What 253 owners told NHTSA about the 2023 Honda Civic Hatchback

The rear hatch of the vehicle is leaking draining into the trunk area. The carpet is wet and upon lifting the carpet the spare tire well is flooded with water

NHTSA ODI 11582870

Experienced sticky steering while driving down highway. Felt resistance in the steering wheel when trying to make a minor correction. It required additional steering effort to overcome the resistance.

NHTSA ODI 11582264

Steering wheel has some resistance when trying to correct while driving. Steering is 'sticky,' making it difficult to make minor adjustments while driving. Each time any move is made with the steering wheel, it is like it has to 'break free' from being stuck. This happens almost all the time over 40-45 mph, regardless of the driving mode. My concerns were confirmed by a mechanic shop in my area who acknowledged the steering issues and also other family members. During the last time making periodic revision on my Civic I mentioned that and no action had been taken by Honda dealer. As more miles I drive the issue grava-te, making har to keep the vehicle in the lane as above described.

NHTSA ODI 11581828

This was a single car incident (no other cars involved). The car was going on the 270 degree curved onramp to enter the highway. Lane Keep assist (LKAS) came on at or near the end of the onramp which caused the vehicle to head from the inside part of the lane/curve towards the left side of the onramp lane/curve and toward the left side retaining wall. Driver attempted to course correct but steering was not responsive in time and the car hit the left side wall completely disabling steering. The car came off the left wall and went across the onramp lane and struck the right side retaining wall before coming to a stop. Airbags did not deploy. Seatbelt may not have locked/tightened at impact with the wall either. LKAS initiated the move into the wall, the steering was stuck/non-responsive or perhaps slow to take driver input. Multiple previous reports to the dealer about steering being problematic were each unable to confirm a problem and this vehicle was not considered part of the existing potentially related recall. The LKAS is believed to have engaged with flashing warning just before crash. After the crash, the driver seatbelt "red X" shows on display, a LKAS error shows on display, and a supplemental restraint system error shows on the display.

NHTSA ODI 11581397

When going straight for a period of time down the road at speeds above 40mph or so, and the needing to make a slight right or left adjustment to the steering, it feels as though steering sticks momentarily and requires more effort to make a steering adjustment. This is scary and not right. So far, the Honda dealership where I purchased the vehicle as a certified pre-owned car has said there is nothing wrong with the steering. This definitely seems like a safety issue and something Honda needs to issue a recall for. I don't feel the car is safe for my wife to drive or for my kids to ride in.

NHTSA ODI 11580551

The steering wheel feels funny and weird, sometimes stuck and wandering. the car doesn't feel secure driving with this problem. I took it to Honda Dealer service but they said there are no recalls for this car and my car has 20K only.

NHTSA ODI 11580563

The vehicle has “sticky steering” at highway speeds. The steering wheel seems to get stuck on something and doesn’t move very smoothly. While it is manageable, it is a known issue that I’m not entirely sure Honda is addressing. I’d mentioned it to the dealer and they told me Honda knows it’s an issue but they don’t have a resolution so they should be putting out a bulletin saying it’s a normal part of the technology. However, it can be kind of scary at highway speeds. It doesn’t make me feel safe on the road at all times. I know there is a steering rack recall but they claim the two are not related. I have not taken my car to the dealer for them to reproduce the issue but in the civic community it is a big issue that is happening to many people. No warning lights or codes come up. It just doesn’t feel safe especially considering it happens at 60+ mph.

NHTSA ODI 11580265

There is a recall on other similar vehicles but my VIN isn’t showing as one with a recall. However, I am also experiencing “sticking” while steering. Brought the car to the dealership and received conflicting information. We were told that the tech was able to replicate the issue we stated when he test drove the car. Dealer ordered the part, which appears to be just a bolt that they stated was back ordered for 3 weeks. This was the second time we brought the car. The first time, they supposedly just took a photo of the part number to see if it was part of the recall or not and never inspected the vehicle thoroughly. We are concerned that the dealership is not doing their due diligence to ensure our safety. AJ, the service rep from Honda West said he can’t really confirm whether it’s safe to drive the car or not when I asked him what we should do until the part arrives. Then when I asked about a possible rental car because I feel unsafe driving the vehicle, he said that Honda doesn’t consider this a safety issue so they can’t provide us with a loaner or rental car, but continued to ask us if we wanted to leave the car (for 3 weeks). We are concerned that not all vehicle part numbers related to the EOS issue have been identified to be included in the recall. Hoping for some assistance.

