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Honda · NHTSA safety record

2023 Honda Civic Type R

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

Owners have filed 9 safety complaints about the 2023 Honda Civic Type R with the US government. Of those, 1 describes a crash and no death is recorded. 2 recall campaigns are open against it, covering the steering and the seats.

The most complained-about system is the steering, named in 5 complaints, 56% of the total.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers December 2023 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

9 complaints on file

9

Complaints

1

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

0

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 5 · 56%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 · 22%
SERVICE BRAKES 2 · 22%
ENGINE 1 · 11%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 1 · 11%
0 4 8

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 9.

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 2026 at 4.

8 6 4 2
23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2023 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 has not crash tested the 2023 Honda Civic Type R. Its New Car Assessment Program tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It is not a low score.

What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke during ordinary use.

Recall campaigns

2 on file

STEERING

24V744000 · October 3, 2024

The defect
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Acura Integra, Civic Type R, CR-V Hybrid, CR-V, HR-V, 2022-2025 Civic, Civic Hatchback, 2024-2025 Acura Integra Type S, 2025 CR-V Fuel Cell EV, Civic Hybrid, and Civic Hatchback Hybrid vehicles. The steering gearbox assembly may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can cause excessive internal friction and lead to difficulty steering the vehicle.
The risk
Difficulty steering can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the worm gear spring and redistribute or add grease as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 18, 2024. Owners may contact Honda Customer Service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are SJS, MJU, QJT and VJV.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 1,693,199 vehicles across all model years covered

SEATS

23V229000 · March 30, 2023

The defect
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2023 Civic Type R vehicles. The driver's seat frame may not have been welded properly, which can cause the seat cushion frame to break. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 207, "Seating Systems."
The risk
A broken seat cushion frame may not adequately restrain the driver during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the front driver seat cushion frame assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 10, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is TDY.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 640 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations

1 on file

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Momentary Increased Steering Effort

EA23003

Closed engineering analysis · opened November 29, 2023 · closed January 28, 2025 · led to recall 24V744

the steering

On November 29, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Engineering Analysis (EA23003) to assess allegations of momentary increase in steering effort in model years (MY) 2022-2023 Honda Civic, 2023MY Honda CR-V, and 2023MY Acura Integra vehicles (subject vehicles). The complaints received by ODI alleged that the subject vehicles experienced a momentary increase in required steering effort (described as “sticky steering”) occurring mostly at highway speeds after driving for an extended amount of time; these complaints could not be duplicated during dealer service technicians’ quick test drives.  The complaints had been received over the previous two years with most occurring with low vehicle mileage. The steering gear of these vehicles is aided by an electrical power assist unit. This power assist unit inputs force on the steering rack via a worm gear and worm wheel assembly. During PE23005, Honda stated this condition of momentary increase in steering effort occurs due to two factors within this power assist unit. First, during manufacturing, the steering worm wheel goes through annealing and component conditioning processes. These processes cause internal stress and strain within the steering worm  wheel. This strain is slowly released over the first few months of the vehicle life. Over time, the released strain causes deformation of the teeth on the worm wheel, causing the worm gear to catch on the worm wheel. This catching results in the driver’s momentary increased steering effort. Second, the manufacturing process did not guarantee consistent grease application and, therefore, some subject vehicles received insufficient grease which contributed to the momentary increase in steering effort. During EA23003, ODI further analyzed the potential safety related consequences of the momentary increase in steering effort. NHTSA’s Vehicle Research and Test Center (VRTC) duplicated the allegations of increased steering effort. In addition, VRTC discovered the steering worm wheel and worm gear tended to push grease out of the meshing area, resulting in large amounts of grease resting on top of the worm wheel. Information Request responses collected and reviewed by ODI showed Honda had also discovered this additional root cause during NHTSA’s EA. In addition, Honda discovered the preload of the worm wheel gear spring was set too high, increasing the gear slide load and resulting in higher friction and increased torque fluctuation when steering. The number of consumer complaints made to ODI continued to increase with the expansion of scope from the PE to the EA. Additionally, during EA23003, ODI received ten complaints alleging a crash, in addition to the 13 complaints ODI had received as of the time it opened EA23003. In total, 23 crashes have been reported to ODI due to this alleged defect. On October 3, 2024, Honda filed NHTSA Recall No. 24V-744 to address this defect. The recall will provide consumers with a new steering worm wheel gear spring with a decreased load. Additionally, dealerships will add additional grease and relocate any grease sitting on top of the worm wheel back into the meshing area. The scope of this recall includes all Honda vehicles that were manufactured with this specific improperly produced steering worm wheel and spring. In view of the recall action being taken by Honda, ODI is closing EA23003. NHTSA reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

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.

SERVICE BRAKES

crash · towed

During a controlled low-speed autocross event (~55 mph entry), I applied the brake pedal firmly to decelerate for an upcoming turn. The vehicle failed to decelerate at anywhere near its rated capability. Despite full, sustained pedal application, the car would not slow adequately, departed the course, and struck a barrier, resulting in a total loss. No injuries occurred. This happened on smooth, dry pavement where 100+ other vehicles braked normally. The failed system appears to be the electronic brake control (ABS/VSA) and/or its input signaling. Event Data Recorder (EDR) data was professionally extracted and shows: accelerator at 0% for ~3.5 seconds before impact (ruling out pedal

NHTSA complaint 11761048, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
Steering wheel is locking with left hand curves at highway speeds especially when the car has been driven for more than 20 minutes. Multiple incidents where I almost end up on the opposite lane because of this. Car has been brought to dealership 3-4 times but they refused to look further into the problem because they claim they cannot replicate it during their test drives.

NHTSA complaint 11767295. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
Sticky steering at highway speeds

NHTSA complaint 11757847. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
I respectfully request that the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles investigate Rick Case Honda for a repair I believe was performed negligently and the dealership's refusal to accept responsibility. On December 2, 2025, Rick Case Honda performed a cylinder head replacement on my 2023 Honda Civic before selling it at auction. I later purchased the vehicle on March 16, 2026, from Newton Nissan South, which had acquired it through the auction. Several months later, the engine developed an oil leak. Newton Nissan South diagnosed the leak at the front crankshaft seal using UV dye and referred me to Honda of Murfreesboro for warranty repair. During disassembly, Honda of

NHTSA complaint 11747700, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
The engine is making a knocking noise, but there’s no code or check engine light. The noise is more pronounced when the vehicle is idling and when you apply and release the brakes. Start the car, let it warm up on idle, open the oil cap, apply the brakes, and then release them. The noise becomes louder. It could be the vacuum pump, but Honda has never addressed this issue.

NHTSA complaint 11701996. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

16,500 miles

The contact owns a 2023 Honda Civic Type-R. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle lost motive and unintendedly decelerated. The contact stated that the vehicle regained normal functions shortly after the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated that the failure recurred approximately 2 months later while driving 70 MPH up an entrance ramp. The vehicle was returned to the dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact who is a certified mechanic, informed the dealer of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V031000 (Fuel System, Gasoline, Electrical System); however,

NHTSA complaint 11639831, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Honda Civic Type R

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2021 11 2 —

Other 2023 Honda models

HR-V 686 CR-V 515 Civic 255 Pilot 144 Accord Hybrid 140 Ridgeline 128 CR-V Hybrid 116 Odyssey 99

Complaints on file, same model year.

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