382 problems related to steering have been reported for the 2016 Honda Civic. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2016 Honda Civic based on all problems reported for the 2016 Civic.
I have noticed my Honda Civic 2016 steering wheel gets stickier while its on highway.
The steering wheel starts to get sticky on freeway after roughly after 45 mins drive, that gives me harder to follow the lane or make a lane change either to the left or right side. My wife experiences that issue for years, she had not brought that into my attention until two weeks ago we took our 2016 Honda Civic for trip to California and I was a driver. I have heard lots of complaints related power steering rack issues on Honda lately. Please consider this is a serious problem.
Steering sticks at highway speeds, hard to maintain center of lane. Waiting to get pulled over for suspected drunk driving, which never am. Wife won't drive the car because of this issue. Honda has issued recall for this issue but only 2022-2024 and needs to be at least to 2016 models. Due to price of the electric rack and pinions for Civic, unable to purchase one to install myself.
In warmer weather while driving at highway speeds the steering wheel sticks in place. It takes about 4 lbs of pressure to “break the wheel free” from this stuck position. It makes it extremely difficult to make minor steering adjustments while traveling. Many others have experienced this same problem. Recently the newer model or generation of Hondas have been issued a recall while the previous or “10th generation” have not. I believe this to be a significant hazard on our roads in America. Why the newer models get the recall and the older do not I do not understand. Here is a link with others with the same issue. With little research you will find many other forums and youtube videos address the same discrepancy. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
When driving at highway speeds the steering is sticky or notches feeling to leave center or return center. Less noticeable at lower speeds.
When driving straight on the freeway small corrections to keep the car straight are resisted when I add force to the wheel. With increasing force the drag is overcome and the wheel will snap to a new position which may be too far the other way. This makes the steering kind of digital instead of analog. I have noticed the issue periodically over the last couple of years and had the alignment done 2x, first by an independant mechanic and then by the Honda dealer. I thought the issue was alignment. Being the problem is not always noticeable it took a while for me to realize this is totally not normal for this or any car. I fully realize that now after testing it out on my last drive.
Sticky steering when on center. Cannot make minor steering adjustments without overcorrecting left or right. This is an ongoing issue for the past few years.
When driving straight, the wheel gets stuck and requires some force to become unstuck which then causes the wheel to jerk in the direction you are turning. This results in over steering and is very dangerous. I have found many complaints about this online after looking for solutions.
While driving, the steering wheel occasionally starts to stick. There have been several instances where it became severely jammed while turning, making it extremely difficult to steer. On a few occasions, it nearly led to a crash because the wheel locked up. This issue has occurred multiple times and seems to be getting progressively worse.
The steering gets notchy when warm. The issue isn't as noticeable during colder month but when the weather warms it becomes very problematic. You have to fight the steering wheel back to center after moving left. The steering will not self center either. This is an accident hazard as someone who might be a new driver could panic or elderly may not have the strength to fight it back.
At highway speeds the steering wheel feels difficult to adjust at times, sticks, driving becomes a constant back and forth to overcome the sticky steering.
Sticky steering, generally after about 10 minutes of highway driving. Dangerous to make small changes as it takes more effort to move wheel then vehicle over-corrects due to steering input.
Just within the last month the steering has been sticking when trying to maintain a straight line. When trying to stay straight there is resistance in the steering and suddenly the resistance stops, causing driver to over correct. Also if the car hits a bump or road irregularity while the steering is resisting movement, then the car wanders even further in lane. This repeats itself constantly and car is wandering back and forth in the lane. The lower ball joints have been replaced and condition continues.
Steering becomes sticky in the middle specifically when it is warm out or after the engine has been on for a while . This was not an issue in the winter. This becomes a safety issue due to trying to keep the car going straight on the interstate you end up having to overcorrect going back and forth left and right. Reading online forms this is an issue with this generation not sure why there's no recall yet. It can lead to going into another lane trying to overcorrect this is definitely a safety issue. This issue has been going on since I bought the car last year.
