Vehicle report

2016 Honda Civic

Free recalls, owner complaints, and NHTSA safety ratings for the 2016 Honda Civic, plus how to check this specific vehicle before you buy.

The 2016 Honda Civic has 5 NHTSA recalls on record and 15 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. Its overall NHTSA crash-test rating is 5 out of 5. Below is the full breakdown, plus how to check this specific vehicle by VIN before you buy in Alberta.

5

Open recalls

15

Complaints

5

Overall safety

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2016 Honda Civic recalls (5)

  • EXTERIOR LIGHTING

    American Honda Motor Co. (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2016 Civic 2-Door vehicles manufactured February 23, 2016, through May 20, 2016. The affected vehicles may have a damaged LED side marker light circuit board inside the taillight assembly, making the marker light inoperable. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Assoc. Equipment."

    Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect both the taillight assemblies, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on August 31, 2016. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is KB8.

  • PARKING BRAKE

    Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2016 Honda Civic two door and four door 1.5L turbo and 2.0L vehicles. The electric parking brake (EPB) may not engage if it is applied immediately after turning the ignition off.

    Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the vehicle's software to allow the EPB to engage immediately after the ignition is turned off, free of charge. The recall began on November 8, 2016. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is KC6.

  • ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

    Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2016 Civic vehicles manufactured September 22, 2015, to February 3, 2016 and equipped with 2.0L engines. The affected vehicles have engines with piston assemblies that may have been manufactured without a piston wrist pin circlip or with an incorrectly installed piston wrist pin circlip.

    Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the piston assemblies and damaged engine components, as necessary, free of charge. Parts are expected to be available in the Summer of 2016. Owners were mailed an interim notification beginning March 31, 2016, and will be mailed a second notice when parts are available. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is JX9.

  • FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

    Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.

  • AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

    Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed July 6, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH, NOC, POD, BOE, UOF, POB, EOG, AOI, QO8, TOJ, DO7, and SOK. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.

2016 Honda Civic safety ratings

5

Overall

4

Front

5

Side

5

Rollover

Source: NHTSA NCAP ratings.

2016 Honda Civic owner complaints (15)

  • STRUCTURE

    The paint on my car has been chipping nonstop and I have called Honda multiple times about the issue and they will not correct nor acknowledge the problem. This issue has been occurring before 2025, it got even worse in 2025

  • POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

    Honda civic is stalling while driving due to faulty fuel pump or fuel delivery component. Computer not coordinating correct power.

  • UNKNOWN OR OTHER

    The A/C evaporator core failed completely on my vehicle due to a known manufacturing and design defect in this climate control system architecture. Because the system cannot hold refrigerant, the vehicle has entirely lost its moisture-removal capability. This makes it impossible to effectively defrost or defog the windshield during rain or high-humidity conditions, severely obstructing driver visibility. This creates an imminent safety hazard and collision risk on the road. The failure has been confirmed by an authorized dealership diagnostic.

  • STEERING

    Steering becomes “sticky” when operating at high speeds, especially in the summer months. This makes intended small adjustments into large, jerky movements, creating a huge safety risk. This issue has been recalled for newer Honda Civics, but not older models, and has been an issue for years now. The issue has been brought up to Honda Dealerships, but no solution has been provided. No warning messages appear.

  • UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER

    The A/C failed completely, blowing hot air (80+°F) in extreme Phoenix heat. The issue recurred identically after a dealer misdiagnosis and gas recharge last year. A formal inspection by Showcase Honda on May 28, 2026 (RO# 838832), confirmed a dual leak: the A/C Compressor Shaft Seal (under warranty extension) and the A/C Evaporator Core were leaking refrigerant simultaneously. Due to severe local heat waves, repairs were completed at the dealer on June 15, 2026. Invoices are available upon request. This defect severely risks vehicle safety. Driving in Arizona's 100+°F heat without A/C causes immediate heat exhaustion for passengers. Also, losing the defroster causes sudden windshield fogging during humidity shifts, creating a blind visibility hazard. No warning lamps preceded the failure. Crucially, the 10-year warranty extension is rapidly expiring for early 10th-gen Civic owners, leaving us unprotected. NHTSA must mandate Honda to extend the compressor/condenser warranty to a LIFETIME warranty. Furthermore, because the Evaporator Core inherently fails at the exact same time due to the same loop defect, Honda must expand coverage to include the Evaporator Core as a fully covered component. Partial coverage is a widespread safety hazard and a financial injustice for consumers.

  • STEERING

    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.

  • SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE

    Car suddenly had many warning lights. A red “BRAKE” light flashes. Lane keep and adaptive cruise stopped working. The steering feels numb and doesn’t return to center. Took to dealer for diagnostic. They reported a VSA computer module failure. Researching VSA failure I found there is a company that will overhaul used / non working VSA units. The repair involves resoldering connections that work loose from normal driving. The design is awful and it’s not surprising these units fail. Gasket material is pressed directly against the solder joints.

  • STEERING

    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.

  • STEERING

    Electronic power steering is sticking and notching while driving on a highway once vehicle is warm. This is a safety hazard and Honda has a recall for later model years for the exact same reason. The internal worm gears heat and swell when warm causing internal grease displacement. We cannot safely drive this vehicle on a highway

  • STEERING

    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.

  • STEERING

    The steering at highway speeds sticks. This causes the vehicle to drift left or right until the steering engages to correct. It feels unsafe.

  • STEERING

    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

    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.

  • UNKNOWN OR OTHER

    Rear camera view distorted

  • STEERING

    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.

Checking a used Honda Civic before you buy

The recall, complaint, and safety data above describes the 2016 Civic in general. To know the condition and history of the specific vehicle you're looking at, check it by VIN. A VIN check shows whether this particular Civic's recalls are still outstanding, and a full history report adds accident, title, and ownership records the data above can't show.

Before you buy a 2016 Honda Civic in Alberta:

See other model years of the Honda Civic, or browse more Honda models.

2016 Honda Civic — questions and answers

Does the 2016 Honda Civic have any recalls?+

Our check found 5 NHTSA recalls associated with the 2016 Honda Civic. Check the specific vehicle by VIN to see which remain outstanding, since some may already have been repaired. Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer.

How many complaints does the 2016 Honda Civic have?+

NHTSA lists 15 owner complaints for the 2016 Honda Civic in our results. Complaints are problems reported by owners and don't always lead to a recall, but a pattern of similar complaints is worth weighing before you buy.

Is the 2016 Honda Civic safe?+

The 2016 Honda Civic has an overall NHTSA crash-test rating of 5. Review the front-crash, side-crash, and rollover ratings above, and pair safety ratings with a mechanical inspection of the specific vehicle.

How do I check a 2016 Honda Civic VIN?+

Enter the vehicle's 17-character VIN into our free VIN check to see recalls, complaints, and safety ratings for that exact vehicle, then run an Alberta Personal Property Registry (PPR) lien search before you pay.

Are recall repairs on a Honda free?+

Yes. Safety recall repairs are performed at no cost by a franchised Honda dealer, even for a used vehicle and even if you're not the original owner. Confirm the required parts are in stock before relying on the fix.

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