STEERING
1 injured · crash · towed
My car turned me into a light pole and was totaled and I was injured!
NHTSA complaint 11733649. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
Honda · NHTSA safety record
2026 Honda Civic
Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 32 safety complaints about the 2026 Honda Civic with the US government. Of those, 3 describe a crash, 2 people were injured and no death is recorded. No recall campaign has been matched to this year, make and model.
The most complained-about system is forward collision avoidance, named in 8 complaints, 25% of the total.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers September 2025 to October 2026 · How this is counted
What is on file
32 complaints on file32
Complaints
3
Describe a crash
0
Mention fire
2
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.
No recall campaign was matched to this year, make and model. That is not the same as a clean vehicle: recalls are issued against production ranges, and the only reliable check is your own VIN.
Which system owners named
Complaints naming each system FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 8 · 25%
STEERING 7 · 22%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 5 · 16%
ENGINE 5 · 16%
SERVICE BRAKES 5 · 16%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 5 · 16%
AIR BAGS 2 · 6%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 · 6%
LANE DEPARTURE 2 · 6%
POWER TRAIN 2 · 6%
SUSPENSION 2 · 6%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 · 6%
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 32.
When the complaints arrived
By the year NHTSA received themBy the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2026 at 27.
32 24 16 8
25 2025 26 2026
This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2025 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA New Car Assessment ProgramNHTSA has not crash tested the 2026 Honda Civic. 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.
In owners’ own words
Quoted from the complaint fileQuoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.
BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS
crash
The vehicles back up warning system did not operate or alert the driver of a vehicle that was behind the car resulting in a minor collision while backing up.
NHTSA complaint 11772749. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
While using Adaptive Cruise Control set to the longest following distance on open roads with no vehicle ahead, the car suddenly applies the brakes as if detecting an obstacle. This also occurs when vehicles pass on two-lane roads. The braking is unexpected and creates a risk of being rear-ended. The issue happens repeatedly under normal driving conditions.
NHTSA complaint 11769926. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
STEERING
The front tires on this vehicle have suffered premature wear and are already 50% worn out at only 11,000 miles. Certified Tire Technicians at Town Fair Tire inspected the vehicle during my routine tire rotation. The technician confirmed this level of wear is highly abnormal for this mileage. There is a suspected steering alignment or front suspension defect from the factory causing the vehicle to drift and pull at highway speeds, creating a potential safety hazard and premature tire wear.
NHTSA complaint 11769466. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SERVICE BRAKES
This car brakes at least once a week while using adaptive cruise control despite zero carsz people or anything at all being in front of me. It's extremely common and dangerous. Look on Honda forums on Facebook or I suspect anywhere else and you'll see. I had a 2023 Honda HRV and never had such issues. I don't know what they've changed but it's unsafe. They're going to literally kill someone.
NHTSA complaint 11766554. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
STEERING
On 9/9/2026 and one other occasion within the past few months, the vehicle was started normally using the keyless ignition. The driver then disengaged the parking brake and shifted into Reverse. The vehicle began backing out a driveway when it was discovered that the steering remained locked despite the vehicle being in motion. The steering wheel could not be turned, indicating that the steering column lock mechanism failed to release after startup. It is believed that one or more dashboard indicators may have illuminated but no details are available. The driver immediately stopped the vehicle, shifted to Park, and powered the vehicle OFF. After restarting, the steering lock disengaged
NHTSA complaint 11763105, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
A stick that fell off of a truck pierced the grill then radiator and pcu radiator. Now both need to be replaced on a 2026 Honda Civic Hybrid that was purchased in May. There was a service bulletin posted for them to be fixed and it isn’t one of the vin numbers for it but it’s obviously unsafe and not protected enough. A stick should not go through a grill and pierce a radiator and cause $4,000 in damage. Honda has already admitted the problem and has not sufficiently fixed it. The cars are unsafe and clearly not made well. This is my third Honda and I have liked them all, until this, I am 49 years old and have never complained about a vehicle. But these are lemons and unsafe, grills should
NHTSA complaint 11760149, 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 | 80 | 2 | — |
| 2024 | 127 | 3 | — |
| 2023 | 259 | 4 | — |
| 2022 | 886 | 4 | — |
| 2021 | 148 | 4 | — |
| 2020 | 237 | 5 | — |
| 2019 | 444 | 4 | — |
| 2018 | 750 | 6 | 1 |
| 2017 | 606 | 6 | — |
| 2016 | 1,082 | 5 | — |
| 2015 | 381 | 1 | — |
| 2014 | 293 | 2 | — |
| 2013 | 319 | 0 | — |
| 2012 | 456 | 3 | — |
| 2011 | 169 | 9 | — |
| 2010 | 398 | 8 | 47 |
Other 2026 Honda models
CR-V 182 Passport 71 Odyssey 63 Pilot 29 CBR600RR 7 CR-V Hybrid 5
Complaints on file, same model year.
Every Honda on this site — 195 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
- Complaints: NHTSA's ODI complaint file, published November 9, 2026. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
- Recalls: NHTSA's recall campaign API, no campaign on file for this vehicle.
- Investigations: NHTSA's ODI investigation file, published November 9, 2026.
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 guarledes
Independent developer and analyst