NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Honda Civic. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
The steering is "sticky" especically after running the car for 10 minutes or more. A slight movement of the steering wheel - feels like it gets stuck and have to put more effort moving the wheel. Then the wheel will let loose and over compensate the steering. Very dangerous. This has happened on and off for 2 years or so, but now happens every time we drive the car. Took to the local Honda dealer and they said the Rack and Pinion system needs replaced. The estimate for replacement is $4,200. I have seen that there are many other people with the problem and hope that a recall will happen soon.
When driving the vehicles steering is not smooth. When making adjustments the steering is very jerky causing you to overcorrect. Searching the honda forums I'm finding lots of others reporting the same issue.
I have had multiple problems with the vehicles air conditioning system leaking and adding harmful HFC chemicals to the atmosphere and making driving uncomfortable on warm days. There are known issues with Honda years 2016-2018 air conditioning systems and they should be fixing these problems under warranty or recalls. My first issue of the A/C blowing warm air was 8/10/2021 and cars mileage was 49,760 miles. I brought it into a Honda dealer and they stated they found high side and low side O rings leaking . They replaced them, recharged system and charged me $425.00. The next issue with blowing warm air was May 2023 and 56,311 miles. I brought the vehicle to an independent repair garage . They found a leak in the evaporator and a defective expansion valve. They replaced the evaporator core and expansion valve. This cost me another $2008.43. These year 2016-2018, Honda's have many issues with the air conditioning system and all major components compressor, condenser, evaporator and the expensive refrigerant should be covered under warranty for these system leaks in multiple components. I understand Honda has a 10 year warranty extension on the A/C condenser. Honda needs to step up and take responsibility and fix all of the issues with the air conditioning systems and quit adding all these refrigerants to the atmosphere .
The A/C began to take longer and longer to cool the car. After not driving the car for a year due to illness, I drove it again and the A/C blew nothing but hot air. After an initial Google search I discovered Honda had extended a warranty to 10 years for defective A/C condensers. However, I cannot find a recall for this repair anywhere. I've taken the car to a mechanic and was quoted a price of $1200 repair the condenser.
All engine lights flashed while driving, check engine light remained on after all others went off, emission system warning keeps prompting attention, and car just slowed to only 8 mph as I was driving down the road. Available for inspection any day. I had my 7 month old child in the backseat and almost got slammed in the back while going down the road as my car slowed abruptly as I was driving. Nothing was wrong prior, and I took it to a service department when I went for my oil change, but it was going to be very costly to just hook up for diagnostic testing. Car ran at normal speed after this incident, but engine sounds louder and rougher and check engine light and warnings are still present.
On 4/16/23, I noticed that the paint surrounding my rear window is peeling from the body of the car. There have been no dings nor accidents; the paint just started peeling. Obviously, this is not a safety issue, but I have read that Honda has had issues with defective paint with other models.
Air conditioner not working
First AC condenser went out Now theres a problem (leakage) with the AC Evaporator. Ive been hearing this happening to alot of the same hondas!
Highway driving in the mountains. When making minor, stay-in-my-lane corrections the steering stopped being smooth. It felt like it was binding or sticking and would require more pressure to change direction then it would pop to another sticky spot. It sometimes adjusted too much and required a re-correction in the opposite direction. At no time was this enough to cause me to steer out of my lane but it was alarming.
Just bought vehicle during march. Still Winter in Northern Michigan. And this month in April I've noticed with the warmer days the steering sticks directly dead center at highway speeds. And requires a bit of force to be able to maintain direction. Once getting it "unstuck" it usually causes oversteering. Causing panic and almost getting me pulled over numerous times. My drive is an hour home from work. At 70+mph. Never been so aggravated to drive a vehicle I've only had for a month and a half. Vehicle only has 60,000mi. Took to two techs. Both have stated it's common and that there's no presented diagnosis besides a faulty EPS module from the factory. Hate this vehicle.
The power steering on the 2016 Honda Civic. While driving it is hard to gain control over the vehicle and the steering wheel tends to lock in place. It is UNKNOWN if the problem has been reproduced. The vehicle has been inspected by others. There is no warning lamps or message prior to failure.
My car's steering has been sticky and catching. This often causes me to apply unnecessary pressure to correct the steering and could cause an accident. I had it verified at Honda of Murfreesboro that I need a new steering rack.
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the electronic braking system, steering, alternator, check engine, and TPMS warning lights illuminated. After shifting into drive(D), the vehicle lost power steering functionality and became difficult to turn. The braking system warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a certified mechanic and the contact was informed electronic power steering rack and pinion had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure was 46,000.
