The steering wheel is sticky and jerky when turning. It has not been smooth for years and I often have to force it to turn a little at high speeds. It’s been like this for years. I am reporting this because it seems to be a major issue online for a lot of civic owners.
2016 Honda Civic steering complaints
Page 3 of 16: complaints 41 to 70 of 446, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The white paint on my 2016 Honda Civic keeps peeling, which looks bad and is leading to structural rust developing in several areas of my car. Fixing it will be costly, and the paint quality on these vehicles isn't very good, causing frustration for owners. Furthermore, my steering wheel has been sticking for some time, and I've consulted several shops for their thoughts. This also comes with a hefty repair price, and I believe it is Honda's duty to address these problems.
My 2016 Honda Civic w/ 66000 miles has been experiencing issues with the steering wheel wherein after driving for approximately 10-15 minutes the steering wheel will start "sticking" when attempting to make micro-adjustments. This primarily occurs at highway speeds, however after starting it does still occur at lower city speeds. This problem causes a significant safety issue, particularly when traveling at highway speeds as a result of increased risk of over correction after the steering wheel becomes unstuck. As an example, when making micro-adjustments to maintain a straight direction, I attempted to move the wheel to the left and the steering wheel became stuck for a moment, requiring higher than normal force to turn. When the steering wheel released, the higher force caused the wheel to turn more than desired, resulting in a minor over correction. This then required me to turn the wheel back to the right to maintain position within the lane, however it again became stuck, requiring higher than normal force to turn and resulted in a near continuous cycle. After bringing the vehicle to a Honda Repair Center on 04/04/2026, they diagnosed the issues as a failure with the rack and pinion assembly within the EPS system. The quoted cost of replacement was $4571.09. Unfortunately, while there is an active recall for this issue for 11th gen 2022-24 Civics, despite numerous complaints of the same issue there is no such recall for 10th gen 2016-2020 civics. This problem needs to be rectified, and a mass recall on all civics since 2016 need to be issued.
Steering wheel feels like it sticks and causes overcorrecting when trying to make small adjustments to steering.
When driving on highways steering notches or sticks causing constant attention to be given to it. It does not seem to be a bother when driving short distances for errands in town. It is distracting and dangerous. I will be taking it into a dealer in 2 days so they can reproduce it and hopefully it will be an easy fix, but I doubt it after reading about this problem. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL. I HAVE READ ABOUT A FEW INJURY ACCIDENTS AND LAWSUITS.
Increased resistance making minor adjustments to the steering wheel in either direction when driving the highway at high speeds. I've seen every symptom of the Honda 'sticky steering' problem that only has a recall for 2022-2025 right now, but I know it's not a coincidence.
Sticky Steering causing over correction when attempting to drive straight. Driving and drifting to either left or right, then attempting to find center, steering wheel will feel sticky and over correct past center. This then makes the car drift to the other direction, then requiring another correcting back, which also over corrects/skips center. The problem is most noticeable during highway driving. This is a safety issue that I have seen many other posts about. The issue may cause the car to severely over correct and veere off the road and/or cause an accident.
Steering intermittently sticks making driving awkward and difficult to hold a straight line.
Steering is sticking when driven for while, making it very unsafe for myself and others and sometimes it sticks and the wheel has to be jerked back which could cause over correction.
Steering can be "sticky" in warm weather, especially above 70 degrees. The issue is intermittent and almost disappears during colder weather, below 60 degrees. I have been noticing this issue for the last couple of years. The issue is particularly noticeable at highway speeds 45mph+. At these speeds the steering wheel becomes somewhat "stuck" and won't turn until you apply enough force to overcome this "stickiness", after which point it starts turning normally, just as expected. The amount of force you need to overcome the "stickiness" is not too much, but it's more than expected, and enough to reduce the control you have over the vehicle's steering. I believe that this "stickiness" is a safety hazard because at highway speeds it makes it harder for you to make small steering adjustments to stay in your lane. This is because you need to apply more steering force to overcome the "stickiness" of the steering wheel, which can result in your car steering more than the desired amount, which can be dangerous. I usually find myself having to immediately make a secondary small steering correction towards the opposite direction, just to bring the vehicle back to the direction I was expecting it to be heading in the first place. But even this secondary adjustment will also suffer from the same "stickiness", so the problem repeats.
