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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.

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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

Steering complaints

444 reports
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Mileage unknown · Mar 19, 2022
Steering

The 10th gen Honda civics are having steering problems related to eps. The steering will become stuck while driving, especially at speeds higher than 45 mph. The steering becomes stiff and you must pull the wheel hard to gain control back and then the wheel goes right back to being stiff. It is difficult to keep the vehicle stra…

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The 10th gen Honda civics are having steering problems related to eps. The steering will become stuck while driving, especially at speeds higher than 45 mph. The steering becomes stiff and you must pull the wheel hard to gain control back and then the wheel goes right back to being stiff. It is difficult to keep the vehicle straight and to turn the vehicle. There are no warning lights coming on. Multiple forums of owners having similar issues and Honda dealerships not knowing what the problem is or how to fix it. The car veers off into other lanes with traffic. This first began to happen about 3 months ago. Never had any issues with steering prior to this case.

NHTSA ODI #11457402

Mileage unknown · Feb 26, 2022
Steering

While driving down the highway, and attempting to make minor steering adjustments, the steering wheel constantly binds. An unnatural breakout force is required to overcome this perilous situation. The result is a continual overcorrection of the vehicles trajectory within the driving lane (Similar to a drunk driver). My vehicle …

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While driving down the highway, and attempting to make minor steering adjustments, the steering wheel constantly binds. An unnatural breakout force is required to overcome this perilous situation. The result is a continual overcorrection of the vehicles trajectory within the driving lane (Similar to a drunk driver). My vehicle has over 60k miles. The problem has been getting progressively worse over the last year. A google search reveals this issue is not an isolated one. It appears there may be a defect with the steering rack of these vehicles.

NHTSA ODI #11454295

Mileage unknown · Dec 12, 2021
Steering

The car steering wheel stick and is jerky when driving. There are multiple sites with forum and videos of people experiencing the same issue.

NHTSA ODI #11443495

Mileage unknown · Nov 29, 2021
Steering

Steering would "catch" at the centerline when attempting to steer straight. Extra force needed to overcome resistance which causes oversteering and vehicle veered into next lane. This issue has become progressively more dangerous until now the vehicle is unsafe to drive.

NHTSA ODI #11442021

Mileage unknown · Nov 22, 2021
Steering

Around 40,000 miles, we first noticed a sort of bump or detent when trying to steer straight ahead at highway speeds. The car will drift to the right or left. When the driver attempts to steer back into the lane, resistance is felt at Top-Dead-Center, the demarc between left and right. To overcome the resistance, extra force…

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Around 40,000 miles, we first noticed a sort of bump or detent when trying to steer straight ahead at highway speeds. The car will drift to the right or left. When the driver attempts to steer back into the lane, resistance is felt at Top-Dead-Center, the demarc between left and right. To overcome the resistance, extra force must be used and that causes an oversteer condition in the opposite direction. I reported this problem to the dealership at 46976 miles, which was within the extended warranty coverage. They failed to report it to the warranty company or American Honda. I reported the issue again at mileage 59277, after it became much worse and much more dangerous. So far, my dealership has refused to cover the problem under manufacturer's warranty or extended warranty. Over the past year, I've driven this car less than 1000 miles because I am afraid it will get me killed.

NHTSA ODI #11441365

30,000 miles · Nov 22, 2021
Steering

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the steering wheel had experienced minute levels of stiffness and stickiness when attempting to turn in either direction. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. T…

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The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the steering wheel had experienced minute levels of stiffness and stickiness when attempting to turn in either direction. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000.

NHTSA ODI #11441362

Mileage unknown · Oct 15, 2021
Steering

Steering gets "notchy" and acts out of sync. when at highway speeds, when trying to move left or right the steering does not respond correctly. You end up overcompensating for slight movements making it dangerous as you may veer too far. Seems to happen after car is warm or temps outside are high. Its also intermittent so hard …

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Steering gets "notchy" and acts out of sync. when at highway speeds, when trying to move left or right the steering does not respond correctly. You end up overcompensating for slight movements making it dangerous as you may veer too far. Seems to happen after car is warm or temps outside are high. Its also intermittent so hard to get dealership to diagnose. Have read this is an eps problem with steering rack. Should definitely be a safety recall as this is how we "aim" these 2 ton metal machines. Took to a local Honda dealership they said nothing is wrong. I still have the problem! This is a serious defect. Please issue a safety recall.

NHTSA ODI #11436968

Mileage unknown · Oct 14, 2021
Steering

The steering wheel on the 2016 Honda Civic tends to stick when the car in going in a straightforward motion at highway speeds. When a bend or curve in the road approaches, the steering wheel must be gently forced out of its central stuck position, causing a jerk in the movement of the vehicle. I have gotten used to this issue an…

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The steering wheel on the 2016 Honda Civic tends to stick when the car in going in a straightforward motion at highway speeds. When a bend or curve in the road approaches, the steering wheel must be gently forced out of its central stuck position, causing a jerk in the movement of the vehicle. I have gotten used to this issue and have been able to work through it, but fear the safety of my family as passengers or if they ever need to drive my vehicle. The jerking motion could potentially cause the car to jump out of lane. This is generally always been an issue with my vehicle, but I didn't fully understand how potentially dangerous it is until now.

NHTSA ODI #11436761

32,000 miles · Oct 8, 2021
Steering

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated while reversing, there was an abnormal noise coming from the steering wheel. In addition, the steering wheel was pulling to the right or left while the vehicle was driven straight. The steering wheel seized causing the contact to use extreme force while steering the vehicle…

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The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated while reversing, there was an abnormal noise coming from the steering wheel. In addition, the steering wheel was pulling to the right or left while the vehicle was driven straight. The steering wheel seized causing the contact to use extreme force while steering the vehicle. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 32,000.

NHTSA ODI #11436016

33,532 miles · Sep 27, 2021
Steering

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH while remaining in a straight line, the contact noticed that the steering had seized, caused the contact to manually put more pressure to steer the vehicle in a straight line to avoid the vehicle going into the other lane. The contact took the vehicle t…

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The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH while remaining in a straight line, the contact noticed that the steering had seized, caused the contact to manually put more pressure to steer the vehicle in a straight line to avoid the vehicle going into the other lane. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer who inspected the vehicle and diagnosed the failure as a steering rack failure that needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 33,532.

NHTSA ODI #11434523

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