The investigation into the complaint that the Honda Civic steering becomes stiff at higher speeds and after driving for a while needs to include 2016 models. This has been noticeable on the highway and is becoming way more problematic as the car ages. I've noticed this for a while - maybe from the original purchase of the car. It is getting worse though as the second hour of our trip was almost unbearable and felt very unsafe.
Emergency brake failed and gives following code in the dash: Red blinking light- BRAKE Yellow light: Brake System There was a recall back in 2016 because of this same problem. More than 300,000 cars affected.
An internal steering rack failure is involuntarily interfering with the electronic power steering system making the steering sticking or notchy at speeds under 45 mph. At highway speeds this same internal failure causes a prevalent and strong steering drift. Then upon correction to center the steering sticks and then releases to give back control. Sometimes this happens 3 times a minute. The longer you drive the more frequent the failure mode happens. After four hours of driving my arms were tired. On 23 Mar 2023 the vehicle was inspected by a certified Honda Dealer technician including a 4 mile drive test. The inspection report declared that the "STEERING RACK HAS AN INTERNAL FAILURE CAUSING THE STEERING TO FEEL NOTCHY". To remedy the problem the dealer recommended a steering rack assembly change out which would entail about 5 hours of labor. An alignment was also recommended. Including the assembly part, alignment, labor and inspection report the total came to approximately $4800. I decided to take the car from the dealer and with a friend record the number of failure instances and video the highway speed failure mode. The dealer had advised me on the inspection report invoice that the "VEHICLE IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE" but I also didn't want the car to be held hostage for $4800. On 27 March 2023 I called American Honda to request assistance with this repair. The 2016 Honda Civic model year has the highest number of steering complaints from 2010 to 2022. The replacement steering rack part is in its third iteration. My car was made in Dec 2015 in the early production on a new generation. Even though my car has 73,000 miles Honda should recall these early steering rack models and replace them at their expense providing a safe steering rack assembly to their customers. A copy of the Vehicle inspection report and invoice is attached. Note that that the vehicle is declared not safe to drive by the Honda Dealer and I am stranded away from home awaiting a fair resolution
Steering system console. Remove and replace rack and pinion assembly
Slight momentary resistance to turning the wheel, usually only on long interstate drives
Steering wheel has become stuck/jerky on the freeway. This causes me to swerve all over the road. The wheel sticks after it's been still for more than a couple seconds. To make a steering correction to stay in my lane I need to apply more force to make a small adjustment. This causes the car to swerve when the steering wheel breaks free. Then it sticks in the new position, and I end swerving the other way when it breaks free again. Dealer says only fix is to replace entire steering rack and wants $3500 for repair. Car has 55000 miles and is no longer under warranty. Called an independent Honda repair shop to get an estimate. The independent shop told me they have replaced a few. Problem apparently affects many Civics from model year 2016 through 2022. Unfortunately, the replacement rack is the same part number and has failed the same way again in some cars. This should be a safety recall and repaired ant Hondas expense.
While operating the vehicle on the highway the steering was not smooth when starting to turn the wheel. There was a short hesitation or loss of power assistance while turning to follow the direction of the roadway. This occurrence was very brief while turning the steering wheel. The steering problem lasted for several days. Later when taking the vehicle to be inspected for this problem there was no steering difficulty at all. The vehicle was inspected, computer analyzed and test driven finding no fault with the steering. Although there seems to be no problem at this time it is unknown if this could possibly be an "intermittent problem"?
The transmission failed in the middle of a busy boulevard. I was waiting, then attempting to drive forward to make a u-turn. The speed limit was 55 mph, cars were honking and had to change lanes not to hit me - and it was raining. The car was towed to our local dealer where we purchased and seek all maintenance on the car (and 3 previous Hondas). We were told a belt may have broken and that it had to be replaced; the cost $6400. There were no warning lamps or messages. Probably not relevant but the dealer could not replace the transmission as none are available currently and there is no available estimation of when one would come available. We had to choose between trading the car in without a transmission or (what we chose) have the dealer install a used transmission.