Steering became "sticky" at highway driving speeds. This caused the driver to be unable to make small adjustments to steering at highway driving speeds. Clicking sound could be heard when making steering adjustments while driving. This was caused by a manufacturing defect in the steering rack of the vehicle. The car is a 2016, but has only 32,727 mile on it and was purchased new. Because of the sudden stick and release of the steering, it creates a crash hazard and put my family and grandchildren in danger. This is a known problem on this model (we now know) and has been recalled on newer model Honda vehicles. We paid Honda of Ft. Worth $5,000.00 to replace the steering rack. We have retained the defective rack, which is available for inspection as needed. We contacted Honda of America for help with this since it is a known safety issue, but they were unwilling to help at all. No warning lights messages etc were given on the vehicle dash panel.
While driving straight, steering wheel sticks in the straight position. Moving the steering wheel slightly to left or right leads to over correction due to resistance.
There is a jerky/sticky issue with the steering while driving. The steering wheel seems to get stuck and I end up almost over correcting to get it to unstick. I’ve read multiple complaints of this issue and my car’s year is 2016 purchased in October 2025.
Steering is very stiff and fights you while trying to make minor corrections at highway speeds (45mph+). Not safe to drive the vehicle on road trips or for extended periods of time on the highway. As I understand it, the 11th generation civics have a recall on the same component. It seems the recall needs to be extended to the 10th generation civics as well.
UNKNOWN - The steering wheel sticks in the center position when driving on the freeway or highway. When I go to adjust the wheel to correct my direction the wheel sticks and I have to turn harder and it results in an overcorrection and jerks the car. This seems to be a common problem and from what I have read online and it is either the EPS system or the clock spring in the steering wheel. People have said it can be very costly to repair. It has been happening continuously for a couple of years now but sometimes there are gaps when it is bad and when it doesn't happen a lot. It is definitely a safety concern.
2016 Honda Civic LX. Electronic power steering has sticky feeling when traveling at highway speeds, does not return to center. This leads to a danger situation as car becomes difficult to control when traveling at highway speeds. Honda is away of this issue on newer generation of Honda's. Upon inspection, the mechanism that is having an issue is almost identical in Honda's 10th generation of vehicle.
My 2016 Honda Civic has a recurring safety-critical defect that began approximately 2–3 weeks after purchase. While turning (most often left turns), the vehicle suddenly shuts off without warning. When this occurs, the power steering assist locks, brake assist is lost, and the electrical system cuts off and then reboots. This has happened more than 5–6 times and nearly caused collisions. I had to apply extreme brake pressure to avoid hitting another vehicle during one incident. The steering becomes rigid, the dashboard goes dark, and the car restarts on its own while still in motion. Before I purchased the vehicle, a diagnostic inspection was performed and no issues were reported. Since owning the car, it has also been taken to a mechanic multiple times, and no diagnostic code or mechanical explanation for this shutdown issue has ever been identified. The defect appears intermittently and leaves no trace or error codes, making it extremely difficult to detect or repair. This is a serious safety hazard that could cause injury or death. The problem appears to be a latent defect that was present at the time of vehicle sale. I am reporting this so the federal safety agency can investigate whether this is a known issue with this model or whether other consumers have experienced similar sudden shutdowns.
The entire steering rack has an issue especially when driving on the highway. To make slight adjustments and wide turns it feels like you have to turn out of a notch and can’t make any smooth minor adjustments. I took it to the dealership near me and they test drove it and confirmed there was a “notch” in the steering rack and the entire steering rack had to be replaced.
My front driver side wheel completely detached from the vehicle’s body while I was driving home causing the left side of my car to collide with the street pavement and skid to a stop. The driver door airbags deployed, fluid leaked from under the vehicle and the bottom driver side of the car was damaged including the back left wheel/tire. The car had to be towed and an insurance claim was filed for review.
Steering wheel seems to get stuck with minor corrections, and then “gives way” causing a serious over correction. This is mostly noticeable at high way speeds (45+) but can be felt even when the vehicle is stopped. Vehicle is Not lane assist equipped. Appears to be a sticky Rack or Pinion gear.
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, she became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring the steering wheel to be manually returned to center after completing a turn. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 84,000.
