Steering Problems of Honda Civic - part 1

The car has excessive play in the steering causing much vibrations in the seat and steering wheel while driving, the slightest movement will send you all over the road and presents itself extremely jerky and unstable handling. It should not have this much play in the steering. I see multiple complaints over the steering of this car model but oddly enough I have the opposite issue pertaining to the same components but either way it sounds like the steering system of these cars are not up to par in some way and it seems dangerous to continue driving with noticeable issues there. Im about to trade it in dispite im still paying on it and there is over 100,000 miles on it. It feels like an expensive fix that just aint that worth it to me.

See all problems of the 2018 Honda Civic 🔎.

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, she became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring the steering wheel to be manually returned to center after completing a turn. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 84,000.

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Sticky steering input when turning steering wheel, almost feels like the steering wheel slightly locks when doing turns. Most notably to the right.

See all problems of the 2019 Honda Civic 🔎.

While driving at interstate speeds and turning left into a curve the steering wheel sticks and you have to forcibly pull it back to drive straight jerking the vehicle dangerously. Possibly a known steering rack issue.

See all problems of the 2021 Honda Civic 🔎.

After driving the car at highway speed for about 30 minutes the steering wheel feels sticky and hard to maneuver. This is dangerous and occurs any time the car has been driven on the highway for a while.

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Steering wheel is hard to move/ steer, makes clunking noises, can feel vibration in the steering wheel, way worse at higher speeds, definitely a safety issue if the steering locks up you can't steer the car!!! I see there are recalls on this make model and year car, but mine isn't included??, it should be and why not? this car has only 15k miles.

The steering wheel sticks when you try to turn it. The best example of what happens is when you're driving on a fairly straight road, you typically make small steering adustments to keep your car in it's lane. What happens is, when you try to turn the steering wheel it "sticks" and doesn't move and so you turn harder than what would be normal to turn it. So you have to turn the wheel harder to make the steering wheel move. When it finally does break free and turn, the result is that instead of turning the car a small amount left or right as you would like, it turns it more than you expect it to and then the car moves more than you expected it to which causes a dangerous situation. I've noticed this more on hotter days when going over 50 mph but it has occurred at lower speeds. Honda did a recall for this issue for newer Civics, but not the 2016 that I have.

After driving for over 30 minutes, the steering becomes sticky. When I try to make minor corrections to stay in the lane, the steering gets stuck, requiring a little extra force, resulting in a slight over correction. At high speeds this slight over correction is very dangerous. This happens on all extended drives. It happens at all speeds.

The steering is sticky and it is hard to keep the car in the lane requiring you to over correct. I have been told it is an issue with the steering rack and needs to be replaced. This repair is very expensive. This has been an issue for several years but I did not associate it with a problem until I started doing some research. No warning lights. My car has low mileage and has been maintained. This is a known issue but a recall was only done on newer vehicles.

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving at higher speeds, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. No warning lights illuminated. The contact mentioned the vehicle was still drivable, however his wife stated when she drives at any unknown speed the failure persist.  a dealer or independent were not contacted. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnoses. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was relating the failure to NHTSA campaign number : 18v663000(steering), however the VIN was included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and they informed him his VIN was not apart of the recall. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

At higher speeds the steering wheel sticks, this make making minor corrections to stay within the lane difficult, subsequently causing the vehicle to swerve while making these adjustments.

The electric power steering (eps) system failed/malfunctioned this past week. When going over 35 mph my steering wheel would become "knotchy/jerky" and lock up and be difficult to turn. As a result, I took it to Honda to which they stated my whole rack and pinion needed total replacement. No warning signs, messages, icons, or lights came on in my car.

While driving on the freeway at approximately 70 mph, maintaing speed and direction, not changing lanes I noticed that the steering becomes "sticky". This means that as I make very slight 1 to 2 degree maneuvers to maintain a straight path the steering is almost stuck and in order to make those slight maneuvers I have to use more force than should be necessary to keep the car on a straight course. The car has been inspected by twice by my local Honda dealership and they have been unable to find anything wrong by running diagnostics and test drive. There are no warning lamps on. This symptom has been intermittent for at least a year or more and seems to happen when driving at constant speeds.

2025 Honda Civic hybrid just over 3000 miles has developed a ticking noise when I turn the steering. Took it to the dealership was told it was normal. If this is normal for Honda they just lost a future customer.

Rack and pinion steering failure. Sticking, hard to make wheel adjustments. Loss of steering control. Issue confirmed but Honda dealership. Honda dealership contacted Honda north America and was rejected as warranty issue. Repair will exceed $7500. This issue corresponded with the fuel pump recall and failure of the ac system which were covered under warranty recall. Due the high volume of failures of r & p for these Honda Civics locating replacement parts is difficult if not impossible.

Failed power steering gearbox. Rack and pinion. Steering wheel gets stuck at center position when driving 4k+ repair quote.

