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, 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
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Sep 6, 2024
Alarm sounded, went outside with fob to shut off . Still alarm on . Tried to get in car with fob . Had to use key in door to get in . Stepped on brake and pushed start/stop button . Alarm now silent. Push start/stop button to shut off engine and message on dash read Keyless Start System Error. Engine still running. Pushed button again and AC shuts off , engine still running and dash still reading error. Put in driver, then reverse to park and pushed button again and engine shut off finally. Disconnect negative from battery and let sit overnight. Tried to start, but just kept cranking. Disconnect battery again, tried starting again and it started. This time it took me 10 minutes before I could shut off engine. Disconnect battery again and haven’t tried again. I’ve read about other people having the same issues. Most say start/stop switch. Mine is on order, will install asap and see what happens. Fingers crossed.
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.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Engine, Aug 23, 2024
The air conditioner does not blow cold air. The heating and fan work just fine, but no cool air. I was told by Honda that if it’s not because of the recall, that I would have to pay, and that just wasn’t feasible at the time.
Other or unspecified, Aug 18, 2024
AC on these models is a complete failure. It is well know that 2016 Honda Civics have had issues with the AC system and the source of the malfunction lies in the refrigerant, specifically the R-1234f, which appears to be incompatible with the AC system components. As a result, leaks have developed, contaminating other vital AC components and causing unnecessary strain on the system. Refrigerant leaks have a cascading effect, leading to cross-contamination of other AC components and increased strain on the entire system. The fact that the condenser, air compressor, and evaporator have to be replaced due to the refrigerant leak is a clear indication of the severity of the problem. Other main problem is that whenever you take these vehicles into Honda dealerships with or without warranty they clearly do not go through all the issues. They find the first issue, they patch and send you on your way. You can feel they are have been trained to be money hungry and upsell wherever possible
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
Steering, Aug 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering assembly and rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the failure was due to the steering shaft. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000.
Steering, Jul 31, 2024
* Having to adjust the wheel to maintain a straight path while driving * Steering resistance for minor adjustments while driving at highway speeds * The wheel sticks, causing the driver to need more force than usual to turn * When more force is applied to break the wheel free from its stick, the car may overcompensate in that direction * When turning, the wheel will maintain its position, not slide back to center, if hands are removed from the steering wheel
Steering, Jul 23, 2024
power steering rack ( part # 53560-TBA-A01. Steering is sticking when on highway driving 55+ and hard to correct. Noone at dealership can duplicate issue, however my daughter and husband have also experienced sticky steering and hard to correct. No warning lights. Diagnostic tests show nothing wrong. Honda Forums helped me figure out issue.
Steering, Jul 21, 2024
While driving to keep the car center the steering becomes sticky or notchy as if needing slightly extra force to microcorrect left or right to stay center. It results in slight overcorrection and some slight swaying, but feels as if control of the car is compromised, specifically at freeway speeds.