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, Jun 6, 2022
There is no EPS indicator light lit but there is a "sticking" of the steering when driving at highway speeds. When the steering wheel is in the 12 o'clock position you can feel unusual tension while just lane controlling and then the tension will give when you apply greater than normal force required to stay in lanes during normal travel. It nearly is to the point of having to over-correct in order to release the tension created. There are numerous other accounts and owners in Honda online forums that have reported this issue and every report has been a result of and caused by the electronic power steering rack assembly. If this component goes or forces the driver to over-correct as a result of the sticking problem this can lead to an accident.
Steering, Jun 3, 2022
The steering on this car is electronic. It feels a lot different than other cars that I drive. The steering is stiff. When trying to make minor corrections, the steering doesn't want to move, therefore, more force is required to turn the steering wheel to make the correction. When the steering eventually releases, it results in an overcorrection situation. This overcorrection is a safety issue and could result in moving into the oncoming lane of traffic.
Steering, May 31, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the steering wheel momentarily seized; requiring additional force to steer the vehicle. The contact indicated that the failure would occur when turning in either direction. The failure was intermittent. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.
Steering, May 31, 2022
Steering issue with car drifting out of lane. Trying to recenter the vehicle in the lane there is resistance, and it requires an extra jerk to move the car back into the center of the lane. This happens repeatedly. This happens after about 30 minutes of driving. When driving on an interstate at high speed this creates a safety issue. Many others have reported a similar issue. It appears Honda is aware of this issue, and right now the fix is to replace the steering rack to correct a problem with a sensor when the car warms up.
Steering, May 30, 2022
My 2016 Honda Civic is having issues with the steering. When driving the car at 50 mph or above, the steering wants to pull to the left and it feels sticky and hard to turn back to keep in the lane and you have to turn hard and feel you will over correct and run off road. The car has about 50,000 miles on it. This is a safety issue because it make me over correct when driving. No warning lights are on.
Steering, May 24, 2022
Steering wheel sticks when driving at highway speeds and requires some force to correct in lane. This causes over-correction and vehicle moves in a jerky motion. No lights are on and this is extremely dangerous
Steering, May 17, 2022
The steering wheel sticks in the center making it hard to make steering adjustments without overcorrecting and moving out of driving lanes. I am constantly veering from left to right when trying to steer car in a straight line. It is worse at higher speeds and very tiring to drive the car. When my wife informed the dealer, they said someone will get back to her. It has been 3 weeks. The car is so unsafe to drive especially highway speeds that we take our other car when possible. Took car to repair shop and they agreed with our concern A search on the internet shows a major concern with these cars about this steering issue
Steering, May 16, 2022
After approximately 20k miles, the steering began to "stick". When the issue occurs, it takes more force than usual to turn the wheel slightly, causing me to have to over-correct to center the car. The issue usual occurs during highway driving and after the outside temperature rises. For example, the problem appears to go away during the winter, but re-appear during spring and summer. I have brought the vehicle in for inspection to the original dealer who failed to reproduce the issue.
Steering, May 14, 2022
I drive a 2016 Honda Civic ex and the steering is sticky and jerky when driving. This doesn't seem very safe when driving especially at highway speeds when the steering sticks then jerks either to the left or right when trying to get the steering to unstick. There have been tons of reported problems of the same issue by other Honda Civic owners of the same generation car who most have said the electric power steering rack is the issue. I have brought the car to the dealer to figure out the problem and while they acknowledged that something wasn't right, told me that they don't know what's causing it and therefore won't bother replacing any parts to try and fix it. While the car was in getting looked at I was then told that there were no lights or codes that were shown even though something is clearly wrong. This steering issue has been going on for over a year and it has yet to be figured out. https://youtu.be/w5x_CaVHXmM- This is exactly what is happening.
Steering, May 13, 2022
The steering wheel sticks intermittently. About 50% of the time, when making minor inputs to maintain lane, the steering wheel will "resist" and require additional pressure. When additional pressure is applied the steering wheel suddenly "breaks free" and causes over-steering. This over-steering causes lots of swerving and occasionally causes me to leave my lane. I have nearly been in several head-on accidents. The issue does not occur every time I drive the vehicle but when it starts, it continues until I stop and turn the vehicle off. The issue happens at all speeds. There are no warning lights or indicators on the dash. The issue started a couple days after taking the vehicle home after purchasing. There are 25000 miles on the vehicle and the vehicle will be in the shop next week.
Steering, May 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the steering wheel failed to respond immediately however, abruptly the steering wheel responded causing the vehicle to veer into the other lane. The contact stated that the failure was ongoing. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that after slowing down, the vehicle operated as designed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed; however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
Steering, Apr 28, 2022
My 2016 Honda Civic has the following problem. The steering "sticks" and is very sensitive to turning when it "catches". It is getting worse and is way worse at interstate speeds. It causes the vehicle to swerve sometimes when correcting and could make you overcorrect and lose traction and run off the road or into another lane of traffic very easily. It will be at a Honda Dealership within the week to be officially diagnosed but it is definitely a safety issue and it barely has 60,000 miles on it. NO warning lights are displayed.
Steering, Apr 4, 2022
Steering sticks. Takes additional force to push against the stiffness for just a minor adjustment. Wheels jerk towards that direction and you then have to steer in opposite direction to correct. But you are also pushing against that stiffness in the other direction, too. People must think I'm a drunk driver as the car jumps back and forth in the lane. Cannot smoothly adjust the wheel to keep the car in a straight line. It happens intermittently. Car starting doing this after 6 years and 48k miles. A search of Honda Civic car forums and on here shows others describing the same issue. For those who were under warranty, Honda replaced the power steering rack.
