What 598 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Honda Civic Si

I previously submitted a report to your agency on May 31, 2024 regarding my 2018 Honda Civic Sedan (VIN# provided) relating to what has been widely called a "sticky" steering action. After having one of their dealerships confirming there is a problem with my steering, I wrote Honda America on June 1, 2024 and advised them of that problem and requested my vehicle be added to a recall program that has included other Honda Civic's in the same manufacturing date range as my vehicle. Honda refused. To further confirm and document that my vehicle suffers from this problem, I took my vehicle to another local Honda dealer, who also confirmed my vehicle suffers from this problem. By letter of October 30, 2024 I again wrote Honda America and appealed for them to repair this dangerous steering problem. I must continue to drive this vehicle with this serious problem, and I am writing this to document my communications with Honda, and hope that your agency will intervene with Honda to add my vehicle to a recall program. To be clear, the internet is full of owners of the same year and make of my vehicle who are having the same problem with their steering. Thank You

NHTSA ODI 11625010

The steering has suffered from a sticky or notched feeling off an on for the last 3 years. It seems to happen whenever the car is warm/in hot weather. It feels like the steering gets stuck in place, so you can't smoothly make adjustments. It's worst when you're driving straight or in gradual sloping turns in warm weather. It feels like it sort of clicks out of the rut it's stuck in, generally only to get stuck feeling again immediately. I just gifted the car to my son, and I'm concerned that this will continue to be a problem, since it's never cleared up while I've owned the vehicle. I am the original owner. The mileage is currently 56,220. If I had to guess, the problem has been occurring probably for the last 20K miles? I have asked 2 different Honda Dealerships in the DFW area (Honda Grapevine and Vandergriff Honda) to see if they could figure it out, and both times, they said they couldn't replicate the problem. I saw the recall affecting newer models of these cars and it exactly matches the problem my Honda has been having.

NHTSA ODI 11623779

Steering wheel is sticking when trying to make subtle adjustments staying inside the lane. This makes it harder to keep the vehicle inside the lane without jerking the car. There is already a recall out for more recent Honda models regarding this sticking steering issue, but the steering problem is also present in my 2018 model. The sticking steering wheel can cause an accident. There are no warning lights coming up at this time.

NHTSA ODI 11623826

When I’m driving at highway speeds the steering wheel feels stiff like the power steering isn’t working then it kicks in and over steers so you are going back and forth in your lane. If you don’t use both of your hands the car can get away from you and you will end up in the next lane.

NHTSA ODI 11623329

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Civic. The contact stated that occasionally while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel was sticking. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was persistent. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed; however, the dealer found no cause for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 6,000.

NHTSA ODI 11623198

On hot, very humid days, typically 80 degrees or hotter, the steering will lock in position which requires a very strong turn of the steering wheel to get it to turn again. This action causes the car to swerve and into other lanes of traffic causing a major safety concern. This problem has been discussed with a Honda quality assurance representative with no resolution. This has not been reproduced by a service center as it is an intermittent issue and the car has not been inspected by the manufacturer as they did not seem concerned about the problem. No warning lights are displayed before, during or after the problem.

NHTSA ODI 11621356

The steering wheel sticks and requires abnormal effort to turn the wheel from the neutral (steering straightforward) to either left or right resulting in oversteering situations once the wheel has "broke-free" from the sticking. The sticking is not noticeable until the vehicle has warmed-up, usually ten to fifteen minutes drive time. The 2018 Civic has 74,850 miles and sticking began around 65,000 but has become more prevalent over time.

NHTSA ODI 11620622

While driving the vehicle, only left turn direction. The steering wheel will hang when it should go back to center position such as in a curve on the road. It requires a slight jerk to get the wheel to move back to the center position. It is really noticable and could be dangerous if you don’t pay close attention.

NHTSA ODI 11619037

The steering wheel sticks when traveling causing a definite safety issue. I have had some difficulty maintaining my lane on the road at times. There are a lot of folks posting on the Honda blogs about this same issue. This problem started a while back and continues to happen periodically. I can't afford the $4,500 dollars the dealer wants to fix it. Please issue a recall. Thanks.

NHTSA ODI 11619052

Steering sticking at all speeds and when parked.

NHTSA ODI 11619061

The steering sticks when driving, particularly at highway speeds. Steering corrections are slow and difficult and cause over correction with potential loss of vehicle control.

