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, Nov 17, 2024
Beginning in April 2024, I noticed that my steering wheel would catch slightly when I was driving straight ahead, so that I needed to overcorrect left and right, with resistance in the steering wheel (like it was moving between two notches). This would happen whenever I drove my car straight ahead. I took my car to the local dealer and, after the first visit where they said I should get four new tires in case stretched bands in my tires were causing the steering problem, on a second visit they diagnosed an internal rack problem and advised a steering rack replacement. The car mileage was slightly under 33,000 miles at this time. I reached out to American Honda about the problem, and after they reviewed my case, they provided some goodwill toward the steering rack replacement, they said in part because I've routinely taken my car to the local dealership for service. The steering rack was replaced in September 2024.
Steering, Nov 12, 2024
Experiencing the same sticky steering issue that a number of other customers have also reported. After driving the vehicle on the highway for 15+ minutes you will start to feel the steeling wheel stick at the center position when turning the wheel from the center position to the right. Have not had the vehicle inspected yet. No lights or sensors indicate any issue.
Steering, Nov 2, 2024
At highway speeds or after driving longer distances there is an increased amount of effort needed to turn the steering wheel. When making slight adjustments the steering wheel “sticks” and then overcorrects sometimes causing my car to shift into the other lane. I have had several others drive my car and notice the same issue.
Steering, Oct 25, 2024
While driving the steering wheel becomes sticky. It is difficult to turn and requires varying levels of force, reducing accuracy and resulting in jerky movements, difficulty staying in the lines, and increasing risk of crash. No warning lights or errors are coming up for this issue. No other symptoms. Issue has been going on for about a year. If necessary I can get supporting documentation from a mechanic for this issue. No inspection from insurance or police.
Steering, Oct 23, 2024
When driving at highway speeds (generally around 50 to 80 mph), the steering wheel has a "sticky" feeling when trying to maintain a straight line. Making minor adjustments with the steering wheel requires excessive force to correct minor lane adjustments. This, in turn, creates a very unpleasant and unsafe driving condition as it feels like you are constantly fighting the steering wheel, just to maintain the center of your lane. Driving long periods like this also causes the driver to some what "fight" against the issue causing fatigue in the drivers hands, wrists, and arms. The larger concern is if this issue continues, or gets worse, this could easily lead to an increased risk of loss of control of the vehicle and/or crash. This seems related to a similar recall just issued by Honda for 1.7 million vehicles (including Civics) for 2022 - 2025 models by NHTSA.
Steering, Oct 22, 2024
Anytime I drive on the highway, the steering wheel begins to stick, causing me to need more force to correct, which causes overcorrection. I then have to correct the overcorrection which causes an overcorrection in the other direction because the steering wheel does not move smoothly. It's extremely frustrating and almost every time someone is following me, they call to ask if I'm all right due to the swerving. This can be a serious safety issue because of constant swerving due to how difficult it is to correct the car in the lane without overcorrecting, starting an overcorrection snowball. It also doesn't stop until the car is shut off and turned back on, in which case it starts up again once getting over 45mph.
Steering, Oct 16, 2024
Steering becomes noticeably "sticky" at highway speeds (50+). Steering wheel "sticks/freezes" near the center point and it takes some force to turn/unstick it ... then I am forced to over/re-correct the opposite direction making the car swerve right/left or vice versa. On a slick road this could cause a complete loss of control ... luckily I don't drive at highway speed on a daily basis. Car mileage is currently 57,860. This has been happening for at least a year, and I just finally remembered to Google it last night and discovered that this is a known issue with Civics.
Steering, Oct 15, 2024
I started having steering issues from the steering wheel being stiff and having to fight against it to keep the car in the lane of traffic. I took the car into the dealership, and the service writer stated he knew exactly what was wrong. He stated it could have gotten dangerous and could lead to a crash. I was charged 4500.00 for an electric power steering rack. After seeing the recent recalls and other same sounding issues, I am thinking the recall for the newer models, is potentially what was wrong with my 2016 Civic. I only had 33K miles on it. I had this repaired exactly 1 year ago. I feel that this recall should go back to cover the older models like mine. Seeing the other complaints from other people, it sounds like they should be covered.
Steering, Oct 11, 2024
Feels like steering wheel gets stuck when going highway speeds, takes more effort than usual to turn/ unlock to change lanes. Happens every time i drive 60+mph
Steering, Oct 11, 2024
A notchy feel when you get at about 40 mph or greater. Steering kind of gives a hesitation or resistance when trying to give minor corrections to the left or right. Very noticeable on at high way speeds when trying to stay within a lane along a straight away. You have to force the steering wheel to turn and by the time it "releases" you have to over correct to not go into the next lane accidentally. Very unsafe feeling
Steering, Oct 11, 2024
Steering issues. During highway speeds driver(s) has to keep adjusting steering to make the car drive straight.
