IllustrationWhen I’m driving at any speed going straight, my steering wheel feels sticky and clicky when barely attempting to straighten out.
2023 Honda Civic
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2023 Honda Civic do not stand out strongly from 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
Limited mileage data: 21 of 254 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
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 191 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Lane Departure. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
19 crash reports0 fire reports9 injury reports
Steering complaints
191 reportsThis vehicle has sticky steering. The effort needed to turn the steering wheel intermittently increases, so you have to pull the wheel harder to get it to move, and then it turns too far. This issue is dangerous at highway speeds and extremely annoying at slow speeds. This issue is unrelated to the current active recall for the …
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This vehicle has sticky steering. The effort needed to turn the steering wheel intermittently increases, so you have to pull the wheel harder to get it to move, and then it turns too far. This issue is dangerous at highway speeds and extremely annoying at slow speeds. This issue is unrelated to the current active recall for the steering rack. This issue has been reported and discussed by many drivers in online forums and may be related to the worm gear in the steering gear box. I experience this sticky steering problem at all speeds, temperatures, and lengths of time driving. I purchased my vehicle new 13 months ago and it has 6,700 miles on it.
It takes increased effort to make necessary steering adjustments on my steering wheel. It’s most noticeable from the 12:00 ‘o’ clock position and I’m making small adjustments. I notice the problem after roughly 30 minutes of drive time.
I believe my steering has failed. I got it looked at, the dealership reported that nothing was wrong with it. My safety is at risk because it is hard to steer. It jerks on the highway. I believe it is cause my wheels/tires to also jerks and swivel. My car feels very shaky on the highway. I have not taken it to another mechanic b…
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I believe my steering has failed. I got it looked at, the dealership reported that nothing was wrong with it. My safety is at risk because it is hard to steer. It jerks on the highway. I believe it is cause my wheels/tires to also jerks and swivel. My car feels very shaky on the highway. I have not taken it to another mechanic because the dealership has already said they would not reimburse me if someone else replaced it. I have a warranty and do not want to pay a crazy amount of money if the dealership will cover it anyways.
Sticky steering
My steering wheel gets stuck when I’m driving on the highway, causing me to have to pull the wheel to unstick. This happens frequently, every couple of seconds and makes driving feel less safe and I feel like I’m zig zagging while driving. I’ve notified my dealership since late December of last year and still have not been able…
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My steering wheel gets stuck when I’m driving on the highway, causing me to have to pull the wheel to unstick. This happens frequently, every couple of seconds and makes driving feel less safe and I feel like I’m zig zagging while driving. I’ve notified my dealership since late December of last year and still have not been able to get a repair, there is no estimated time for getting the part which Honda says is on back order. Honda has denied to provide a rental while I wait and offered no alternative solution while I wait. I’m worried that driving the car like this puts me and others at risk for a car accident. I bought the car brand new last September. Any help you can provide to at least make Honda provide speedier repairs.
I bought my car in July 2023. The steering wheel always felt stiff but i assumed it needed to be "broken in" so I thought nothing of it. Since November 2023, my steering wheel feels sticky when I'm driving straight. Sometimes it feels like I'm fighting my steering wheel before it allows me to adjust it. I've gotten it inspected …
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I bought my car in July 2023. The steering wheel always felt stiff but i assumed it needed to be "broken in" so I thought nothing of it. Since November 2023, my steering wheel feels sticky when I'm driving straight. Sometimes it feels like I'm fighting my steering wheel before it allows me to adjust it. I've gotten it inspected at the dealership and the technician was able to reproduce the sticky feeling. There hasn't been any lights illuminated that would've signified a steering issue.
The contact owns a 2023 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was steering to the right independently. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was determined that the vehicle needed an alignment. The vehicle was repaired, however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was then tak…
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The contact owns a 2023 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was steering to the right independently. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was determined that the vehicle needed an alignment. The vehicle was repaired, however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was then taken back to the local dealer, where the transmission fluid was flushed; however, the failure persisted. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V704000 (Steering) however, the recall repair was not performed. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.
My steering wheel is sticking. When I'm on a straight road it seems to get stuck especially wind the wind is blowing. This is something that's happening continuously. You have to try and over correct it without snatching the wheel.
