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, Suspension, Wheels, Jul 20, 2025
Steering rack is malfunctioning; I've taken my vehicle to different Honda dealerships and have paid for multiple diagnostics regarding the steering rack. The last time I took my vehicle to dealership was Wednesday July 16 2025 at 8:00 am Honda of Mishawaka, IN I told them the steering wheel was getting sticky and that it was affecting my alignment. Honda took a look and realigned my wheels, but did NOT fix the issue with my steering.
Steering, Jul 18, 2025
The steering wheels becomes stiff/sticky & notchy after driving for sometime. It is most prevalent at interstate speeds & ramps. It causes me to have to constantly overcorrect to stay in my line & often doesn't return to center. This is a serious safety concern which has been addressed in Class action lawsuit for 22-23 models of the Civic, but it has yet to be recalled or fixed for later models with the same issue.
Steering, Jul 18, 2025
While driving my 2016 Honda Civic at highway speeds (typically 55–75 mph), especially in warm or hot weather, I experience a significant issue with the steering system. The steering wheel becomes “sticky” or stiff and resists minor directional inputs. Instead of responding smoothly, the wheel feels like it is temporarily stuck in place and then jerks when force is applied to adjust the direction. This issue makes it difficult to make small corrections while driving straight and causes the car to feel unstable or difficult to control, which results in abrupt movements that compromise safety, particularly at high speeds. The problem is more noticeable after the vehicle has been driven for a while or during warm weather, suggesting a potential link to heat or prolonged use. There are currently no warning lights or diagnostic alerts on the dashboard, but the steering issue is consistent and reproducible. The issue has been reproduced by an independent service center, to which they said was an issue with a failing power steering where its losing pressure.
Steering, Jul 8, 2025
The steering sticks when driving straight and needs additional force to correct causing an over correction. Vehicle can be difficult to keep in its lane.
Steering, Jul 4, 2025
The problem is with the steering. When driving in a straight line and just normal driving, correcting from left to right to keep the vehicle in the lane, when moving the steering wheel, it seems to be sticking, and it causes one to overcorrect, and then causes the car to sway in the lane, and it seems to do it more turning to the right then to the left. I’m taking to have it inspected by a Honda dealer but after reading some reviews online, it could be a $4000 repair and apparently it is something that has been going on for a while, and a manufactured defect with these vehicles, and there is no recall about it , and there are several videos on YouTube showing The inside of the gearbox of the steering rack and pinion, and that the grease was not applied to the gears correctly, and that is what’s causing it to stick.
Steering, Jul 3, 2025
The steering has been sticking for quite some time in the "straight" or center position. One must provide excessive force to the steering wheel to get the car to alter direction left or right. The steering wheel will resists normal minor corrections to follow the road. The steering wheel requires excessive force to "break loose" of the center position which results in overcorrection to the left or right. Picture a car veering left and right over and over while traveling straight as no road is completely straight and requires minor steering corrections to maintain a straight path. Almost ran off the road due to the force required to correct the car's path. This is an extremely majot safety issue that Honda MUST address. The car has far too few miles to have this major problem. I have NEVER had a car in the past that was so dangerous to myself and the public at large. Steering is the most basic of controls. Even a car with a worn out reciprocating ball or a worm gear rack will still steer off-center as required. This is an accident and disaster just waiting to happen. I demand Honda and NHTSA approve and require the no cost to me repair of the steering system immediately or public outcry will be unrelenting.
Steering, Jul 1, 2025
Our steering has started to be “sticky” and needing over correction for over a year now. It is progressively getting more prominent and is worse when driving on the highway (causing swerving). There is currently a recall for Hondas with this problem, but only from 2022-2025. Mine is a 2016 Honda civic and many others have the same problem with older models and needing to pay $4000+ to get it replaced.
Steering, Jun 30, 2025
When driving straight, the wheel gets stuck and requires some force to become unstuck which then causes the wheel to jerk in the direction you are turning. This results in over steering and is very dangerous. I have found many complaints about this online after looking for solutions.
Steering, Jun 27, 2025
I have had to replace my steering rack twice in eight months. The first replacement my tie rod had to be replaced twice as well. I see other Honda models have had this similar problem I think it’s time to include my model as well. This is a very expensive problem once is enough but now twice is absurd.
Steering, Jun 27, 2025
I purchased my 2016 Honda Civic in 2018. Not too long afterward, I noticed the steering would occasionally stick in place when trying to turn it causing overcorrections in driving. Over time, the occurrences have dramatically increased, especially on the highway (dangerous). I have brought the vehicle to a Honda dealership regarding this issue. They test drove it and did not find the wheel to stick (I brought it in (California) Wintertime, but the issue primarily occurs in warmer temperatures).Since Honda issued a recall for this exact problem on its 2022-2025 models, I have contacted the Honda manufacturer regarding this issue, but there is no open recall for my VIN. I find I’m in good company with other 2016 Civic owners, from the number of identical complaints on various automotive forums regarding this same complaint for their Honda civics. I’ve also noticed that “steering” has the large number of reported complaints on the NHTSA site (over 300 for my vehicle year alone). Please look into this, as Honda is ignoring the many Civic owners concerned for their safety as well as others on the road due to this sticking steering issue.
Steering, Jun 27, 2025
The steering wheel gets stuck in the center position. Cannot make minor steering changes with over correcting. You have to steer left/right back and forth so that the steering wheel does not get stuck. High temperatures make the condition far worse. The steering gets stuck in center position and requires additional force to break free which causes the car to veer too far left or too far right back and forth. Very dangerous.
Steering, Jun 27, 2025
Steering sticking while driving. Took it to the Honda dealer and was told that power steering failure is common on Civics. Cost around 4K.