NHTSA ODI 11618841

Steering is stiff and sticky at high speeds when trying to make small adjustments while driving. I have read on car forums this is a common issue which requires complete replacement of the steering system. My safety is at risk driving this vehicle due to over correction and being unable to properly steer. It has not been inspected by a dealer. This issue appeared about a year ago. I noticed a very similar recall on 2022-2025 models and I think this is a systemic issue with Honda civics.

NHTSA ODI 11618984

When going above 20 mph the vehicle has an issue where the steering wheel will become stuck. Going around a turn you can let go of the wheel with it turned and the wheel will not go back to center. You have to physically turn the wheel the opposite direction to make the steering unstuck. The problem becomes worse the faster you are driving. On the interstate it becomes difficult to maintain the vehicle in the center of the lane because you have to fight the wheel to unstick it so your vehicle makes sudden moves. I do not feel safe driving this vehicle. It only has 89,000 miles and I've never owned a vehicle develop an issue like this with relatively low miles.

NHTSA ODI 11618008

The steering wheel acts as it is sticking in place when driving down the highway and requires a greater than typical force to free the wheel. This mostly causes the wheel to overcorrect and the vehicle to jolt across the lane and sometimes out of the lane. Minute changes in steering angle required to maintain lane position become virtually impossible resulting in erratic steering inputs. I am aware that this is a common issue across multiple years of Honda Civic. I was told that the dealer will diagnose this issue as a faulty steering rack with a repair cost of ~$4,000. No warning lamps illuminate indicating a problem with the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11618110

The power steering sticks when driving at highway speed in straight line. Any steering corrections are difficult and could cause over correction and loss of vehicle control.

NHTSA ODI 11617261

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel was sticking and jerking while turning in either direction. The contact stated that while turning the steering wheel, the steering would over correct, making it difficult to keep the vehicle inside the desired lane. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 58,000.

NHTSA ODI 11616111

See attached document for complaint.

NHTSA ODI 11612337

My 2018 Honda Civic is presenting with issues related to another safety recall, but my Vin doesn't come up for that recall. I got diagnostics done for this issue at a Honda certified dealership, the wanted over $5600 to repair the safety recall issue because my Vin doesn't come up for that specific recall- only one of the safety recalls, which they do not have parts for. I got a second opinion with another mechanic who confirmed that what's going on with my car is a recall safety issue on Honda's part, not my own. My car is not safe to drive due to a rack and pinion safety issue and a fuel pump issue and the safety issues have gotten worse. Others and my own safety is put at risk because the car doesn't have a lot of power to maneuver the vehicle safely as well as the steering locking up. My vehicle shows no lights on the dash.

NHTSA ODI 11611513

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, she became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, observing that the steering wheel continuously jerked to the left. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the steering rack and pinion. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who confirmed the diagnosis, finding that the steering rack was binding and causing the steering wheel to jerk hard to the left. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V663000 (Steering); but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 77,000.

NHTSA ODI 11611706

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the steering wheel pulled slightly in the opposite direction and made a clicking sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times for the failure; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was informed that the repair was not covered under NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V663000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not associated with the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.

NHTSA ODI 11610982

The steering does not allow for smaller adjustments making it difficult to keep the vehicle continuing in a straight line in higher speeds (highways, freeways). When attempting to pull the wheel, it will not move until more force is used, causing the wheel to jerk and making the vehicle difficult to control. After checking with the Norm Reeves Honda Center, they suggested it was an issue with the power steering rack, however many others report they've had a similar issue but discovered it was the gearbox at fault. This problem has been occurring after around 40,000 miles but the condition worsened over time.

NHTSA ODI 11610112

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering failed to function as intended, with the traction control warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was difficult to steer. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure occurred while driving on a major highway. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

NHTSA ODI 11609920

Took car in for service due to car jerking from left to right while driving at speeds above 40 mph and making a clicking sound when turning left and right. Steering wheel also feels stiff while driving and has slow reaction time.

NHTSA ODI 11608029

The steering wheel keep locking I be happen to jerk the wheel back

NHTSA ODI 11608084

I am having the dealer look at my car next Thursday due to my steering wheel randomly going limp. It seems the car only does it when the engine is warmed up. I’ve noticed this issue when driving straight and mainly going around curves. When the steering goes limp, it cause me to over correct in which my car swerves. There are no warning lamps. This problem started around 70k miles for me and I am at 90k now and I feel the problem has worsened. Sometimes the car is hard to keep on a straight line, it feels as if the wind is always blowing and when you turn against the wind the steering goes loose for about .2 seconds.

NHTSA ODI 11606527