"Sticky" steering is the problem. Not constant but now almost every time I drive the vehicle. Most of my driving is in town so some 30mph - 55mph roads. It happens at any speed in that range. Rather than the normal smooth steering, the steering wheel gets stuck, not like you can't control the vehicle but little 1/8 to 1/4" space…
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"Sticky" steering is the problem. Not constant but now almost every time I drive the vehicle. Most of my driving is in town so some 30mph - 55mph roads. It happens at any speed in that range. Rather than the normal smooth steering, the steering wheel gets stuck, not like you can't control the vehicle but little 1/8 to 1/4" spaces where you have to turn the wheel harder left or right to break the "hold" and sometimes back and forth in both directions it will just continue. It does make it difficult to stay in your center space of your lane without bebopping back and forth. I don't know for sure but a police officer might even suspect something is wrong with you if following from behind. No warning lights on dash. I brought the 2023 Civic into the dealer for recall 23-085 + the sticky steering I described. The service advisor told me they could not duplicate it, which I expected but the car was ready for me to pick up! She even told me a service manager with the most years of experience took it out and couldn't duplicate it. That was mildly impressive bringing in the veteran of the group but when I left with the car, I looked on the invoice and saw that Mileage in was 2218 and Mileage out was 2219. 1 mile (or less) to try to duplicate a problem, with steering? The way I came to this conclusion of the problem was by searching for on the internet and I found that it was already being looked into by the NHTSA. I even shared a link with the service provider before picking the car up hoping for some actual service and was told: "I fully understand the concern but if we cant duplicate it i cant just order a part and hope it fails when honda corporate gets the part for inspection we have to duplicate it to be sure we are ordering the part based on actual findings. If that happens, then Honda will make us take the part back and "own" it. I love my Honda dealership overall and the Service Advisor was great but I think her hands are tied. This was disappointing.
Official recalls
424V859000 · Seats:critical Fasteners
Nov 14, 2024
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Honda Accord, Accord Hybrid, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Pilot, and 2024 HR-V, Acura Integra and Acura Integra Type S vehicles. The driver's seat cushion frame may not have been tightened properly, which can result in an unsecured seat. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 207, "Seating Systems."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An unsecured driver's seat may not adequately restrain the driver during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the driver's seat cushion frame, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 6, 2025. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
24V744000 · Steering
Oct 3, 2024
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Acura Integra, Civic Type R, CR-V Hybrid, CR-V, HR-V, 2022-2025 Civic, Civic Hatchback, 2024-2025 Acura Integra Type S, 2025 CR-V Fuel Cell EV, Civic Hybrid, and Civic Hatchback Hybrid vehicles. The steering gearbox assembly may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can cause excessive internal friction and lead to difficulty steering the vehicle.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Difficulty steering can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the worm gear spring and redistribute or add grease as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 18, 2024. Owners may contact Honda Customer Service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are SJS, MJU, QJT and VJV.
23V704000 · Steering:rack And Pinion
Oct 19, 2023
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2022-2024 Civic 4-door and Civic 5-door vehicles that received a replacement power steering rack as part of a service repair. The steering rack may have been incorrectly assembled, which can allow the tire to chafe against the lower suspension or tie rod end, possibly resulting in tire damage.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A damaged tire can fail and increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the electric power steering rack, as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed January 16, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is YFW.
23V430000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/module
Jun 15, 2023
Honda (America Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2023 Civic, Acura RDX, Acura Integra, and 2022 Honda Accord vehicles. A ball valve in the vehicle stability assist (VSA) modulator may leak brake fluid, which can result in unintended vehicle movement when the brake hold feature is engaged or an unexpected increase in brake pedal travel.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Unintended vehicle movement or an unexpected increase in brake pedal travel can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the VSA modulator, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 24, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are OEJ, XEK, AEY, XEX and OEW.