Steering, Jun 27, 2025
I’m having a problem with my steering lately. It’s like it’s sticky and jerky feeling when driving, causing me to have to overcorrect left or right when making slight adjustments to center.This happens on long drives on the highway. Over correction on a 2 or 3 lane highway is not safe.
Steering, Jun 26, 2025
Steering feels like it’s getting stuck when driving straight on the highway. The wheel almost fights you when you try to make a course correction. Vehicle feels unsafe to drive since you are constantly trying to keep the car straight
Steering, Jun 24, 2025
When driving on a straight road then having to slightly change course due to perhaps a slight bend in the road the steering wheel feels like it is sticking and takes a bit of force to straighten the wheel. I have had numerous alignments done per maintenance recommendations. It seems to happen more often when it is warm outside. There are no warning lights present. Im afraid that the steering wheel will become actually stuck while driving.
Steering, Jun 23, 2025
I am experiencing an issue where the steering wheel seems sticky and I have noticed from a google search that it affects vehicles designated from 2016-2022 Honda civics although my specific vin doesn’t show as one being affected. It sounds like it most definitely should be. It’s only noticeable at speeds greater than 45 since you use very small amounts of steering wheel turn to make adjustments. How do I get my specific VIN included in this recall since it seems like it most definitely should be?
Steering, Jun 23, 2025
When driving at highway speeds the steering is sticky or notches feeling to leave center or return center. Less noticeable at lower speeds.
Steering, Jun 18, 2025
The steering wheel starts to get sticky on freeway after roughly AFTER 45 mins drive, that gives me harder to follow the lane or make a lane change either to the left or right side. My wife experiences that issue for years, she had not brought that into my attention until two weeks ago we took our 2016 Honda Civic for trip to California and I was a driver. I have heard lots of complaints related Power Steering Rack issues on Honda lately. Please consider this is a serious problem.
Steering, Electrical system, Jun 16, 2025
I have a 2016 Civic LX, and the steering is sticking when on center when the vehicle has been driving for a while/is warmed up. I have read multiple instances and reports of this issue and the EPS/rack being the culprit even when this car was released 10 years ago. There was never a bulletin or a recall for this model year but it is the same issue for the 2022-2025 model years, and it is frustrating that it is still occurring. It requires more pressure than needed to move the wheel and then it jerks as it comes loose causing need to over correction. This is very unsettling when traveling at highway speeds. I purchased the vehicle in late September of 2024, and I believe the vehicle was doing it then but i did not recognize the issue and it wasn't consistent, especially as temps were cold. The issue has gotten worse, especially as the warm weather is coming around.
Steering, Jun 11, 2025
The steering wheel "sticks." When driving in a straight line or a wide turn angle (like a freeway exit), attempting to make small adjustments to maintain direction results in a jerking motion. The steering wheel feels stuck until it suddenly overcorrects. I have attempted to manage this better by keeping a very firm grip on the steering wheel in order to personally "control" the issue, but it is not effective. It is extremely stressful driving longer distances and on narrow roads. I have difficulty staying in my line and was even pulled over by a state trooper as they thought I was driving under the influence. Quick research on the Internet indicates many 10th Generation Civic owners experience the same issue, and that this may be due to faulty rack and pinion.
Steering, Jun 10, 2025
I have noticed my Honda civic 2016 steering wheel gets stickier while its on highway.
Steering, Jun 10, 2025
I would like to request a SAFETY INVESTIGATION on my 2016 Honda Civic - My steering wheel is sticking as I drive. I thought it needed an alignment and have taken it to get an alignment twice (7/29/2021 and 3/4/2025). However, it is still sticking to the point I am scared to drive it as it seems I may lose control of the steering wheel trying to keep it in the road. This is a serious safety issue / hazard for me and other people on the highways. I called the Honda dealership to tell them of my issue, they said it was a SAFETY RECALL and to take it to the nearest Dealership, however upon googling the SAFETY RECALL it stated that there were recalls on this very same issue for the 2021 - 2024 models, it is occurring on models year much earlier than that, as my vehicle is a 2016. I only have 121,608 miles on my vehicle; this vehicle has never been in an accident. It is available for inspection upon request; the sticking of the steering wheel is a safety hazard for me and others on the highways that I travel. No, this problem has not been confirmed or inspected by a dealership or service center. There were/are no warning lights to assist me in figuring out the problem.
Steering, Jun 2, 2025
In warmer weather while driving at highway speeds the steering wheel sticks in place. It takes about 4 lbs of pressure to “break the wheel free” from this stuck position. It makes it extremely difficult to make minor steering adjustments while traveling. Many others have experienced this same problem. Recently the newer model or generation of Hondas have been issued a recall while the previous or “10th generation” have not. I believe this to be a significant hazard on our roads in America. Why the newer models get the recall and the older do not I do not understand. Here is a link with others with the same issue. With little research you will find many other forums and YouTube videos address the same discrepancy. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Steering, Jun 2, 2025
Steering sticks at highway speeds, hard to maintain center of lane. Waiting to get pulled over for suspected drunk driving, which never am. Wife won't drive the car because of this issue. Honda has issued recall for this issue but only 2022-2024 and needs to be at least to 2016 models. Due to price of the electric rack and pinions for civic, unable to purchase one to install myself.
Steering, May 14, 2025
When driving straight on the freeway small corrections to keep the car straight are resisted when I add force to the wheel. With increasing force the drag is overcome and the wheel will snap to a new position which may be too far the other way. This makes the steering kind of digital instead of analog. I have noticed the issue periodically over the last couple of years and had the alignment done 2X, first by an independant mechanic and then by the Honda dealer. I thought the issue was alignment. Being the problem is not always noticeable it took a while for me to realize this is totally not normal for this or any car. I fully realize that now after testing it out on my last drive.