My 2016 Honda Civic has a recurring safety-critical defect that began approximately 2-?"3 weeks after purchase. While turning (most often left turns), the vehicle suddenly shuts off without warning. When this occurs, the power steering assist locks, brake assist is lost, and the electrical system cuts off and then reboots. This has happened more than 5-?"6 times and nearly caused collisions. I had to apply extreme brake pressure to avoid hitting another vehicle during one incident. The steering becomes rigid, the dashboard goes dark, and the car restarts on its own while still in motion. Before I purchased the vehicle, a diagnostic inspection was performed and no issues were reported. Since owning the car, it has also been taken to a mechanic multiple times, and no diagnostic code or mechanical explanation for this shutdown issue has ever been identified. The defect appears intermittently and leaves no trace or error codes, making it extremely difficult to detect or repair. This is a serious safety hazard that could cause injury or death. The problem appears to be a latent defect that was present at the time of vehicle sale. I am reporting this so NHTSA can investigate whether this is a known issue with this model or whether other consumers have experienced similar sudden shutdowns.

- Farmers Branch, TX, USA

The entire steering rack has an issue especially when driving on the highway. To make slight adjustments and wide turns it feels like you have to turn out of a notch and can-??t make any smooth minor adjustments. I took it to the dealership near me and they test drove it and confirmed there was a -??notch-?? in the steering rack and the entire steering rack had to be replaced.

- Knoxville, TN, USA

My front driver side wheel completely detached from the vehicle-??s body while I was driving home causing the left side of my car to collide with the street pavement and skid to a stop. The driver door airbags deployed, fluid leaked from under the vehicle and the bottom driver side of the car was damaged including the back left wheel/tire. The car had to be towed and an insurance claim was filed for review.

- Long Beach, CA, USA

Steering wheel seems to get stuck with minor corrections, and then -??gives way-?? causing a serious over correction. This is mostly noticeable at high way speeds (45+) but can be felt even when the vehicle is stopped. Vehicle is Not lane assist equipped. Appears to be a sticky Rack or Pinion gear.

- Strasburg , CO, USA

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.

- Fredericksburg, VA, USA

I purchased my '16 civic in 2018. The following summer, I started to notice that the steering wheel would "stick" in straight or shallow turn positions, requiring excessive force to break free and start turning. This is especially noticeable during highway driving, when the sticking steering wheel results in minor corrections being impossible. The end result is the car is impossible to keep in the center of the lane all the time, and must continuously be corrected, over-corrected, and over-corrected again. Being unable to correctly control the car is a major safety problem, especially for older drivers that may have difficulty overcoming the force of the steering wheel "sticking." This problem has reappeared every spring. 11th generation civics have this problem and a recall/warranty for the offending components, but not the 10th generation. There are no warning lights or messages from the vehicle about this problem.

- Gales Ferry, CT, USA

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.

- Daytona Beach, FL, USA

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)

- Tuscallosa, AL, USA

Driving on highway steering wheel is sticky requires extra effort to control steering has gotten worse since 2025

- Miami, FL, USA

Purchased as certified used Honda. I feel this VIN should be included in the recall for the same issue in other 2016 Honda Civic steering gear bax failure recalls and Honda should have to rectify the failure. 1 year ago my car steering seemed to be sticking. I took it into the dealership and was told my sway bar was leaking. I had that replaced and the issue seemed to not be noticed. Again this year it became mush more pronounced especially when driving on the interstate. The steering seems to get in a grove and the steeting wheel needs to be almost jerked to get it from veering in a specific direction. (right) if I continually jiggle the steering wheel it does not happen. I took it to the dealership and upon diagnosis they determined that the steering gear box is failing. I did research and some 2016 Honda Civic models had a recall on this issue. I reached out to Honda and they said that mine was not in that recall. I find it hard to think that it should not since it was a known issue for other vehicles. My tires are wearing fast due to the issue as well. Honda stated I would have to file a report with you.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

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.

- Feasterville Trevose, PA, USA

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.

- Saint Augustine, FL, USA

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.

- New Braunfels, TX, USA

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.

- White Oak, TX, USA

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.

- San Diego, CA, USA

*When driving my 2016 Honda Civic LX at any speed you can feel the steering wheel stick then gets loose. This has been happening since 2018. I thought it was an Alignment issue, so i had an alignment completed, then another alignment completed in March 2025. However that was not the issue. *This is a SAFETY issue and puts me and others on the highway at risk, this is a safety issue every time i drive, it puts everyone in danger. It hinders my steering effort and with difficulty, potentially can lead to a crash. There is excessive friction and that makes it difficult to steer. the problem have been confirmed by a Honda Dealership on 7.2025. this is my 2nd notice to NHTSA. I have also called AMERICAN HONDA no response yet. has been inspected by the HONDA dealership service department. warning at all. (documents attached)

- Jesup, GA, USA

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds during hot weather, the steering wheel felt sticky and failed to turn to the left or the right as intended. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not determined. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.

- Sparta, MI, USA

While driving, the steering wheel occasionally starts to stick. There have been several instances where it became severely jammed while turning, making it extremely difficult to steer. On a few occasions, it nearly led to a crash because the wheel locked up. This issue has occurred multiple times and seems to be getting progressively worse.

- Centreville, VA, USA

While driving my 2016 Honda Civic on the freeway, I consistently experience a sticky or notchy steering wheel-?"especially when making small adjustments near the center position. The steering resists input slightly, then suddenly gives way, making it difficult to make smooth lane corrections. This issue is more noticeable at higher speeds and creates a safety concern, as it affects my ability to maintain proper lane control and react quickly when needed. This issue appears to be a known problem with the EPS (Electric Power Steering) system on 2016 Honda Civics, and I-??ve seen reports of a Honda-issued TSB (17-014) that addresses similar symptoms via a software update. However, this issue should warrant broader attention, as it affects vehicle handling and road safety. I-??m submitting this complaint to request further investigation and to urge Honda to issue a recall or mandatory repair for affected vehicles.

- Laguna Niguel, CA, USA

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

- Cortland, OH, USA