AutoUtility currently tracks 1075 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2016 Honda Civic. Steering System issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 440 complaints (40.9% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 36 filings cite a crash, 4 cite a fire, 13 report one or more injuries. The 2016 Honda Civic belongs to the 10th Generation (FC/FK) platform.

Key Problem Findings
  • Total NHTSA Complaints: 1075 reports
  • #1 Reported Problem Area: Steering System (440 reports • 40.9% of submitted complaints)
  • Secondary Problem Areas: Electrical System (119), Brakes & Traction Control (111)
  • Crash-Citing Complaints: 36 filings
  • Fire-Citing Complaints: 4 filings
  • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 13 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Reporting Methodology: Statistics describe unverified consumer submissions voluntarily filed with NHTSA. Complaint volume is not normalized for vehicle sales volume or miles driven. Multiple components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission.
Total Complaints
1075
Submitted to NHTSA ODI
Crash-Citing Complaints
36
Filings citing a collision
Fire-Citing Complaints
4
Filings citing smoke or fire
Complaints Reporting Injuries
13
Filings citing one or more injuries
Complaints Reporting Fatalities
0
Consumer filings citing fatalities

Most Reported Problems for 2016 Honda Civic

Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records

#1 Problem Area 40.9% of complaints

Steering System

440 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 4 crash reports 🩹 1 injury report entry
#2 Problem Area 11.1% of complaints

Electrical System

119 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 4 crash reports 🩹 3 injury report entries
#3 Problem Area 10.3% of complaints

Brakes & Traction Control

111 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 11 crash reports 🔥 1 fire report
#4 Problem Area 8.7% of complaints

Engine & Cooling

93 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 1 crash report 🔥 3 fire reports
#5 Problem Area 6.2% of complaints

Visibility, Wipers & Glass

67 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
✓ 0 crashes or fires cited
Domain Share Note: Share percentage represents the proportion of unique complaint filings referencing each vehicle system. Because single complaints may cite multiple systems (such as engine and electrical simultaneously), domain percentages represent individual category incidence and may sum to over 100%.

Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2016 Honda Civic

Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis

AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.

Steering System 3% of complaints

Steering Sticking, Binding or Assist Loss

32 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Powertrain & Transmission 0.8% of complaints

Loss of Motive Power While Driving

9 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Brakes & Traction Control 0.5% of complaints

Reduced Braking / Brake Pedal to Floor

5 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Engine & Cooling 0.4% of complaints

Engine Stalling / Sudden Shutdown

4 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Engine & Cooling 0.3% of complaints

Engine Coolant Intrusion / Oil Leak

3 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Symptom Identification Method: A complaint may describe more than one symptom, so percentages may sum to more than 100%. Symptom identification reflects text contained in consumer-submitted complaint records and does not establish a confirmed mechanical diagnosis.

Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2016 Honda Civic

Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Steering System NHTSA ODI ID: #11759624
Filed: 08/26/2026

"Failure of my Electric Power Steering General Assembly/Steering Rack and Pinion in my 2016 Honda Civic EX sedan while driving at highway speeds. My steering wheel sticks or feels notchy at highway speeds requiring physical effort to overcome the binding. A highly reputable independent automotive..."

Incident Date: 06/19/2025 • Raw NHTSA Component: STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,WHEELS
Steering System NHTSA ODI ID: #11758977
Filed: 08/24/2026

"I've owned this 2016 Honda Civic since May of 2025. At first I never experienced any issue from the steering, that is when I started to notice that my steering felt like it would be sticking, like you couldn't balance yourself on highways or speeds exceeding 30+mph. I started doing my own research..."

Incident Date: 06/19/2025 • Raw NHTSA Component: STEERING
Steering System NHTSA ODI ID: #11757729
Filed: 08/18/2026

"My 2016 Honda Civic EX-T intermittently experiences a sticky/notchy steering condition, particularly while driving at highway speeds. When making small steering corrections around the straight-ahead/center position, the steering wheel sometimes resists movement and feels as though it is sticking or..."

Incident Date: 06/01/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: STEERING
Other / Miscellaneous NHTSA ODI ID: #11757577
Filed: 08/17/2026

"The vehicle has experienced repeated A/C refrigerant leaks. In March 2026, a Honda dealer replaced the condenser and compressor shaft seal under warranty. Several months later, the A/C again gradually lost cooling. The dealer diagnosed leaks from the evaporator, expansion valve, and two Schrader..."

