2016 Honda Civic Complaint Log

After numerous statements regarding issues with the A/C units, it appears there’s an additional item that should be added to the list of recall/extended warranty issues for Honda. The evaporator is now an additional item that is an issue amongst numerous consumers. I’ve had an issue with the evaporator and have been charged a hefty amount for labor by the dealership stating this was the issue. I was not allowed to replace my compressor/condenser, which is strange that those work just fine even with a recall, but suddenly an entirely different part was not working that’s not under warranty. I left the dealership extremely frustrated to be sold a car with faulty equipment that is being called out online and Honda does not show any proactive measures.

The steering wheel 'sticks' at highway speeds and makes it difficult to make minor adjustments. Have to apply more than normal force to turn the wheel and causes the car to overcompensate and jolt. Could be quite dangerous.

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.

When driving at highway speeds, the power steering seems to stick when the wheel has not been turned for a few seconds (as in driving on a straight away). When minor corrections are needed, the steering wheel sticks, which results in a slight over correction. The conditions under which this happens is: warm air temperature, driving time over 15 minutes, and driving at highway speed.

Steering rack is faulty. Known issue on thousands of 2016 honda civics. Honda told me my battery dying and the sticky steering wheel is from a faulty steering rack and quoted me $4000 to fix it. This car does not even have 80,000 miles on it and it 7 years old. This issue has caused multiple accidents and I have 2 children. I am scared to drive this vehicle. If this is a known faulty steering rack issue why am I subjected to pay out of pocket?

My car has an emergency parking brake malfunction where the brake delays once parked.

Both steering and brake system warning lights came on and steering wheel locked in to place with no prior warning indications of power steering rack failure.

At 63k miles the Honda Civic steering wheel started sticking /jerking when changing lanes on the interstate. The steering rack EPS needs to be replaced. Only happens when you are driving for over an hour. This is not something you will notice commuting for 10-15 minutes to work. No warning on the dash. Warranty can't help us since we are second owners. We purchased it for our teenager 60 days ago and it's not safe for her to drive.

Steering starts sticking every few seconds after about a 20 minute drive, and veering sideways. I lost a sideview mirror due to this and its very dangerous to drive. Probably has killed peapel already!! This happens every single time I drive this!

I bought my 2016 Honda Civic and never had issues with it besides the AC unit not working which was resolved because of the recalls and was repaired by my local dealership. Now I am having issues when it comes to accelerating. There is an accelerating delay/ stall when completing a stop and there’s a delay to get the car to move after pressing on the gas pedal or when reversing when getting out of th driveway. The most dangerous event is when I’m driving and i come to a stop to make a right turn and right after ensuring there is no upcoming traffic to make the right turn my car does not accelerate and it’s very scary because I can get hit by another car. There’s times where I’m driving and the car can turn off. I feel like my life and other drivers life’s are at risk. Honda has recalls for fuel pumps for other year/models but not for mine. I just want to make sure if this is something that can be recalled. Thank you

While driving at highway speeds the steering can feel "sticky" where extra effort is required to make small adjustments to keep the car properly centered in the lane. It happens most frequently during warm weather and/or when driving for longer than 20-30 minutes. The effort required to compensate for the issue leads to a delay in the course correction and frequently over steering. Either of which can be a safety issue as the former could lead to being unable to avoid an object on the road and the latter could lead to veering into oncoming traffic.

steering is sticking causing over correction when occurs. Most noticeable at highway speeds. Has been happening last 10,000 miles or 8 months.

Steering wheel sticks and you are not able to change direction without using excessive force. This happens when driving at highway speeds and seems to be worse (more force needed to turn wheel) at higher temperatures, 80+. The sticking steering causes you to oversteer and may cause you to lose control of the vehicle and crash.