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
2EA23003 · Momentary Increased Steering Effort
Opened Nov 29, 2023 · Closed Jan 28, 2025
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Steering
On November 29, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Engineering Analysis (EA23003) to assess allegations of momentary increase in steering effort in model years (MY) 2022-2023 Honda Civic, 2023MY Honda CR-V, and 2023MY Acura Integra vehicles (subject vehicles). The complaints received by ODI alleged that the subject vehicles experienced a momentary increase in required steering effort (described as “sticky steering”) occurring mostly at highway speeds after driving for an extended amount of time; these complaints could not be duplicated during dealer service technicians’ quick test drives. The complaints had been received over the previous two years with most occurring with low vehicle mileage. The steering gear of these vehicles is aided by an electrical power assist unit. This power assist unit inputs force on the steering rack via a worm gear and worm wheel assembly. During PE23005, Honda stated this condition of momentary increase in steering effort occurs due to two factors within this power assist unit. First, during manufacturing, the steering worm wheel goes through annealing and component conditioning processes. These processes cause internal stress and strain within the steering worm wheel. This strain is slowly released over the first few months of the vehicle life. Over time, the released strain causes deformation of the teeth on the worm wheel, causing the worm gear to catch on the worm wheel. This catching results in the driver’s momentary increased steering effort. Second, the manufacturing process did not guarantee consistent grease application and, therefore, some subject vehicles received insufficient grease which contributed to the momentary increase in steering effort. During EA23003, ODI further analyzed the potential safety related consequences of the momentary increase in steering effort. NHTSA’s Vehicle Research and Test Center (VRTC) duplicated the allegations of increased steering effort. In addition, VRTC discovered the steering worm wheel and worm gear tended to push grease out of the meshing area, resulting in large amounts of grease resting on top of the worm wheel. Information Request responses collected and reviewed by ODI showed Honda had also discovered this additional root cause during NHTSA’s EA. In addition, Honda discovered the preload of the worm wheel gear spring was set too high, increasing the gear slide load and resulting in higher friction and increased torque fluctuation when steering. The number of consumer complaints made to ODI continued to increase with the expansion of scope from the PE to the EA. Additionally, during EA23003, ODI received ten complaints alleging a crash, in addition to the 13 complaints ODI had received as of the time it opened EA23003. In total, 23 crashes have been reported to ODI due to this alleged defect. On October 3, 2024, Honda filed NHTSA Recall No. 24V-744 to address this defect. The recall will provide consumers with a new steering worm wheel gear spring with a decreased load. Additionally, dealerships will add additional grease and relocate any grease sitting on top of the worm wheel back into the meshing area. The scope of this recall includes all Honda vehicles that were manufactured with this specific improperly produced steering worm wheel and spring. In view of the recall action being taken by Honda, ODI is closing EA23003. NHTSA reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
PE23005 · Momentary Increased Steering Effort
Opened Mar 17, 2023 · Closed Nov 30, 2023
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Steering
On March 17, 2023, The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation (PE23-005) to access the alleged defect of momentary increase in steering effort in model years (MY) 2022 and 2023 Honda Civic vehicles. The complaints report that the momentary increase in steering effort (described as "sticky steering") occurs mostly at highway speeds after driving for a certain amount of time. The reports have been received over the past 2 years with most occurring with low vehicle mileage. The steering gear contains a unit that includes a worm gear and a worm wheel. Honda stated this condition of momentary increase in steering effort occurs due to two factors within this unit. During manufacturing, the worm wheel goes through annealing and component conditioning processes. These processes caused internal stress and strain within the worm wheel. This strain was slowly released over the first few months of the vehicle life. Over time, the released strain caused the deformation of the teeth on the worm wheel, causing the worm gear to catch on the worm wheel. This results in the consumer’s momentary increased in steering effort. Also, the manufacturing process did not guarantee consistent grease application and therefore, some vehicles within the scope received too little grease which contributes to the momentary increase in steering effort. Analysis of all relevant data indicates that the subject condition occurs early in the vehicle’s life primarily in winter months. Additionally, the subject vehicles need to be driven in a straight line for a period of time, possibly until the vehicle is warmed up, to recreate the condition. The condition does not illuminate a malfunction indicator light (MIL). Some complaints allege Honda dealerships are unable to recreate the condition or state this is a normal vehicle operation. However, Honda released Service Bulletin 23-037 in July of 2023 which accurately describes the condition. To address this issue, Honda directs dealerships to remove the electronic power steering (EPS) gearbox and replace with a new gearbox. Further, Honda stated that the worst case steering effort from all warranty returned parts tested was 2.4 pounds. ODI complaint traffic remains steady. ODI has received 13 crashes to date, 11 of which allege roadway departure due to not being able to overcome the momentary increased steering effort prior to their vehicle leaving the roadway. The remaining 2 incidents claim overcorrection of the steering wheel. PE23-005 has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis (EA23-003) to further assess the scope, frequency and potential safety related consequences of the momentary increase of steering effort. Further the scope has been expanded to include assessment of the Acura Integra and Honda CR-V models. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.