While driving my 2016 Honda Civic at highway speeds (typically 55–75 mph), especially in warm or hot weather, I experience a significant issue with the steering system. The steering wheel becomes “sticky” or stiff and resists minor directional inputs. Instead of responding smoothly, the wheel feels like it is temporarily stuck in place and then jerks when force is applied to adjust the direction. This issue makes it difficult to make small corrections while driving straight and causes the car to feel unstable or difficult to control, which results in abrupt movements that compromise safety, particularly at high speeds. The problem is more noticeable after the vehicle has been driven for a while or during warm weather, suggesting a potential link to heat or prolonged use. There are currently no warning lights or diagnostic alerts on the dashboard, but the steering issue is consistent and reproducible. The issue has been reproduced by an independent service center, to which they said was an issue with a failing power steering where its losing pressure.

The steering wheels becomes stiff/sticky & notchy after driving for sometime. It is most prevalent at interstate speeds & ramps. It causes me to have to constantly overcorrect to stay in my line & often doesn't return to center. This is a serious safety concern which has been addressed in class action lawsuit for 22-23 models of the Civic, but it has yet to be recalled or fixed for later models with the same issue.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? my steering rack is damaged and needs replacement (confirmed by Honda dealership). This causes the steering wheel to get stuck into place (mainly left side). To dislodge it you need to jerk it to the other side which causes the vehicle to become unstable. I first noticed this problem on March 20, 2025. I ignored it at first, but the problem got worse with time until last week my steering wheel locked into place and sent me into the left lane. Luckily there were no cars on the road, as this would have caused a major accident. This issue is life threatening to both myself and other drivers on the road. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? yes has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? yes, attached scan below. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? yes, by Honda dealership were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? no, no warnings, the problem just began. This problem was documented in NHTSA campaign #23v704000.

See all problems of the 2022 Honda Civic 🔎.

Sometimes when driving the steering wheel will tend to “jerk”, or appear “stuck” when trying to turn. This has started to happen recently and I have noticed it when not using lane “assistance” this issue has not only been seen from me, but rather by many others as seen in forms such as the following: [xxx] this issue has yet to cause a wreck for me, but this does pose a safety risk as it could prevent me from moving out of the way of cars, or worse prevent me from turning causing me to hit someone or something around my environment. I hope that this is something that can be fixed or recalled for as I am not the only one experiencing this and does genuinely pose a risk. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact owns a 2009 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at undisclosed speeds, the steering wheel became stiff. The contact stated that the steering wheel difficult to turn. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 115, 000.

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The component that has failed is my electric power steering motor. Yes, it is available for inspection upon request. While driving, the steering wheel should turn in a fluid motion, without requiring much force to turn the wheel. When I turn my wheel, it sometimes will get stuck mid turning. Another time when this happens is when I am driving in a straight line. Making the micro adjustments to stay straight in between the lines. The steering wheel will catch, and I will have to exert additional force to get the wheel unstuck. Obviously, this has caused safety issues, as sometimes the strength to overcome the wheel being stuck will cause me to oversteer. This has also been found to be a problem on some 2022 and 2023 year Civics. There is already a recall for this problem, but not for my year Civic. It does greatly lower my safety while driving, when I should never be uncomfortable in my own car. The problem has been confirmed by my own mechanic, and by Honda. It has been inspected by my own mechanic as well. There were no indications on the dash to warn me the motor was going to fault. I do not remember the exact date it happened, but sometime last week when I took my car in to have the cv joints replaced. The problem has steadily gotten worse since then.

Steering wheel gets really loose and very stiff at random while driving. I get power steering failure notifications on dash. I spoke with Honda dealership and was told my vehicle doesn’t belong to the recall. I have all the symptoms of the power steering recall issue.

When driving at highway speeds steering sticks. Steering wheel does not move without more effort than usual. Being unable to make small adjustments freely means I must constantly drive with two hands in order to drive straight forward. When I noticed this I searched Honda recalls and found the exact same issue is being recalled for later models. This is a safety related issue because it prevents me from centering the vehicle in the lane.

Civic ex 4d bought new in 2016, steering wheel is “sticking” seems to be a common issue on 10th gen Civic’s but is only recalled on 11th generation models. When driving straight at highway speed, steering wheel does not want to stay in the middle. Car has been aligned (twice) and has 4 new tires and it seems the issue is even more felt. The car does not pull either side, it is just impossible to keep the steering wheel centered. It causes it to be extremely jerky and hard to drive long distances. Can be felt at lower speeds when turning the wheel left to right in quick succession, feels as though there is a pop in the middle/something gets caught causing the wheel to pop back.