When driving down the highway the steering sometimes sticks or locks slightly. This is mainly when driving straight and doing a slight turn or correction. Alignment and balance are fine on the car. There are no warning lights. This is an intermittent problem and only occurs occasionally. I cant always duplicate. It has not been diagnosed by a mechanic yet as it is intermittent and it only occurs occasionally. Initially started around may of 2022 and has continued off and on since, most recently occurring on March 27th, 2025.
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds during hot weather, the steering wheel felt sticky and failed to turn to the left or the right as intended. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not determined. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.
The steering sticks when driving straight and needs additional force to correct causing an over correction. Vehicle can be difficult to keep in its lane.
Honda - in 2016 I purchased a new Honda Civic tour model from a dealership and currently have 23000 miles (23k) recently the steering became a problem. I took it to the dealer where I purchased the vehicle and was advised that there was an issue known as "notching" where a gear component became defective. It was dangerous to drive and there was no options but to have it repaired. The repair cost nearly $4000. 00 and I was shocked. There was no recall according to the service manager but it was known as a common problem. My wife and I are in our [xxx] and [xxx] so the cost was a large burden financially. I was told that Honda-America had a "goodwill" program that will review a case and possibly offer some financial relief. I complied with the info Honda solicited and submitted the case for consideration. In the meantime, I had the car repaired at the dealership and paid in full. I didn't ask for any specific amount but told Honda I would be appreciative for any financial assistance. Obviously we seldom drive the car usually to doctor appointments and needed errands. The customer service rep called and said my claim was denied because of the age (9 yrs. ) even in spite of only have less that 23k miles. The original tires are on the car and it still has the "new car" smell. My wife and I are very disappointed with Honda's lack of compassion, we even purchased an extended warranty from the dealership when we bought the vehicle but we never used it. Honda could have helped us but the service rep made the decision to deny the claim. The customer service that I thought Honda was known for is not the case anymore. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
The steering feels like it's sticking slightly to the left of center, and I've been noticing it more as the weather gets warmer. It primarily occurs at slower speeds but becomes more pronounced at higher speeds. When making small adjustments while driving, the steering wheel doesn’t move smoothly and seems to stick. Once it passes the sticking point, it causes oversteer, forcing me to overcorrect in the opposite direction. This makes driving, especially at higher speeds, feel very unsafe. Through my research, I’ve found that this is a common issue, and there are recalls for this exact problem in my vehicle’s model year. However, after checking my VIN, it appears my car is not included in the recall. I'm deeply concerned that this steering defect could lead to an accident. Given the numerous reports of the same issue in vehicles not currently covered by the recall, I hope the recall will be expanded to include all affected cars.
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware that the steering wheel was inoperable. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel inadvertently turned to the left or the right, causing the contact to forcefully turn the steering wheel. The contact stated that it was difficult to make the turn. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 51,360.
Not sure what component is causing the issue but steering is sticky. For subtle movements or corrections there will be resistance. This is causing jerky movements while driving which could cause an accident in the future.
When driving at highway speed the steering will get stiff and stick. This causes me to put more pressure on the wheel resulting in over correction. It has gotten to the point where it’s unsafe to drive. I’ve read about this issue online. Problem w worm gear in steering rack.
Occasionally steering was sticking, mostly highway driving. Car drifted slightly to left.
Steering wheels binds up on highway. If I slightly turn the wheel in any direction it gets stuck that way and I have to use a lot of force to get it to unbind. Causes uncontrollable steering adjustment very serious.
Electric rack n pinion had to be replaced due to it binding while driving greater than 40 mph. Was a safety issue as the steering wound get 'stuck' trying to make adjustments to stay in the lane. Causing over steering. It started in January and continuely worsened. I believe there is a recall for later models with the same issue, why not 2016's? cost me approximately $4,000 to replace.
When driving straight at interstate speeds, there seems to be a catch in the steering. It is as if the steering does not want to turn and additional force has to be used to turn. This someone results in over correction of the steering.
