UsedScore

2016 Honda Civic: Avoid

Owners filed 518 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Honda Civic in its first five years on the road, about 144 for every 100,000 sold: 2.2× the rate of a typical Civic year. That's more than twice a typical year, across more than one problem area.

The biggest problem area, counting serious complaints more, is the steering (21% of complaints, median 32,000 miles).

Complaint index
2.2×
per vehicle sold, vs. a typical Civic year
Rank
14th of 14
1st = fewest complaints
Complaints
518
first five years; 144 per 100,000 sold
Recalls
5
campaigns
10th generation, 2016–2021 (first year of the generation; redesign years often run worse) · Updated September 24, 2026 · How we rate
2016 Honda Civic EX-T sedan

Photo: 2016 Honda Civic EX-T sedan · Cutlass, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Problem areas

Ranked by severity-weighted complaints · share · median miles
  1. Steering21% · 107 complaints · median 32,000 miles
  2. Brakes17% · 90 complaints · median 15,000 miles
  3. Electrical16% · 81 complaints · median 24,000 miles
  4. Engine13% · 68 complaints · median 26,000 miles
  5. Air bags3% · 17 complaints · median 19,000 miles
  6. Visibility10% · 53 complaints · median 19,000 miles
  7. Powertrain3% · 18 complaints · median 13,000 miles
  8. Body and structure5% · 24 complaints · median 10,000 miles
  9. Wheels and tires4% · 19 complaints · median 10,000 miles
  10. Lights5% · 26 complaints · median 0 miles

Bars rank problem areas by complaints weighted for severity (crashes, fires, injuries and deaths count more). A complaint can name more than one area. Mileage is reported on about half of complaints.

What owners describe

Brakes

Owners describe warning lights and failures involving the parking brake and brake system, sometimes with the car rolling away or braking suddenly on its own. Repairs and software updates from dealers often did not permanently resolve the issue, and several owners mention an existing recall.

Warning signs:
Owners report warning lights for brake system, electric parking brake, ABS, or stability control, sometimes with clicking noises, stiff pedals, or delayed brake response before the failure.
What shops did:
Dealers often reset codes, updated software, or replaced components like the VSA modulator or ABS module, but many owners say the problem returned or could not be duplicated.
Mileage:
most between 5,000 and 40,000 miles, among 82 complaints that give it

“I did set the parking brake but it appears that it did not ever set.”

“The vehicle experienced an intermittent but sudden and complete loss of braking power while driving on the highway moving at around 40mph.”

Electrical

Owners describe a cluster of electrical glitches in the 2016 Civic, including dashboard warning lights that appear together, screens that go blank, and occasional no-start or loss-of-assist events. Repairs range from software updates and modulator swaps to wiring replacement, but some owners say the issue recurred.

Warning signs:
Owners report warning lights cycling on the dash, screens flickering or going black, brief loss of instrumentation, and stalling or difficulty accelerating, often right after starting the car.
What shops did:
Dealers often cleared trouble codes, replaced or updated the ABS/VSA modulator, updated software, or replaced chewed wiring harnesses, though several owners say the problem returned or could not be replicated.
Mileage:
most between 5,000 and 45,000 miles, among 64 complaints that give it

“Each time the error messages appear after starting the vehicle.”

“Vehicle lost instrumentation (tach, speedometer, and central display) for approx. 45-60 seconds.”

Steering

Owners describe the steering wheel sticking or seizing after driving at highway speed for a while, forcing them to fight the wheel and overcorrect. Many say dealers struggled to diagnose it, some got the steering rack replaced, and several mention a related recall on newer model years but not on the 2016.

Warning signs:
Many note the steering becomes stiff, sticky, or notchy at highway speeds after 15-30+ minutes of driving, especially in warm weather, then suddenly releases and jerks.
What shops did:
Dealers often could not replicate the problem, but some replaced the electric power steering rack, motor, or pinion, sometimes at owner expense after warranty ended.
Mileage:
most between 25,000 and 50,000 miles, among 139 complaints that give it

“When lightly moving the wheel to the left or the right you encounter a point of resistance, steering through the resistance forces an over compensation”

“My local honda dealer diagnosed (and replaced) a failed electrical power-steering rack.”

Summaries are written with AI from the owner complaints shown on NHTSA's site and checked against them; quotes are word for word.

Recalls (5)

Check a VIN on NHTSA ›
  • NHTSA 26V332000May 202698,892 vehicles

    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.

    Risk: Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.

    Fix: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 23V858000December 20232,490,460 vehicles

    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.

    Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 16V725000October 2016350,083 vehicles

    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.

    Risk: If the EPB is not applied, the vehicle may roll away, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: 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.

  • NHTSA 16V526000July 201611,846 vehicles

    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."

    Risk: If a side marker light does not function, vehicle visibility can be decreased to other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect both the taillight assemblies, replacing them as necessary, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 16V074000February 201642,129 vehicles

    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.

    Risk: If a circlip is missing or incorrectly installed, the piston wrist pin may not be secure and may drift and damage the engine cylinder causing the engine to seize, and increasing the risk of a crash or a fire.

    Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the piston assemblies and damaged engine components, as necessary, free of charge.

A recall only helps if the repair was done. Enter the vehicle's 17-character VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup before you buy.

Service bulletins

Honda sent NHTSA 323 service bulletins and other notices to dealers covering the 2016 Civic. These are repair instructions, not recalls. Warranty extensions and bulletins about its top problem areas:

  • A17-048 · September 2022"Service bulletin - There is a problem with the audio unit software, which may lead to one or more of the following symptoms: • Bluetooth® Audio skips.
  • APaS03102021902 · March 2021Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
  • APaS02152021902 · February 2021Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
  • APaS01222021905 · January 2021Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
  • APaS01062021903 · January 2021Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
  • APaS12052020906 · December 2020Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
  • APaS10162020906 · October 2020Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
  • APaS09102020907 · September 2020Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

All 2016 Civic bulletins on NHTSA ›

Questions owners ask

Is the 2016 Honda Civic reliable?
Owners filed 518 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Honda Civic in its first five years on the road, about 144 for every 100,000 sold: 2.2× the rate of a typical Civic year. That's more than twice a typical year, across more than one problem area. Ratings compare Civic years with each other using complaints filed with NHTSA; they don't measure every problem owners have.
What are the most common 2016 Civic problems?
Owners' complaints most often involve the steering (21%), the brakes (17%) and the electrical system (16%). A complaint can name more than one area.
Has the 2016 Honda Civic been recalled?
Yes. NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 2016 Honda Civic, the most recent in May 2026 (air bags). Enter the vehicle's VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to see whether the repairs were done.

Sources

Owner complaints, recalls and manufacturer communications from NHTSA's public data files, as of September 24, 2026. Complaints are counted once each, over the model year's first 60 months on the road. UsedScore is not affiliated with NHTSA or Honda. The 2016 Honda Civic on NHTSA.gov · How we rate