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2016 Honda Civic problems

The most common problem on the 2016 Honda Civic is steering, typically around 39,000 miles. It has 2.4 times the complaints of a typical Civic model year.

Year to avoid2.4x the typical complaints
Year score
40/100
Owner complaints
1,082
Recalls
5
Service bulletins
327
Worst area
Steering
Fuel economy
30-35mpg
Typical repair
$3,500

The worst 2016 Honda Civic problems

Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.

Problems by type

Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.

Specific symptoms reported on the 2016 Honda Civic

Jerking 109Stalling 20Check engine light 19Power steering loss 18Engine failure 16Sunroof shattered 16Brake failure 15Lane assist 15Won't start 15ABS 13Adaptive cruise 13Loss of power 13Steering lock-up 13Fuel pump 11Pulling 11Warning lights 11No deployment 10Backup camera 9Fuel smell 9Won't shift 8Grinding brakes 7Collision warning 7Tire blowout 7Hesitation 6Overheating 5Windshield crack 5Wipers 5

Recalls 5

Air bags: sensor: occupant classification: front passengerReported May 21, 2026 · 98,892 vehicles affected
What is wrong
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.
Risk
Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH, NOC, POD, BOE, UOF, POB, EOG, AOI, QO8, TOJ, DO7, and SOK. This recall expands previous the federal safety agency recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on beginning May 29, 2026.

Recall number 26V332000 · Recall details

Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pumpReported December 18, 2023 · 2,490,460 vehicles affected
What is wrong
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.
Risk
Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of the federal safety agency recall numbers 21V‑215 and 20V‑314.

Recall number 23V858000 · Recall details

Parking brakeReported October 11, 2016 · 350,083 vehicles affected
What is wrong
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.
Risk
If the EPB is not applied, the vehicle may roll away, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the vehicle's software to allow the EPB to engage immediately after the ignition is turned off, free of charge. The recall began on November 8, 2016. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Honda's number for this recall is KC6.

Recall number 16V725000 · Recall details

Exterior lightingReported July 11, 2016 · 11,846 vehicles affected
What is wrong
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."
Risk
If a side marker light does not function, vehicle visibility can be decreased to other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect both the taillight assemblies, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on August 31, 2016. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Honda's number for this recall is KB8.

Recall number 16V526000 · Recall details

Engine and engine cooling: engineReported February 9, 2016 · 42,129 vehicles affected
What is wrong
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.
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 seize, and increasing the risk of a crash or a fire.
Remedy
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the piston assemblies and damaged engine components, as necessary, free of charge. Parts are expected to be available in the Summer of 2016. Owners were mailed an interim notification beginning March 31, 2016, and will be mailed a second notice when parts are available. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Honda's number for this recall is JX9.

Recall number 16V074000 · Recall details

See all 5 recalls for the 2016 Honda Civic

Technical service bulletins for the 2016 Honda Civic 327

Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.

See all 327 bulletins for the 2016 Honda Civic

2016 Honda Civic fuel economy

Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.

EngineDriveCityHighwayCombined
1.5L 4‑cylFWD3141-4235
2.0L 4‑cylFWD26-3037-4030-34

What 2016 Honda Civic owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Oct 14, 2026 · Steering · OH

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.

Filed Sep 27, 2026 · Steering · PA

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 replicated when driving longer distances on the highway, especially when driving on a straight road.

Filed Sep 10, 2026 · Steering · VA

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.

Filed Sep 8, 2026 · Steering · IL

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.

Filed Sep 2, 2026 · Steering · 1,000 miles · VA

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.

Filed Sep 1, 2026 · Engine · OR

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

Filed Aug 31, 2026 · Steering · VA

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 the federal safety agency 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.

Filed Aug 26, 2026 · Electrical, Steering · GA

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)

Filed Aug 24, 2026 · Steering · TN

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.

Filed Aug 18, 2026 · Steering · GA

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 the federal safety agency because the intermittent increase in steering effort and subsequent release can potentially result in overcorrection and represents a safety concern.

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Compare the 2016 Honda Civic

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Other model years

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Questions about the 2016 Honda Civic

Is the 2016 Honda Civic reliable?

Owners have filed 1,082 complaints about the 2016 Honda Civic, 2.4 times a typical Civic model year. It is one of the years we flag to avoid.

What is the 2016 Honda Civic year score?

The 2016 Honda Civic scores 40 out of 100 (below average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Honda Civic: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.

What is the most common problem with the 2016 Honda Civic?

Steering, with 446 complaints, typically around 39,000 miles. Next is electrical (119).

How many recalls does the 2016 Honda Civic have?

5 recalls, covering air bags, fuel system, gasoline and parking brake.

What year does the Honda Civic have bad steering?

The Honda Civic model years with the most steering complaints are 2022 (734 complaints), 2016 (446 complaints) and 2018 (316 complaints).

What gas mileage does the 2016 Honda Civic get?

Official estimates for the 2016 Honda Civic range from 30 to 35 mpg combined. The most efficient version (1.5L 4-cyl, FWD) gets 31 city and 41-42 highway.

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