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.
Other or unspecified, Jun 30, 2021
Honda has installed faulty A/C systems and expect the consumer to pay for repairs on their faulty equipment. A 2016 Honda Civic should not have a bad compressor for a car that is barely used.
Steering, Jun 26, 2021
At speeds above 45mph the car tracks left or right. When correcting, the steering wheel becomes stiff and has to be forced , almost snapping back into position causing the driver to over compensate.
Electrical system, Equipment, Jun 22, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds the air conditioner was distributing hot air through the vents. The local dealer was contacted but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to NHTSA. The failure mileage was unknown. The contact was concerned about driving a vehicle without air conditioning in a hot climate state.
Other or unspecified, Visibility/wiper, Jun 20, 2021
The ac blows hot on drivers side causing the driver to sweat and lose grip of steering wheel. This is a known issue of faulty ac systems in this year of civics.
Other or unspecified, Jun 18, 2021
AC Problems in this generation of the vehicle are rampant. We recently had the condenser in this vehicle changed under an extended warranty via American Honda less than a year ago because the ac was blowing warm. It worked fine until present day where the AC seems to be blowing warm again. The problem this time is the evaporator. The car only has 52K miles. For this many problems in the AC system to break before the car even hits 100K miles is unheard of. Honda should cover the entire AC system and not only the condenser in its warranty as the entire AC system in the car is poorly made. Honda is well aware of these issues which are rampant for 2015-2019 Honda Civics.
Other or unspecified, Jun 15, 2021
ON 10/11/2019 AC STOPPED BLOWING COLD AIR. HAD TO REPAIR OUT OF POCKET. REPLACED CONDENSER AND COMPRESSOR. ON 06/15/2021 AC stopped blowing cold air AGAIN. Just fixed this, ~ 14,000 miles later.
Steering, Jun 13, 2021
My steering feels “sticky” at times. This seems to happen mostly when I’m going straight or on a long sweeping curve and I attempt to make minor steering adjustments. The wheel will slightly “stick” in response to those small inputs and then break loose resulting in over steering. I have not yet lost control of the vehicle due to this problem but it is starting to feel sketchy and dangerous. I do not notice this issue when driving at slow speeds.
Steering, Jun 12, 2021
Steering column sticks at all speeds requiring extra force to pull the wheel free. This causes the car to over steer in the opposite direction.
Steering, Jun 11, 2021
Steering gets stiff and requires extreme force to make minor corrections. This causes over correction. I have had it to the dealer in the past and since they could not reproduce the problem they just dismissed me. When it began it was only at highway speeds. It is now happening as low as 45 MPH. This has happened multiple times since I purchased the car new in 2016.
Steering, Jun 3, 2021
Steering wheel locked while driving. Has happened at different speeds including 70 MPH on Interstate 75 in Southern Florida. Took vehicle to dealer which was able to recreate the problem and stated a replacement of the steering rack system ($3800) was required. Opened a case with Honda since the vehicle (2016 model year) fell outside of the recall for 2017-2018 Civics for a similar steering problem.
Steering, May 26, 2021
My car’s steering has a problem since 3+ years. The steering veers on its own and moves to the other lane even when I am going straight. I have to bring it back to lane. I am driving since 20+ years and can simply say that is dangerous. At first I thought it was wheel alignment issue and took them to dealership. I had spent some money for that repair, but to my surprise the problem was still there the moment I drove out of the dealership after that repair. I was kind of shocked and upset that the problem still remained. I took them to local mechanics couple of times and did the wheel alignment but the problem still remained. I saw in the news about the Honda recall for the steering issue and when I checked if my car was in the recall list and again to my shock it is not there. This is big cover up for reputation but I think 2016 civic model is in that list of recall. Please look into this matter and take the necessary steps.
Air bags, May 23, 2021, crash
I was stopped at a left turn in section, waiting for oncoming traffic to pass, when an Honda CR-V rear ended me, causing me to hit my head on the steering wheel. The CR-V’s airbags did deploy, but mine did not(have photos and videos of crash).
Other or unspecified, May 14, 2021
A/C QUIT BLOWING COLD AIR. TURNED ON FOR FIRST TIME THIS SEASON AFTER A/C NOT RUNNING DURING WINTER. $2000 TO FIX COMPRESSOR.
