2018 Honda Civic

while driving, the steering sticks and has gotten worse over the past 2 weeks. took to a Honda Dealer and they diagnosed the Electronic Power Steering Rack needs replaced/gear box, $3500-5000 estimated. Then told us if we continue to drive it we could wreck and end up in a ditch. Our teen drives this car and now we are without a car and out $22,000, which we paid 2 yrs ago for the used car. We are asking the car be covered in the recall 18-102 for repairs. Otherwise I go to the news and internet. This was inspected by a Honda Dealer, noted now in the paperwork. No other warnings present.

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Civic. The contact stated that the fuel pump was surging, and the vehicle was jerking while idling or while driving at undisclosed speeds. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled. The Check Engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline), which was previously repaired. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where an unknown diagnosis was provided. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was contacted and opened an investigation. The failure mileage was approximately 104,661.

1. Component/System: HVAC evaporator core. Total loss of climate control. Vehicle is a 2018 model. Prior to this, it had the known AC condenser defect covered under TSB 19-091. The condenser was repaired under warranty, but the AC loop continued to have underlying issues. Failed evaporator available for inspection. For the 2018 Honda Civic specifically, there are over 600+ total consumer complaints filed with the NHTSA, and the overwhelming majority are dedicated exclusively to the failing air conditioning system. 2. Safety Risk: Immediate safety hazard from extreme environmental exposure. In regional desert temperatures exceeding 115°F-118°F, the complete loss of cabin cooling creates a severe risk of heat exhaustion, dehydration, and heat-induced physical impairment for the driver while operating the vehicle on public roads. Additionally, during high humidity, the system emits a chemical-smelling mist/vapor from the vents causing an acute burning sensation in the driver’s eyes. 3. Reproduced/Confirmed: Yes. Right Honda (Scottsdale, AZ) inspected the vehicle and confirmed the evaporator leak on 07/11/2025. I have also observed the chemical mist/vapor emission, which was corroborated by a witness while driving in California. 4. Inspected by Others: Reviewed by Right Honda service department. Escalated to American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (Case #16391364). Despite 5 years of ownership and previous failures in the same AC loop, the manufacturer refuses to cover the repair of this systemic defect. 5. Warning Lamps/Symptoms: No dashboard warning lamps. Initial symptoms began at ~59,857 miles with a gradual decline in AC performance, degrading to total loss of cooling at idle. Most recently, during high humidity, the system began emitting a chemical-smelling mist from the air vents, which causes a burning sensation in the eyes upon contact.

The vehicle's steering wheel gets stuck in place causing jerkiness while driving at medium to fast highway speeds. The steering wheel does not return to center automatically and you have to "break" the steering wheel loose from it's stuck position. The constant stuck position of the steering wheel causes distrust in the vehicle and that it will be ultimately stuck in a position to cause an accident. It also poses a risk that the vehicle can start veering in an unwanted direction and an overcorrection can also cause an accident. The vehicle can be inspected upon request. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center, it also has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance or others, but I have researched this issue with similar Honda vehicles and it seems to be a very common issue that needs to have an official recall issued for and fixed by Honda.

The Electronic Power Steering (EPS) gearbox assembly exhibits a severe binding, catching, and sticky sensation at highway speeds after the vehicle warms up. The steering wheel gets stuck in the center position, requiring constant physical force to break it free to maintain the lane. This results in continuous overcorrection, vehicle weaving, and an inability to track straight, which is easily mistaken for poor road or wind conditions but creates a severe lane-drift safety hazard. The issue does not trigger any warning lights or diagnostic trouble codes. Coggin Honda diagnosed the failed unit and found that Honda has revised this specific steering rack part number (53650TBAA03) three separate times (from ending in A00 to the current A03), demonstrating engineering awareness of a component defect that closely mirrors the newer 2022–2025 Honda steering recalls. Note that this vehicle's odometer reads 30,532 miles and this steering issue was felt for some time now and has gotten worse over the years. The problem was officially diagnosed on 6/3/2026.

The steering wheel is sticky when resetting position after turning left. This is a major safety issue as it requires force to get the steering out of that locked up position. This forces overcorrection and the car sways everytime. I can confirm 100s of people with civics have this issue on Reddit, YouTube and other Honda forums however the recall only applied to 2022 and above (known issue but somehow recall didn’t apply to pre 2022 cars). This is a major flaw from a reputed company that sells 100s of thousands of cars. If I can see so many complaints online, I can imagine how many common people (elderly and disabled included) that don’t report and are especially at high risk of this. I sincerely request further investigation and enforcing better safety practices in this situation. Thank you very much.