The white paint on my 2016 Honda Civic keeps peeling, which looks bad and is leading to structural rust developing in several areas of my car. Fixing it will be costly, and the paint quality on these vehicles isn't very good, causing frustration for owners. Furthermore, my steering wheel has been sticking for some time, and I've consulted several shops for their thoughts. This also comes with a hefty repair price, and I believe it is Honda's duty to address these problems.
Driving on highway steering wheel is sticky requires extra effort to control steering has gotten worse since 2025.
Steering is very stiff and fights you while trying to make minor corrections at highway speeds (45mph+). Not safe to drive the vehicle on road trips or for extended periods of time on the highway. As I understand it, the 11th generation Civics have a recall on the same component. It seems the recall needs to be extended to the 10th generation Civics as well.
I have had to replace my steering rack twice in eight months. The first replacement my tie rod had to be replaced twice as well. I see other Honda models have had this similar problem I think it’s time to include my model as well. This is a very expensive problem once is enough but now twice is absurd.
Steering becomes noticeably "sticky" at highway speeds (50+). Steering wheel "sticks/freezes" near the center point and it takes some force to turn/unstick it . . . Then I am forced to over/re-correct the opposite direction making the car swerve right/left or vice versa. On a slick road this could cause a complete loss of control . . . Luckily I don't drive at highway speed on a daily basis. Car mileage is currently 57,860. This has been happening for at least a year, and I just finally remembered to google it last night and discovered that this is a known issue with Civics.
When driving at highway speeds (generally around 50 to 80 mph), the steering wheel has a "sticky" feeling when trying to maintain a straight line. Making minor adjustments with the steering wheel requires excessive force to correct minor lane adjustments. This, in turn, creates a very unpleasant and unsafe driving condition as it feels like you are constantly fighting the steering wheel, just to maintain the center of your lane. Driving long periods like this also causes the driver to some what "fight" against the issue causing fatigue in the drivers hands, wrists, and arms. The larger concern is if this issue continues, or gets worse, this could easily lead to an increased risk of loss of control of the vehicle and/or crash. This seems related to a similar recall just issued by Honda for 1. 7 million vehicles (including Civics) for 2022 - 2025 models by NHTSA.
Steering issues. During highway speeds driver(s) has to keep adjusting steering to make the car drive straight.
The steering locks and sticks when driving especially on a highway. It appears the rack and pinion sticks.
For a while now (months), we have noticed our 2016 Honda Civic has had a "sticky" (a click or jerk) feeling when handling the steering wheel, particularly while driving on the freeway, holding long turns, or when even reversing (from an angle) into a parking stall (for the parking, a click/pop is audibly heard). Basically, the steering wheel will suddenly shift/jerk slightly left/right, which causes you to no longer be steering in the exact line you were on. Driver has to then correct by making an opposing shift in the opposite direction to return to the exact line that was being driven. It is a bit of a nuisance, and produces anxiety on the driver's part, leaving one wondering if/when the shift/jerk will cause even larger of an issue, potentially posing risk of harm to the vehicle's and neighboring vehicles' riders via a collision. Our Honda service technician recently confirmed, after our recent big maintenance service, that this issue is present and has something to do with some steering mechanism (I don't recall the correct term of the equipment/device), and that an estimated repair cost would be $3,000-$4,000. For now, we have been advised to monitor, and that basically it is up to us to decide if/when we would like to spend $3,000-$4,000 to have this repaired at our own expense. We are not aware of how this issue arose (what the exact cause is), but is potentially due manufacturing. There are no dashboard warning lights that illuminate during the shifting/jerking of the steering. We just feel it, moreso if you are the one driving. This issue is experienced daily. Our primary concern is prevention of a collision. We do not want it to get to the point of having had a collision/emergency, then reactively reporting the issue to NHTSA. And we do not have funds to purchase a new vehicle. Can we possibly have more confidence in this vehicle being able to transport our family safely without fear of steering issues? thank you for your support.