repaired · 2026 Q3
Occupant classification: front passenger
NewRisk. Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.
2016 Honda CivicProblems, recalls & complaints
NHTSA has logged 1,083 owner complaints about the 2016 Honda Civic, most often about the steering. It is covered by 5 safety recalls, and for recall 23V-858 the manufacturer reports only 75% of affected cars repaired.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through November 9, 2026. Updated daily. Photo: Vauxford, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Complaints by system
Where the 2016 Honda Civic has problems
1,083 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.
446Steering5 crash/fire/injury
119Electrical system6 crash/fire/injury
96Engine3 crash/fire/injury
92Service brakes9 crash/fire/injury
48Structure
47Visibility/wiper
36Power train
30Exterior lighting
28Fuel/propulsion system
17618 other systems28 crash/fire/injury
| System | Complaints | Crash, fire or injury |
|---|---|---|
| Steering | 446 | 5 |
| Electrical system | 119 | 6 |
| Engine | 96 | 3 |
| Service brakes | 92 | 9 |
| Structure | 48 | 5 |
| Visibility/wiper | 47 | 0 |
| Power train | 36 | 5 |
| Exterior lighting | 30 | 1 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 28 | 0 |
| 18 other systems | 176 | 28 |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.
5 recalls
2016 Honda Civic recalls and how many were fixed
Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
repaired · 2026 Q3
Delivery: fuel pump
Risk. Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
repaired · 2018 Q1
Parking brake
Risk. If the EPB is not applied, the vehicle may roll away, increasing the risk of a crash.
repaired · 2017 Q4
Exterior lighting
Risk. If a side marker light does not function, vehicle visibility can be decreased to other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
Show 1 more recall
repaired · 2017 Q2
Engine and engine cooling: engine
Risk. 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…
Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Honda.
Mileage at failure
When do steering problems start?
39kmiles, median
Based on the odometer reading in 139 steering complaints. 99% were reported before 100,000 miles.
Only 46% of complaints for this model year include a mileage.
46under 30k miles138under 100k miles1100k miles or more
Owner-reported costs
What owners say repairs cost
Dollar amounts owners wrote in their complaints when describing a repair or a quote. These are not price estimates; a system is shown only when at least 8 owners mentioned a cost.
Unknown or other
56 owners mentioned a cost$1,797median
Middle half: $1,000 – $2,113
Steering
31 owners mentioned a cost$4,000median
Middle half: $3,000 – $4,000
Engine
15 owners mentioned a cost$2,000median
Middle half: $1,054 – $4,839
If a problem is covered by a recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Some manufacturers also reimburse owners who paid for a repair before a recall was announced.
Best & worst years
2016 vs. every other Civic year
Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Civic median. How we score
00000011195153539466991110981461351993053734353382871,0797034993503161,4041,2049163963981694563192933811,0836067504442391498862601278232
'73'74'75'76'77'78'79'81'82'83'84'85'86'87'88'89'90'91'92'93'94'95'96'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25'26
- Avoid
- Caution
- Solid
- Best
- Not rated
NHTSA crash tests
2016 Honda Civic safety ratings
2016 Honda Civic 2 DR FWD in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.
★★★★★
Frontal crash★★★★★
Side barrier★★★★★
Side pole★★★★★
- Rollover: 5 stars (9.3% risk)
- Stability control: Standard
- Forward collision warning: Optional
- Lane departure warning: Optional
In owners' words
What Civic owners report
Recent steering complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.
Power steering rack needs replacement. No damage cause by myself. Later models of the same vehicle have recalls on the power steering rack. The steering wheel will “stick” when driving and i’ll have to use excessive force to turn the wheel even just slightly causing the vehicle to jerk around.
When driving at highway speeds/long distances, steering occasionally gets stiffer to the point where it will stick and require more force to free. This leads to overcorrections and constant adjustments for the duration of the drive, as well as difficulty staying in a lane. Issue can usually only be…
When the Honda Civic has been driven long enough for the steering to get warm, at highway speeds, the steering wheel will stick in position instead of centering itself. Manual adjustment has to be done to straighten the car.
Own a 2016 Civic?
Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.