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
1,081 reports, newest first.
Steering, Jun 21, 2022
The EPS Electronic Power Steering system is STICKING, while driving. It wants to hold the steering wheel, which is terrifying. When you muscle the steering wheel out of its “hold” it brings heightened risk of over-compensating and losing control of the vehicle. No dash indicator/fault lights turned on. I will be having the vehicle inspected at a local Honda dealer. My son confirms the same driving conditions as I have explained above, and he is a foreign car mechanic of 20+ years experience.
Steering, Jun 21, 2022
Most noticeable when trying to stay straight in a lane on highway or interstate going 60-80 mph. When trying to make minor adjustments left or right, the steering wheel will stick, causing it to jerk more in the direction I’m trying to steer, which causes slight over steering and having to correct back the other direction. I have to keep a death grip on the steering wheel with both hands so as not to overcorrect when I try to slightly adjust to the left or right. It’s definitely a safety issue and has the potential to cause an accident.
Steering, Jun 18, 2022
2016 Honda Civic LX with 47K miles. With engine warm and driving at highway speed, steering wheel gets stuck/sticky at the 12 oclock position and requires too much force to correct, or 'unlock' (it's jerky). Requires near constant correction. Feels unsafe. Numerous reports of what appear to be exactly the same problem are described in on-line forums such as carcomplaints.com or carproblemzoo.com - appears to be electronic power steering system problem.
Electrical system, Air bags, Jun 16, 2022
UNKNOWN
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Structure, Jun 9, 2022, crash
no one was hurt. just a finder binder to my car only. the other drivrr had a truck and it didnt do any damage to back bumper.
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.
Other or unspecified, Jun 5, 2022
I have been giving the run around on my car ac problem. At first dealer they said it was a part that was on recall from Honda corporate that was on recall that was giving intermittent ac problem. They said it was the condenser. It ended up not fixing my issue. So after a while the AC completely stop working had a mechanic check it out and turned out it was the compressor. Seems online people are having issues on all components of the ac system because it was not designed to handle the new refrigerant they use on this car. It’s to the point there’s a lawsuit please have them recall the entire ac system.
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.
Other or unspecified, May 31, 2022
The Condensor on my 2016 Honda Civic Sedan is not working AGAIN. The condenser was replace by recall 2 years ago, I went on a trip to Nebraska last year from Utah, and a rock punctured the system. I go to use my car this spring and the AC doesn't work again. I took it into Ken Garff Riverdale of Utah, and I was just informed the condenser has seized yet again, and they are hoping that none of the motor fragments are in the system. Or the call it the "Black Death" and the whole internal system of the vehicle has to be replaced. I was sold a lemon of a car from Larry H Miller Murray of Utah. I am now close to $15,000 in repairs on this stupid car.
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
Equipment, May 19, 2022
In late winter of 2022, the car’s A/C system failed for the fourth time. The car A/C system stopped functioning; it was no longer blowing cool air into the car. The diagnosis was that the A/C compressor was leaking. The A/C compressor was replaced and we were charged $2027. We paid the bill and asked Honda to reimburse us for the amount because after 4 failures in 3 years it was obvious that the Civic A/C system design was flawed. Honda refused to pay for the compressor replacement.
Equipment, May 19, 2022
Our car’s A/C system failed for the third time. It was no longer blowing cool air into the car interior. The diagnosis was, the A/C O-ring was leaking. The O-ring was replaced. We were charged for the O-ring replacement $541. After paying the bill Honda reimbursed us for the amount.
Equipment, May 19, 2022
THE A/C was not functioning. It failed for the second time. It was not blowing cold air. The A/C condenser failed. The condenser was replaced under the Honda warranty.
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.
Electrical system, Engine, May 10, 2022
This vehicle is having electrical problems due to rodents and the oil smells like gasoline
Other or unspecified, May 8, 2022
A/C Compressor had to be replaced after 3.5 years of purchased. After 2.5 years, AC is blowing hot air again.
Other or unspecified, May 6, 2022
THE A/C was not functioning. It was not blowing cold air. The A/C suction hose was leaking. The A/C suction hose was replaced and refrigerant was added. After the repair, the A/C functioned normally.
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.