When my car reaches speeds above 60mph the steering is difficult to control (a lot of Play in the steering wheel). I took my vehicle in to a Monrovia, CA Honda Dealer in May 2024 to fix the issue. The dealer replaced the bushings but did not fix the steering issue. This vehicle feels dangerous. I noticed on the internet there are a lot of mechanics talking about steering issues in the model years that my car is under. I am frustrated that the Honda dealers don’t seem to want to fix this issue. I’ve already paid a great deal of money in up keep and the problem has not been corrected. I have had no warning lamps or signs of leaks just a lot of play in the steering wheel and lack of control.I don’t feel safe on the highway in this vehicle.
2012 Honda Civic: loss of power steering
25 of the 456 complaints about the 2012 Honda Civic describe loss of power steering.
- owner complaints
- 25
- of this car's complaints
- 5%
- typical mileage
- 69,400
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 4 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Loss of power steering by model year
What owners say
The power steering light will come on and the cars power steering no longer works. I was driving down the road approximately 60 mph and the power steering light came on and I could barely turn the steering wheel. I was able to stop and shut the care off and restart and the power steering worked again. On future drives the power steering intermittently will go out forcing me to stop and shut the car off and restart. I took vehicle to Honda dealer and the dealership and I was informed I needed to replace the EPS control unit, which I did. The vehicle was clear of any problems a a while but the same issue is now happening again. Went back to dealer and they reset code 51-04 and said they could not find any problem. Less than an hour after leaving the dealer, the same problem was there again: loss of power steering. This is so dangerous. I've noticed tons of other people have this same complaint and it should be a recall issue and fixed.
EPS warning light came on while I was pulling into a local gas station. When I came out and started vehicle, wheel would not turn. Realized with EPS assist off it reverts to manual steering and, with great difficulty, made it to garage. Rack and pinion replaced ($1514.77). Now EPS warning light still continues to come on randomly with sudden loss of steering, once at 70 mph on interstate and another at 35 mph on secondary road. This is EXTREMELY dangerous. If you turn car off and wait 10-15 minutes the system resets and steering works perfectly (until it doesn’t).I refuse to drive it now and, since it is an older car with high mileage, it would be cost prohibitive. Even if I could find a buyer, I can’t in good conscience sell it to someone and worry about their safety. Other potential repairs could be EPS motor, steering sensors, bad wiring, computer issues, etc.
Intermittent power steering loss. Vehicle would lose power steering sometimes while driving and other times at startup. Very random. For months nothing would happen until all of a sudden eps warning light would come on and power steering wouldn’t engage right away. Now it is permanently on and the power steering does not work at all. This issue started around 65k and complete power steering loss happened at 80k. Definitely scary to think you might lose power steering all of a sudden.
The EPS Electric Power Steering failed on the vehicle with no warning. At 35-40 MPH the EPS warning light came on and the car could not be turned in any direction. The car was wrestled off to the side of the road. It was turned off for several minutes and turned back on. Problem persisted. Turned off ignition for 10 minutes and the warning light went out and steering came back. Thank God there was no accident. This is beyond dangerous. Honda needs to step up to the plate and recall these vehicles with defective steering. Somebody is going to die. Now my daughter is afraid to drive the vehicle. We need to get it to the shop.
Car driving down hwy steering goes out and light came on turn car off steering works fine drive car steering goes out light comes on turn car off drive car home with no power steering turn off and on works fine take to dealer codes 33-01 and 33-06 said needs rack & pump this is very dangerous what was the outcome of this problem that has been going on on these cars since 2012 why no recall oh I,am a mechanic certified age 57
Electronic power steering failure with check power steering system warning.
