Steering Problems of Honda Civic - part 1

My steering wheel sticks. It stick's when I'm going fast and slow and turning. It pulls me to the left and right and feels like it's taking over. I have to correct it and I'm worried I'm going to wreck. I'm going to a Honda dealer to be diagnosed June 23.

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Honda ¨sticky steering ¨ eps power steering is catching or stuck momentarily while driving straight on highway. This is a 2019 Honda Civic lx sedan that is experiencing the same symptoms as a similar recall that was issued for newer models in 2022 and 2023. This is a known manufacturing defect with the gears in the electronic power steering gearbox that are sticking due to swelling and insufficient lubrication in gearbox. The dealership refuses to take any ownership of the issue and is recommending an almost 6000 dollar full replacement of the power steering rack.

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While driving my 2016 Honda Civic ex at highway speeds (45–75 mph), the steering wheel becomes sticky/stiff and jerky, resisting minor directional inputs. Instead of responding smoothly, the wheel feels temporarily stuck and then jerks when force is applied to correct direction. This requires constant overcorrection to stay in my lane and is a serious safety hazard, particularly at high speeds. This is a known, widespread issue among 2016 Civic owners. The affected component is the electric power steering rack.

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The vehicle's steering wheel gets stuck in place causing jerkiness while driving at medium to fast highway speeds. The steering wheel does not return to center automatically and you have to "break" the steering wheel loose from it's stuck position. The constant stuck position of the steering wheel causes distrust in the vehicle and that it will be ultimately stuck in a position to cause an accident. It also poses a risk that the vehicle can start veering in an unwanted direction and an overcorrection can also cause an accident. The vehicle can be inspected upon request. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center, it also has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance or others, but I have researched this issue with similar Honda vehicles and it seems to be a very common issue that needs to have an official recall issued for and fixed by Honda.

Steering feels catchy.

2025 Honda Civic hatchback experiencing dangerous mechanical binding, sticking, and notching in the steering column. The defect is strictly thermal, escalating significantly in extreme arizona heat and/ or after driving for a prolonged duration. This requires excessive driver effort to break the steering wheel free from center, risking over-correction and loss of vehicle control. Additionally, vehicle experiences intermittent powertrain jerking and hesitation during low-speed acceleration. Under active factory warranty, the vehicle was towed to a local Honda dealership. The service director initially pushed back significantly, attempting to dismiss the safety keywords and label a major steering defect as a vague 'multi-system failure' on the printed repair order. After consumer refusal to accept the vehicle, the service director capitulated, personally authorizing a repair order explicitly documenting in handwriting: 'also steering sticky while car in motion. Also vehicle jerky at low speeds. ' the service director physically signed next to these terms. The service director explicitly acknowledged that the symptoms sound like the NHTSA recall 24v-744, but stated they must put up to 300 miles on the vehicle to 'replicate' the issue before replacing the steering rack due to fear of corporate financial chargebacks, actively attempting to force a consumer to keep an unsafe vehicle unless able to replicate.

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Steering wheel is sticking. It’s like the wheels grip and wanders to the left when go straight. If I slightly turn wheel to the right to correct steering it jumps/jerks to the right.

The steering gets stuck or catches when driving on the highway. This cause constant over correction and potential safety hazards. It sounds like this is a common issue but I don’t see any recalls.

I was driving on the highway with lane assist on and I can feel it correcting me even though it wasn’t needing to be but I thought maybe I was driving a little bad but then I contirue to drive with it on and I instantly get jerked to the left like if it saw something and swerved and we spun out and almost went to another highway oncoming traffic , my passenger stated the wheel was shaking the same instant before hand but we crashed and the vehicle is waiting to be looked at currently.

The electronic power steering (eps) gearbox assembly exhibits a severe binding, catching, and sticky sensation at highway speeds after the vehicle warms up. The steering wheel gets stuck in the center position, requiring constant physical force to break it free to maintain the lane. This results in continuous overcorrection, vehicle weaving, and an inability to track straight, which is easily mistaken for poor road or wind conditions but creates a severe lane-drift safety hazard. The issue does not trigger any warning lights or diagnostic trouble codes. Coggin Honda diagnosed the failed unit and found that Honda has revised this specific steering rack part number (53650tbaa03) three separate times (from ending in a00 to the current a03), demonstrating engineering awareness of a component defect that closely mirrors the newer 2022–2025 Honda steering recalls. Note that this vehicle's odometer reads 30,532 miles and this steering issue was felt for some time now and has gotten worse over the years. The problem was officially diagnosed on 6/3/2026.

