Skip to content

Free VIN Decoder

Vehicle data powered by NHTSA.

2016 Honda Civic

Safety ratings, recalls, and consumer complaints from NHTSA

NHTSA Safety Ratings

2016 Honda Civic 2 DR FWD

Overall
★★★★★
Front Crash
★★★★☆
Side Crash
★★★★★
Rollover
★★★★★

2016 Honda Civic 4 DR FWD

Overall
★★★★★
Front Crash
★★★★★
Side Crash
★★★★★
Rollover
★★★★★

Recalls(5)

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

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."

Campaign: 16V526000

PARKING BRAKE

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.

Campaign: 16V725000

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

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.

Campaign: 16V074000

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

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.

Campaign: 23V858000

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

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.

Campaign: 26V332000

Consumer Complaints(1080 total, showing 10)

STEERING

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.

STEERING

Mostly during warm weather and driving over 45MPH the steering gets sticky. When attempting to use a little pressure to make a slight correction to keep the care centered in the lane the steering "jumps" and over steers requiring to re-correct to stay centered in the lane. I'm having to keep correcting the steering which causes me difficulty and concerned about the safety especially driving on the highway.

STEERING

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the steering wheel jerked, and the steering wheel was sticking. The contact stated that the failure was a known failure with the vehicle. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with a recall associated with the failure. The dealer was made aware of the failure by phone. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.

ENGINE

The check engine light came on the car had no power. The head gasket was blown.

STEERING

My 2016 Honda Civic has developed a steering problem in which the steering feels sticky or notchy while driving. The steering wheel does not move smoothly when making small corrections and can feel like it catches or resists movement before releasing. This is especially noticeable while driving at higher speeds and makes it more difficult to make normal, smooth steering corrections and maintain the vehicle’s position in the lane. I took the vehicle to a Honda dealership for evaluation. The dealer diagnosed the problem as the steering rack and advised that the steering rack needs to be replaced. I am reporting this to NHTSA because this is a steering-related safety concern. The vehicle has approximately 95,000 miles, and I am concerned that this steering failure could result in loss of proper steering control or increase the risk of a crash.

STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,WHEELS

Failure of my Electric Power Steering General Assembly/Steering Rack and Pinion in my 2016 Honda Civic EX sedan while driving at highway speeds. My steering wheel sticks or feels notchy at highway speeds requiring physical effort to overcome the binding. A highly reputable independent automotive shop (Gearheadz) in [XXX] has confirmed in its diagnosis that this is a dangerous defect that needs to be corrected. The odometer on my 2016 Honda Civic EX has only 70,000 mileage as of XXX. My car is in very good condition except for this manufacturing defect by Honda.. I discovered in my research that Honda has issued a massive safety recall for an identical physical safety hazard on 2022-2025 Honda Civics, but excluded the 2016-2021 model years. Hundreds of other owners have documented the exact same dangerous "sticky steering" symptoms at highway speeds in their Civics that predate the 2022-25 recall. My out-of-pocket expenses to correct this problem will exceed $2,000. The expense would more than double that amount if I let Honda repair or replace the steering rack and pinion problem. Clearly, Honda knows about this issue and yet has decided to limit its recall on the manufacturing defect that is NOT cause by the owner. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

STEERING

I've owned this 2016 Honda Civic since May of 2025. At first I never experienced any issue from the steering, that is when I started to notice that my steering felt like it would be sticking, like you couldn't balance yourself on highways or speeds exceeding 30+mph. I started doing my own research and discovered that other civic owners (10th and 11th gen) were experiencing similar issues. I'm hoping Honda takes notice of the reports being sent in and issues either a recall or a fix to this problem.

STEERING

My 2016 Honda Civic EX-T intermittently experiences a sticky/notchy steering condition, particularly while driving at highway speeds. When making small steering corrections around the straight-ahead/center position, the steering wheel sometimes resists movement and feels as though it is sticking or binding. Additional steering effort is then required to overcome the resistance, after which the steering releases. This can cause a larger steering correction than intended and creates concern about maintaining precise directional control at highway speeds. The condition is intermittent and may not occur during a short test drive. I reported the condition to an authorized Honda dealer and requested that it be evaluated. The dealer test drove the vehicle but was unable to reproduce the condition. The dealer provided an estimate of approximately $5,887 should replacement of the EPS steering rack/gear become necessary. No EPS warning light is present. I have also opened a case with American Honda Customer Relations (Repair Diagnosis Information Request: 16569333) regarding this steering concern. I am reporting the condition to NHTSA because the intermittent increase in steering effort and subsequent release can potentially result in overcorrection and represents a safety concern.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The vehicle has experienced repeated A/C refrigerant leaks. In March 2026, a Honda dealer replaced the condenser and compressor shaft seal under warranty. Several months later, the A/C again gradually lost cooling. The dealer diagnosed leaks from the evaporator, expansion valve, and two Schrader valves. The dealer quoted about $2,800 for parts and labor, including dashboard removal to access the evaporator. The repair has not been performed. The repeated loss of A/C may create a safety concern because the system helps defog and defrost the windshield, potentially affecting visibility. The dealer confirmed the leaks. Honda was contacted but denied goodwill assistance based on the vehicle's age. I am reporting this because multiple major A/C components have developed leaks within months of warranty repairs, and I have heard similar reports from other owners of 2016 Civics. I believe the pattern warrants investigation for a possible broader defect.

STEERING

Steering will feel notchy or sticky while driving, especially on the highway while trying to stay in a lane. This will cause excessive force to "unstick" the steering while will then require another steering correction. This has happening with the car since purchase (used) in 2020.

Decode a 2016 Honda Civic VIN

Enter your 17-character VIN to get complete specs, safety equipment details, and production information.

Open VIN Decoder

Other years

All Honda Civic model years