The w components are failing the whole power steering is bad. It sticks it makes noises it squeaks and it’s also gashing my tires and wearing them unevenly.
Honda Civic grinding brakes problems
238 of the 16,054 owner complaints about the Honda Civic describe grinding or squealing brakes, most of them for the 2007 model year.
- owner complaints
- 238
- worst model year
- 2007
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,700
- typical mileage
- 17,435
Is there a fix? There are 5 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Transmission failure 14Jerking 9Slipping 7Stalling 6Check engine light 6Ball joint 6Premature wear 5Steering noise 4
What owners say
I recently bought a 2001 honda civic, 5speed. It was driving fine, until it suddenly started making grinding or weird noises. I couldn't shift and now the gears are locked up. It happened suddenly after no problems.
After intermittently experiencing sticking of my steering wheel and creaking/grinding when turning the wheel, in April 2024 my vehicle’s rack & pinion recall was closed at Northside Honda (28,676 miles). In May 2024, I was provided a free oil change at the same dealership. I wasn’t informed of any failed recommendations or provided a copy of the multipoint inspection (29,328 miles). The sticky steering continued to be intermittent and I was unable to replicate it, specifically as cooler weather began. In February 2025, my vehicle’s steering gearbox recall was closed and corrective action was performed at Hill Country Honda due to my sticky steering noticeably occurring at highway speeds, making it difficult to return to center, specifically during a drive home from work that required significant effort to stay in my lane (38,957 miles). In October 2025, I scheduled another inspection, as the sticky steering had noticeably returned once more at highway speeds. It was then diagnosed by Hill Country Honda’s technician to be an internal failure of the gearbox with a recommendation of electric steering gearbox replacement (51,073 miles). After numerous attempts to inform Honda Corporate of my recent finding (fail recommendation “incorrectly assembled steering rack”) which Northside Honda never mentioned to me in 2024, neither Honda Corporate nor the dealership will take accountability. I’ve also noted that no comments were listed in the rack and pinion recall to indicate a concern/complaint, despite my description stated above. The dealership is continuing to state my car was not included in the recall though listed on my oil change visit after the recall was closed and they won’t cover 100% replacement regardless of this being incomplete warranty work from 2024. A new investigation NEEDS to be opened on this steering recall. Honda Corporate’s corrective action has not helped numerous people from what I’ve researched even with the replacement of a steering rack.
Exact problem was recalled for same year for 143,000 vehicles but my VIN was not in the recall. I was diving and vehicle made a loud noise and all the sudden stopped accelerating. It was like my car was in neutral. Put my car in park when I stopped and car started rolling backwards like it wasn’t in park. It finally went into park and I shut car off and restarted tried putting in drive again. It made a loud grinding noise and would not go in drive still acted like in neutral. Had to have car towed from scene. Looked up transmission issues and saw there was a recall for this exact issue.
There are 2 recalls on this car. A gearbox and power steering rack, the dealer has not replaced either one of them. They greased the power steering rack, and that's it. When steering to the right or left, there's a very large grinding sound and they are stating that it did not come from a power steering rack, faulty, they didn't even check the power steering rack or the gearbox, all they did was grease the power steering rack. I want this remedied, my daughter drives this car and there's something going on with the power steering rack, and it is starting to affect other issues in the car, tie rods, bearings etc and that's not fair. The manufacturer should be replacing these items. Steering components are a huge safety issue in this car and the manufacturer at the dealership will not replace these items.
In Dec 2024, I began to hear a noise under the car. I dropped off the car for the recall and to see if they could figure out the issue. Recall was completed and no issue found after blowing out the dust shield around the brakes. 1 week later, the problem came back sounding a little different. We found a plug in the aluminum pan under the car. After removing it, the original noise returned (may not have been noticeable because the other sound was louder). I took it back to the dealership. They could not find anything specific, but tightened up something in the front end suspension. The noise came back 30 miles later. So I took it to a different dealership last week. They found that the splash cover was missing a screw. So that must be it right? No 5 minutes after I left, the sound returned. Tuesday 2/4 I took the car back. After a longer inspection, they determined that the sway bar links were bad on both sides. So they replaced them. The car ran okay for the 1st day or so. I heard a couple squeaks but I just figured it had something to do with the replacement parts. As of today, the noise has returned as it was before. I will update, but this seems to be suspension related/faulty suspension parts.
