2016 Honda Civic
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Steering is the leading concern among 1,081 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 4th highest complaint count among 26 Civic model years with reports.
Of the 2016 reports, 36 involved a crash and 4 involved a fire. 16 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Air bags, sensor, occupant classification, front passengerMay 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.
Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.
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.
Campaign 26V332000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, fuel pumpDec 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.
Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
Campaign 23V858000 on NHTSA.gov
Parking brakeOct 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.
If the EPB is not applied, the vehicle may roll away, increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
Campaign 16V725000 on NHTSA.gov
Exterior lightingJul 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."
If a side marker light does not function, vehicle visibility can be decreased to other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
Campaign 16V526000 on NHTSA.gov
Engine and engine cooling, engineFeb 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.
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.
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.
Campaign 16V074000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: steering
445 reports, newest first. Show all
Steering, Engine, Jun 7, 2023
This car has given me the same repeating issues. Winter time the screen blinks blank. AC issues because of the design. Feeling the car with my foot on the break at a red light makes me want to puke. And the big one the steering. After driving on the highway for a bit, I notice the steering has a sticky kind of groove it likes to be in. I have not found a solution to the problem. Safety-camera screen blinking but you're used to using it, could potentially hit something. Nausea in traffic not good for any one. Steering-trying to maintain a lane while the steering gets stuck to the left but the road is veering to the right, it's terrifying. The car has a mind of its own and only performs when it wants...no official dealer report. I don't believe there are any official reports in regards to my vehicle. There have been NO lights or any kind of warning or messages about this. AC was about a year into having the car. The screen happened first winter and every winter since. The sticky steering wheel has been like herpes for about the past 5 years. I just want to have nice things that work. Thank you for your time.
Steering, Jun 5, 2023
The steering wheel sticks constantly while driving the car. This is a major safety concern because many times it sticks hard enough to the point where you can over correct while trying to overcome the stuck position of the steering wheel. This can cause you to drive erratically trying to keep the car between the lanes. We have not taken it to the dealership since we are aware now that this is a an issue amongst a large number of Honda Civic owners and the manufacture needs to step in and rectify this problem they already know about. It's not just our 2012 model, it is an issue amongst several different year models with the Honda Civic. We are just another victim of negligence by the manufacturer. Something needs to be done to correct this issue before people are injured because of it.
Steering, Jun 2, 2023
Car has an intermittent steering problem noticeable mostly at highway speeds. Its not constant, just shows up randomly. While driving straight ahead attempting to keep it going straight the steering wheel becomes sticky and jerky when you attempt to slightly adjust (turn left or right). Wile applying slight pressure to turn minimally the steering wheel sticks in place, then suddenly jerks in the direction you trying to steer it towards, causing oversteering and resulting in an attempt to oversteer it back to the other direction (to try and keep it in the lane going straight). It is not only annoying but also very unsafe as the sudden jerking and oversteering can cause a highway collision unexpectedly. My car has only 7,500 miles on it and this just started happening (May 2023).
Steering, Jun 1, 2023
The incident started 2-3 years ago and has progressively gotten worse. When driving, for usually 20+ minutes, the steering wheel will become stiff. This is most noticeable when driving in straight lines or trying to keep the car in the lane on the highway. This requires more effort to straighten the car out which leads to oversteering. Given the high speeds on the highway and impact of small movements in the steering wheel, I believe this to be a serious safety concern to occupants of the Honda Civics and nearby vehicles. I am unsure if a system has failed or if there is a malfunction but upon further research this appears to not be an isolated incidence with a significant amount of forum discussions relating to this exact issue. The problem has not been reproduced a this time in front of a service center representative. There has been no warning of any kind relating to this issue.
Steering, May 26, 2023
Steering wheel becomes stiff when driving at highway speeds, especially after the car has been operating for at least 20 minutes. The experience is similar to turning your steering wheel with the ignition off and no power assist. I thought I was going to lose control of the vehicle as I fought the steering wheel to stay centered in my lane and had to immediately pull over to the shoulder on the highway. First time it happened was September of 2020. When it continued, I no longer drove on the highway. I also experienced the issue when driving through a roundabout at 5 mph. It felt like the steering wheel locked up and I nearly crashed into the median before regaining control. Almost three years later, it continues to happen at highway speeds so I took it to the dealership for diagnosis because I only have 24,000 miles on the vehicle and cannot take it on road trips. Dealer confirmed the electronic power steering rack needs to be replaced at a cost of $4,000.00. This is a 2016 Honda Civic purchased new with only 24,000 miles to date and is undriveable at highway speeds due to safety issues and the dealer actually diagnosed a defective electronic power steering rack. Service tech said "too bad you don't own the 2017 Civic because a recall was issued for the power steering and you'd be covered 100%." This is an extremely expensive repair for a known defect. Please issue a recall for the 2016 Honda Civic electronic power steering system. Customers should not have to pay for the repair out of pocket for a defective part.
