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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2016 Honda Civic — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 1,081 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

1,081
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
36
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
4
Involved Fire
owner-reported
16
Injuries
across all reports
Years to Avoid

Honda Civic — Complaints by Model Year

Years flagged AVOID have at least twice this model's average complaint count — the strongest public-data signal of a bad year.

397 complaints

169 complaints

455 complaints

319 complaints

292 complaints

380 complaints

1,081 complaints

599 complaints

596 complaints

346 complaints

226 complaints

145 complaints

883 complaints

0 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Steering 445 reports
Unknown Or Other 253 reports
Electrical System 119 reports
Engine 95 reports
Service Brakes 95 reports
Structure 48 reports
Visibility/wiper 47 reports
Power Train 36 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Steering ODI 11385934 12/31/2020

OUR CIVIC'S STEERING BECAME VERY 'STICKY' AROUND 6 MONTHS AGO AND THE PROBLEM DEVELOPS AT SPEED. THE STEERING GETS JERKY AND MOMENTARILY GETS LOCKED IN A POSITION THAT WE NEED TO FIGHT AGAINST. WE HAD A SERVICE SCHEDULED AT HONDA AND ASKED THEM TO INSPECT THE ISSUE AND THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM CORRECTLY. THEY ARE DEFLECTING AND ARE SUGGESTING IT COULD BE CAUSE…

Unknown Or Other ODI 11292005 12/30/2019

I WAS DRIVING STRAIGHT DOWN I-20, THE ONLY CAR CLOSE TO ME WAS BEHIND ME AND IN THE OTHER LANE. THERE WERE NO OVERPASSES OR POTHOLES. THERE WAS A LOUD NOISE LIKE A CAR BACKFIRE OR GUNSHOT, AND I THOUGHT I MUST HAVE BLOWN A TIRE. I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND DISCOVERED MY MOONROOF HAD SHATTERED - LUCKILY THE SHIELD HAD BEEN CLOSED. HONDA REFUSED TO CONSIDER THAT IT…

Steering ODI 11292155 12/30/2019

STEERING WHEEL STICKS WHILE ATTEMPTING TO DRIVE STRAIGHT CAUSING THE CAR TO EITHER DRIVE TO THE RIGHT OR LEFT. THIS HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING FOR APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES OR SO AND ESPECIALLY HAS AN EFFECT ON THE VEHICLE AT HIGHER SPEEDS. MULTIPLE FORUMS AND OVER 60+ COMPLAINTS ON THIS AND NO RECALL YET?

Visibility/wiper ODI 11057442 12/29/2017

CRACK IN WINDSHIELD 5 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASING THE CAR FROM DEALER. WAS TOLD IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER MANUFACTURE OR EXTENDED WARRANTY. REPLACED, AND ONE YEAR LATER, REPLACEMENT GLASS HAS CRACK. REPLACED AND TWO MONTHS LATER, GLASS CRACKS AFTER HIT WITH DEBRIS FROM FREEWAY. IS THIS A DESIGN FLAW IN THE DESIGN OF THE CAR? DOES THIS FALL INTO THE "LEMON LAW?"

Power Train ODI 10938661 12/29/2016

I AM STILL HAVING BRAKE SYSTEM ISSUES AND NOT ALLOWING ME TO GEAR AND DRIVE! SINCE LETTER FOR RECALL IN NOVEMBER, WHICH ALREADY SET APPOINTMENT WITH DEALERSHIP TO REPROGRAM OR REBOOT SYSTEM THEY STATED WOULD TAKE CARE OF,I HAVE BEEN BACK TWICE AFTER THAT. I ALSO HAVE ISSUES WITH THE WARNING EXCLAMATION LIGHT FLASHING AND WAS TOLD ALL'S FINE THE NEW CARS ARE SENSITIVE WHEN TAKE…

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2016 Honda Civic, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

Check Another Car

Problems Checker

Any year, make and model: open the Car Problems Checker. Data: NHTSA (US DOT, public domain), cached up to 7 days.

Questions

FAQ

Is the 2016 Honda Civic reliable?
Owners have filed 1,081 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2016 Honda Civic, most often about steering. Compare the complaint counts across model years above — a year with far more complaints than the model's average is the strongest 'avoid' signal in public data.
Which Honda Civic years should I avoid?
The rule of thumb used by analysts: a model year whose complaint count is well above the model's own average (we flag 2× or more) usually had a real manufacturing or design problem — not just noisy reporting. Use the year-by-year strip on this page.
Where do these complaints come from?
Directly from NHTSA, the US government road-safety agency. Any owner can file a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire; NHTSA publishes them as public domain data. We cache each lookup for up to 7 days.
Do complaints mean a recall is coming?
Sometimes. NHTSA opens defect investigations when complaint patterns emerge, and investigations can end in recalls. Check the recalls page for this vehicle to see what has already been recalled.