I bought my Honda new in 2016 from Space Coast Honda in Cocoa, Florida. It had 0 miles. Since 2016 I have had 5 separate issues with the air conditioner, and have had to repeatedly go back to Space Coast Honda. They released a warranty for the condenser, but refuse to acknowledge problems with the evaporator. There are many many people with a 2016-2018 Honda Civic who experience issues with the evaporator and Honda wants people to pay over $2000 to fix the issue. I find it hard to believe that these issues aren’t all related. Honda needs to be held accountable for manufacturing faulty models of the 2016 Honda Civic.

My 2016 Honda civic has been having air conditioning issues and this should be repaired by the manufacturer. The issue is with Evaporator Core and the condenser. The Honda dealership inspected the car and made the determination; however, he says that there have not been any recalls issued by Honda for the Evaporator Core. We live in Arizona and it is dangerous to drive a car without a working air conditioner. Please help fix this as I am sure there are a lot more other owners who are having similar A/C issues!

Steering intermittently sticks when trying to make small adjustments to stay in lane. It has been doing this for the last couple years.

Sticky steering wheel, feels notching while driving

While driving on the freeway at 70-80mph the car begins to lose acceleration, stutters and faults all fault codes on the car. Car then begins to brake itself to a stop all while on a freeway at a high rate of speed. I have to pull over to the side of the freeway, crossing up to 5 lanes of high speed traffic all while my car is braking itself to a stop. I have narrowly missed 5 accidents in the 7 times this has occurred. Each time while in the left or carpool lanes of traffic while passing other vehicles at a high rate of speed. I have to bring the car to a complete stop on the side of the road, turn the car off to disengage the braking system, turn the car on, all fault codes remain, car stays in limp mode or safe mode, I limp to the dealer and drop it off. 2 Honda dealers in 2 different states can’t figure out what’s wrong with it. Replaced multiple replays and other components and I am now about $3800 in repairs and the car is not fixed. This has been happening since March when the first occurrence happened. Second and 3rd in Washington while visiting family in June and as of today, the 7th time occurred this morning while taking the car back to the dealer to have it looked at because it faulted on Saturday evening. Codes cleared when I started the car this morning and happened again as I was driving to the dealer. Each time the dealers have the car for a week. Say this fixed it, test drive it have no issues return it to me to have it happen within days of being returned. I’m terrified to drive the car at high speed even when I do get it back as “fix”. I feel like my issues and security is being constantly over looked by Honda. Arrowhead Honda in Arizona currently has the car for yet again more “repairs”.

Steering- the Steering wheel jerks when I make incremental movements to the left or right. This only occurs when I'm driving on a freeway at or above 55mph. It does not occur on surface streets. I brought it to Autonation Honda in Chandler, AZ. They said it was the Rack Motor or Rack Pinion motor and it needs to be replaced. The advisor said that they have seen many 2016 Civics with this issue. Total out-of-pocket cost $3700.00. Part was not available even if I decided to have it replaced. I feel this should be addressed since this is a major safety issue caused by the manufacturer and should be recalled.

I recently moved so I am traveling on the interstate more. In doing so, I've noticed after about 15-20 minutes at higher speeds, my steering wheel starts sticking. I have to fight to stay in my lane. It's scary as well as exhausting. I've researched and see other complaints just like mine. Why has this issue not been addressed by Honda? It makes me scared to go visit family or do any traveling at all. I bought this vehicle used in 2019 but this issue really didn't surface until I moved and started driving more on the interstate. I noticed it some before but since most of my driving was in town, it didn't occur often. Please have Honda address this as it definitely is a safety issue. I feel like I'm going to drive off the road the whole time I'm on the interstate.

Air conditioning compressor and condenser leaking which caused the evaporator to fail. Honda refuses to fix evaporator due to faulty A/C system leaking.

