2018 Honda Civic

The steering wheel has become very glitchy. The driver must over compensate while shifting lanes and going around turns. It’s like the steering wheel gets stuck. Very unsafe! I noticed a recall that was for 2018 Honda civics in regards to the malfunction of the EPS gear box; however when I contact Honda dealership and the corporate office both say they vin number/vehicle isn’t part of the recall. But seems that it has the same problem.

After the vehicle has warmed up or been driven at least 20 minutes there is a dead spot in the steering where it becomes "sticky" to turn the wheel hard enough to get outside of the dead spot. Driving around a city at low speeds it is hardly noticeable, driving on a highway it is very noticeable and you're constantly overcorrecting the steering to try and get it to go straight. Once you break over the sticky part in the steering you're turning further than you need to for minor course corrections on a highway. It is dangerous and difficult to manage.

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Civic. The contact stated while his daughter was driving 60-70 MPH, the lost power steering functionality. The contact stated that the steering wheel was sticky. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact’s daughter was able to continue driving the vehicle. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that he would be responsible for the cost of the cost of the repair because the VIN was not included in a recall associated to the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V663000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The steering function failed. It is available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The steering wheel is very heavy to turn. I can turn it at most 10 degrees to the left and right. Basically, I couldn't make a left turn or right turn and could only go straight. The vehicle is not drivable. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes. The problem persists and confirmed by my repair shop. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? The vehicle has been inspected by the repair shop and a Statefarm representative. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Not prior but a lot of warning light simultaneously turned on when the problem appeared (off-road light, electronic power steering, to name a few) I'm aware there is a recall for Honda Civic in 2018 related to steering gearbox but my car is not among the recalled. I'd like to have the manufacturer examine this situation and determine whether my car should be recalled as the issue is related to the steering part. The insurance representative believes this should be part of the recall.

When driving at highway speeds, the steering appears to be sticky. Trying to keep the car centered in the lane is difficult as there is increased resistance in steering. When applying more pressure, there seems to be a break-over point in which the steering grabs. This causes an over correction of steering. Problem occurs in both directions. Very difficult to maintain the center of the lane.

Failed component: electronic steering gearbox and Steering Electric Power Assist System Safety: The steering wheel maneuverability is compromised by continuously pulling to the left and requiring the driver to pull the wheel to the right for correction or vehicle will drift into the left lane, increasing the risk of a crash. This back and forth movement to correct the steering wheel pull requires the driver to constantly move the steering wheel back and forth to keep the vehicle in the current lane. Problem brought to Slidell Honda dealer 3/9/2022. Dealer did a sensor relearn but unsuccessful. Dealer recommends replacement of electronic steering gearbox, for which there is a current Honda recall C2N, P20 but does not include my VIN#. Reported to Honda, case no. [XXX]. Honda offers to pay 75% of my repair cost which is unacceptable for a defective part that is under a recall. NHTSA Campaign ID Number: 18V663000 INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).”

The steering wheel sticks, so if traveling at highway speeds and you need to do a subtle course correction to stay centered in your lane, the force necessary to 'unstick' the steering wheel causes an oversteer condition and can cause you to exit your lane unintentionally. This is apparently a known issue but Honda is not addressing.

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at 60 mph, the power steering had failed and the vehicle was difficult to steer. The tire pressure monitoring, brake system, electronic power steering, and stability assist warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to drive to her residence. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact to turn off the vehicle and turn it back on to correct the failure. The power steering was corrected after restarting the vehicle; however, the warning lights were still illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and diagnosed with lost communication with the steering angle sensor. The dealer calibrated the steering angle sensor and cleared the DTC, then test drove the vehicle. The failure recurred a week later with an additional unknown warning light. The vehicle was towed a second time back to the dealer, who diagnosed that rodents were chewing the steering column wires. The dealer replaced the steering column wires and wrapped them in a tape produced by the manufacturer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the steering column wires were soy-insulated, which could attract rodents. The failure mileage was 31,879.

Traveling straight, I could not make small corrections in the steering. It would resist then over compensate. I took it to a dealer who told me the sensor problem was a recall covering other VINs but none covering my vehicle. The dealer also said they have had several other 2018 civics with same problem with VINs not included in recall. The dealer test drove my car and agreed it was the sensor, The dealer worked with Honda and got me a discount on parts and said it was the same problem other VINs have recall for but not mine. It was still an expensive repair after the discount that I should not have had to pay.

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving approximately 35-40 MPH, the power steering assist failed to function as needed and the steering wheel was difficult to steer. The contact was able to drive to his residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with steering rack failure. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the independent mechanic. The dealer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact there was no recall associated with the VIN, and there was no warranty for the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 32,015.