We have noticed a clicking noise and her steering has begun to stick. Took to Honda and they told us they have been seeing this issue and even sent video telling us they see this is an ongoing problem. Filed claim with Honda. They refused to fix the faulty part because there is not recall with my VIN even though many have been recalled. Again, multiple managers at service told us they are just waiting for Honda to recall this. Car has less than 55,000 miles. We have a video they sent us but ai have been unable to attach. It is a video Honda service sent us stating this was an ongoing issue with Honda advice at this year and a few others. That they were seeing these parts fail.

My steering wheel kept jerking and pulling my car while driving and I was told my steering gearbox needs replaced. I find it odd that this was a recall on all 2017 Honda Civic but not with mine. I would think if the recall is there and a vehicle the same year has the problem, there would be an issue to resolve.

The steering wheel is sticking in my 2017 Civic. This problem happens more frequently after I have been driving for a while and is more common at speeds above 40 mph. The steering wheel will feel "locked" in place and require force to turn the wheel. It feels sticky and heavy, and occurs especially often on the freeway, leading to dangerous situations where I have to jerk the wheel, either causing my car to deviate from my path, or not allowing me to respond to changing road conditions in time. The steering column is still original and has not been previously repaired. These symptoms sound surprisingly like NHTSA recall # 4v-744, though my vehicle falls outside of the model range. Potentially defective parts include the electric power steering rack, the gearbox worm wheel, or a clock spring. It has not been replicated at a dealer despite multiple inspections, but I finally got a video of it happening. It has been happening for about a year, but has been getting worse. I checked my tire inflation multiple times and it has not resolved the problem. No warning lamps, message, or other symptoms have been reported.

The steering has been sticking for quite some time in the "straight" or center position. One must provide excessive force to the steering wheel to get the car to alter direction left or right. The steering wheel will resists normal minor corrections to follow the road. The steering wheel requires excessive force to "break loose" of the center position which results in overcorrection to the left or right. Picture a car veering left and right over and over while traveling straight as no road is completely straight and requires minor steering corrections to maintain a straight path. Almost ran off the road due to the force required to correct the car's path. This is an extremely majot safety issue that Honda must address. The car has far too few miles to have this major problem. I have never had a car in the past that was so dangerous to myself and the public at large. Steering is the most basic of controls. Even a car with a worn out reciprocating ball or a worm gear rack will still steer off-center as required. This is an accident and disaster just waiting to happen. I demand Honda and NHTSA approve and require the no cost to me repair of the steering system immediately or public outcry will be unrelenting.

I purchased a 2019 Honda Civic lx July 3rd 2025 I noticed that the steering front end didn't feel right so I brought it back they still to this day the dealership has the car I cannot drive it on the highway because the steering goes to the left goes to the right I have to keep two hands on the wheel I came close to hitting a tractor trailer cannot drive over 50 mph without it being out of control right now it's at Honda dealership and they're saying they're not sure what's wrong after seeing all the complaints I notified them that I felt that's what the problem was the steering box rack I do not feel safe or trust this car I'm trying to get the dealer to buy the car back.

The contact owns a 2022 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel was shaking with an abnormal ticking sound coming from the steering. There was no warning light illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.

The steering wheel of the vehicle often feels like it gets stuck around the 12 o’clock position frequently. Extra force is needed to correct steering. Then you have to correct the correction. The symptoms occur more often than not. This condition was discovered shortly after purchasing the used car. Honda dealer said steering rack would need replaced. The vehicle does not display any codes or service warnings. Since there are no recalls on this VIN#, I assume this will never cause an accident to the occupants or others on the road.

While driving my 2019 Honda Civic sport, the steering wheel frequently sticks or feels like it slips when making slight adjustments or turning. This is especially noticeable at highway speeds and during low-speed turns. It requires additional force to correct the steering, leading to overcorrection and a delayed return to the center position. The issue creates a safety concern as it impairs precise vehicle control and is most concerning while making corrections at highway speeds. Multiple owners online are reporting the same symptoms, and there are indications that this may be caused by a faulty eps gearbox or steering rack. Honda has not issued a recall, and dealerships have not provided a lasting fix.

My complaint is similar to most of the other ones shown here. Notchy steering. I took it to the dealer. They told me that the steering rack was bad and needed to be replaced. How much? $6500! the car has under 30,000 miles on it. Got to give the service rep credit. He asked me if I wanted them to contact american Honda. I said heck yes. While they were making their decision, which took about 2 weeks, I came here and looked at all of the other similar complaints. The dealer told me that Honda would cover 100% of the replacement cost. They ordered the parts and the replacement was completed last week. Although this was resolved to my satisfaction, it's another incident for the record, and it demonstrates that the problem showed up as early as under 30,000 miles.

After about 30mins of driving car would start pulling to left even if the steering wheel was straight. When trying to correct it the steering wheel would feel stuck like to magnet and when it would release car would over correct to the right. Found out its a common issue among Hondas 2015 and above no matter the model, took my car in to the dealer to replace the gearbox and the rack and pinion which fixed the problem. There are no warning lights or codes for this.