My Honda Civic with manual transmission, suddenly would not go into gear and lost power (engine still running). Fortunately, I was able to coast to the opposite side of the road across oncoming traffic, since there was no right shoulder. After a tow home, I discovered that the manual clutch slave cylinder was detached from the engine block (photo attached) and of the 2 connecting bolts (photo attached), one was sheared and the other was intact but unconnected. The last service to the vehicle was with Manly Honda service in Santa Rosa, CA replacing the AC condenser and compressor. I called them to see if they had not secured the 2 bolts after completing the AC service. The service manager said that they would not have removed this clutch slave cylinder in the AC service. I advised the service manager that if the clutch cylinder had not been removed by them, then it could be a safety hazard issue that should be reported to Honda Motors. After some online research, I have discovered that this problem has been experiened by other Honda Civic owners.

The steering wheel get stuck/ jerks in position and to correct stuck position/ jerks it causes you to correct your lane position. You feel out of control for a second or so. Purchased vehicle in 2019, in 2020/21, this happened and I took it into the dealership where we purchased the car and they did an alignment. After that alignment, steering/jerky/sticky wheel did not happen as much but it still happened and is getting worse. So this weekend I took the vehicle back to the dealership for the same issue again. According to the dealership. their technician(s) test drove the car and they did not feel the sticky and jerky wheel. Generally this happens when the vehicle has been driven for longer than 20-30 mins and when you are going 40-70 mph. The technician(s) stated that they could not reproduce this in their test drive. But it is still happening as I drove home from the dealership. I am not sure how they could not see and feel the constant wheel movement maintain control of the lane. It's sometimes hard to hold lane control especially going at a higher rates of speed. I see 200+ complaints similar to this issue with the 2016 Honda Civic. This dealership states that they see nothing wrong. But there is definitely still something wrong with this year model. I wanted to go on record and voice my concerns about this issue like many others.

Purchased this vehicle new in 2016. The AC system has never worked properly. A few years ago parts were given the extended warranty. I had it fixed at an authorized Honda dealer, it blew cold air for about 2 weeks and then died agin. I had it fixed again, was told parts were defective in the first repair and it worked for 1 summer. Now this summer it is not blowing cold air once again and again I got another warranty extension in the mail. This time at Honda it’s a different part in the AC and of course it isn’t covered. So for a quick $3000 it can be fixed. This is my 9th Honda/Acura vehicle and I have never had such a unreliable car. Very disappointed with the “new” Honda.

Steering is getting stuck while driving on highways and/or higher speeds. Appears to be a consistent issue with Honda civics complaints/issues after researching. Requires replacing EPS, approx $2-3k. Not due to wear and tear. Vehicle at less than 30,000 total miles.

2016 Honda Civic AC system is not working and has not been working for awhile. There are 2 warranty extensions issued for this vehicle's AC system, one for the condenser and one for the compressor. Honda has diagnosed the problem as being the evaporator, which I have been quoted everywhere from $1800 - $3000 to have fixed. The general consensus from mechanics that have dealt with these models (I have seen many different mechanics, 3rd party and dealership), is that the entire AC system is riddled with manufacturing defects, the condenser and compressor issues likely caused the evaporator malfunction, and will likely have to be recalled at some point. That is obviously slowly happening with the existing warranty extensions, however I am still being forced to pay nearly $2k for working AC despite public knowledge of a manufacturing error dealing with these AC systems. Honda refuses to acknowledge the evaporator issue was caused by the other failing components by not extending the warranty to the whole AC system. When I refused service for the evaporator since it was not covered, I was told the compressor shaft seal leak that IS covered under the warranty extension could not be fixed either. The reasoning was that the compressor could not be fixed alone without fixing the evaporator due to "safety concerns". Essentially admitting that the whole system fails if one of those 3 parts is faulty. So even though that is the case, I still have to pay out of pocket for the manufacturers mistake. Unbelievable and clearly an extremely common occurrence as there was an active class action lawsuit for the AC systems of this model (Andre Wong v. American Honda Motor Co. Inc., et al., Case No. 2:19-cv-10537) and Lemon Law documentation of the issue as well. Please hold Honda responsible and force them to issue an all encompassing AC Recall/warranty extension so that myself and many others do not have to choose between a very expensive repair or passing out on the road from the heat

Steering has become sticky, especially when driving straight on a highway or at higher speeds. Extra force is needed to maintain position in lane and move the wheel. The pressure required to turn the wheel past the stuck position causes the driver to over correct excessively making it difficult to stay in the lane.