Steering, May 23, 2023
Hello, I've had my 2016 Honda Civic LX for almost 4 years now and noticed within the first year that the steering seemed to start getting "sticky" once I reach speeds over 35 mph. I brushed it off with the excuse that I live in a hot area, and maybe some things that I just don't understand are happening with the components. Yet, throughout the last year (55k-65k miles) it's becoming unbearable. To be specific, when I'm on the highway and I turn the vehicle towards the left or the right, the entire steering wheel feels like it catches on some kind of notch. This "catch" results in me having to use excessive force to steer the vehicle in the direction I'm trying to go. This makes me very concerned and nervous when I'm changing lanes, turning onto a street, or even simply following the curve of the road, as it can cause jerking motion and overcorrection. I've brought the vehicle into a Honda dealership before and the mechanic said he noticed what I was talking about, but was unsure of the cause. It did not get resolved, as I don't have the money to throw random components at it. This is my only vehicle and daily driver, I would be open to making it available for inspection. I have not had any one besides the dealership look into the problem. There has been no warning lights in the dash, and no other issues with this vehicle. The first experience I have with the sticky steering was 2020, at around 35k miles.
Steering, May 23, 2023
Steering is sticking at hwy speeds. Over corrects hard to the left and/or right while I'm trying to keep the vehicle center. It is a continuous issue.
Steering, May 22, 2023
The steering wheel sticks around the center point when left still for a few seconds. This leads to resistance in the steering when trying to make adjustments after driving straight. I am open to having the issue inspected. The main issue this leads to is oversteering, which is a serious safety concern especially when I am driving at higher speeds on the road. Greater force is needed to make adjustments when it sticks at the center line and results in longer reaction time for steering response and swerving when too much force is applied to unstick the steering. I haven't yet taken it to service center, but this issue continues to persist while I drive, so I don't have any worries about it being able to be reproduced. It also seems that this is becoming a more prevalent issue with this generation of Honda Civics, so I am not the only one experiencing this issue. No other symptoms predated the onset of the steering issue.
Steering, May 20, 2023
There is stickiness in the steering. When driving on the highway in a straight direction, there is an initial resistance or stickiness to turn the wheel from the neutral position.
Steering, May 17, 2023
Steering has become extremely sticky. Extra force must be taken to maintain position in lane. The pressure required to turn the wheel past the catchy position causes the vehicle to maneuver excessively making it difficult to remain in the proper lane. This is extremely dangerous on wet roads at highway speeds.
Steering, May 11, 2023
Steering "sticks" when making minor adjustments left or right to maintain direction, particularly on the highway. The force required to overcome the resistance causes it to overcorrect in the other direction. Wheels have recently been balanced and aligned by authorized Honda dealer.
Steering, May 10, 2023
The steering is "sticky" especically after running the car for 10 minutes or more. A slight movement of the steering wheel - feels like it gets stuck and have to put more effort moving the wheel. Then the wheel will let loose and over compensate the steering. Very dangerous. This has happened on and off for 2 years or so, but now happens every time we drive the car. Took to the local Honda dealer and they said the Rack and Pinion system needs replaced. The estimate for replacement is $4,200. I have seen that there are many other people with the problem and hope that a recall will happen soon.
Steering, May 6, 2023
When driving over 40 mph the steering sticks constantly. It is difficult to control the car and I’m fearful of over correcting. I was originally told it needed an alignment, but the problem returned. Honda now states it’s the steering rack and will cost $4000. This seems to be a common problem and I feel Honda should stand behind their product, as this is a huge safety concern.
Steering, May 2, 2023
The steering wheel sometimes get "sticky" and hard to move. It is dangerous because sometimes you have to drag the steering wheel to get it unstuck. There have been multiple reports on the same issue with my car and newer models. There are no warning lights, the steering wheel just start to stick making a dangerous on the road
Steering, Apr 16, 2023
Just bought vehicle during march. Still Winter in Northern Michigan. And this month in April I've noticed with the warmer days the steering sticks directly dead center at highway speeds. And requires a bit of force to be able to maintain direction. Once getting it "unstuck" it usually causes oversteering. Causing panic and almost getting me pulled over numerous times. My drive is an hour home from work. At 70+mph. Never been so aggravated to drive a vehicle I've only had for a month and a half. Vehicle only has 60,000mi. Took to two techs. Both have stated it's common and that there's no presented diagnosis besides a faulty EPS module from the factory. Hate this vehicle.
