I purchased a used Honda from a Toyota dealership in May of 2024. Shortly after, I began experiencing issues with steering, particularly at higher speeds. The steering wheel began sticking in place (when turning the wheel to the left) and became more difficult to turn, making it unsafe to drive. In order to keep the car within t…
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I purchased a used Honda from a Toyota dealership in May of 2024. Shortly after, I began experiencing issues with steering, particularly at higher speeds. The steering wheel began sticking in place (when turning the wheel to the left) and became more difficult to turn, making it unsafe to drive. In order to keep the car within the lane, I often have to overcorrect and the car jerks. This is the result of a known issue with the power steering rack, which is part of an ongoing investigation and has directly caused several accidents. The issue has not been confirmed or inspected by a dealer or any other party, since I purchased it from a Toyota dealership and it is not under manufacturer warranty as it has higher mileage. I am considering all options before taking the car for a diagnostic, as I do not believe I should be responsible for the costs associated with a faulty, factory part installed by Honda. The parts are also currently on a backlog. The system does not indicate any issues with the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
NHTSA ODI #11611153
Mileage unknown · Aug 26, 2024
Steering
When driving on the highway the steering wheel gets sticky and requires extra effort. It won't return to the center position. Yesterday I almost had an accident and went out of my lane because I was trying to turn right and it took extra effort. The Civic has big safety problem.
NHTSA ODI #11610901
Mileage unknown · Aug 17, 2024
Steering
Unknown. No incident has occurred to this point. Steering is sticking causing jerking motion to correct.
NHTSA ODI #11609105
Mileage unknown · Aug 16, 2024
Lane DepartureSteering
My car was purchased used with 79k miles and the longer the car is running, the stiffer the steering wheel becomes. Any small moments are stiff and make the car jerk to much and it causes me to have to fight to keep the car in a straight line while driving. Lane keeping assistance is also driving way too close to one side since …
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My car was purchased used with 79k miles and the longer the car is running, the stiffer the steering wheel becomes. Any small moments are stiff and make the car jerk to much and it causes me to have to fight to keep the car in a straight line while driving. Lane keeping assistance is also driving way too close to one side since the steering wheel causes the car to struggle to make any small changes. It gets close to cars that are next to me and can potentially cause an accident if I make one small move. They appeared for me on 8/15 and I purchased this car on 8/14. A steering wheel should be smooth and not so stiff. I have an appointment coming up on Monday for a diagnostic but I am afraid they’ll tell me it’s out of warranty or there is nothing wrong with it. Which is impossible since so many others like me are having the same issue. My car needs to become part of this recall to be able to afford to change the steering shell rack or fix what needs to be fixed for my safety and those around me.
NHTSA ODI #11608996
Mileage unknown · Aug 8, 2024
Steering
The steering is hard to control and maintain lanes at highway speeds. It gets worse with more drive time and strains the hand while driving. The dealer has kept denying such a problem, but all my friends and family keep complaining about it too. Apart from me, no one is ready to drive this car on the highway due to the safety ri…
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The steering is hard to control and maintain lanes at highway speeds. It gets worse with more drive time and strains the hand while driving. The dealer has kept denying such a problem, but all my friends and family keep complaining about it too. Apart from me, no one is ready to drive this car on the highway due to the safety risk. It jerks when trying to maintain lanes, because trying to make slight adjustments sways it off from the lane. The problem is unbearable after long drives of over 4 hours or so.
NHTSA ODI #11607410
Mileage unknown · Jul 21, 2024
SteeringStructureWheelsCrash
As I attempted to turn my steering wheel to exit interstate I-90 East, the steering wheel became increasingly hard to control and I heard a popping noise in my front driver side tire. My vehicle slid into the curb, resulting in the front driver side fender damage, tire damage, axel damage, and 3 deployed airbags. The vehicle’s e…
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As I attempted to turn my steering wheel to exit interstate I-90 East, the steering wheel became increasingly hard to control and I heard a popping noise in my front driver side tire. My vehicle slid into the curb, resulting in the front driver side fender damage, tire damage, axel damage, and 3 deployed airbags. The vehicle’s electric power steering failed and it is available for inspection. Both mine and my mom’s safety were at risk, however no injuries occurred. I have not received a recall notice at all and the vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the power steering issue before this occurred.