The steering is sticking - the same as all these other reports I'm seeing below. It is worse in the afternoons (higher temperatures I guess) and definitely more noticeable at highway speeds. Took the car to the dealer and they said that even though my car only has 36k miles it needs a new (electric) rack & pinion system for $4000 !! Ridiculous. I was advised that the dealer is well aware of the issue (I was the 2nd case this week that my service advisor was dealing with) but there's nothing they (the dealer) are doing at the moment other than referring it to corporate Honda U.S. I dont know whats going to happen if the situation gets worse - does the steering stop steering or get continually harder to steer ... is a definite safety issue.

Steering wheel becomes stuck in a certain position at highway speeds after 20+ minutes of driving and it requires an unnatural amount of force to free it, thus resulting in a sudden jerking motion that makes driving highly unsafe. Honda dealerships are quoting Civic owners $4K for an issue that is WELL known (200+ complaints on NHTSA and an active investigation on the 11th gen Civics with the same issue (https://www.autoblog.com/2023/03/21/nhtsa-honda-civic-sticky-power-steering-investigation/#:~:text=The%20National%20Highway%20Traffic%20Safety,reports%20of%20the%20issue%2C%20too.))

The air conditioning system is a failure. First my condenser went out and they replaced it with the extended warranty they provided. Now my evaporator is leaking and they do not have an extended warranty on it. Cost to replace is $2,100.00. This is a safety concern in California because of the smog. I could no longer keep my windows up when driving because of the heat and a/c not working.

Steering wheel is quite hard to turn. Gets kind of stuck at certain points when I’m driving. Fluids all good. Don’t understand why this is happening.

Our vehicle has just over 60,000 miles and has developed a significant "sticking" in the steering. This starts at around 50 miles per hour and gets progressively worse as speed increases. It doesn't completely seize but requires significant pressure to break the sticking. This could easily result in an overcompensation that leads to a loss of control. Once over 50 miles per hour, this issue requires constant attention by the driver. It is not an intermittent issue. We took this vehicle to a Honda dealer for repairs in July, but it still hasn't been repaired yet due to a shortage of the parts needed to repair this issue that is apparently well known by the Honda service technicians. Insult to injury is that once this is repaired, it will cost me over $3,000 as Honda has rejected our request to cover this repair.

Each time I drove my car the tire pressure light would flash before the ABS, brake system, power steering and traction lights would come on and the dealership could not find the problem although my car would not accelerate and the speed sensor has already been changed because only one went bad prior. 3 times to the dealership and no codes could be found and they couldn’t never duplicate the problem once the vehicle was turned off. This time the car jerked at take off and would not accelerate. They stated that it was the VBS Module that had to replaced this final time.

When I am driving on the highway, my car steering will get "stuck" and I can't make adjustments to the wheel without jerking on it to get it unstuck. I am bringing the car in to get serviced again this week. The sticking results in unsafe travel on the road because it is difficult to maintain my lane. It usually starts to happen 15-20 minutes into a drive and then will not go away until after the car has been off for a significant period of time, but will recur the next time I drive on the highway. The vehicle has been serviced by a dealer and the problem went away for a while, but has recurred. It has not been inspected by any parties other than the dealer. I do not know if they were able to reproduce the problem. There are no warnings, messages, or other symptoms before the wheel sticks.

Steering sticks making it difficult to change direction. It has a significant resistance when changing direction, this is troublesome especially at higher speeds. The consumer stated that the steering issue happens frequently and is not limited to just one occurrence.