Steering, Apr 15, 2023
The power steering on the 2016 Honda Civic. While driving it is hard to gain control over the vehicle and the steering wheel tends to lock in place. It is UNKNOWN if the problem has been reproduced. The vehicle has been inspected by others. There is no warning lamps or message prior to failure.
Steering, Apr 8, 2023
Highway driving in the mountains. When making minor, stay-in-my-lane corrections the steering stopped being smooth. It felt like it was binding or sticking and would require more pressure to change direction then it would pop to another sticky spot. It sometimes adjusted too much and required a re-correction in the opposite direction. At no time was this enough to cause me to steer out of my lane but it was alarming.
Steering, Apr 4, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the steering wheel became firm and jerked. Additionally, while at a complete stop, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The contact stated that her father inspected the vehicle and stated that the steering rack assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
Steering, Apr 1, 2023
The investigation into the complaint that the Honda Civic steering becomes stiff at higher speeds and after driving for a while needs to include 2016 models. This has been noticeable on the highway and is becoming way more problematic as the car ages. I've noticed this for a while - maybe from the original purchase of the car. It is getting worse though as the second hour of our trip was almost unbearable and felt very unsafe.
Steering, Electrical system, Mar 31, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the electronic braking system, steering, alternator, check engine, and TPMS warning lights illuminated. After shifting into drive(D), the vehicle lost power steering functionality and became difficult to turn. The braking system warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a certified mechanic and the contact was informed electronic power steering rack and pinion had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure was 46,000.
Steering, Mar 28, 2023
An internal steering rack failure is involuntarily interfering with the electronic power steering system making the steering sticking or notchy at speeds under 45 mph. At highway speeds this same internal failure causes a prevalent and strong steering drift. Then upon correction to center the steering sticks and then releases to give back control. Sometimes this happens 3 times a minute. The longer you drive the more frequent the failure mode happens. After four hours of driving my arms were tired. On 23 Mar 2023 the vehicle was inspected by a certified Honda Dealer technician including a 4 mile drive test. The inspection report declared that the "STEERING RACK HAS AN INTERNAL FAILURE CAUSING THE STEERING TO FEEL NOTCHY". To remedy the problem the dealer recommended a steering rack assembly change out which would entail about 5 hours of labor. An alignment was also recommended. Including the assembly part, alignment, labor and inspection report the total came to approximately $4800. I decided to take the car from the dealer and with a friend record the number of failure instances and video the highway speed failure mode. The dealer had advised me on the inspection report invoice that the "VEHICLE IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE" but I also didn't want the car to be held hostage for $4800. On 27 March 2023 I called American Honda to request assistance with this repair. The 2016 Honda Civic model year has the highest number of steering complaints from 2010 to 2022. The replacement steering rack part is in its third iteration. My car was made in Dec 2015 in the early production on a new generation. Even though my car has 73,000 miles Honda should recall these early steering rack models and replace them at their expense providing a safe steering rack assembly to their customers. A copy of the Vehicle inspection report and invoice is attached. Note that that the vehicle is declared not safe to drive by the Honda Dealer and I am stranded away from home awaiting a fair resolution
Steering, Mar 23, 2023
While operating the vehicle on the highway the steering was not smooth when starting to turn the wheel. There was a short hesitation or loss of power assistance while turning to follow the direction of the roadway. This occurrence was very brief while turning the steering wheel. The steering problem lasted for several days. Later when taking the vehicle to be inspected for this problem there was no steering difficulty at all. The vehicle was inspected, computer analyzed and test driven finding no fault with the steering. Although there seems to be no problem at this time it is unknown if this could possibly be an "intermittent problem"?
Steering, Mar 21, 2023
At highway speeds while trying to keep the vehicle straight and in my lane, the steering sticks while trying to make minor adjustments to stay in my lane. I have to apply more force to my steering and I end up overcorrecting and it becomes very hard to stay straight and in my lane. This is only at highway speeds, anywhere from 60-75 mph, I have not noticed this happening at lower speeds. It seems something is happening with with the steering wheel or something in the electronic power steering system is malfunctioning. There are no warning lights on my car, I have talked to several certified Honda master technicians about this issues and they recognize the symptoms and tell me it is the electronic power steering rack having issues. My vehicle has only 42,000 miles.
Steering, Mar 21, 2023
Steering catches at highway speeds for a split second.
Steering, Mar 18, 2023
When car is driven above 40 mph the steering wheel sticks. Extra effort is required to maintain midline steering. Extra effort is required to break the persistent sticking pattern, which can cause loss of control.