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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.

About this comparison →

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

What owners actually said

1,080 reports
Mileage unknown · Jul 26, 2023
Unknown Or Other

The inside door handle on my car has become unusable two times in the past 2 years. This is a danger because, in case of an emergency, the door would not be able to be opened by the passenger.

NHTSA ODI #11534605

Mileage unknown · Jul 24, 2023
Steering

The steering wheel get stuck/ jerks in position and to correct stuck position/ jerks it causes you to correct your lane position. You feel out of control for a second or so. Purchased vehicle in 2019, in 2020/21, this happened and I took it into the dealership where we purchased the car and they did an alignment. After that a…

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The steering wheel get stuck/ jerks in position and to correct stuck position/ jerks it causes you to correct your lane position. You feel out of control for a second or so. Purchased vehicle in 2019, in 2020/21, this happened and I took it into the dealership where we purchased the car and they did an alignment. After that alignment, steering/jerky/sticky wheel did not happen as much but it still happened and is getting worse. So this weekend I took the vehicle back to the dealership for the same issue again. According to the dealership. their technician(s) test drove the car and they did not feel the sticky and jerky wheel. Generally this happens when the vehicle has been driven for longer than 20-30 mins and when you are going 40-70 mph. The technician(s) stated that they could not reproduce this in their test drive. But it is still happening as I drove home from the dealership. I am not sure how they could not see and feel the constant wheel movement maintain control of the lane. It's sometimes hard to hold lane control especially going at a higher rates of speed. I see 200+ complaints similar to this issue with the 2016 Honda Civic. This dealership states that they see nothing wrong. But there is definitely still something wrong with this year model. I wanted to go on record and voice my concerns about this issue like many others.

NHTSA ODI #11534204

Mileage unknown · Jul 23, 2023
Unknown Or Other

Purchased this vehicle new in 2016. The AC system has never worked properly. A few years ago parts were given the extended warranty. I had it fixed at an authorized Honda dealer, it blew cold air for about 2 weeks and then died agin. I had it fixed again, was told parts were defective in the first repair and it worked for 1 …

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Purchased this vehicle new in 2016. The AC system has never worked properly. A few years ago parts were given the extended warranty. I had it fixed at an authorized Honda dealer, it blew cold air for about 2 weeks and then died agin. I had it fixed again, was told parts were defective in the first repair and it worked for 1 summer. Now this summer it is not blowing cold air once again and again I got another warranty extension in the mail. This time at Honda it’s a different part in the AC and of course it isn’t covered. So for a quick $3000 it can be fixed. This is my 9th Honda/Acura vehicle and I have never had such a unreliable car. Very disappointed with the “new” Honda.

NHTSA ODI #11533925

Mileage unknown · Jul 19, 2023
Steering

Steering is getting stuck while driving on highways and/or higher speeds. Appears to be a consistent issue with Honda civics complaints/issues after researching. Requires replacing EPS, approx $2-3k. Not due to wear and tear. Vehicle at less than 30,000 total miles.

NHTSA ODI #11533327

49,000 miles · Jul 18, 2023
Steering

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 40-60 MPH, the steering wheel became firm. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact jerked the steering wheel side to side and the steering wheel started operating normally. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted a…

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The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 40-60 MPH, the steering wheel became firm. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact jerked the steering wheel side to side and the steering wheel started operating normally. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not under recall. No further assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 49,000.

NHTSA ODI #11532945

Mileage unknown · Jul 17, 2023
Unknown Or Other

2016 Honda Civic AC system is not working and has not been working for awhile. There are 2 warranty extensions issued for this vehicle's AC system, one for the condenser and one for the compressor. Honda has diagnosed the problem as being the evaporator, which I have been quoted everywhere from $1800 - $3000 to have fixed. The g…

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2016 Honda Civic AC system is not working and has not been working for awhile. There are 2 warranty extensions issued for this vehicle's AC system, one for the condenser and one for the compressor. Honda has diagnosed the problem as being the evaporator, which I have been quoted everywhere from $1800 - $3000 to have fixed. The general consensus from mechanics that have dealt with these models (I have seen many different mechanics, 3rd party and dealership), is that the entire AC system is riddled with manufacturing defects, the condenser and compressor issues likely caused the evaporator malfunction, and will likely have to be recalled at some point. That is obviously slowly happening with the existing warranty extensions, however I am still being forced to pay nearly $2k for working AC despite public knowledge of a manufacturing error dealing with these AC systems. Honda refuses to acknowledge the evaporator issue was caused by the other failing components by not extending the warranty to the whole AC system. When I refused service for the evaporator since it was not covered, I was told the compressor shaft seal leak that IS covered under the warranty extension could not be fixed either. The reasoning was that the compressor could not be fixed alone without fixing the evaporator due to "safety concerns". Essentially admitting that the whole system fails if one of those 3 parts is faulty. So even though that is the case, I still have to pay out of pocket for the manufacturers mistake. Unbelievable and clearly an extremely common occurrence as there was an active class action lawsuit for the AC systems of this model (Andre Wong v. American Honda Motor Co. Inc., et al., Case No. 2:19-cv-10537) and Lemon Law documentation of the issue as well. Please hold Honda responsible and force them to issue an all encompassing AC Recall/warranty extension so that myself and many others do not have to choose between a very expensive repair or passing out on the road from the heat

NHTSA ODI #11532826

Mileage unknown · Jul 17, 2023
Steering

Steering has become sticky, especially when driving straight on a highway or at higher speeds. Extra force is needed to maintain position in lane and move the wheel. The pressure required to turn the wheel past the stuck position causes the driver to over correct excessively making it difficult to stay in the lane.

NHTSA ODI #11532713

Mileage unknown · Jul 17, 2023
Unknown Or Other

The inside of the car smells like coolant and the air is making the front dashboard foggy. One area of the Central ac is blowing cooler than the other.

NHTSA ODI #11532691

Mileage unknown · Jul 14, 2023
Steering

The steering is sticking - the same as all these other reports I'm seeing below. It is worse in the afternoons (higher temperatures I guess) and definitely more noticeable at highway speeds. Took the car to the dealer and they said that even though my car only has 36k miles it needs a new (electric) rack & pinion system for $400…

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The steering is sticking - the same as all these other reports I'm seeing below. It is worse in the afternoons (higher temperatures I guess) and definitely more noticeable at highway speeds. Took the car to the dealer and they said that even though my car only has 36k miles it needs a new (electric) rack & pinion system for $4000 !! Ridiculous. I was advised that the dealer is well aware of the issue (I was the 2nd case this week that my service advisor was dealing with) but there's nothing they (the dealer) are doing at the moment other than referring it to corporate Honda U.S. I dont know whats going to happen if the situation gets worse - does the steering stop steering or get continually harder to steer ... is a definite safety issue.

NHTSA ODI #11532300

Mileage unknown · Jul 10, 2023
Structure

Paint peeling around rear window

NHTSA ODI #11531490

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