This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The steering sticks around highway speeds which causes me to over correct. The vehicle feels unsafe to drive and I am being told it will cost close to $4,000 to replace the electronic steering rack.
I recently moved so I am traveling on the interstate more. In doing so, I've noticed after about 15-20 minutes at higher speeds, my steering wheel starts sticking. I have to fight to stay in my lane. It's scary as well as exhausting. I've researched and see other complaints just like mine. Why has this issue not been addressed by Honda? It makes me scared to go visit family or do any traveling at all. I bought this vehicle used in 2019 but this issue really didn't surface until I moved and started driving more on the interstate. I noticed it some before but since most of my driving was in town, it didn't occur often. Please have Honda address this as it definitely is a safety issue. I feel like I'm going to drive off the road the whole time I'm on the interstate.
Steering- the Steering wheel jerks when I make incremental movements to the left or right. This only occurs when I'm driving on a freeway at or above 55mph. It does not occur on surface streets. I brought it to Autonation Honda in Chandler, AZ. They said it was the Rack Motor or Rack Pinion motor and it needs to be replaced. The advisor said that they have seen many 2016 Civics with this issue. Total out-of-pocket cost $3700. Part was not available even if I decided to have it replaced. I feel this should be addressed since this is a major safety issue caused by the manufacturer and should be recalled.
The steering wheel get stuck/ jerks in position and to correct stuck position/ jerks it causes you to correct your lane position. You feel out of control for a second or so. Purchased vehicle in 2019, in 2020/21, this happened and I took it into the dealership where we purchased the car and they did an alignment. After that alignment, steering/jerky/sticky wheel did not happen as much but it still happened and is getting worse. So this weekend I took the vehicle back to the dealership for the same issue again. According to the dealership. their technician(s) test drove the car and they did not feel the sticky and jerky wheel. Generally this happens when the vehicle has been driven for longer than 20-30 mins and when you are going 40-70 mph. The technician(s) stated that they could not reproduce this in their test drive. But it is still happening as I drove home from the dealership. I am not sure how they could not see and feel the constant wheel movement maintain control of the lane. It's sometimes hard to hold lane control especially going at a higher rates of speed. I see 200+ complaints similar to this issue with the 2016 Honda Civic. This dealership states that they see nothing wrong. But there is definitely still something wrong with this year model. I wanted to go on record and voice my concerns about this issue like many others.
- Knightdale, NC, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
Steering is getting stuck while driving on highways and/or higher speeds. Appears to be a consistent issue with Honda civics complaints/issues after researching. Requires replacing EPS, approx $2-3k. Not due to wear and tear. Vehicle at less than 30,000 total miles.
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 40-60 MPH, the steering wheel became firm. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact jerked the steering wheel side to side and the steering wheel started operating normally. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not under recall. No further assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 49,000.
Steering has become sticky, especially when driving straight on a highway or at higher speeds. Extra force is needed to maintain position in lane and move the wheel. The pressure required to turn the wheel past the stuck position causes the driver to over correct excessively making it difficult to stay in the lane.
The steering is sticking - the same as all these other reports I'm seeing below. It is worse in the afternoons (higher temperatures I guess) and definitely more noticeable at highway speeds. Took the car to the dealer and they said that even though my car only has 36k miles it needs a new (electric) rack & pinion system for $4000 !! Ridiculous. I was advised that the dealer is well aware of the issue (I was the 2nd case this week that my service advisor was dealing with) but there's nothing they (the dealer) are doing at the moment other than referring it to corporate Honda U.S. I dont know whats going to happen if the situation gets worse - does the steering stop steering or get continually harder to steer... is a definite safety issue.
Steering wheel becomes stuck in a certain position at highway speeds after 20+ minutes of driving and it requires an unnatural amount of force to free it, thus resulting in a sudden jerking motion that makes driving highly unsafe. Honda dealerships are quoting Civic owners $4K for an issue that is WELL known (200+ complaints on NHTSA and an active investigation on the 11th gen Civics with the same issue (https://www.autoblog.com/2023/03/21/nhtsa-honda-civic-sticky-power-steering-investigation/#:~:text=The%20National%20Highway%20Traffic%20Safety, reports%20of%20the%20issue%2C%20too.))
Steering wheel is quite hard to turn. Gets kind of stuck at certain points when I-??m driving. Fluids all good. Don-??t understand why this is happening.
Steering sticks making it difficult to change direction. It has a significant resistance when changing direction, this is troublesome especially at higher speeds.
My car's steering has been sticky and catching. This often causes me to apply unnecessary pressure to correct the steering and could cause an accident. I had it verified at Honda of Murfreesboro that I need a new steering rack.
When I-??m driving the steering wheel gets stuck and the only way to get it unstuck is to pull hard enough to break the jam. It always gets stuck pulling to the left because every time I have to get it unstuck I have to pull to the right to break the jam.It happens every day and it-??s really frustrating. Every time this happens is after 15-20 minutes driving. This is a serious safety hazard specially in a long drive because you are literally fighting the car to keep it in the center of the lane! 2016 Honda civic touring 62,000 miles It started doing this after 3 years with the car and approximately 37,000 miles. I remember because I took the car to the dealership and they told me that my basic warranty had expired at 36,000 miles or 3 years and the diagnosis and fixtures were going to be out of my pocket.
When I am driving on the highway, my car steering will get "stuck" and I can't make adjustments to the wheel without jerking on it to get it unstuck. I am bringing the car in to get serviced again this week. The sticking results in unsafe travel on the road because it is difficult to maintain my lane. It usually starts to happen 15-20 minutes into a drive and then will not go away until after the car has been off for a significant period of time, but will recur the next time I drive on the highway. The vehicle has been serviced by a dealer and the problem went away for a while, but has recurred. It has not been inspected by any parties other than the dealer. I do not know if they were able to reproduce the problem. There are no warnings, messages, or other symptoms before the wheel sticks.
After driving for over :30 minutes steering wheel sticks and is jerky to turn. It has a dead spot that requires a higher breakout force to get the wheel to turn, once wheel is turning there are normal steering forces required to continue the turn.
The vehicle steering is sticky. When the vehicle is started, the steering is fine. However, after about 15 minutes of driving, the problem is most noticeable when trying to keep the car straight at around 40 mph and higher. When making fine adjustments to keep the car straight on the freeway, the steering gets stuck then suddenly releases when making fine adjustments. This causes the vehicle to jerk from side to side when trying to keep my vehicle in my lane...I have taken my vehicle in to 2 independent service centers but the problem seems to temporarily go away if the vehicle is turned off for a little while. Only to return when I leave the service center around 15 minutes later...There are no codes or warning lights that appear...My Civic is a 2016 but only has 12,400 miles. The steering problem started at around 9,000 miles.
My car has had a sticky steering wheel problem for over a year now. I-??m at 75k miles, the problem started at least around 60k miles. The wheel feels heavy and I have to over correct due to that stickiness. I can-??t drive straight when I am on the highway. I continuously have to correct to keep the wheel straight. It does not feel safe. Last year my battery died and changing the battery helped the sticky steering a little but only for a short time. I think the problem has something to do with the power steering.
Steering, same as other complaints. Intermittent sticking of the steering wheel. Constantly have to force steering wheel in order to maintain lane. Steering wheel seems to lock, have to force it to stay straight. Problem started couple years ago, at about 35K miles, and at 70K it is getting worse. And the cost---ha-unreal!!!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Glencoe, OK, USA