CSR

Honda · NHTSA safety record

2016 Honda Civic

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 1,081 safety complaints about the 2016 Honda Civic with the US government. Of those, 36 describe a crash, 4 mention a fire, 16 people were injured and no death is recorded. 5 recall campaigns are open against it.

The most complained-about system is the steering, named in 445 complaints, 41% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 30,000 miles, the median across the 494 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers December 2015 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

1,081 complaints on file

1,081

Complaints

36

Describe a crash

4

Mention fire

16

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
STEERING 445 · 41%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 253 · 23%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 119 · 11%
ENGINE 95 · 9%
SERVICE BRAKES 92 · 9%
STRUCTURE 48 · 4%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 47 · 4%
POWER TRAIN 36 · 3%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 30 · 3%
AIR BAGS 28 · 3%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 28 · 3%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 27 · 2%
0 181 362

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 1,081.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2019 at 144.

152 114 76 38
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2015 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2016 Honda CIVIC, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test 2 DR FWD 4 DR FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 9.3% 9.5%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

5 on file

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

26V332000 · May 21, 2026

The defect
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.
The risk
Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.
The remedy
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.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 98,892 vehicles across all model years covered

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

23V858000 · December 18, 2023

The defect
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.
The risk
Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
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.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 2,490,460 vehicles across all model years covered

PARKING BRAKE

16V725000 · October 11, 2016

The defect
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.
The risk
If the EPB is not applied, the vehicle may roll away, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
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.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 350,083 vehicles across all model years covered

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

16V526000 · July 11, 2016

The defect
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."
The risk
If a side marker light does not function, vehicle visibility can be decreased to other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
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.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 11,846 vehicles across all model years covered

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

16V074000 · February 9, 2016

The defect
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.
The 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.
The remedy
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.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 42,129 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · towed · 15,000 miles

ON MAY 09, 2017 I WAS REAR ENDED WHILE SITTING STILL BY A CAR TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH AND PUSHED INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. I WAS WEARING MY SEATBELT AND MY FACE WAS PROJECTED INTO THE STEERING WHEEL. DURING THE IMPACT MY SEATBELT DIDN'T SEEM TO ACTIVATE AND NOT ONE AIRBAG DEPLOYED. MY VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED YET BUT I WOULD GUESS IT TO BE TOTALED DUE TO THE FRONT AND REAR IMPACT DAMAGE. EVERYONE I'VE SPOKE TO INCLUDING THE POLICE OFFICER AND WRECKER SERVICE WAS VERY SURPRISED THAT THE AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY. I FEEL VERY LUCKY BUT DO NOT TRUST THIS VEHICLE AND IT'S SAFETY FEATURES.

NHTSA complaint 10984803. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · towed · 17,100 miles

WE WERE AT A COMPLETE STOP AT THE OUTER CITY STREET SIGNALING TO MAKE A LEFT AND A CAR HIT US FROM BEHIND WITHOUT BREAKING AT 60 -70 SPEED AND THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE IS SMASHED IN AND NOT ONE AIRBAG WENT OFF. THERE WERE TWO ADULTS (DRIVER & PASSENGER) AND TWO CHILDREN (BACKSEAT).

NHTSA complaint 11139291. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

2 injured

UNKNOWN

NHTSA complaint 11469506. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 13,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2016 HONDA CIVIC. WHILE STATIONARY, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS REAR ENDED BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE SEAT BELT DID NOT RESTRAIN THE CONTACT AND THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE CONTACT STRUCK THE WINDSHIELD AND RECEIVED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE CONTACT WAS UNDERGOING PHYSICAL THERAPY. THE OTHER DRIVER WAS NOT INJURED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED. HONDA WOULD NOT REPLACE THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 13,000.

NHTSA complaint 10919402. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
When driving at highway speeds/long distances, steering occasionally gets stiffer to the point where it will stick and require more force to free. This leads to overcorrections and constant adjustments for the duration of the drive, as well as difficulty staying in a lane. Issue can usually only be replicated when driving longer distances on the highway, especially when driving on a straight road.

NHTSA complaint 11767271. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
When the Honda Civic has been driven long enough for the steering to get warm, at highway speeds, the steering wheel will stick in position instead of centering itself. Manual adjustment has to be done to straighten the car.

NHTSA complaint 11763377. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
Mostly during warm weather and driving over 45MPH the steering gets sticky. When attempting to use a little pressure to make a slight correction to keep the care centered in the lane the steering "jumps" and over steers requiring to re-correct to stay centered in the lane. I'm having to keep correcting the steering which causes me difficulty and concerned about the safety especially driving on the highway.

NHTSA complaint 11762806. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING

1,000 miles

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the steering wheel jerked, and the steering wheel was sticking. The contact stated that the failure was a known failure with the vehicle. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with a recall associated with the failure. The dealer was made aware of the failure by phone. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.

NHTSA complaint 11761689. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
The check engine light came on the car had no power. The head gasket was blown.

NHTSA complaint 11761455. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
My 2016 Honda Civic has developed a steering problem in which the steering feels sticky or notchy while driving. The steering wheel does not move smoothly when making small corrections and can feel like it catches or resists movement before releasing. This is especially noticeable while driving at higher speeds and makes it more difficult to make normal, smooth steering corrections and maintain the vehicle’s position in the lane. I took the vehicle to a Honda dealership for evaluation. The dealer diagnosed the problem as the steering rack and advised that the steering rack needs to be replaced. I am reporting this to NHTSA because this is a steering-related safety concern. The vehicle has

NHTSA complaint 11760951, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Honda Civic

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2025 74 2 —
2024 124 3 —
2023 255 4 —
2022 883 4 —
2021 145 4 —
2020 225 5 —
2019 433 4 —
2018 742 6 1
2017 597 6 —
2015 380 1 —
2014 291 2 —
2013 319 0 —
2012 455 3 —
2011 169 9 —
2010 397 8 47

Other 2016 Honda models

Every Honda on this site — 192 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst