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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

Unknown Or Other complaints

253 reports
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Mileage unknown · Dec 19, 2019
EngineUnknown Or OtherVisibility/wiper

I PURCHASED A 2016 HONDA CIVIC FOR MY SON IN 2016. I RECEIVED A NOTICE ABOUT AC PROBLEMS THIS YEAR. I CONTACTED MY SON AND ASKED HIM IF HE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE A/C. HE REPORTED THAT IT DOESN'T BLOW VERY MUCH AIR AND THE AIR NEVER GETS COLD. SO I HAD HIM TAKE TO DEALERSHIP. HE WAS TOLD THAT THE RECALL FOR A/C AFFECTED ONLY ON…

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I PURCHASED A 2016 HONDA CIVIC FOR MY SON IN 2016. I RECEIVED A NOTICE ABOUT AC PROBLEMS THIS YEAR. I CONTACTED MY SON AND ASKED HIM IF HE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE A/C. HE REPORTED THAT IT DOESN'T BLOW VERY MUCH AIR AND THE AIR NEVER GETS COLD. SO I HAD HIM TAKE TO DEALERSHIP. HE WAS TOLD THAT THE RECALL FOR A/C AFFECTED ONLY ONE PART OF THE UNIT WHICH THEY COULD FIX UNDER NO COST...BUT THEY SAID THAT THERE WAS A HUGE HOLE IN THE AIR COMPRESSOR AND THIS WAS NOT COVERED. THEY QUOTED OVER $2,000 TO REPLACE AIR COMPRESSOR. I FOUND THIS HARD TO BELIEVE AND RESEARCHED TO FIND OUT WHAT CAUSES A HOLE IN THE COMPRESSOR THAT MAKES IT BEYOND REPAIR AND THE ONLY INFORMATION I COULD FIND WERE OTHERS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH 2016 HONDA CIVIC FAULTY AIR COMPRESSORS. AGAIN WHEN I TESTED IT MYSELF, IT WAS NOT BLOWING COLD AIR AND SOMETIMES NOT BLOWING AIR AT ALL. SINCE I PURCHASED VEHICLE, IT SEEMS LIKE SYSTEM WAS NOT FULLY CAPABLE OF DEFROSTING WINDOWS IN FRONT AND BACK AND FIGURED THE DESIGN WAS BAD.

NHTSA ODI #11290209

75,000 miles · Dec 6, 2019
Unknown Or Other

VEHICLE TOUCH SCREEN TURNED GREEN. CAMERAS STOPPED WORKING. SCREEN BEEPS INTERMITTENTLY WHEN HANDHELD DEVICE IS CONNECTED TO THE INFOTAINMENT SCREEN. WILL BEGIN TO WORK AGAIN AFTET A FEW MINUTES PASS.

NHTSA ODI #11287405

28,600 miles · Dec 5, 2019
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

I'VE HAD MY CAR FOR LESS THAN A YEAR AND ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS IT HAS FAILED TO START. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED, I DID A GOOGLE SEARCH AND SAW THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE CAR. I FOUND A YOUTUBE VIDEO THAT GAVE INSTRUCTIONS ON A POSSIBLE REMEDY -- WHICH INCLUDED GOING UNDER THE HOOD OF THE CAR AND FINAGLING WI…

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I'VE HAD MY CAR FOR LESS THAN A YEAR AND ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS IT HAS FAILED TO START. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED, I DID A GOOGLE SEARCH AND SAW THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE CAR. I FOUND A YOUTUBE VIDEO THAT GAVE INSTRUCTIONS ON A POSSIBLE REMEDY -- WHICH INCLUDED GOING UNDER THE HOOD OF THE CAR AND FINAGLING WITH THE BATTERY, ETC. MY HUSBAND TRIED THIS REMEDY AND ONCE MY CAR STARTED, I IMMEDIATELY TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP. AT THE DEALERSHIP I WAS TOLD THAT MY BATTERY WAS DEAD; THEY REPLACED THE BATTERY. MONTHS LATER, WITH MY NEW BATTERY, THIS HAPPENED AGAIN. MY HUSBAND TRIED THE REMEDY AGAIN BUT WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP I TOLD HIM THAT THEY SHOULD LOOK FURTHER INTO THIS ISSUE BECAUSE IT IS NOT JUST THE BATTERY. TO ME, IT WAS SOME KIND OF ELECTRICAL GLITCH. THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED ME THAT BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM OF THE 'NO-START', THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. AT 6 MONTHS PREGNANT I TOLD THEM THAT I WAS BEING LEFT IN A VULNERABLE POSITION WITH A VERY UNRELIABLE VEHICLE. I TOLD THEM THAT A GOOGLE SEARCH WOULD SHOW THAT THIS WAS HAPPENING WITH MANY HONDA CIVICS AND THAT THIS MUST BE A KNOWN ISSUE. THEY SAID THEY WOULD HAVE A HONDA REPRESENTATIVE CONTACT ME AND THAT NEVER HAPPENED. I TOLD MYSELF THAT IF THIS HAPPENED AGAIN, I WOULD DO NOTHING MYSELF. I WOULD GET MY CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. WELL, OF COURSE, IT HAS HAPPENED AGAIN AT 9 MONTHS PREGNANT. I HAD MY CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE IT AGAIN HAS NOT STARTED. THE CAR REMAINS IN ACCESSORY MODE AND THE BRAKES AND SHIFT GEAR IS LOCKED. I TRULY THINK I HAVE A LEMON VEHICLE BECAUSE THIS COMPANY IS REFUSING TO LOOK FURTHER INTO THIS ISSUE. TO NOTE, EACH TIME THE CAR HASN'T STARTED, IT HAS BEEN AFTER I'VE TURNED THE CAR OFF AND RETURNED TO IT A SHORT TIME LATER, EITHER AT HOME ON THE STREET OR AT WORK IN THE PARKING LOT.

