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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 30, 2021
Unknown Or Other

AIR CONDITIONER: 2019 I purchased a 2016 Honda Civic Touring with 25,000 miles, when we were given the CarFax it did not state the AC had anything wrong with it or from any personel at Honda. Last thing on our minds being this car had low mileage and year was to check the AC. We didn't need the AC much until summer of 2020 we li…

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AIR CONDITIONER: 2019 I purchased a 2016 Honda Civic Touring with 25,000 miles, when we were given the CarFax it did not state the AC had anything wrong with it or from any personel at Honda. Last thing on our minds being this car had low mileage and year was to check the AC. We didn't need the AC much until summer of 2020 we live in California (Bay Area) it was very hot, AC did not work was blowing hot air, before that we just thought the car wasn't heating enough and we did not keep it on to learn it would never cool off. We did take it in and were told we needed to pay for them to check it and see if it was covered under warranty. I then looked on line to find there was a lawsuit against Honda for the same thing. Then the California fires came, we drove the car with the windows down by force and it was hard with the heat and smoke, but had to do it to get to work and daily things, it was ugly we couldn't even take the kids with us. We also have a child that has a condition where the heat effects him too. Paying into a car with a defect that Honda is well aware of is not ok. It's 2021 car has about 36K miles now, it's summer and we're still suffering from the heat, hot leather seats and we are hoping no major fires.

NHTSA ODI #11427161

Mileage unknown · Jul 26, 2021
Steering

After driving for over 20-30 minutes at highway speeds, the steering wheel sticks and causes me to have to jerk the wheel. Honda failed to produce vehicles that are meant to be safe on the highway and on several occasions this flaw has caused me to nearly drive into another vehicles lane because the steering wheel was stuck in o…

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After driving for over 20-30 minutes at highway speeds, the steering wheel sticks and causes me to have to jerk the wheel. Honda failed to produce vehicles that are meant to be safe on the highway and on several occasions this flaw has caused me to nearly drive into another vehicles lane because the steering wheel was stuck in one position. This issue was not addressed by Honda in the past with any recall after several other owners of the same make and model have complained of very similar experiences happening to their car. The vehicle has been inspected by the dealer and they offered little insight to the issue and only assumed of what could be the issue that needs to be repaired but they were not completely certain. This vehicle has not been inspected by any police or insurance representatives. No lamps or messages appear when this issue occurs the issue continues mostly at highway speeds or when the vehicle has been driven for 20-30 minutes.

NHTSA ODI #11426570

Mileage unknown · Jul 20, 2021
Unknown Or Other

A/C is not working I own a 2016 Civic now for a little over 3 years and over the years I've noticed that the A/C just doesn't work I have R1234yf refrigerant which isn't cheap or easily accessible. Finally after hearing about somebody who almost bought a 2019 civic that did in fact have a recall on some A/C component I tried r…

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A/C is not working I own a 2016 Civic now for a little over 3 years and over the years I've noticed that the A/C just doesn't work I have R1234yf refrigerant which isn't cheap or easily accessible. Finally after hearing about somebody who almost bought a 2019 civic that did in fact have a recall on some A/C component I tried reaching out to a Honda dealership nearest to my home. When I was told there are in fact recalls for some vehicles but that mine was not defected. I would need to pay $220$ to run the diagnostic on it as well as recharge the system. I just told them to forget about fixing the A/C and went home and after looking everywhere for my specific refrigerant I found it finally and recharged the system with the help of YouTube obviously I follow somebody who is a ASE certified mechanic and knows what there doing so to my knowledge there where no way of messing anything up. I personally found that the system was literally empty as empty can be, some may say dry even. And after recharging my system the A/C had never worked better. The reason I feel the need to finally reach out for sources on fixing things in my civic is because I have a friend who owns a 2020 civic and just last week they received a letter in the mail informing them that there is in fact a recall for there car effecting leaking A/C fluid and that the effected vehicle years are 2016 - 2020. Please if NHTSA can help me please do.

NHTSA ODI #11425730

Mileage unknown · Jul 12, 2021
Unknown Or Other

AC Evaporator failed. The lack of a functioning air conditioner can cause health problems that expose the driver and occupants of a vehicle to risk of injury or death from heat related incidents. Research into 2016-2019 Honda Civics illustrate a systematic failure of the AC system due to manufacturers errors. One of which is onl…

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AC Evaporator failed. The lack of a functioning air conditioner can cause health problems that expose the driver and occupants of a vehicle to risk of injury or death from heat related incidents. Research into 2016-2019 Honda Civics illustrate a systematic failure of the AC system due to manufacturers errors. One of which is only recognized by Honda ,being the AC condensor, due to a class action lawsuit (ref:Honda Service Bulletin 19-091, Aug 09 2019 Warranty extension). The problem was inspected by a Honda dealership.

NHTSA ODI #11424401

Mileage unknown · Jul 9, 2021
Visibility/wiper

The day i bought this car the ac went out. I had to go back to dealer the next morning. I later on learned They just fiddled with it to make it work temporarily. By the next summer ac went out again, this time defrosters didn't work, heater didn't work, ac obviously didn't work. And ive Been dealing with it like this for ove…

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The day i bought this car the ac went out. I had to go back to dealer the next morning. I later on learned They just fiddled with it to make it work temporarily. By the next summer ac went out again, this time defrosters didn't work, heater didn't work, ac obviously didn't work. And ive Been dealing with it like this for over 2 years. Honda is not helping at all.

NHTSA ODI #11424026

Mileage unknown · Jul 7, 2021
Steering

This car has steering that I describe as stiff and jerky. Mostly noticed at speeds above 50mph. I’ve only owned the car for 2wks but I would say 60% of the time I’m driving, it’s like this. Very hard to maintain lane and easy to over correct. When turning sharper corners, must slow car way down because sometimes steering will st…

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This car has steering that I describe as stiff and jerky. Mostly noticed at speeds above 50mph. I’ve only owned the car for 2wks but I would say 60% of the time I’m driving, it’s like this. Very hard to maintain lane and easy to over correct. When turning sharper corners, must slow car way down because sometimes steering will stick and stay in the turn versus the steering wheel straightening up. Very scary and dangerous!

NHTSA ODI #11423855

Mileage unknown · Jul 7, 2021
Unknown Or Other

2016 Civic air conditioner continues to blow hot air. Problem started in spring of 2018. Honda claimed they fixed in in summer of 2020 but it hasn’t worked at all in 2021. Seems to repeat pattern every spring.

NHTSA ODI #11423692

62,000 miles · Jul 6, 2021
Power Train

The contact's son owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while her son was driving 60 mph, the accelerator pedal was depressed however, the vehicle temporarily stalled. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred whenever the gear shifter was shifted to DRIVE. T…

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The contact's son owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while her son was driving 60 mph, the accelerator pedal was depressed however, the vehicle temporarily stalled. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred whenever the gear shifter was shifted to DRIVE. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with the transmission needing to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 62,000.

NHTSA ODI #11423669

Mileage unknown · Jul 5, 2021
Unknown Or Other

Air conditioner compressor gasket broke. Had to replace compressor, clutch, coil and add new freon. Cost of repair was $2,346. Based upon internet postings this is a common defect in 2016 civics. Honda should be compelled to provide an extended warranty covering the costs for repairs.

NHTSA ODI #11423495

Mileage unknown · Jun 30, 2021
Unknown Or Other

Honda has installed faulty A/C systems and expect the consumer to pay for repairs on their faulty equipment. A 2016 Honda Civic should not have a bad compressor for a car that is barely used.

NHTSA ODI #11422986

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