ABS malfunction. The malfunction problem showed up on the dash and the car would not drive properly causing several messages to come on. Once I stopped and turned off the car I started if back up and went a few yard and the car started to malfunction and the message appeared again. I immediately called a foreign car specialist and was told there is a recall. I looked up the recall and it stated the same exact issue for Honda Civics years 2016-2022. I have had the car towed to two auto shops and both stated that there is a recall for the problem I am having and that they are seeing more of this issue on the Civics. I am a dialysis patient and need reliable transportation. I have about 8 months left to pay the car note in full and would really appreciate it if this could be addressed. Sincerely I am, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle shuddered, and the Electric Parking Brake (EPB) warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed as an ABS System Module failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V725000 (Parking Brake). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the passenger's side air bag inadvertently deployed, shattering the windshield. No injury was sustained. There was no impact to the vehicle that could have caused the passenger's side air bag to deploy. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 59,000.
When driving for a while on the freeway, my steering wheel gets sticky causing me to oversteer to compensate. Which causes my car to swerve on the road.
Steering is sticking at hwy speeds. Over corrects hard to the left and/or right while I'm trying to keep the vehicle center. It is a continuous issue.
At highway speeds while trying to keep the vehicle straight and in my lane, the steering sticks while trying to make minor adjustments to stay in my lane. I have to apply more force to my steering and I end up overcorrecting and it becomes very hard to stay straight and in my lane. This is only at highway speeds, anywhere from 60-75 mph, I have not noticed this happening at lower speeds. It seems something is happening with with the steering wheel or something in the electronic power steering system is malfunctioning. There are no warning lights on my car, I have talked to several certified Honda master technicians about this issues and they recognize the symptoms and tell me it is the electronic power steering rack having issues. My vehicle has only 42,000 miles.
SMALL EVAP LEAK AROUND FUEL TANK AND FUEL PUMP SEALING SURFACE. TOP OF FUEL TANK IS RUSTED CAUSING PUMP TO NOT SEAL FULLY.
Found the metal ring in the top of gas tank rusted a hole through the top of the tank. Inspected by Honda Service Center. Found through emissions warning light. This is a safety risk from a No Good part
Driving on the highway I started to feel the steering stick while keeping the car centered in my lane. To release the steering stick issue a stronger input was needed by me to control the car. It seemed to me the steering sticking issue occurs only at highway speed. This started with about 32,000 miles on the car. Although it never became an actual safety issue there was always the fear the steering would lock up and I would not be able to control the steering. At no time was there any visual indication (warning light(s)) for the condition. I have not taken the car to the dealership for inspection. Police nor insurance company were notified over this issue. The auto is available for inspection.
The steering wheel sticks constantly while driving the car. This is a major safety concern because many times it sticks hard enough to the point where you can over correct while trying to overcome the stuck position of the steering wheel. This can cause you to drive erratically trying to keep the car between the lanes. We have not taken it to the dealership since we are aware now that this is a an issue amongst a large number of Honda Civic owners and the manufacture needs to step in and rectify this problem they already know about. It's not just our 2012 model, it is an issue amongst several different year models with the Honda Civic. We are just another victim of negligence by the manufacturer. Something needs to be done to correct this issue before people are injured because of it.
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that on numerous occasions while the vehicle was idling or driving at various speeds, she depressed the accelerator pedal however, the RPM’s increased and the engine revved; however, there was an extended delay before the vehicle responded. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure, and an appointment was scheduled. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.
TRANSMISSION FAILED
The BT will lag & skip while listening to music. Also, the home screen will malfunction & return to the default screen & beep constantly (during driving operations).
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
Although my car runs fine and the Check Engine Light (or any other warning light) did not illuminate, my car suddenly went into Limp Mode. I was on the I-90 East Freeway out of Seattle, just heading into a tunnel plus a bridge. Everyone was going about 65 (as was I), and suddenly I'm cut down to about 20 mph with no shoulder to turn onto. I'm surprised I didn't cause a huge pile-up - as cars curved toward the tunnel and into relative darkness, they had to suddenly slam on their breaks. I guess it would be one thing if Limp Mode engaged because my engine was about to blow up. But my mechanic found no error codes, nothing wrong. I am reading similar stories all over the Internet and never have I once seen a case in which an engine had a catastrophic problem that justified Limp Mode. Is Honda waiting around for a fatality before they'll issue a recall? They came very close to having one on the day this happened to me, and there have surely been many other near-misses. I'm afraid to drive on the freeway now!
I HAVE CONTACTED HONDA ABOUT THE ( EPB) PROBLEM. THEY REFUSES TO AKNOWEDGE THE ISSUE BECAUSE MY VIN NUMBER DID NOT SHOW UP. THE PROBLEM IS THERE AND I HAD IT COMFRIM BY A MECHANIC. THERE WAS NO WARNING BEFORE HAND TILL ONE DAY WHEN DAY WHEN ENGAGING THE PARKING BRAKE THE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND WOULD NOT ENGAGED. THE ONLY WAY WAS TO CUT THE CAR OFF AND RESTART IT AGAIN. I AM UNABLE TO PARK ON A HILL BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM AND AFRAID OF THE SYSTEM FAILING ALL TOGETHER.
