle in park, as he was able to turn off engine and exit the car without sufficient safety warning. He took an item from the trunk, closed it, walked down the street and into the house. A few minutes later our neighbor got an alert on her security camera. Our unoccupied car is seen in the video rolling forward, down the hill, before crashing into shrubs and trees at bottom. When we got up to the car, my husband unlocked it and climbed in through passenger seat, to find it was still in drive, but was not running.This could have seriously injured or killed a child or anyone else if they had been standing in its path.Thankfully, it didn't roll into a child or one of our neighbors. No one was injured, though they certainly could have been. The car does have damage, but that can be fixed. We have not taken it to the dealer yet, but I am contacting them now. We have not contacted our insurance company yet. But we will be submitting the photos and videos with the claim. My husband said there was not a warning light on the dash and he did not observe any indication that the car was still in gear or he would not have gotten out of the car. The car gives a warning light if you leave your lights on, when you are approaching a service interval, low fuel or change in tire pressure, low battery life, and a dozen other things. He has had the car for more than five years so he is very familiar with it. It is serviced on time, and our mechanic does annual inspections every year. We will test it again tonight to see if we can duplicate it, but with a driver inside to apply the break if it rolls.

NHTSA ODI #11429316

Mileage unknown · Aug 13, 2021
Steering

After driving the car for 30-45 minutes, the steering wheel begins to "stick" and "jerk." I've noticed this issue in the last month.

NHTSA ODI #11429004

67,000 miles · Aug 13, 2021
Steering

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at highway speeds, the power steering started to fail. The steering wheel started to drift to the left or right and the steering wheel seized in that direction. The contact stated that excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle. The power steering fu…

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The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at highway speeds, the power steering started to fail. The steering wheel started to drift to the left or right and the steering wheel seized in that direction. The contact stated that excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle. The power steering function returned; however, the failure recurred intermittently. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer who was unable to identify the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 67,000.

NHTSA ODI #11428913

60,000 miles · Aug 10, 2021
Steering

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 70 mph, the steering wheel was making abnormal clicking sounds. Additionally, the steering wheel was stiff, and the vehicle was pull to the left while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failur…

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The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 70 mph, the steering wheel was making abnormal clicking sounds. Additionally, the steering wheel was stiff, and the vehicle was pull to the left while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact was referred to an authorized dealer for assistance. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was still awaiting the diagnostic report. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,000.

NHTSA ODI #11428490

Mileage unknown · Aug 9, 2021
Structure

The paint is peeling at the corners and rim of where the body meets the rear view glass.

NHTSA ODI #11428365

Mileage unknown · Aug 8, 2021
Steering

As has been noted by numerous complaints, the steering "sticks" requiring extra effort to control the vehicle. At times, and at least in my experience, it happens most often, as it did today, when entering, exiting or in a broad, sweeping curve to either the left or right. This isn't to say it doesn't also happen in other circu…

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As has been noted by numerous complaints, the steering "sticks" requiring extra effort to control the vehicle. At times, and at least in my experience, it happens most often, as it did today, when entering, exiting or in a broad, sweeping curve to either the left or right. This isn't to say it doesn't also happen in other circumstances, but in the situation mentioned it happens most often. At times, it has been very difficult to correct the vehicle trajectory so as to prevent either running off the road in the direction of the curve or straying into another lane due to the corrective action needed. Empirical evidence seems to suggest it occurs more frequently at higher ambient temperatures. A dealer has inspected the vehicle, but the result was inconclusive. There are no warning indicators or messages of any kind when this occurs. Please do not ignore this problem. It is potentially very dangerous and an investigation needs to be undertaken and hopefully recall issued to resolve it.

NHTSA ODI #11428218

Mileage unknown · Aug 8, 2021
Structure

Paint falling off body panels

NHTSA ODI #11428207

Mileage unknown · Aug 4, 2021
Steering

When the car begins to drift and attempting to correct, the steering wheel "sticks" (resists). It doesn't lock up or not turn at all, but "sticks" until I apply a bit more pressure, after which it suddenly releases, corrects (usually over steers). This does not cause issues with any turning once the steering wheel is unstuck. Th…

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When the car begins to drift and attempting to correct, the steering wheel "sticks" (resists). It doesn't lock up or not turn at all, but "sticks" until I apply a bit more pressure, after which it suddenly releases, corrects (usually over steers). This does not cause issues with any turning once the steering wheel is unstuck. This happens in both directions. End result is I begin drifting slightly back and forth down the highway repeatedly (due to the over steer when the steering wheel releases), all the while fighting with a steering wheel. I was able to get this to recreate for the dealer. They made adjustments to the electronic steering module which helped slightly, but this issue still exists. I was told I have to replace the power steering rack.

NHTSA ODI #11427681

Mileage unknown · Jul 30, 2021
Steering

The steering wheel “catches” increasingly often. When minor course corrections are attempted while driving straight or on moderate curves, there is resistance to the correction until I apply enough force to break the resistance, causing the car to jerk to one side. The same thing happens when course-correcting to the other side.…

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The steering wheel “catches” increasingly often. When minor course corrections are attempted while driving straight or on moderate curves, there is resistance to the correction until I apply enough force to break the resistance, causing the car to jerk to one side. The same thing happens when course-correcting to the other side. It is a repeated process of making small swerves from one side of the lane to the other. It is getting increasingly worse and poses a safety issue. The problem has been reproduced by an independent dealer and the EPS is available for inspection. There are no warning lamps or messages that appeared prior to the failure.

NHTSA ODI #11427211

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.

Go deeper into Honda Civic problems