NHTSA ODI 11580273

Tires had 17,000 miles on them and had to be “warrantied out” by the manufacturer. These tires had no grip and weren’t made for a car with sound dampening materials. I was told by the manufacturer that the reason the road noise got worse was the technologies were fighting against each other. More importantly, I experienced rapid wear. These are an 80,000 mile tire and with 17,000 miles on them I was already in the “consider replacing” time frame. Alignment was checked and good so it wasn’t due to the vehicle itself. Poor quality tire.

NHTSA ODI 11580267

Steering wheel sticking, hard to make minor adjustments.

NHTSA ODI 11579863

Rear hatchback fills internally with water and only drains when tailgate is raised. Standing water and freeze/thaw cycle has potential to damage electrical components (taillights, rear camera, license plate light, rear defroster, rear wiper). This issue has been confirmed by Honda dealer, but they have been unable to fix it after 3 attempts.

NHTSA ODI 11579074

Just want to document/share an issue I've had recently. 8k miles 2023 Honda Civic Hatchback Sport Sedan. The steering wheel sticks at times. Driving straight and in turns. It's a slight stick, but increasingly more noticeable. While driving straight it happens if I don't touch the wheel for a few seconds. Then I'll need to make a minor correction and it's stuck. I have to put some decent pressure on the wheel to make it unstuck, which causes an over-correction. If i steadily make corrections it doesn't stick. Same in a turn. If I am making a slow or wide turn, wheel stays in same position for a second, it doesn't just roll out of the turn easily. I have to force it to come out of the turn. Again once it's unstuck it feels fine. Leaving it in one position for more than a second or two initiates the stuck. It is annoying.. I have read some Forums [XXX] ) and there are countless Civic owners that have same issues with no fix and they have been complaining that Honda dealerships are not fixing the issue n saying that they didn't see the issue. I hope Honda owns their mistake and fix my car along with others INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11576597

I have a new 2023 civic that is still under manufacture warranty. The steering becomes stuck when driving. When driving, and you turn the vehicle a slight bit, instead of the steering straightening itself out, it stays stuck. So you have to forcefully keep making micro adjustments. I have shown it to a honda dealer ship and they agreed it was a manufacturers defect with the steering rack and have placed an order on the part. But theres so many cases of this that part is on back order and honda has yet to provide me with a solution in the meantime. So I have to keep driving a defective car thats basically brand new and honda wont even provide me a rental car.

NHTSA ODI 11576415

This vehicle has sticky steering which seems to start or become much more of an issue after driving the car for about 30 minutes. The effort needed to turn the steering wheel increases, especially when making small corrections like freeway driving. The issue starts become very notable around 35-40mph and increases in "stickyness" as you travel faster. The steering wheel is hard to get it to move, and as it comes free it causes an overcorrection. It makes it hard to stay straight in a lane or to correct a turn after changing lanes, especially on the highway. This issue is dangerous at highway speeds and extremely annoying at slow speeds. Last week I almost sideswiped another vehicle after changing lanes on I-5 because the steering stuck so bad. Another time I almost went off the road. This issue is unrelated to the current active recall for the steering rack and does not go away when I turn steering assist off. If you listen closely while traveling at around 30-40mph, when the steering sticks, when it releases a slightly audible clunking sound can be heard coming from the front driver side of the car. This sound is hard to hear on rough roads but is obvious when the pavement is smooth. This issue has been reported and discussed by many drivers in online forums and may be related to the worm gear in the steering gear box. I experience this sticky steering problem at all speeds, temperatures, and lengths of time driving. I purchased my vehicle new about a year ago and it has 11,420 miles on it. The issue started somewhere between 6-7,000 miles.

