KnownCarProblems2016 Honda Civic Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 1,082 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Honda Civic, most often about the steering (41% of complaints, typically around 39,000 miles). It is the 3rd most complained-about Civic model year since 2000 and has 5 recalls.
Most common 2016 Honda Civic problems
Steering
446 complaints · 41%Half of these problems showed up before 39,000 miles. Parts named most often: steering wheel/handle bar, electric power assist system, rack and pinion.
I'm glad I found this thread I have a 2016 Honda Civic ex-t. After I've been driving 10 or 15 minutes, mostly on a highway, suddenly the car begins to veer slightly one way or another. When I go to correct, the steering wheel resists. It "sticks" until I apply a bit more pressure, after which it suddenly releases…
I bought the car new and at about 35500 miles the steering while driving at any speed, straight always or turns it keeps feeling like it is sticking. I have been to the dealership who had me pay for an alignment even though it was not pulling. It did not work after repeated attempts. They have no other solutions. It…
Other or unspecified
253 complaints · 23%Half of these problems showed up before 34,500 miles.
Car is only one yr old, not even 33,000 miles air conditioner blowing hot air, many of my friends have same problem. Honda won't honor warranty. Wants to charge over $500.00 to start.
Vehicle was involved in a front end/side collision. When told by collision shop the vehicle was finished and upon coming in to pick up the vehicle, obvious structural damage remained untouched, and unrepaired engine damage was obvious. Collision shop and insurance company insisted vehicle repairs were complete and…
Electrical
119 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 26,500 miles. Parts named most often: wiring, instrument panel, horn, software.
Upon starting vehicle, center console screen was black. When I tapped the power button, the screen flashed green and went black. No radio function, no camera function, nothing. I drove on city streets to the gas station and in a few minutes, the computer suddenly woke up by itself and has been fine since. Just called…
Power window on driver's side when trying to auto close (wind up feature) it goes half way and then auto opens (goes back down). Noticed multiple times when stationary (both in park, neutral, and drive with foot on brake).
Engine
99 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 29,000 miles.
My air condition compressor is defective and leaking the new very flammable refrigerant r1234yf gas out from the compressor itself. The shaft seal seems to be where it is leaking. This is a known problem and Honda should issue a recall to replace all of the defective compressors they installed in their cars.
Stationary car completely shut down, would not start, battery check ok, could not take out of park, had to have it towed to shop and have TCM replaced and software updated- in motion -steering wheel slips and shakes as well - very disappointed in Honda.
Brakes
96 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 23,000 miles. Parts named most often: antilock.
All systems warning lights pop up on starting the car. I came home parked the car and started it 10 minutes later and all systems warning lights came on. Power steering, parking brake, brake failure, collision mitigation system, TPMS, lane departure system, traction control system, hill assist system, ABS system . All…
Brake light came on flashing, brake system light, and error on panel electric parking break failure. This seems to be a recall on most 2016 models
Visibility and wipers
67 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 25,000 miles. Parts named most often: defroster/defogger/hvac system, sun/moon roof assembly, rearview mirrors/devices, windshield.
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. While driving 55 MPH, the sun roof exploded without impact. There were no injuries. The dealer (holler Honda, 2211 n semoran blvd, orlando, fl 32807, ([phone]) was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure…
A/c quit working at 30,000 miles one year out of warranty. Dealer diagnosed compressor bearing failure - not covered under extended warranty for defective condensers. Cost to repair: $2,000 + this is both dangerous due to inoperative defrost/defogging as well as risking passenger overheating in extreme weather -…
Body and structure
48 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 13,000 miles. Parts named most often: body.
Trunk spontaneously opens. It hasn't happened while driving. I have taken it to the dealer, contacted Honda's headquarters. They are unable to reproduce the issue so cannot fix it. There are others on the Civic online forum who are experiencing this issue. This is a security issue where I cannot keep anything in my…
Just driving down a city street at 45 MPH and heard a big pop. Pulled over to discover my sunroof glass had actually exploded outward. I believe this to be faulty tempered glass and wanted to report this issue. Thx
Transmission
36 complaints · 3%Half of these problems showed up before 36,000 miles. Parts named most often: manual transmission, axle assembly.
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. While the vehicle was parked and turned off, the vehicle rolled backwards down an incline into a parking lot, and crashed into another vehicle. The contact checked the vehicle and noticed that the gear shifter was in the drive position. There were no injuries and a police report…
My 2016 Honda Civic rolled out of my garage while it was in park. My daughter had just gotten home. She initially turned the car off in drive. She realized that it was still in drive and shifted to park and restarted the car. The car rolled out of the garage while still in park. My daughter attempted to exit the car…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2016 Honda Civic recalls
Air bags: front passenger
Risk: Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.
Fix: 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 NHTSA recall number 24v064. Vehicle identification numbers (vins) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning may 29, 2026.
Full defect summary
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.
Fuel system: fuel pump
Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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 NHTSA recall numbers 21v-215 and 20v-314.
Full defect summary
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.
Brakes: parking brake
Risk: If the epb is not applied, the vehicle may roll away, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Lights: exterior lighting
Risk: If a side marker light does not function, vehicle visibility can be decreased to other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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."
Engine
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.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
Questions about the 2016 Honda Civic
- What are the most common problems with the 2016 Honda Civic?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: steering (446 complaints, typically around 39,000 miles); other or unspecified (253 complaints, typically around 34,500 miles); electrical (119 complaints, typically around 26,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2016 Honda Civic have?
- 5 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from May 21, 2026 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2016 a bad year for the Honda Civic?
- It is the 3rd most complained-about Civic model year since 2000, with 1,082 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.