IllustrationMY CAR AC WONT WORK AND HONDA DEALERS WANT ME TO PAY FOR DIAGNOSIS WHEN THEY KNOW THERE IS AN EXISTING ISSUE WITH THE A/C CONDENSER, COMPRESSOR AND EVAPORATOR.
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
What owners actually said
1,080 reportsAIR COMPRESSOR WENT BAD.
STEERING STICKS. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DRIVE STRAIGHT ON THE FREEWAY FORCING YOU TO ZIG ZAG CONTINUOUSLY IN A LANE. PROBLEM IS MOST NOTABLE AT SPEEDS OVER 40MPH. PROBLEM STARTED WAS FIRST NOTED IN SUMMER OF 2017 (WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY) AND CONTINUES TO TODAY.
TRANSMISSION REPLACED TWICE WITHIN 2 MONTHS. VEHICLE MAKES LOUD NOISES. VEHICLE NOT SAFE TO DRIVE. TRANSMISSION IS DEFECTIVE. PARKING BRAKE HAS TECHNICAL ISSUES.
AC COMPRESSOR WENT OUT AFTER 37,000 MILES. WITHOUT THE AC, IT HURTS VISIBILITY (COULD NOT DEFOG THE CAR WINDOWS) WHEN RAINING OR LIVING IN A HIGH HUMIDITY AREA. THIS IS ALSO A SAFETY ISSUE IN HOTTER CLIMATES. ALSO HAD PROBLEMS WITH REAR BACKUP CAMERA NOT WORKING UPON STARTUP INTERMITTENTLY.
STEERING WHEEL STICKS OR CATCHES WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT SPEEDS GREATER THAN 40 MPH. STEERING WHEEL WILL NOT MOVE WITHOUT EXTRA FORCE FROM DRIVER. DRIVER HAS TO YANK ON THE STEERING WHEEL TO GET THE VEHICLE TO MOVE. STEERING IS NOT FLUID AS IT SHOULD BE AND CAN CAUSE THE DRIVER TO OVERCORRECT IF ISSUE IS NOT FIXED. THIS I…
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STEERING WHEEL STICKS OR CATCHES WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT SPEEDS GREATER THAN 40 MPH. STEERING WHEEL WILL NOT MOVE WITHOUT EXTRA FORCE FROM DRIVER. DRIVER HAS TO YANK ON THE STEERING WHEEL TO GET THE VEHICLE TO MOVE. STEERING IS NOT FLUID AS IT SHOULD BE AND CAN CAUSE THE DRIVER TO OVERCORRECT IF ISSUE IS NOT FIXED. THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN.
I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING MULTIPLE ELECTRICAL ISSUES SINCE ABOUT 6 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE WITH BRAKE LIGHT BULBS REPEATEDLY BURNING OUT ALONG WITH EVERY SYSTEM ICON ON THE DASH FLASHING OFF AND ON WHILE DRIVING THE CAR IT WILL NOT START ALWAYS AND AT TIMES IT WILL NOT OPEN WITH THE KEY OR THE REMOTE FOB ALL BEING TAKEN IN TO SHOPS…
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I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING MULTIPLE ELECTRICAL ISSUES SINCE ABOUT 6 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE WITH BRAKE LIGHT BULBS REPEATEDLY BURNING OUT ALONG WITH EVERY SYSTEM ICON ON THE DASH FLASHING OFF AND ON WHILE DRIVING THE CAR IT WILL NOT START ALWAYS AND AT TIMES IT WILL NOT OPEN WITH THE KEY OR THE REMOTE FOB ALL BEING TAKEN IN TO SHOPS FOR REPAIRS AND WITHIN WEEKS I CAN BE BACK TO THE SHOP WITH YET ANOTHER SO CALLED FIX THIS RECURRING PROBLEM IS A BIG SAFETY ISSUE
STEERING STICKS WHILE DRIVING AND SOMETIMES CAUSES DRIVER TO OVERCORRECT. THIS IS DANGEROUS AND COULD LEAD TO A MAJOR ACCIDENT. THIS ISSUE IS HAPPENING TO MANY CIVIC OWNERS AND FOR SOME REASON ISN'T BEING RECALLED. HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR MONTHS, BUT IT SEEMS TO BE GETTING WORSE.
WHEN THE FUEL DOOR ACTUATOR IS ACTIVATED (LOCKING THE DOORS ON REMOTE CONTROL), THE MOTOR MAKES A LOUD NOISE AS IT LOCKS THE FUEL DOOR. UNLOCKING DOES NOT MAKE A NOISE. ALSO, WHEN GETTING INTO CAR (UNLOCKING DOORS) AND THEN DRIVING AWAY, AS THE DOOR AUTO-LOCK THE ACTUATOR IS ENGAGED AND IT MAKES A LOUD NOISE. SOUND ONLY HAPPENS …
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WHEN THE FUEL DOOR ACTUATOR IS ACTIVATED (LOCKING THE DOORS ON REMOTE CONTROL), THE MOTOR MAKES A LOUD NOISE AS IT LOCKS THE FUEL DOOR. UNLOCKING DOES NOT MAKE A NOISE. ALSO, WHEN GETTING INTO CAR (UNLOCKING DOORS) AND THEN DRIVING AWAY, AS THE DOOR AUTO-LOCK THE ACTUATOR IS ENGAGED AND IT MAKES A LOUD NOISE. SOUND ONLY HAPPENS WHEN THE ACTUATOR IS ENGAGED. SOUNDS LIKE THE INTERNAL MOTOR IS STRUGGLING TO CLOSE/LOCK THE FUEL DOOR. IT BEGAN 2 WEEKS AGO, AND THE SOUND IS GETTING WORSE AND ANNOYING.
AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THE STEERING STICKS WHEN MAKING MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO STAY IN LANE, IN OTHER WORDS, THE STEERING STICKS HARD AND THE VEHICLE STAYS IN THE TURN. BECAUSE THE STEERING CAN'T RETURN TO CENTER WITHOUT ADDITIONAL OPPOSITE FORCE, BREAKING THE STEERING FREE OFTEN CAUSES AN OVERCORRECT. BOTH SCENARIOS (STUCK IN THE TURN,…
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AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THE STEERING STICKS WHEN MAKING MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO STAY IN LANE, IN OTHER WORDS, THE STEERING STICKS HARD AND THE VEHICLE STAYS IN THE TURN. BECAUSE THE STEERING CAN'T RETURN TO CENTER WITHOUT ADDITIONAL OPPOSITE FORCE, BREAKING THE STEERING FREE OFTEN CAUSES AN OVERCORRECT. BOTH SCENARIOS (STUCK IN THE TURN, AND OVERCORRECTING) REPRESENT A SERIOUS HAZARD TO DRIVERS AND ROAD USERS. THESE ARE NOT ROAD CROWN OR ALIGNMENT ISSUES: THESE ARE PHYSICALLY STUCK STEERING ISSUES RELATED TO HONDA EPS RACK 53650-TBC-A01/02. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT. THERE ARE OVER 115 COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS EXACT ISSUE ON THE NHTSA DATABASE FOR THE 2016 CIVIC ALONE, THAT'S WITHOUT THE THOUSANDS THAT ALMOST CERTAINLY GO UNREPORTED.
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.