Steering, Apr 2, 2022
The steering "sticks" especially at high speeds which causes the car to swerve. It is a safety hazard as the steering is not smooth and it bumps the car towards other lanes. A mechanic said it could not be readily determined what the problem is and the dealer stated this is not covered by any warranty. No warning lights or check engine lights are on.
Steering, Electrical system, Mar 31, 2022
The Electronic Power Steering is failing and causing the vehicle to swerve, get stuck in one direction, and sway into other lanes almost striking other vehicles. The vehicle is a huge safety concern on the road. I Myself have had to roughly pull my steering before crashing into another vehicle. At times, the vehicle looses traction while actively driving because of the steering becoming stiff and stuck. The vehicle has been brought into Honda, they confirmed the power steering rack is failing and will continue to diminish over time thus causing the vehicle to crash. Multiple other Hondas have been brought in for the same issue according to Honda and stated the steering rack part has no estimated time when the part would be in the shop. I was told it could take anywhere from a week to months before Honda receives the necessary part. There are no warning lights appearing but Honda did confirm the steering rack is failing more and more and there’s nothing they can do for it yet. I’m not sure how people are supposed to drive a car that is bound to crash into someone? The part itself is no where to be found easily, so do Honda owners pray they do not crash?
Steering, Mar 31, 2022
Steering wheel sticks causing driver to have to exert extra force to "snap" back to normal steering. Problem happens in both directions and is more noticeable on warmer days after driving for 30 or more minutes. There are forums on the internet with multiple persons reporting the same problem. I see there are 154 steering complaints on this site. Most of them are for the same issue. This problem can surprise a driver at times. It is very annoying and distracting. I am hoping it does not get worse than it already is. Please do something about this safety issue.
Steering, Mar 19, 2022
The 10th gen Honda civics are having steering problems related to eps. The steering will become stuck while driving, especially at speeds higher than 45 mph. The steering becomes stiff and you must pull the wheel hard to gain control back and then the wheel goes right back to being stiff. It is difficult to keep the vehicle straight and to turn the vehicle. There are no warning lights coming on. Multiple forums of owners having similar issues and Honda dealerships not knowing what the problem is or how to fix it. The car veers off into other lanes with traffic. This first began to happen about 3 months ago. Never had any issues with steering prior to this case.
Steering, Feb 26, 2022
While driving down the highway, and attempting to make minor steering adjustments, the steering wheel constantly binds. An unnatural breakout force is required to overcome this perilous situation. The result is a continual overcorrection of the vehicles trajectory within the driving lane (Similar to a drunk driver). My vehicle has over 60k miles. The problem has been getting progressively worse over the last year. A google search reveals this issue is not an isolated one. It appears there may be a defect with the steering rack of these vehicles.
Steering, Dec 12, 2021
The car steering wheel stick and is jerky when driving. There are multiple sites with forum and videos of people experiencing the same issue.
Steering, Nov 29, 2021
Steering would "catch" at the centerline when attempting to steer straight. Extra force needed to overcome resistance which causes oversteering and vehicle veered into next lane. This issue has become progressively more dangerous until now the vehicle is unsafe to drive.
Steering, Nov 22, 2021
Around 40,000 miles, we first noticed a sort of bump or detent when trying to steer straight ahead at highway speeds. The car will drift to the right or left. When the driver attempts to steer back into the lane, resistance is felt at Top-Dead-Center, the demarc between left and right. To overcome the resistance, extra force must be used and that causes an oversteer condition in the opposite direction. I reported this problem to the dealership at 46976 miles, which was within the extended warranty coverage. They failed to report it to the warranty company or American Honda. I reported the issue again at mileage 59277, after it became much worse and much more dangerous. So far, my dealership has refused to cover the problem under manufacturer's warranty or extended warranty. Over the past year, I've driven this car less than 1000 miles because I am afraid it will get me killed.
Steering, Nov 22, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the steering wheel had experienced minute levels of stiffness and stickiness when attempting to turn in either direction. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000.
Steering, Oct 15, 2021
Steering gets "notchy" and acts out of sync. when at highway speeds, when trying to move left or right the steering does not respond correctly. You end up overcompensating for slight movements making it dangerous as you may veer too far. Seems to happen after car is warm or temps outside are high. Its also intermittent so hard to get dealership to diagnose. Have read this is an eps problem with steering rack. Should definitely be a safety recall as this is how we "aim" these 2 ton metal machines. Took to a local Honda dealership they said nothing is wrong. I still have the problem! This is a serious defect. Please issue a safety recall.
Steering, Oct 14, 2021
The steering wheel on the 2016 Honda Civic tends to stick when the car in going in a straightforward motion at highway speeds. When a bend or curve in the road approaches, the steering wheel must be gently forced out of its central stuck position, causing a jerk in the movement of the vehicle. I have gotten used to this issue and have been able to work through it, but fear the safety of my family as passengers or if they ever need to drive my vehicle. The jerking motion could potentially cause the car to jump out of lane. This is generally always been an issue with my vehicle, but I didn't fully understand how potentially dangerous it is until now.
Steering, Oct 8, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated while reversing, there was an abnormal noise coming from the steering wheel. In addition, the steering wheel was pulling to the right or left while the vehicle was driven straight. The steering wheel seized causing the contact to use extreme force while steering the vehicle. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 32,000.