NHTSA ODI #11287023

Mileage unknown · Nov 14, 2019
Unknown Or Other

RECEIVED A LETTER FROM HONDA ABOUT A/C CONDENSER LEAKS. TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, SAID THAT CONDENSER IS FINE THAT IS THE COMPRESSOR THAT IS LEAKING. TOTAL JOB COST IS OVER $1200. CALLED HONDA, SAID THAT COMPRESSOR IS NOT COVERED IN WARRANTY EXTENSION.

NHTSA ODI #11279983

Mileage unknown · Nov 3, 2019
Unknown Or Other

I BOUGHT A 2016 HONDA CIVIC BRAND NEW. IT HAS 32000 MILES ON IT. THE AC QUIT WORKING IN SEPTEMBER THIS YEAR. SUMMER TEMPERATURES REACH WELL ABOVE 110 F IN MESA, AZ. AFTER SPENDING ONE WEEK IN A RENTAL CAR AND 300 DOLLARS, FINALLY GOT MY CAR BACK. MY AC WORKED ONLY FOR ONE MONTH AND NOW IS BLOWING MOSTLY HOT AIR. I AM VERY CONC…

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I BOUGHT A 2016 HONDA CIVIC BRAND NEW. IT HAS 32000 MILES ON IT. THE AC QUIT WORKING IN SEPTEMBER THIS YEAR. SUMMER TEMPERATURES REACH WELL ABOVE 110 F IN MESA, AZ. AFTER SPENDING ONE WEEK IN A RENTAL CAR AND 300 DOLLARS, FINALLY GOT MY CAR BACK. MY AC WORKED ONLY FOR ONE MONTH AND NOW IS BLOWING MOSTLY HOT AIR. I AM VERY CONCERNED THAT THE DEALER IS GOING TO SAY THAT MY GUARANTEE IS EXPIRED THIS TIME. MAYBE A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT IS NEEDED BEFORE A SERIOUS HEAT STROKE KILLS SOMEBODY.

NHTSA ODI #11277849

63,500 miles · Nov 2, 2019
Unknown Or Other

TODAY I RETURNED FROM HONDA OF MARIN AFTER HAVING MY STARTER REPLACED. THE PART # IS 31200-5BA-A52. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THIS EXPERIENCE (PART AND SERVICE) TO BE REIMBURSED. THIS PART SHOULD NOT HAVE STOPPED WORK AFTER A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME WITH THE MILEAGE OF THE VEHICLE AT 63500.

NHTSA ODI #11277700

Mileage unknown · Oct 17, 2019
Unknown Or Other

REPORTS FURTHER ALLEGE THAT THE MALFUNCTION IN THE CIVIC A/C CONDENSERS, COMPRESSORS CREATE RISKS FOR DAMAGE TO OTHER COMPONENTS IN THE VEHICLES' SYSTEMS AND REFRIGERANT LEAKING WHICH IS DEFINITELY NOT GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT.

NHTSA ODI #11269131

Mileage unknown · Oct 4, 2019
Unknown Or Other

THE AIR CONDITIONING BLOWS HOT AIR.

NHTSA ODI #11266042

55,000 miles · Oct 2, 2019
Unknown Or Other

THE AIR CONDITIONING COMPRESSOR STOPPED WORKING. THERE WAS A LEAK IN THE COMPRESSOR.

NHTSA ODI #11265729

26,000 miles · Sep 23, 2019
Unknown Or Other

AC COMPRESSOR IS LEAKING AT 26,000 MILES. AT HONDA DEALERSHIP NOW. HONDA DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN ADVISED THEY CANNOT EVEN ORDER REPLACEMENT PARTS TO REPAIR AT THIS TIME DUE TO HONDA HAVING A HOLD ON THEM. COMPRESSOR IS DEFECTIVE AND SHOULD BE REPLACED/RECALLED BY HONDA.

NHTSA ODI #11257348

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