The steering wheel is sticky when resetting position after turning left. This is a major safety issue as it requires force to get the steering out of that locked up position. This forces overcorrection and the car sways everytime. I can confirm 100s of people with Civics have this issue on reddit, youtube and other Honda forums however the recall only applied to 2022 and above (known issue but somehow recall didn’t apply to pre 2022 cars). This is a major flaw from a reputed company that sells 100s of thousands of cars. If I can see so many complaints online, I can imagine how many common people (elderly and disabled included) that don’t report and are especially at high risk of this. I sincerely request further investigation and enforcing better safety practices in this situation. Thank you very much.

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel suddenly became firm, causing the vehicle to pull to one side. The contact was able to continue driving until arriving to the residence, and the steering wheel became inoperable. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed but not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 144,000.

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Steering sticks at highway speeds, causing car not to steer properly. Police pulled me over thinking dwi. Please notify me of recall. Noticed the 2017 was recalled for that reason. . .

My steering is sticking while driving on the highway while the engine is warm and going over 45 mph. We are seniors and generally only drive locally. This is a grave safety issue and has been happening for a while. I am aware that later year Civics have this similar issue and there’s a recall for the expensive steering box but not for ours.

Steering wheel sticks after a period of driving. After 15-20 minutes of driving (especially during warm months), the steering wheel develops a sticky feeling. Instead of smooth corrective steering to maintain the desired direction of travel, the wheel sticks and jerks free only when I apply enough force, which causes the wheel to turn farther than needed, over-correcting the vehicle direction, which then needs to be corrected in the opposite direction. The jerky movement causes erratic car movement, instead of predictable, deliberate changes in direction, not to mention that it's simply distracting - bringing my focus into the car (to the steering wheel) instead of my surroundings (road and other traffic). It started at maybe 130,000 miles? no engine codes or lights on the dashboard. I haven't had a dealer visit yet because it's 45 minutes away and it's hard to justify time off work for a car that still gets me from one place to another.

During normal driving in rainy conditions, I experienced a sudden and unexpected loss of vehicle control involving steering behavior. At the time of the incident, the lane-keeping/driver-assist system was active, and I had both hands on the steering wheel while actively controlling the vehicle. Without any prior warning lights, dashboard messages, or alerts, the vehicle suddenly began to behave abnormally and unexpectedly pulled/dragged. I experienced a sudden loss of effective steering control and was unable to fully correct or regain control of the vehicle before a collision occurred. The incident happened abruptly without any gradual warning or system notification. Road conditions were wet due to rain, but there was no prior indication of mechanical or electronic malfunction before the event. Following the crash, the vehicle was declared a total loss by insurance. There are no open recalls listed for my VIN at this time. I am reporting this incident due to the sudden steering/control behavior and potential safety concern.

My 2016 Honda Civic's rack and pinion needs to be replaced due to sticky, stiff steering, and dead spots when turning. The vehicle has not been any accidents and has been regularly maintained and I only have 67,000 miles on it. I searched the internet and see that it is a common problem with Honda Civics. The repair is $4,000 to fix. Replacing a rack and pinion is not a normal wear and tear type of item, especially without an accident and considering regular maintenance has been performed.

While driving the vehicle on a long straight road the steering would bind while driving straight. When moving the steering wheel to make any slight adjustments it'd stick and force me to over or understeer left or right of center making the vehicle very unsafe to drive and hold a straight course on the highway. I've only noticed this happening at highway speeds. It was very scary to drive because it'd happen every 10 to 15 seconds while trying to get it into a center position(which was impossible) on a very straight road causing the vehicle to essentially be swerving from one side of the lane to the other for the last couple of hours of a 3+ hour drive. I hope Honda does the right thing in recognizing how dangerous an issue this is and doesn't wait until too many people die or have accidents due this common vehicle issue preventing it from being able to be driven straight.

Sticky steering. Steering wheel locks up driving straight or in turns.

Steering feels sticky & I have to apply force just to keep the steering wheel centered when traveling at a high rate of speed as it feels as if the steering wheel is stuck causing me to over correct my steering. When driving through a curve, my steering wheel gets stuck and I can let go of the wheel and it will remain in place. This happens every single time I drive. I have taken my car to the dealership when the recall came out and it was "fixed" temporarily however the issue has since returned. Ive informed Honda and they state it's my alignment.

