What 1,061 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Honda Civic Type R

Unknown, rear ended another vehicle no damage occurred

NHTSA ODI 11523950

Steering wheel becomes stiff when driving at highway speeds, especially after the car has been operating for at least 20 minutes. The experience is similar to turning your steering wheel with the ignition off and no power assist. I thought I was going to lose control of the vehicle as I fought the steering wheel to stay centered in my lane and had to immediately pull over to the shoulder on the highway. First time it happened was September of 2020. When it continued, I no longer drove on the highway. I also experienced the issue when driving through a roundabout at 5 mph. It felt like the steering wheel locked up and I nearly crashed into the median before regaining control. Almost three years later, it continues to happen at highway speeds so I took it to the dealership for diagnosis because I only have 24,000 miles on the vehicle and cannot take it on road trips. Dealer confirmed the electronic power steering rack needs to be replaced at a cost of $4,000.00. This is a 2016 Honda Civic purchased new with only 24,000 miles to date and is undriveable at highway speeds due to safety issues and the dealer actually diagnosed a defective electronic power steering rack. Service tech said "too bad you don't own the 2017 Civic because a recall was issued for the power steering and you'd be covered 100%." This is an extremely expensive repair for a known defect. Please issue a recall for the 2016 Honda Civic electronic power steering system. Customers should not have to pay for the repair out of pocket for a defective part.

NHTSA ODI 11524054

Steering is sticking at hwy speeds. Over corrects hard to the left and/or right while I'm trying to keep the vehicle center. It is a continuous issue.

NHTSA ODI 11523388

Hello, I've had my 2016 Honda Civic LX for almost 4 years now and noticed within the first year that the steering seemed to start getting "sticky" once I reach speeds over 35 mph. I brushed it off with the excuse that I live in a hot area, and maybe some things that I just don't understand are happening with the components. Yet, throughout the last year (55k-65k miles) it's becoming unbearable. To be specific, when I'm on the highway and I turn the vehicle towards the left or the right, the entire steering wheel feels like it catches on some kind of notch. This "catch" results in me having to use excessive force to steer the vehicle in the direction I'm trying to go. This makes me very concerned and nervous when I'm changing lanes, turning onto a street, or even simply following the curve of the road, as it can cause jerking motion and overcorrection. I've brought the vehicle into a Honda dealership before and the mechanic said he noticed what I was talking about, but was unsure of the cause. It did not get resolved, as I don't have the money to throw random components at it. This is my only vehicle and daily driver, I would be open to making it available for inspection. I have not had any one besides the dealership look into the problem. There has been no warning lights in the dash, and no other issues with this vehicle. The first experience I have with the sticky steering was 2020, at around 35k miles.

NHTSA ODI 11523564

The steering wheel sticks around the center point when left still for a few seconds. This leads to resistance in the steering when trying to make adjustments after driving straight. I am open to having the issue inspected. The main issue this leads to is oversteering, which is a serious safety concern especially when I am driving at higher speeds on the road. Greater force is needed to make adjustments when it sticks at the center line and results in longer reaction time for steering response and swerving when too much force is applied to unstick the steering. I haven't yet taken it to service center, but this issue continues to persist while I drive, so I don't have any worries about it being able to be reproduced. It also seems that this is becoming a more prevalent issue with this generation of Honda Civics, so I am not the only one experiencing this issue. No other symptoms predated the onset of the steering issue.

NHTSA ODI 11523197

There is stickiness in the steering. When driving on the highway in a straight direction, there is an initial resistance or stickiness to turn the wheel from the neutral position.

NHTSA ODI 11522995

Steering has become extremely sticky. Extra force must be taken to maintain position in lane. The pressure required to turn the wheel past the catchy position causes the vehicle to maneuver excessively making it difficult to remain in the proper lane. This is extremely dangerous on wet roads at highway speeds.

NHTSA ODI 11522448

The air conditioning system has failed. Safety is at risk due to elevated temperatures. Thousands of people have complained about these issues. HSB 19-091 does not go far enough, Honda needs to recall the entire a/c system and repair these manufacturer defects.

NHTSA ODI 11522111

Steering "sticks" when making minor adjustments left or right to maintain direction, particularly on the highway. The force required to overcome the resistance causes it to overcorrect in the other direction. Wheels have recently been balanced and aligned by authorized Honda dealer.

NHTSA ODI 11521577

The steering is "sticky" especically after running the car for 10 minutes or more. A slight movement of the steering wheel - feels like it gets stuck and have to put more effort moving the wheel. Then the wheel will let loose and over compensate the steering. Very dangerous. This has happened on and off for 2 years or so, but now happens every time we drive the car. Took to the local Honda dealer and they said the Rack and Pinion system needs replaced. The estimate for replacement is $4,200. I have seen that there are many other people with the problem and hope that a recall will happen soon.