Steering, Oct 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the steering wheel malfunctioned and failed to immediately respond while turning the in either direction while attempting to switch lanes. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who performed a steering module software update, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 65,000.
Steering, Oct 10, 2024
The steering sticks and causes me to overcorrect to stay in my lane. I see that later models of Honda have been recalled for the same issues as my car has been having for some time now. I feel it is dangerous.
Steering, Oct 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel became difficult to turn in either direction. The contact indicated that the failure was intermittent. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 40,000.
Steering, Sep 30, 2024
Steering is stiff and Jerky when making slight corrections
Steering, Other or unspecified, Sep 28, 2024
For a while now (months), we have noticed our 2016 Honda Civic has had a "sticky" (a click or jerk) feeling when handling the steering wheel, particularly while driving on the freeway, holding long turns, or when even reversing (from an angle) into a parking stall (for the parking, a click/pop is audibly heard). Basically, the steering wheel will suddenly shift/jerk slightly left/right, which causes you to no longer be steering in the exact line you were on. Driver has to then correct by making an opposing shift in the opposite direction to return to the exact line that was being driven. It is a bit of a nuisance, and produces anxiety on the driver's part, leaving one wondering if/when the shift/jerk will cause even larger of an issue, potentially posing risk of harm to the vehicle's and neighboring vehicles' riders via a collision. Our Honda service technician recently confirmed, after our recent big maintenance service, that this issue is present and has something to do with some steering mechanism (I don't recall the correct term of the equipment/device), and that an estimated repair cost would be $3,000-$4,000. For now, we have been advised to monitor, and that basically it is up to us to decide if/when we would like to spend $3,000-$4,000 to have this repaired at our own expense. We are not aware of how this issue arose (what the exact cause is), but is potentially due manufacturing. There are no dashboard warning lights that illuminate during the shifting/jerking of the steering. We just feel it, moreso if you are the one driving. This issue is experienced daily. Our primary concern is prevention of a collision. We do not want it to get to the point of having had a collision/emergency, then reactively reporting the issue to NHTSA. And we do not have funds to purchase a new vehicle. Can we possibly have more confidence in this vehicle being able to transport our family safely without fear of steering issues? Thank you for your support.
Steering, Sep 28, 2024
The steering locks and sticks when driving especially on a highway. It appears the rack and pinion sticks
Steering, Sep 24, 2024
While driving the steering wheel is sticking and have to jerk the steering wheel to prevent going into another lane. Contact Honda dealer ships and Honda corporate office and asked if there was a recall for this, they said not on my particular vehicle, but some of the Honda civics. There is no warnings, it just happens periodically.
Steering, Sep 19, 2024
Steering sticks when driving on interstate. Causes over correction and potentially can cause lead to swerving and hitting someone
Steering, Sep 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, frequently becoming stuck in position, requiring that the steering wheel be manually returned to center. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V663000 (Steering), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,000. The VIN was not available.
Steering, Aug 25, 2024
Steering is sticky or notchy when driving higher speeds. Feels like it overcorrects when trying to maintain center.
Steering, Aug 17, 2024
Steering sticks at a certain point of turning which makes it difficult to maintain a straight path and has almost caused a collision due to the fact that you end up over correcting your current path so you may vere into the other lane. The problem occurs at different times and seems to be at it's peak when it's hot outside and gives no warning lights or any other visible signs as to when it will occur. I bought the car used and it had around 20,000 miles on it, I noticed the issue soon after that. I have not had the problem looked at yet because it has been manageable but I fear that it may get worse and I know I'm not the only one with this issue. My vehicle may be inspected up on request.
Steering, Aug 15, 2024
when long distance driving it has sticky steering which cause over correction left and right making it feel unsafe to drive
Steering, Aug 10, 2024
The steering wheel has a tendency to “catch” or "stick" at the center line when driving. To overcome this resistance, you have to apply extra pressure, which could lead to oversteering and the car swerving out of your intended direction of steering. This is a known problem, referred to as "sticky steering" in many online searches. The only solution seems to be a complete replacement of the EPS steering rack which is on back order due to demand and I've been quoted a range of $3500 to $5000 to replace by several Honda dealers in my area. This is a serious safety issue with the vehicle and should be recalled for the replacement.
Steering, Aug 3, 2024
When driving on a straight road (highway, avenue, etc.) steering wheel tends to stay “sticky” at the 12 o clock position and takes some force to get it to move to make minor adjustments in steering. This makes it overcorrect and causes me to constantly gave to be adjusting to keep the car straight