NHTSA ODI #11603632
Mileage unknown · Jul 16, 2024
Steering
Rack and pinion/ Gear box repaired. Honda already had a recall on the gear box. According to dealership the part in question was not under recall warranty and not covered. I strongly feel this part should be included in recall. I feel either Honda or the dealership is trying to get around from repairing a faulty part when they a…
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Rack and pinion/ Gear box repaired. Honda already had a recall on the gear box. According to dealership the part in question was not under recall warranty and not covered. I strongly feel this part should be included in recall. I feel either Honda or the dealership is trying to get around from repairing a faulty part when they already had a recall on another part for same issue.
NHTSA ODI #11602619
Mileage unknown · Jul 15, 2024
Steering
Steering wheel is sticking at speed above 40mph. I constantly have to adjust steering to drive straight. I don’t feel safe driving this Civic on the highway.
NHTSA ODI #11602425
Mileage unknown · Jul 13, 2024
Steering
When I'm driving at or above 40 miles an hour it becomes difficult to make small adjustments in the steering. I apply pressure to steering one way or the other and the wheel seems to momentarily catch then free itself and over correct.
NHTSA ODI #11601839
Mileage unknown · Jul 10, 2024
Steering
Steering wheel sticks when turning around curves then jerks in opposite direction when corrected.
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.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Acura Integra, Civic Type R, CR-V Hybrid, CR-V, HR-V, 2022-2025 Civic, Civic Hatchback, 2024-2025 Acura Integra Type S, 2025 CR-V Fuel Cell EV, Civic Hybrid, and Civic Hatchback Hybrid vehicles. The steering gearbox assembly may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can cause excessive internal friction and lead to difficulty steering the vehicle.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Difficulty steering can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the worm gear spring and redistribute or add grease as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 18, 2024. Owners may contact Honda Customer Service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are SJS, MJU, QJT and VJV.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V, Odyssey, 2020 Civic coupe, Fit, 2021-2022 Civic hatchback, 2021 Civic Type R, Insight, 2020-2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline, Accord Hybrid, 2020 Acura MDX, 2022 Acura MDX, 2020-2022 Acura RDX, and 2020-2021 Acura TLX vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, failing to suppress the air bag as intended.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An air bag that deploys unintentionally during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2024. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XHP and VHQ.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2022-2024 Civic 4-door and Civic 5-door vehicles that received a replacement power steering rack as part of a service repair. The steering rack may have been incorrectly assembled, which can allow the tire to chafe against the lower suspension or tie rod end, possibly resulting in tire damage.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A damaged tire can fail and increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the electric power steering rack, as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed January 16, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is YFW.