Similar to the Honda recall issued today for the reverse camera failures, I have found a recurring problem with the 2016 Honda Civics. The dashboard screen should show the back-up camera when in reverse, as well as the backward-facing camera mounted on the right side mirror when the right turn signal is on. More often than not, the cameras will show on the screen, but will then go back to the home/default screen before the maneuver is complete. It happens more often with the right mirror mounted camera, that it turns off prior to the turn signal being turned off, which has caused us numerous close calls when someone is actually in the blind spot. We count on that right side camera and when it malfunctions and the screen goes back to default when you are in the middle of changing lanes, it is very scary. I have searched for a fix from Honda and have noted that there are many Honda Civic owners who have been told by dealers that it is a known issue but there is no fix. For the owners who have gotten a new screen installed, they continue to report the same issues. Additional screen issues (although not related to safety) include the fact that the screens change modes/functions without being touched. I believe the camera issue is a malfunctioning screen issue as a whole and causes a major safety concern. The current recall for Honda Odyssey, Passport, and Pilot cameras should be expanded to include other Honda models and other years and should look at malfunctioning screens (not just cameras), especially since this is allegedly a 'known issue' to Honda.

My 2016 Honda Civic started blowing warm air and within 24 hours I took it to my local Honda Dealership and had it inspected. I was told that there were two TRBs which may be related to the A/C system. After dealer inspection I was told that the mechanics noted leaks in both the Condenser and the Compressor shaft seal. The result of the leaks was that the these components would need to be replaced along with the A/C compressor. Unfortunately I was told that the extended warranties on both of these components (10 yr unlimited mileage) would not cover the compressor replacement despite the dealership telling me that the leaks likely caused the A/C Compressor failure. Honda is acutely aware that these types of leaks will cause in AC component failures (Condenser, Compressor and evaporator) because the A/C systems are closed systems and complaints about the A/C system leaks, and their effects, are pervasive on online media forums and the auto community at large. In my case the leaks due to the failure of the condenser and compressor shaft seal resulted in the failure of A/C Compressor. I have had the A/C system inspected by other Honda Certified mechanic shops and all have expressed the causality between the failed components and the compressor catastrophic failure. The fact that Honda has issued "unlimited mileage" extended warranties on these 10th Gen Civic compressor shaft seals and condensers expresses Honda's awareness that these components should not fail in the way they are doing so. Like any mechanical system perfection should not be the goal but when a manufacture is aware of a failure in its product it has the responsibility to make whole those harmed by its failures. Unfortunately customers, like me, who purchased Hondas because the brand's reliability and strong customer service appeal will have to look elsewhere unless Honda chooses to correct this clear and present issue across multiple vehicles in its lineup.

Steering wheel seems to stick when car has been running for 30-40 miles. When going straight and making slight adjustments it sticks then jerks causing oversteering. Because of the mileage required to get this to occur the independent mechanic has been unable to replicate. I no longer feel safe taking this vehicle on the freeway or on any road trip.

My car has had a sticky steering wheel problem for over a year now. I’m at 75k miles, the problem started at least around 60k miles. The wheel feels heavy and I have to over correct due to that stickiness. I can’t drive straight when I am on the highway. I continuously have to correct to keep the wheel straight. It does not feel safe. Last year my battery died and changing the battery helped the sticky steering a little but only for a short time. I think the problem has something to do with the power steering.

This car has given me the same repeating issues. Winter time the screen blinks blank. AC issues because of the design. Feeling the car with my foot on the break at a red light makes me want to puke. And the big one the steering. After driving on the highway for a bit, I notice the steering has a sticky kind of groove it likes to be in. I have not found a solution to the problem. Safety-camera screen blinking but you're used to using it, could potentially hit something. Nausea in traffic not good for any one. Steering-trying to maintain a lane while the steering gets stuck to the left but the road is veering to the right, it's terrifying. The car has a mind of its own and only performs when it wants...no official dealer report. I don't believe there are any official reports in regards to my vehicle. There have been NO lights or any kind of warning or messages about this. AC was about a year into having the car. The screen happened first winter and every winter since. The sticky steering wheel has been like herpes for about the past 5 years. I just want to have nice things that work. Thank you for your time.

