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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 · May 15, 2026
Steering

Steering is sticking on center which is causing the driver to oversteering when trying to turn steering wheel from off center. No warning light. Car is scheduled to go to the dealer for inspection.

NHTSA ODI #11738140

190,000 miles · May 11, 2026
Electrical System

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while getting maintenance work performed on the vehicle , her mechanic discovered a mileage discrepancy through a Carfax report. The contact stated that she was given a Carfax report upon purchase of the vehicle; however, the report she was given d…

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Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while getting maintenance work performed on the vehicle , her mechanic discovered a mileage discrepancy through a Carfax report. The contact stated that she was given a Carfax report upon purchase of the vehicle; however, the report she was given did not match her mechanic's Carfax report. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 120,000 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 190,000.

NHTSA ODI #11737007

Mileage unknown · May 7, 2026
EnginePower Train

2016 Honda Civic EX-T 1.5L turbo. Coolant is disappearing with no visible external leak. Diagnosed by mechanic as likely head gasket failure. This is a known defect affecting 2016-2022 Civics with the 1.5T engine. There is an active class action lawsuit (Alcantara et al. v. American Honda Motor Co.) regarding this exact issue. V…

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2016 Honda Civic EX-T 1.5L turbo. Coolant is disappearing with no visible external leak. Diagnosed by mechanic as likely head gasket failure. This is a known defect affecting 2016-2022 Civics with the 1.5T engine. There is an active class action lawsuit (Alcantara et al. v. American Honda Motor Co.) regarding this exact issue. Vehicle has approximately 190,000 miles.”

NHTSA ODI #11736313

Mileage unknown · May 6, 2026
Steering

I purchased this vehicle in September 2025 with 9K miles. About a month after purchase, the steering wheel started to stick and it was difficult to keep the car center of lane. The car progressively got worse and is not drivable. I took the car to a local mechanic and an alignment was done along with tire balance, and rotation. …

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I purchased this vehicle in September 2025 with 9K miles. About a month after purchase, the steering wheel started to stick and it was difficult to keep the car center of lane. The car progressively got worse and is not drivable. I took the car to a local mechanic and an alignment was done along with tire balance, and rotation. The issue continue to get worse I took the car to Jeff Wyler Nissan for a diagnosis. They stated the steering rack and Rinion assembly needed to be done. The cost of repair is $4302.58. I submitted a claim with Honda hoping to get assistance with their Goodwill program they have denied the claim. Right before my purchase of this Honda Civic in September 2025 I purchased another Honda Civic and it had the same issue, but I returned it for the current Civic. The car is unsafe to drive.

NHTSA ODI #11736098

Mileage unknown · May 5, 2026
Steering

Honda has issued a recall for the “worm gear spring” issue on there vehicles that causes the steering of the vehicle to be sticky and jerky at high way speeds. This is an issue I have been having for over a year. I seen they put out a recall that addresses my issue but only include newer years for the car. It is completely unacc…

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Honda has issued a recall for the “worm gear spring” issue on there vehicles that causes the steering of the vehicle to be sticky and jerky at high way speeds. This is an issue I have been having for over a year. I seen they put out a recall that addresses my issue but only include newer years for the car. It is completely unacceptable they are only addressing the issue for recent models when the problem exists even with older models. It’s a huge safety concern considering I can’t properly steer my vehicle.

NHTSA ODI #11735942

Mileage unknown · May 5, 2026
Steering

The steering wheel sticks while driving. More noticeable at highway speeds. You have to force it and it jolts trying to make small steering adjustments, making it difficult to keep the car straight. Definitely mote noticeable when temperatures are higher than 75 degrees.

NHTSA ODI #11735891

Mileage unknown · Apr 29, 2026
Steering

Steering feels lime it is catching and becomes jerky

NHTSA ODI #11734465

Mileage unknown · Apr 28, 2026
Steering

Steering is sticky at highway speeds, steering wheel will not move without force that can cause lane departure. This is dangerous when attempting to follow the curve of the road. Component: steering rack. Inspection availability: yes. Safety: jerky steering and lane departure Reproduced: no, though it is a known issue among many…

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Steering is sticky at highway speeds, steering wheel will not move without force that can cause lane departure. This is dangerous when attempting to follow the curve of the road. Component: steering rack. Inspection availability: yes. Safety: jerky steering and lane departure Reproduced: no, though it is a known issue among many Honda vehicles due to method of lubrication for the steering rack. Inspected: no, issue was recent during travel. Warning lamp: no. I plan to take this to a dealership soon as the part requires subframe removal to replace or access. Closest Honda dealership is 45 minutes of highway driving where the issue will cause problems.

NHTSA ODI #11734211

Mileage unknown · Apr 25, 2026
Engine

I was driving my vehicle on the highway and I experienced a loss of power / limp mode and my car started decelerating very quickly and I pulled off and parked because I got super scared of driving and when I tried to start my vehicle back up it would not turn back on. I found a recall describing the exact scenario I went throu…

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I was driving my vehicle on the highway and I experienced a loss of power / limp mode and my car started decelerating very quickly and I pulled off and parked because I got super scared of driving and when I tried to start my vehicle back up it would not turn back on. I found a recall describing the exact scenario I went through and it is not listed for my vin “ [XXX] ” but says it’s for the exact make of my vehicle, a 2016 Honda Civic Sedan 2.0 Naturally aspirated. The recall is called “Piston misset recall.” Please help me nagivate this I have no clue what to do and feel like this should be warranted. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11733791

Mileage unknown · Apr 24, 2026
Electrical SystemExterior LightingService Brakes

I was driving my car home from work and many warning lights lit up on my car dashboard (brake problem, engine problem, uphill start, steering problem) etc.. I got off the freeway and my car dashboard lit up and notified me “to pull over to a safe location because my car needle (temperature) was on high. I pulled over to a safe …

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I was driving my car home from work and many warning lights lit up on my car dashboard (brake problem, engine problem, uphill start, steering problem) etc.. I got off the freeway and my car dashboard lit up and notified me “to pull over to a safe location because my car needle (temperature) was on high. I pulled over to a safe location and opened the hood and noticed that the antifreeze coolant compartment was empty) my car could have caught on fire because there was no coolant inside the compartment. After I got home and filled the car with coolant I placed cardboard under the car engine to see if the coolant would leak. There are no signs of leakage. I took my car to my mechanic and he told me that he couldn’t fix the problem and suggested I call Honda USA customer service. The mechanic told me that the problem is with the “head gasket” and that the coolant does leak into other parts of the engine. He didn’t charge me anything for the inspection and added coolant to my car. I called Honda USA customer service and they told me that there are “no recalls” regarding coolant leaks and head gasket problems. I googled problems with “Honda 2016 civics and learned that there is a problem that exists and it’s very costly to fix. I also learned that Honda was sued in Canada and Honda settled with customers regarding this problem. Honda USA simply told me to take my car to a Honda dealer and ask for an “inspection” I asked if they would cover the cost and they didn’t not say they would pay for the inspection. This is a manufacture problem that occurs after a Honda Civic has gone past 70,0000 miles. People still complain about this issue and wonder where the coolant in the car is leaking and where is the coolant going into since the coolant is not visibly leaking. The coolant is making its way within the engine and causing more problems in my car. I have never had a problem like this one. This is the second time that the coolant inside my car leaks into the engine.

NHTSA ODI #11733704

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