2018 Honda Civic

Over the past few months, I have noticed the steering wheel "sticking" while driving. It occurs most frequently on trips longer than 30 minutes or on trips at highway speeds (55+ mph) for any amount of time. The steering sticks at the 12 position and requires extra force to move it to the 11 or 1 positions. This makes it difficult to make micro-adjustments when driving straight or on slightly curved roads without wrenching the steering wheel in a way that causes the car to swerve or move further than expected/needed. The problem has been reproduced by the dealership McGovern Honda in Boston. The dealership expects the problem to become worse. The manufacturer has not inspected the vehicle or component, nor have the police or insurance agents. There were and are no warning messages or errors. The problem first became noticeable in February/March 2024.

Beginning about early February 2024, the steering of this vehicle became "sticky" at certain speeds. More specifically, above about 40 MPH the steering wheel will almost lock into place and resistance is felt when the driver attempts to turn the steering wheel in a different direction. Yes, I consent to an inspection by Honda or NHTSA representatives upon request. The described condition 1) can cause the driver to concentrate on the condition, and 2) can cause the driver to over-compensate when they turn the wheel from the sticky/stuck wheel position while driving. Yes, the condition was described to a local Honda dealer on February 11, 2024 (I have a copy of their report - which I have uploaded with this writing). While their diagnosis isn't shown on that report, the dealer verbally advised this writer that the problem I described was identified and the dealer provided me an estimate to replace a steering mechanism for a price of about $2,970. The dealer advised there was no recall on this vehicle for this problem. I later called Honda and was told the same thing. No, there were no warning lights or vehicle messages, or notifications from Honda, about this condition. As noted previously, the condition appeared about early February 2024.

Car has rough steering inputs when making small corrections in a left only turn when traveling over 45 mph. The initial input to the left is smooth however when adjusting the wheel to the right to make a correction the wheel will get stuck and then have a jerk or rough correction which can cause large unwanted correction, especially at higher speeds. This issue is most likely the EPS failing in some way.

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the steering wheel was twitching and jerking while turning in either direction. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the steering rack and pinion was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified to the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V663000 (Steering). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.

The steering gearbox needs to be replaced. Saftey risk to the driver and others is present when adjusting steering wheel from center position - to be more specific, the "sticky" steering wheel is causing overcompensation when trying to make slight adjustment from dead center position while driving straight. Documentation from the vehicle's dealership shows a general diagnosis as steering gearbox. The repair estimate shows the replacement cost at $8916.45. Currently, the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. There are no warning lamps or messages to indicate the gearbox, only physical symptoms are present while driving. At this time, the car's dealership is the only party to have inspected or investigate the issue.

I filled complaint few days ago and want to update findings. I brought car to Honda dealership due to sticking steering wheel. They right away were aware of the problem and asked the service manager to come speak to me. He said he would take the car for a quick drive around parking lot to verify problem. Upon return he said the steering rack was definitely the problem and had to be replaced. I asked how he was so sure of this, was this a common problem? He said yes, it’s a growing issue and had already replaced 5-6 in the last month on the year Civics and CRVs. They worked up a quote for replacing the rack. $6,971.60! The car only has 57,291 miles on it, it is out of warranty by 13 months. He said if had only been 6 months out of warranty he could have covered it. He said it was out of his hands. Cost of this repair is 30% of the cars value! I asked if the car was safe to drive as this is my daughter’s car. He said in his opinion it was, and he didn’t think it would get worse. My daughter said problem gets worse after about 40 minutes of driving, so I just took it on a long drive. Not only does it get worse but it’s almost uncontrollable. I gave her my car to drive until we figure out what to do. We certainly do not have the money to repair this as I’m sure 1,000’s of other owners who have the same problem. This is going to start causing accidents on our roadways. This is a very serious issue that Honda is very aware of.

When I drive the car at highway speed or any speed above 30mph, the steering of the car gets sticky, jerky feeling. When trying to make minor adjustments to keep the car straight within its lane, it would feel like the steering wheel will stick and the car doesn't respond to make those adjustments. Therefore, I have to give it a harder force but causing it to jerk more in the direction I’m trying to steer, which causes slight over steering and having to correct back the other direction. This sticky steering happens all the time.