The inside door handle on my car has become unusable two times in the past 2 years. This is a danger because, in case of an emergency, the door would not be able to be opened by the passenger.

The steering wheel "sticks." When driving in a straight line or a wide turn angle (like a freeway exit), attempting to make small adjustments to maintain direction results in a jerking motion. The steering wheel feels stuck until it suddenly overcorrects. I have attempted to manage this better by keeping a very firm grip on the steering wheel in order to personally "control" the issue, but it is not effective. It is extremely stressful driving longer distances and on narrow roads. I have difficulty staying in my line and was even pulled over by a state trooper as they thought I was driving under the influence. Quick research on the Internet indicates many 10th Generation Civic owners experience the same issue, and that this may be due to faulty rack and pinion.

I have a 2016 Honda civic around 48,000-50,000.00 miles I have noticed that the steering in my vehicle gets sticky/stuck while driving. This usually occurs on the highway while I’m driving at higher speeds and when I’ve been on the road for about 30 minutes. While driving on the highway the steering wheel gets “stuck” towards the left and I have to pull it to correct this position. It has made me fearful while driving especially at high speeds and I feel like the entire drive I have to white knuckle the wheel. If I do not continue to make the correction then the car would veer off into another lane. This is extremely dangerous and unsafe. It has also happened while I’ve slowed down to a traffic light and when I pulled the steering wheel back out of the sticky position I heard an adamant click. I started researching and saw there are hundred if not thousands of these reports. I did send Honda a message to open a case which they sent a standard message back just saying to bring it to the dealer and closed the case. This needs to be fixed or rectified by Honda. I saw that there were some lawsuits but that they didn’t include 2016. It seems that the problem with all of these is the EPS Rack Assembly which is a fault with the manufacturer.

Car has an intermittent steering problem noticeable mostly at highway speeds. Its not constant, just shows up randomly. While driving straight ahead attempting to keep it going straight the steering wheel becomes sticky and jerky when you attempt to slightly adjust (turn left or right). Wile applying slight pressure to turn minimally the steering wheel sticks in place, then suddenly jerks in the direction you trying to steer it towards, causing oversteering and resulting in an attempt to oversteer it back to the other direction (to try and keep it in the lane going straight). It is not only annoying but also very unsafe as the sudden jerking and oversteering can cause a highway collision unexpectedly. My car has only 7,500 miles on it and this just started happening (May 2023).

Sticki steering wheel on the freeway

The steering wheel sticks around the center point when left still for a few seconds. This leads to resistance in the steering when trying to make adjustments after driving straight. I am open to having the issue inspected. The main issue this leads to is oversteering, which is a serious safety concern especially when I am driving at higher speeds on the road. Greater force is needed to make adjustments when it sticks at the center line and results in longer reaction time for steering response and swerving when too much force is applied to unstick the steering. I haven't yet taken it to service center, but this issue continues to persist while I drive, so I don't have any worries about it being able to be reproduced. It also seems that this is becoming a more prevalent issue with this generation of Honda Civics, so I am not the only one experiencing this issue. No other symptoms predated the onset of the steering issue.

There is stickiness in the steering. When driving on the highway in a straight direction, there is an initial resistance or stickiness to turn the wheel from the neutral position.

Steering has become extremely sticky. Extra force must be taken to maintain position in lane. The pressure required to turn the wheel past the catchy position causes the vehicle to maneuver excessively making it difficult to remain in the proper lane. This is extremely dangerous on wet roads at highway speeds.

The air conditioning system has failed. Safety is at risk due to elevated temperatures. Thousands of people have complained about these issues. HSB 19-091 does not go far enough, Honda needs to recall the entire a/c system and repair these manufacturer defects.

Steering "sticks" when making minor adjustments left or right to maintain direction, particularly on the highway. The force required to overcome the resistance causes it to overcorrect in the other direction. Wheels have recently been balanced and aligned by authorized Honda dealer.