NHTSA ODI 11521325

When driving over 40 mph the steering sticks constantly. It is difficult to control the car and I’m fearful of over correcting. I was originally told it needed an alignment, but the problem returned. Honda now states it’s the steering rack and will cost $4000. This seems to be a common problem and I feel Honda should stand behind their product, as this is a huge safety concern.

NHTSA ODI 11520732

Found the metal ring in the top of gas tank rusted a hole through the top of the tank. Inspected by Honda Service Center. Found through emissions warning light. This is a safety risk from a No Good part

NHTSA ODI 11520172

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the passenger's side air bag inadvertently deployed, shattering the windshield. No injury was sustained. There was no impact to the vehicle that could have caused the passenger's side air bag to deploy. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 59,000.

NHTSA ODI 11520200

The steering wheel sometimes get "sticky" and hard to move. It is dangerous because sometimes you have to drag the steering wheel to get it unstuck. There have been multiple reports on the same issue with my car and newer models. There are no warning lights, the steering wheel just start to stick making a dangerous on the road

NHTSA ODI 11520046

The A/C began to take longer and longer to cool the car. After not driving the car for a year due to illness, I drove it again and the A/C blew nothing but hot air. After an initial Google search I discovered Honda had extended a warranty to 10 years for defective A/C condensers. However, I cannot find a recall for this repair anywhere. I've taken the car to a mechanic and was quoted a price of $1200 repair the condenser.

NHTSA ODI 11518774

All engine lights flashed while driving, check engine light remained on after all others went off, emission system warning keeps prompting attention, and car just slowed to only 8 mph as I was driving down the road. Available for inspection any day. I had my 7 month old child in the backseat and almost got slammed in the back while going down the road as my car slowed abruptly as I was driving. Nothing was wrong prior, and I took it to a service department when I went for my oil change, but it was going to be very costly to just hook up for diagnostic testing. Car ran at normal speed after this incident, but engine sounds louder and rougher and check engine light and warnings are still present.

NHTSA ODI 11518128

On 4/16/23, I noticed that the paint surrounding my rear window is peeling from the body of the car. There have been no dings nor accidents; the paint just started peeling. Obviously, this is not a safety issue, but I have read that Honda has had issues with defective paint with other models.

NHTSA ODI 11517844

Just bought vehicle during march. Still Winter in Northern Michigan. And this month in April I've noticed with the warmer days the steering sticks directly dead center at highway speeds. And requires a bit of force to be able to maintain direction. Once getting it "unstuck" it usually causes oversteering. Causing panic and almost getting me pulled over numerous times. My drive is an hour home from work. At 70+mph. Never been so aggravated to drive a vehicle I've only had for a month and a half. Vehicle only has 60,000mi. Took to two techs. Both have stated it's common and that there's no presented diagnosis besides a faulty EPS module from the factory. Hate this vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11517339

Air conditioner not working

NHTSA ODI 11517194

The power steering on the 2016 Honda Civic. While driving it is hard to gain control over the vehicle and the steering wheel tends to lock in place. It is UNKNOWN if the problem has been reproduced. The vehicle has been inspected by others. There is no warning lamps or message prior to failure.

NHTSA ODI 11517228

The transmission failed in the middle of a busy boulevard. I was waiting, then attempting to drive forward to make a u-turn. The speed limit was 55 mph, cars were honking and had to change lanes not to hit me - and it was raining. The car was towed to our local dealer where we purchased and seek all maintenance on the car (and 3 previous Hondas). We were told a belt may have broken and that it had to be replaced; the cost $6400. There were no warning lamps or messages. Probably not relevant but the dealer could not replace the transmission as none are available currently and there is no available estimation of when one would come available. We had to choose between trading the car in without a transmission or (what we chose) have the dealer install a used transmission.

NHTSA ODI 11516977

First AC condenser went out Now theres a problem (leakage) with the AC Evaporator. Ive been hearing this happening to alot of the same hondas!

NHTSA ODI 11516725

Highway driving in the mountains. When making minor, stay-in-my-lane corrections the steering stopped being smooth. It felt like it was binding or sticking and would require more pressure to change direction then it would pop to another sticky spot. It sometimes adjusted too much and required a re-correction in the opposite direction. At no time was this enough to cause me to steer out of my lane but it was alarming.

NHTSA ODI 11516111

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the steering wheel became firm and jerked. Additionally, while at a complete stop, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The contact stated that her father inspected the vehicle and stated that the steering rack assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

NHTSA ODI 11515369

The investigation into the complaint that the Honda Civic steering becomes stiff at higher speeds and after driving for a while needs to include 2016 models. This has been noticeable on the highway and is becoming way more problematic as the car ages. I've noticed this for a while - maybe from the original purchase of the car. It is getting worse though as the second hour of our trip was almost unbearable and felt very unsafe.

NHTSA ODI 11514952