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
2
EA23003 · Momentary Increased Steering Effort
Opened Nov 29, 2023 · Closed Jan 28, 2025
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Steering
On November 29, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Engineering Analysis (EA23003) to assess allegations of momentary increase in steering effort in model years (MY) 2022-2023 Honda Civic, 2023MY Honda CR-V, and 2023MY Acura Integra vehicles (subject vehicles). The complaints received by ODI alleged that the subject vehicles experienced a momentary increase in required steering effort (described as “sticky steering”) occurring mostly at highway speeds after driving for an extended amount of time; these complaints could not be duplicated during dealer service technicians’ quick test drives. The complaints had been received over the previous two years with most occurring with low vehicle mileage. The steering gear of these vehicles is aided by an electrical power assist unit. This power assist unit inputs force on the steering rack via a worm gear and worm wheel assembly. During PE23005, Honda stated this condition of momentary increase in steering effort occurs due to two factors within this power assist unit. First, during manufacturing, the steering worm wheel goes through annealing and component conditioning processes. These processes cause internal stress and strain within the steering worm wheel. This strain is slowly released over the first few months of the vehicle life. Over time, the released strain causes deformation of the teeth on the worm wheel, causing the worm gear to catch on the worm wheel. This catching results in the driver’s momentary increased steering effort. Second, the manufacturing process did not guarantee consistent grease application and, therefore, some subject vehicles received insufficient grease which contributed to the momentary increase in steering effort. During EA23003, ODI further analyzed the potential safety related consequences of the momentary increase in steering effort. NHTSA’s Vehicle Research and Test Center (VRTC) duplicated the allegations of increased steering effort. In addition, VRTC discovered the steering worm wheel and worm gear tended to push grease out of the meshing area, resulting in large amounts of grease resting on top of the worm wheel. Information Request responses collected and reviewed by ODI showed Honda had also discovered this additional root cause during NHTSA’s EA. In addition, Honda discovered the preload of the worm wheel gear spring was set too high, increasing the gear slide load and resulting in higher friction and increased torque fluctuation when steering. The number of consumer complaints made to ODI continued to increase with the expansion of scope from the PE to the EA. Additionally, during EA23003, ODI received ten complaints alleging a crash, in addition to the 13 complaints ODI had received as of the time it opened EA23003. In total, 23 crashes have been reported to ODI due to this alleged defect. On October 3, 2024, Honda filed NHTSA Recall No. 24V-744 to address this defect. The recall will provide consumers with a new steering worm wheel gear spring with a decreased load. Additionally, dealerships will add additional grease and relocate any grease sitting on top of the worm wheel back into the meshing area. The scope of this recall includes all Honda vehicles that were manufactured with this specific improperly produced steering worm wheel and spring. In view of the recall action being taken by Honda, ODI is closing EA23003. NHTSA reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
PE23005 · Momentary Increased Steering Effort
Opened Mar 17, 2023 · Closed Nov 30, 2023
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Steering
On March 17, 2023, The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation (PE23-005) to access the alleged defect of momentary increase in steering effort in model years (MY) 2022 and 2023 Honda Civic vehicles. The complaints report that the momentary increase in steering effort (described as "sticky steering") occurs mostly at highway speeds after driving for a certain amount of time. The reports have been received over the past 2 years with most occurring with low vehicle mileage. The steering gear contains a unit that includes a worm gear and a worm wheel. Honda stated this condition of momentary increase in steering effort occurs due to two factors within this unit. During manufacturing, the worm wheel goes through annealing and component conditioning processes. These processes caused internal stress and strain within the worm wheel. This strain was slowly released over the first few months of the vehicle life. Over time, the released strain caused the deformation of the teeth on the worm wheel, causing the worm gear to catch on the worm wheel. This results in the consumer’s momentary increased in steering effort. Also, the manufacturing process did not guarantee consistent grease application and therefore, some vehicles within the scope received too little grease which contributes to the momentary increase in steering effort. Analysis of all relevant data indicates that the subject condition occurs early in the vehicle’s life primarily in winter months. Additionally, the subject vehicles need to be driven in a straight line for a period of time, possibly until the vehicle is warmed up, to recreate the condition. The condition does not illuminate a malfunction indicator light (MIL). Some complaints allege Honda dealerships are unable to recreate the condition or state this is a normal vehicle operation. However, Honda released Service Bulletin 23-037 in July of 2023 which accurately describes the condition. To address this issue, Honda directs dealerships to remove the electronic power steering (EPS) gearbox and replace with a new gearbox. Further, Honda stated that the worst case steering effort from all warranty returned parts tested was 2.4 pounds. ODI complaint traffic remains steady. ODI has received 13 crashes to date, 11 of which allege roadway departure due to not being able to overcome the momentary increased steering effort prior to their vehicle leaving the roadway. The remaining 2 incidents claim overcorrection of the steering wheel. PE23-005 has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis (EA23-003) to further assess the scope, frequency and potential safety related consequences of the momentary increase of steering effort. Further the scope has been expanded to include assessment of the Acura Integra and Honda CR-V models. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
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