NHTSA ODI 11576080

After about 6000 miles on the odometer, my vehicle started experiencing the "sticky steering" that other owners of this vehicle have been experiencing. When driving at about 55+ mph, the steering wheel gets very stiff, making adjustments to steering much more difficult. The issue was on and off, but it has occurred several times within a span of a few days. After this discovery, I took the car back to the dealership to try to get it fixed under warranty. It has been about 30 days and the issue is still not resolved.

NHTSA ODI 11576123

Issue has not been looked at by the dealer or a mechanic. Reporting "Sticky Steering" with some observations and would like to be an example or participant in finding the root cause. Current milage is about 12,000. Issue began around the 7-8,000 mile range. Notice that the steering, as you make minor adjustments while driving to stay centered in lane it takes more effort to move the steering wheel slightly but then gives and sometimes the car overcorrects. Occurs at any speed on the road, typically more pronounced, or much more concerning on rainy days in traffic, especially tight lanes, rain and fast moving tractor trailers encroaching on the line. Observation recently (because my radio was off and the car was very quiet) I noticed that even sitting at a traffic light, you can hear the give, or release at the "sticky" point. Makes me think it should be fixable or fairly easy to identify.

NHTSA ODI 11575555

I took my car in because the steering wheel feels like it gets stuck and starts shifting my car to the left. I have to turn the “sticky” wheel until it snaps back from shifting. I had scheduled a service because it felt very unsafe and then the day before I took it in, I noticed there was a recall. However, when I mentioned it to the tech he said that the recall didn’t affect my car and that everything was good. I took it to another service center where they found the issues- steering rack issue. BUT NOW the parts on back order and it’s progressively getting worse! It feels safe to drive and that’s the only mode of transportation I have!

NHTSA ODI 11575045

Steering is "sticky" at higher speeds, taking more force than usual to turn or make adjustments. During these situations the steering wheel also does not return to center by itself when completing the turn. There is also a "knocking"/"clunking" noise when turning the steering wheel while stationary or at low speeds. Vehicle mileage was at around 25,000 miles when the problem was detected.

NHTSA ODI 11575101

Steering wheel 'sticks' or requires greater force applied to move the wheel while traveling highway speeds making small adjustments to steering causing overcorrections to steering to counteract the issue. This creates an unsafe and unpredictable driving situation. The vehicle has been inspected by the dealership who is 'unable to reproduce' the issue on short tests. The issue only presents after the car has been driven at highway speeds. There are no warning lamps indicating any issues.

NHTSA ODI 11574672

The electric power steering is sticking when you turn the wheel slightly. My local dealership failed to fix the recall on my vehicle and labeled it as fixed, when they simply verified the recall matched serial numbers on my car and did not fix the issue.

NHTSA ODI 11574346

My 2023 Honda Civic Touring steering will stick and cause a momentary increase in steering effort to compensate for the sticky steering. This occurs at highway speeds which adds to my concerns. I understand the NHTSA has been investigating this occurrence and would like to make it known that my model and VIN # are experiencing this issue. My automobile currently has 3,000 miles on it.

NHTSA ODI 11574374

At highway speeds and sometimes lower, steering becomes sticky/feels like it has notches and requires additional pressure to move wheel

NHTSA ODI 11574114

When I’m driving at any speed going straight, my steering wheel feels sticky and clicky when barely attempting to straighten out.

NHTSA ODI 11573868

This vehicle has sticky steering. The effort needed to turn the steering wheel intermittently increases, so you have to pull the wheel harder to get it to move, and then it turns too far. This issue is dangerous at highway speeds and extremely annoying at slow speeds. This issue is unrelated to the current active recall for the steering rack. This issue has been reported and discussed by many drivers in online forums and may be related to the worm gear in the steering gear box. I experience this sticky steering problem at all speeds, temperatures, and lengths of time driving. I purchased my vehicle new 13 months ago and it has 6,700 miles on it.

NHTSA ODI 11573714

It takes increased effort to make necessary steering adjustments on my steering wheel. It’s most noticeable from the 12:00 ‘o’ clock position and I’m making small adjustments. I notice the problem after roughly 30 minutes of drive time.

NHTSA ODI 11573393