I have had to take my car in for two repairs related to rodents chewing through electrical wiring. One was for chewing through fuel harness and fuel pump wires resulting in repairs that cost $915 and occurred on 9/5/2018. I was driving on a major road when multiple warning lights illuminated. I made it home then took it to the dealership. The second incident was from chewing through gas line and ima inverter that cost $1701 and occurred on 3/15/19. I was driving on a city street when multiple warning lights illuminated (check engine, brake malfunction, ima battery, charging malfunction). I drove home and decided to take it to the honda dealership. When I went to take it to honda, the lights were no longer illuminated. I drove about 2 miles and got onto a major highway when I started to smell a strong odor and the lights illuminated again. I got off on the next exit when I lost power steering and the car would not accelerate. I began to pull over but then regained the ability to accelerate and luckily made it home. Fuel was pouring from under the car so I had it towed to the dealership. They determined I needed a new fuel line, new ima system as well as junction box. My car was in the shop for almost two months, during which I had to pay for a rental car. The honda dealership told me it is common for chewing through wiring of this specific year and model honda because the material wrapping around the wires was made from a soybean product, which rodents are attracted to.
Started car and check power steering warning came up. There was a slight shutter then steering was hard. Shut car and restarted and warning were gone and steering ok. 1 week later same problem, but will not clear and no power steering. Shut car and restarted, warning still on, but power steering working, but there is a slight noise on and off. Something to do with the electronic power steering.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 honda civic. While the vehicle was parked for approximately 45 minutes and attempting to drive, the power steering failed. The contact stated that the power steering warning indicator illuminated. After driving the vehicle at approximately 20 MPH, the power steering began to operate correctly; however, the power steering warning indicator remained illuminated. While driving approximately 40 MPH, the power steering failed again. The contact called kendall honda of fairbanks (located at 1000 cadillac ct, fairbanks, ak 99701, 855‑501‑3434) where it was diagnosed that it needed power steering fluid, however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 136,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 honda civic. When the vehicle was started with the key in the ignition, the eps indicator alerted the contact to check the power steering. The contact stated that there was no power steering ability when maneuvering the steering wheel in either direction. The vehicle was turned off and restarted. The vehicle was towed to clinton honda (1511 us-22, annandale, nj 08801, 908‑735‑0800, (908) 238-3933) where it was determined that there was no eps recall to provide a remedy. The dealer replaced the eps control unit and updated the dtc 33-01fet (a switch within the steering rack). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was excluded from the federal safety agency campaign number: 12v548000 (steering). The approximate failure mileage was 26,859.
Eps controller unit need to be replaced. Power steering light comes on and steering is hard. If turn vehicle off than back on again, light goes away and steering is back to normal
Service bulletins that may apply
- ServiceNews Article
- Dealer message - american honda (AHM) is investigating certain 2012-2015 civics with a customer complaint...
- Engineering request - american honda (AHM) is investigating certain 2012-2015 civics with a customer...
- Dealer message - american honda (AHM) is investigating certain 2012-2015 civics with a customer complaint...
Related recalls
Steering: column
- What is wrong
- Honda is recalling certain model year 2012 Civic passenger vehicles, manufactured from October 26, 2012, through October 30, 2012. These vehicles were assembled with the incorrect steering column assembly.
- Risk
- The steering column may not have proper energy absorbing characteristics, which could increase the risk of injury during a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the steering column, as necessary, free of charge. The safety recall began on December 10, 2012. Owners may contact Honda at 1‑800‑999‑1009.
Recall number 12V548000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2012 Honda Civic power steering loss
Is loss of power steering a common problem on the 2012 Honda Civic?
25 of 456 owner complaints about the 2012 Honda Civic (5%) mention loss of power steering. The model year with the most reports is 2012.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2012 Honda Civic?
There is 1 recall and 4 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2012 Honda Civic
Airbag light 37No deployment 24Loss of power 15Stalling 15Sudden acceleration 14ABS 10Check engine light 9Jerking 9Won't start 8Fire or smoke 7Grinding brakes 6Steering lock-up 6Engine failure 5Hesitation 5Warning lights 5
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