I purchased my '16 civic in 2018. The following summer, I started to notice that the steering wheel would "stick" in straight or shallow turn positions, requiring excessive force to break free and start turning. This is especially noticeable during highway driving, when the sticking steering wheel results in minor corrections being impossible. The end result is the car is impossible to keep in the center of the lane all the time, and must continuously be corrected, over-corrected, and over-corrected again. Being unable to correctly control the car is a major safety problem, especially for older drivers that may have difficulty overcoming the force of the steering wheel "sticking." This problem has reappeared every spring. 11th generation civics have this problem and a recall/warranty for the offending components, but not the 10th generation. There are no warning lights or messages from the vehicle about this problem.
After about 30mins of driving car would start pulling to left even if the steering wheel was straight. When trying to correct it the steering wheel would feel stuck like to magnet and when it would release car would over correct to the right. Found out its a common issue among hondas 2015 and above no matter the model, took my car in to the dealer to replace the gearbox and the rack and pinion which fixed the problem. There are no warning lights or codes for this.
Sometimes when driving the steering wheel will tend to “jerk”, or appear “stuck” when trying to turn. This has started to happen recently and I have noticed it when NOT using lane “assistance” this issue has not only been seen from me, but rather by many others as seen in forms such as the following: [XXX] This issue has yet to cause a wreck for me, but this does pose a safety risk as it could prevent me from moving out of the way of cars, or worse prevent me from turning causing me to hit someone or something around my environment. I hope that this is something that can be fixed or recalled for as I am not the only one experiencing this and does genuinely pose a risk. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Driving on highway steering wheel is sticky requires extra effort to control steering has gotten worse since 2025
Purchased as certified used honda. I feel this VIN should be included in the recall for the same issue in other 2016 honda civic steering gear bax failure recalls and honda should have to rectify the failure. 1 year ago my car steering seemed to be sticking. I took it into the dealership and was told my sway bar was leaking. I had that replaced and the issue seemed to not be noticed. Again this year it became mush more pronounced especially when driving on the interstate. The steering seems to get in a grove and the steeting wheel needs to be almost jerked to get it from veering in a specific direction. (right) if I continually jiggle the steering wheel it does not happen. I took it to the dealership and upon diagnosis they determined that the steering gear box is failing. I did research and some 2016 honda civic models had a recall on this issue. I reached out to honda and they said that mine was not in that recall. I find it hard to think that it should not since it was a known issue for other vehicles. My tires are wearing fast due to the issue as well. Honda stated I would have to file a report with you.
The steering wheel sticks when you try to turn it. The best example of what happens is when you're driving on a fairly straight road, you typically make small steering adustments to keep your car in it's lane. What happens is, when you try to turn the steering wheel it "sticks" and doesn't move and so you turn harder than what would be normal to turn it. So you have to turn the wheel harder to make the steering wheel move. When it finally does break free and turn, the result is that instead of turning the car a small amount left or right as you would like, it turns it more than you expect it to and then the car moves more than you expected it to which causes a dangerous situation. I've noticed this more on hotter days when going over 50 MPH but it has occurred at lower speeds. Honda did a recall for this issue for newer Civics, but not the 2016 that I have.
Civic EX 4D bought new in 2016, Steering wheel is “sticking” seems to be a common issue on 10th gen Civic’s but is only recalled on 11th generation models. When driving straight at highway speed, steering wheel does not want to stay in the middle. Car has been aligned (twice) and has 4 new tires and it seems the issue is even MORE felt. The car does not PULL either side, it is just impossible to keep the steering wheel centered. It causes it to be extremely jerky and hard to drive long distances. Can be felt at lower speeds when turning the wheel left to right in quick succession, feels as though there is a pop in the middle/something gets caught causing the wheel to pop back.
After driving for over 30 minutes, the steering becomes sticky. When I try to make minor corrections to stay in the lane, the steering gets stuck, requiring a little extra force, resulting in a slight over correction. At high speeds this slight over correction is very dangerous. This happens on all extended drives. It happens at all speeds.
The steering is sticky and it is hard to keep the car in the lane requiring you to over correct. I have been told it is an issue with the steering rack and needs to be replaced. This repair is very expensive. This has been an issue for several years but I did not associate it with a problem until I started doing some research. No warning lights. My car has low mileage and has been maintained. This is a known issue but a recall was only done on newer vehicles.
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