Service brakes, May 11, 2021
2016 HONDA CIVIC EX-T AFTER GETTING BRAKES AND ROTORS REPLACED THE 'BRAKE SYSTEM' LIGHT STAYS ON WITH ALERTS FOR: ELECTRIC PARKING BRAKE PROBLEM, BRAKE SYSTEM PROBLEM, & BRAKE HOLD SYSTEM PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THE ELECTRIC PARKING BRAKE ENGAGES AND HOLDS AND DISENGAGES WHEN I FLIP THE SWITCH FINE, THE CAR DRIVES AND BRAKES FINE, THE ONLY THING THAT DOESN'T SEEM TO WORK IS THE BRAKE HOLD BUTTON. CAR DRIVES FINE AND BRAKES WORK FINE, ALERTS WON'T GO AWAY AND ARE ONLY ON THE DASH NOT IN THE NOTIFICATIONS IN THE CENTER CONSOLE.
Steering, May 10, 2021
TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WITH THE VEHICLE HEADING IN A FAIRLY STRAIGHT TRAJECTORY, ATTEMPTS TO ADJUST THE STEERING SLIGHTLY IN EITHER DIRECTION (TO CORRECT FOR ANY DRIFTING) ARE MET WITH RESISTANCE IN THE FORM OF THE STEERING "STICKING" TO ITS' CURRENT POSITION. ABNORMAL EFFORT IS REQUIRED TO "UNSTICK" THE STEERING, AT WHICH POINT THERE IS A JERKING RESULT THAT CAUSES AN OVERSTEER IN THE DIRECTION OF THE ATTEMPTED CORRECTION.
Power train, May 10, 2021
WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR 7 MONTHS AGO FROM ELITE MOTORS IN SACRAMENTO I ALSO NOUGHT A WARRANTY FOR POWER TRAIN. IMMEDIATELY THE A/C WAS BLOWING HOT AIR. THEY FIXED IT. NOW IT'S BLOWING HOT AIR AGAIN. I WENT TO A SHOP TO FILL FREON THEY SAID THERE IS STILL PRESSURE IN IT AND TGAT THEY NEED A DIAGNOSIS FIRST BECAUSE IT COULD BE A CONDENSER. I DO NOT HAVE $260 TO DIAGNOSE THIS CAR. CAN HONDA BE FORCED TO REPAIR THIS?
Steering, May 6, 2021
AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS (50 MPH OR MORE), THE CAR STRUGGLES TO STAY STRAIGHT. THIS RESULTS IN HAVING TO CONSTANTLY ADJUST THE STEERING WHEEL, WHICH FEELS VERY TIGHT, ALMOST AS IF IT'S STUCK. THIS REQUIRES USING MORE FORCE WHICH CAN LEAD TO AN OVERCORRECTION AS THE WHEEL LOOSENS UP.
Other or unspecified, May 3, 2021
VEHICLE IS LIGHTLY DRIVEN FOR 5 YEARS WITH ONLY 40K MILES. ALL RECOMMENDED SERVICES WERE PERFORMED ON SCHEDULE. SUDDENLY, THE A/C STARTED TO BLOW ONLY HOT AIR AND DID NOT SEEM TO HAVE ANY COOLING CAPACITY. THE SYSTEM IS LIKELY LEAKING REFRIGERANT AS HONDA HAS OFFICIALLY ACCEPTED THAT SOME A/C PARTS ARE IMPROPERLY MANUFACTURED FOR 16' HONDA CIVICS. A RECALL SHOULD BE CREATED FOR ALL 16' HONDA CIVIC A/C SYSTEMS.
Steering, May 2, 2021
STEERING STICKS AT 40 PLUS MPH. OVERCOMPENSATION IS SOMETIMES REQUIRED AND MAKES IT HARD TO STERER STRAIGHT. I'VE NOTICED THAT 2017 AND NEWER HONDA CIVICES ARE BEING RECALLED BUT NOT THE 2016'S. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND NEEDS TO BE RECALLED . LOTS OF COMPLAINMTS WITH THE SAME ISSUE.
Other or unspecified, Apr 30, 2021
A/C BLOWING WARM ON DRIVER SIDE AT ALL TIMES
Lane departure, Apr 29, 2021
PURCHASED 2016 HONDA CIVC 4/2021 - THE LANE ASSIST FEATURE TRIES TO TAKE THE CAR INTO ON COMING TRAFFIC. IT SEEMS TO DETECT THE RIGHT LINES SOMETIMES BUT COMPLETELY IGNORES THE LEFT LINES. THIS IS TRAVELING AT ANY SPEED ABOVE 45 MPH ON DRY STRAIGHT HIGHWAY.