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Steering randomly sticks while turning and requires some force to release. Seems to happen most just off center and while turning left.

Vehicle: 2021 Honda Civic mileage: approximately 58,000 miles over the past couple of months, I have experienced a steering issue that appears to be worsening. While driving at highway speeds, the steering wheel intermittently feels as though it “sticks” or catches near center, requiring constant small corrections to maintain a straight path. The steering does not feel smooth or normal and creates difficulty maintaining lane position comfortably. I have also noticed similar catching/resistance during sharper turns at moderate speeds. To attempt to resolve the issue, I have: * replaced a flat tire * had two separate wheel alignments performed *opened case with Honda directly neither repair corrected the issue. The symptoms appear similar to “sticky steering” complaints and steering investigations reported on newer Honda Civic models. Because this issue affects steering control and highway driving, I believe it may present a potential safety concern. The problem occurs intermittently but repeatedly during normal driving conditions and is most noticeable at higher speeds.

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Steering wheel feels sticky when making slight adjustments to the left or right, causing me to have to overcorrect to shift.

The steering wheel has started to jerk left then comes center and goes right. (likely sticky steering). Under 100k miles and happens mostly on the highway but has started to be on slower roads. No accident as of now, but common issue with this vehicle.

The steering wheel gets stuck in lock position making the steering wheel feel sticky. Issue happens at highway speeds of around 40-60mph causing to overcorrect while driving.

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the steering wheel was firm and was sticking while turning. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 18v663000 (steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall repair. The vehicle was driven to the dealer, where it was confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 59,700.

Steering wheel makes clicking noise and becomes difficult when making small adjustments . After holding the steering wheel steady for a few seconds, there is increased resistance when trying to turn from the center position. Once the resistance is overcome, the steering suddenly moves more than expected, which can cause overcorrection. In addition, there is a clicking, light ticking, or binding sound when turning the steering wheel. Down.

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Steering feels lime it is catching and becomes jerky.

While driving, my wheel often “sticks” and I have to over correct throughout the entire drive. I’m afraid it is going to get me in an accident. It becomes more noticeable at high speeds. I have to travel often for my job and recently have not felt safe while driving my car on the highway. It seems to be a common issue with the 2016 Civic and I’m not sure why there hasn’t been a recall. I am the sole owner of this car and bought it new off the lot in 2016. I looked into getting this fixed and it looks to cost $4000-$5000. On a problem that several people have , it really should be fixed by Honda.

Steering is sticky at highway speeds, steering wheel will not move without force that can cause lane departure. This is dangerous when attempting to follow the curve of the road. Component: steering rack. Inspection availability: yes. Safety: jerky steering and lane departure reproduced: no, though it is a known issue among many Honda vehicles due to method of lubrication for the steering rack. Inspected: no, issue was recent during travel. Warning lamp: no. I plan to take this to a dealership soon as the part requires subframe removal to replace or access. Closest Honda dealership is 45 minutes of highway driving where the issue will cause problems.

The steering wheel has sticky spots and still continues to require extra effort to do small movements to remain on center. I’ve noticed this has happened to other Honda Civics. I would like my vehicle to get recalled to replace my steering. My car is under 100,000 miles and should not be having issues this early. It’s also a safety issue and needs to be recalled. I have complained about this before.

The steering wheel drifts and the power steering light comes on.

The contact owned a 2017 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at 30 mph, there was an abnormal clicking sound, and the steering wheel locked up, causing her to lose control and crash into an electrical pole. No warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA campaign number: 18v663000 (steering). The yearly inspection was completed two weeks prior with no indication of an issue. The driver sustained a scratch on her leg, and medical attention was provided at the emergency room. All the air bags deployed. There was no reported fire. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an auto repair center. The vehicle was deemed a total loss by the insurance company. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 69,600.

When driving at speeds over 45 mph, the steering wheel gets stuck and more effort is needed to overcome creating an over correction issue. In researching the issue, apparently it is a very well documented issue. There are no warning lights on the dash.

The contact owns a 2022 Honda Civic. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 24v744000 (steering). The contact requested to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local dealer was contacted, and the recall repair was performed. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact did not experience a failure.