Incident Date: 07/17/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Steering System NHTSA ODI ID: #11755754
Filed: 08/09/2026

"Steering will feel notchy or sticky while driving, especially on the highway while trying to stay in a lane. This will cause excessive force to "unstick" the steering while will then require another steering correction. This has happening with the car since purchase (used) in 2020."

Incident Date: 08/09/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: STEERING
Consumer Narrative Notice: Excerpts are sanitized text descriptions submitted by vehicle owners to the federal ODI database. They reflect the reporting consumer's observations at the time of filing and have not been independently confirmed by vehicle manufacturers or government investigators.

Complaint History for Honda Civic

Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)

Model Year NHTSA Complaints Crash Reports Safety Recalls Detailed Report
2015 Honda Civic 378 37 1 View 2015 Problems →
2016 Honda Civic Current Page 1075 36 5 Current
2017 Honda Civic 585 23 6 View 2017 Problems →
2018 Honda Civic 598 26 6 View 2018 Problems →
2019 Honda Civic 429 25 4 View 2019 Problems →
2020 Honda Civic 227 15 5 View 2020 Problems →
2021 Honda Civic 152 7 4 View 2021 Problems →
2022 Honda Civic 957 35 4 View 2022 Problems →
2023 Honda Civic 323 19 4 View 2023 Problems →
2024 Honda Civic 134 14 3 View 2024 Problems →
2025 Honda Civic 88 11 2 View 2025 Problems →
2026 Honda Civic 0 0 0 View 2026 Problems →
Comparative Disclaimer: Complaint totals are unadjusted historical counts and are not normalized for vehicles sold, active fleet size, or total road mileage. Newer model years naturally have had less calendar exposure time to accumulate owner filings.

Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2016 Honda Civic

Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 148 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications

Vehicle Component / System Total Complaints Crash Reports Fire Reports Reported Injury Entries Reported Fatality Entries
Steering NHTSA category: STEERING 402 2 0 0 0
Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER 182 0 0 0 0
Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE 50 0 1 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES 40 5 0 0 0
Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 36 1 0 1 0
Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE 24 1 0 0 0
Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER 23 0 0 0 0
Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS 20 11 1 8 0
Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN 18 3 0 1 0
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 17 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 12 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 10 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 9 1 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER 9 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 8 0 0 0 0
Equipment & Accessories NHTSA category: EQUIPMENT 7 0 0 0 0
Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY 7 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 6 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,VISIBILITY/WIPER 6 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 6 0 0 0 0
Tires NHTSA category: TIRES 6 1 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 5 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 5 0 0 0 0
Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 5 0 0 0 0
Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS 5 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES 4 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 3 1 0 0 0
Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS 3 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES 3 0 0 0 0
VISIBILITY,EQUIPMENT,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS 2 0 0 2 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,STRUCTURE 2 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 0 0 0 0
Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 0 0 0 0
Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 0 0 0 0
SEAT BELTS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SUSPENSION,WHEELS 2 1 0 0 0
STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,WHEELS 2 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,VISIBILITY/WIPER 2 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
VISIBILITY,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS 1 1 0 1 0
AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE 1 0 0 1 0
AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EQUIPMENT 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,STRUCTURE 1 1 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,WHEELS,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 1 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,VISIBILITY,EQUIPMENT 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
EQUIPMENT,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,SERVICE BRAKES,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
Lane Departure Warning NHTSA category: LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
LANE DEPARTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
PARKING BRAKE 1 1 0 0 0
PARKING BRAKE,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
PARKING BRAKE,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,STRUCTURE,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
SEAT BELTS,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,EQUIPMENT 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 1 0
STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SUSPENSION 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,WHEELS,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,SEATS 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 1 0 1 0
Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,STRUCTURE,WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
TIRES,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
TIRES,WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 1 0 1 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,WHEELS,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
VISIBILITY,EQUIPMENT 1 0 0 0 0
VISIBILITY,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
VISIBILITY,STRUCTURE 1 0 0 0 0
VISIBILITY,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
VISIBILITY/WIPER,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 1 0 0 0
WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 0 0
Data Attribution & Reporting Methodology: Complaints are unverified voluntary submissions to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Because multiple vehicle components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission, component-level rollups may sum to more than the unique complaint count (1075). Injury and fatality entries in the detailed table reflect raw values entered by reporting consumers across individual submissions; they are not deduplicated casualty statistics and may include duplicate or unverified entries. Complaint volume is not normalized for sales volume or vehicle mileage and does not represent an audited component failure rate.
Official US Government Data Provenance

The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.