Structure, Apr 29, 2021
IN LESS THAN 5 YEARS OF OWNERSHIP, THE PAINT ON THE DIVER SIDE IN THE CREVICE BETWEEN THE REAR WINDOW AND THE BODY OF OUR 2016 CIVIC STARTED PEELING IN CHUNKS OF GREATER THAN 1". BECAUSE IT WAS OUT OF THE 3/36000 WARRANTY, WE WERE OFFERED TO HAVE THE AREA REPAINTED AND WE CONSUMED HALF THE COST. LESS THAN 8 MONTHS LATER, AND STILL LESS THAN 5 YEARS OF OWNERSHIP, THE PAINT IS NOW PEELING ON THE PASSENGER SIDE IN THE SAME EXACT FASHION. THEY HAVE HAD MULTIPLE RECALLS ON MANY CARS IN THIS YEAR AND EXTENDED THE WARRANTY FOR THOSE CARS AS WELL. I'M NOT SURE WHAT TO DO HERE.
Steering, Apr 28, 2021
I BOUGHT MY CIVIC NEW ON 2016. THE CAR STARTS TO HAVE STEERING BECOME JERKY AND TENDS TO STICK IN THE CENTER POSITION AFTER DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY MORE THAN 20 MINUTES ON 03/15/2020. WHEN THAT HAPPENS THE CAR DRIFTS TO THE LEFT SIDE AND I HAVE TO USE A EXTRA FORCE TO PULL IT OUT OF THAT STICKING POINT BACK TO THE CENTER STEERING . I DID RESEARCHED THIS PROBLEM ON CARCOMPLAINTS.COM AND FOUND 107 COMPLAINTS ON HONDA CIVIC 2016 EPS JERKY PROBLEMS. I ALSO FOUND HONDA RECALL 18V663000 ( POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILS ) ON CIVIC AND CRV 2017-2018 BUT NOT INCLUDED 2016 WHILE CIVIC 2016-2018 USE SAME EPS ASSEMBLY PART NO.53650-TBA-A01 THAT FIX THE EPS FAILS. I BROUGHT MY CAR TO HONDA DEALER TO DIAGNOSTICS THE PROBLEM ON 05/2020 WAS 52K MILES BUT THEY CAN'T CONFIRMED IT BECAUSE IT APPEARS AFTER AT LEAST 20MIN DRIVES SO THEY DON'T WANT TO SPEND THAT MUCH TIME TO DRIVE ON HIGHWAY! I NOTICED THE PROBLEM INTERMITTENTLY RELATIVE TO THE WEATHER TEMPERATURES AND THE PROBLEM APPEARS FEW MONTH AFTER I BROUGHT MY CAR TO DEALER FOR HONDA RECALL VSA AND PARKING BRAKE SOFTWARE UPDATED. IT'S CHALLENGING TO DRIVE A STRAIGHT LINE WHEN THE PROBLEM APPEARS . TODAY 04/28/2021 MY CAR HAS 57K MILES AND STILL HAVE SAME PROBLEM BUT CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY OVER $2500 TO REPLACE THE EPS ASSEMBLY DUE TO OUT OF MANUFACTURE WARRANTY. I AM DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED TO OWN A CAR HAS LESS THAN 60K MILES WITH MAJOR SAFETY ISSUES ON EPS UNPLEASURE TO DRIVE.
Steering, Apr 26, 2021
STEERING IS VERY UNCONTROLLABLE AT 40 PLUS MPH. OVERCOMPENSATION IS REQUIRED AND MAKES IT HARD TO STEER CAR. APPEARS THAT 2017 AND NEWER HONDA CIVICS ARE BEING RECALLED BUT NOT 2016'S. THIS IS DANGEROUS AND NEEDS TO BE RECALLED, TONS OF COMPLAINTS ON 2016.
Other or unspecified, Apr 26, 2021
MY MAIN DISPLAY IS UNUSABLE AFTER DIFFERENT TYPE OF COLORS APPEAR ON THE DISPLAY. I CAN LISTEN TO THE MUSIC BUT MAIN DISPLAY IS NOT RESPONSIVE AND COLORS ON IT GO FROM BLUE LINES TO COMPLETELY BLACK. TRIED RESETING BY REMOVING THE BATTERY, REPLACING THE FUSE BUT NOT LUCK. ONCE IN A WHILE SCREEN WILL START WORKING AGAIN BUT AS SOON AS I TURN OFF THE CAR SCREEN GOES DARK AGAIN WITH LINES IN IT. I AM UNABLE TO USE THE REAR BACK CAMERA, UNABLE TO RESET SERVICE MAINTENANCE MINDERS. IT IS A DISTRACTION.