Cold start up issue where VTC Actuator is rattling and or grinding. This could potentially cause engine failure while starting or driving the vehicle. No check engine light or oil light. VTC Rattle/Grind occurred for 3-4 seconds and then stopped.
Reported CRUNCHING, CLICKING, GRINDING IN FRONT STEERING COMPONENTS. STEERING WHEEL LOCKS UP WHEN CAR IS IN MOTION. Failed components identified and reported to Honda Manufacturing Corportation. Waiting on a Formal Response.
There is a loud grinding/ squealing noise whenever I press the break pedal. I went to have it check at Big O tires and the guy checked my breaks and tires and said they were at 100 percent however the sound is coming from a defeat somewhere with the break pedal and the stopping mechanism. He added grease to it to see if it would help but it has not. Also The Steering wheel recall that they just did has not fixed the steering wheel from sticking while driving and I am wondering if it is all connected to the issues I am having. I honestly feel like I have a been sold a defective vehicle as my door actuator stopped working as well as the blower motor for my AC works intermittently and we just don’t feel safe driving this car anymore when we purchased it brand new not even 2 years ago but they have told me it is no longer under warranty
When driving at highway speed, the steering wheel will not continuously go straight it gets stuck a little the to the left or right and I have to constantly adjust the feeling is like a sticky feeling, it has nothing to do with alignment it is the steering wheel, it is almost as if the lane control sensor is on but it is not I have turned it off, it causes me to overcompensate and overcorrect the steering, dealership of course says they cannot replicate problem. Also when at a complete stop there is a grinding sound in the steering column.
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: master cylinder
- What is wrong
- Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Civic, 2020-2023 Ridgeline, 2021-2023 Passport, 2021-2022 Pilot, and 2020 Acura MDX vehicles. The tie rod fastener that connects the brake booster and the brake master cylinder may have been improperly assembled during manufacturing, which can cause the brake master cylinder to separate from the booster assembly.
- Risk
- Brake master cylinder separation can cause a loss of brake function and increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and repair the brake booster assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 7, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are VEU, AEV, and ZET.
Recall number 23V458000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip: control unit/module
- What is wrong
- Honda (America Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2023 Civic, Acura RDX, Acura Integra, and 2022 Honda Accord vehicles. A ball valve in the vehicle stability assist (VSA) modulator may leak brake fluid, which can result in unintended vehicle movement when the brake hold feature is engaged or an unexpected increase in brake pedal travel.
- Risk
- Unintended vehicle movement or an unexpected increase in brake pedal travel can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the VSA modulator, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 24, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are OEJ, XEK, AEY, XEX and OEW.
Recall number 23V430000 · Recall details
Parking brake
- 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
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip: wheel speed sensor/tone ring
- What is wrong
- On certain vehicles, the wheel speed sensor housing uses an o-ring seal to prevent leakage to or from the wheel bearing. If assembled improperly, the o-ring may not seal properly allowing water to enter the wheel bearing and eventually cause damage to the bearing, especially in areas where use of road salt is prevalent. If the driver continues to drive with this condition it is possible for the wheel bearing to become loose, which could cause the bearing to fail.
- Risk
- This could cause a wheel to fall off of the vehicle, possibly resulting in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the rear ABS sensors and wheel bearings for damaged parts and replace them free of charge. The recall began on september 25, 2007. Owners may contact honda at 1‑800‑999‑1009.
Recall number 07V399000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: power assist: vacuum: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- A soapy lubricant was used to insert the check valve into the vacuum hose which causes the brake booster check valve to stick.
- Risk
- This condition can cause a loss of the brake's power assist resulting in a reduction in braking performance increasing the potential for a vehicle accident.
- Remedy
- Dealers will clean the check valve by washing the vacuum hose with hot water.
Recall number 96V106000 · Recall details
Questions about the Honda Civic grinding brakes
Which Honda Civic years have grinding or squealing brakes problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2007 (34 complaints), 2006 (27 complaints) and 2010 (20 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix grinding or squealing brakes on the Honda Civic?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,700 (median of 23 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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