Steering wheel has some extra resistance (sticking, stiff and jerky) when making small corrections at any speeds, resulting in extra pressure being applied to break the resistance, resulting in sharp (hard) correction changes.
Tire size: 215 / 50 R 17 While driving on a highway, a tire pressure warning appeared. Shortly after, theTPMS malfunction light came on and immediately the driver side rear tire blew out. My car spun 360 degrees and I managed to bring it to a stop. Luckily the cars behind me slowed down while I maneuvered to the curb. I was on a drawbridge and I could have driven off of it into the water below. The tread of the tire completely separated from the side walls of the tire. All that was left on the rim were the two side walls. I recovered the tread and I have the wheel with the side walls still on it. I showed it to the dealer and the service technicians had no idea about what happened. As of now the manufacturer has not been made aware. This 2016 Honda Civic was purchased from a dealer and there are still 3 of the same tire on the car. I drove the remaining distance to my destination on the rim where I put on the spare. I couldn’t change the tire where the blowout happened because I was on a bridge with very little shoulder.
Steering wheel feels like it sticks and causes overcorrecting when trying to make small adjustments to steering.
My paint is peeling off around the rear windshield of the car. Not sure what is causing this. My honda civic is a cobalt blue color, when brought to the dealer it was stated they have seen this on the color blue my car is as well as white. Car was not in a accident and no one is at risk.
Steering sticks when driving on the highway. When make small steering adjustments it has resistance, then suddenly becomes easy. This can cause oversteering when correcting.
Typically during highway driving, steering becomes extremely sticky and requires significant effort to make even slight adjustments to keep the car on the road and even forces over correction which has occurred on multiple occasions
Same problem others have reported. At highway speeds the steering will become hard to manage and if going into a curve very dangerous. When this happens have to pull over at next exit and shut car off. Dealership service department claims the VSA modulator needs replacing (at a cost of 1500$).
I was driving through an intersection, the car ahead of me was turning right and I was behind them with plenty of distance. They turned right and I followed straight. However my emergency braking system decided the car was very close, and better yet after it had already turned, decided I was about to have a collision with nobody in front of me and stopped my car in the middle of the intersection, while the light turned red. I desperately got my car to go, after abruptly stopping for no reason, but safe to say I was shaken up a bit and turned that off. Happened today of this complaint 8/5/2022. And it’s happened before on curvy roads, once where my car came to a abrupt stop and other times false alarms to “brake”.
I am reporting confirmed odometer fraud involving a 2016 Honda Civic. CarMax documented the vehicle as “ROLLBACK / NOT ACTUAL MILES / TRUE MILEAGE UNKNOWN.” Experian verified a mileage discrepancy. A prior Michigan title contains inconsistent mileage. Selling dealer: Car Tec Enterprise Leasing & Sales LLC, Deer Park, NY. I am requesting investigation under the Federal Odometer Act.
At highway speeds when it is warm and the vehicle has been driven for 20-30 minutes the steering becomes sticky. It is most noticeable at freeway speed when attempting minor corrections to maintain good lane position. The steering wheel resists minor effort to turn and then breaks loose causing an over correction, potentially as far as into another lane.
Adaptive cruise control as well as automatic braking has come close several times to cause an accident on the highway. Sometimes a truck will be passing me in the left lane and the car will all of a sudden slam on brakes when there is nothing in front of me almost getting rear ended from the car behind me. Even when the cruise control isn’t set the automatic breaking will activate randomly when a large truck is passing me. I purchased this vehicle used and reported this to the dealer time of purchase but they did not fix it. But at the time it was not as noticeable. The car has less than 100,000 miles. The lane departure does not work pulling the car to oncoming traffic. In oncoming traffic in left lane it constantly causes the automatic breaking light to flash. This also randomly kicks off the cruise control. This situation seems to be getting worse. The form below is asking for a date that these incidents happen and does not give a place to say it happens every day, it’s only asking for a specific date. One day this is going to cause a severe accident.
Electric Power Steering after driving on hot days becomes resistant to turning the wheel at higher speeds. Requires about 5lbs of force to the wheel and then it gives way and causes a more abrupt turn than driver is attempting.
structure --- : 2016-2019 Civic C-Pillar Paint Peel in rear window area
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026