2016 HONDA CIVIC — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 1,068 complaints · 5 recalls
Most-reported system: STEERING (420 complaints · 39.3%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 35
  • Fires 4
  • Injuries 16
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2015 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution STEERING appears in 420 of 1,068 owner complaints (39.3%) in this vehicle snapshot. STEERING: 420 complaints, 39.3% of reports STEERING 420 · 39.3% · 3 crash reports ENGINE: 66 complaints, 6.2% of reports ENGINE 66 · 6.2% · 1 crash reports 1 fire reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 65 complaints, 6.1% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 65 · 6.1% · 1 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 48 complaints, 4.5% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 48 · 4.5% · 8 crash reports VISIBILITY: 43 complaints, 4.0% of reports VISIBILITY 43 · 4.0% EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 29 complaints, 2.7% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 29 · 2.7% · 1 crash reports POWER TRAIN: 27 complaints, 2.5% of reports POWER TRAIN 27 · 2.5% · 3 crash reports STRUCTURE: 27 complaints, 2.5% of reports STRUCTURE 27 · 2.5% · 1 crash reports FUEL SYSTEM: 23 complaints, 2.2% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 23 · 2.2% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 322 complaints, 30.2% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 322 · 30.2% · 6 crash reports 2 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
STEERING 420 39.3% 3 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 66 6.2% 1 crashes · 1 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 65 6.1% 1 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 48 4.5% 8 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 43 4.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 29 2.7% 1 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 27 2.5% 3 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 27 2.5% 1 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 23 2.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 322 30.2% 6 crashes · 2 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Oct 2015; the first recall shown was reported in Feb 2016. 2015-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q1: 17 owner reports 17 2016-Q2: 19 owner reports 19 2016-Q3: 40 owner reports 40 2016-Q4: 38 owner reports 38 2017-Q1: 16 owner reports 16 2017-Q2: 18 owner reports 18 2017-Q3: 19 owner reports 19 2017-Q4: 10 owner reports 10 2018-Q1: 11 owner reports 11 2018-Q2: 13 owner reports 13 2018-Q3: 22 owner reports 22 2018-Q4: 17 owner reports 17 2019-Q1: 18 owner reports 18 2019-Q2: 42 owner reports 42 2019-Q3: 54 owner reports 54 2019-Q4: 30 owner reports 30 2020-Q1: 20 owner reports 20 2020-Q2: 50 owner reports 50 2020-Q3: 59 owner reports 59 2020-Q4: 12 owner reports 12 2021-Q1: 17 owner reports 17 2021-Q2: 35 owner reports 35 2021-Q3: 23 owner reports 23 2021-Q4: 11 owner reports 11 2022-Q1: 11 owner reports 11 2022-Q2: 35 owner reports 35 2022-Q3: 18 owner reports 18 2022-Q4: 12 owner reports 12 2023-Q1: 18 owner reports 18 2023-Q2: 41 owner reports 41 2023-Q3: 38 owner reports 38 2023-Q4: 11 owner reports 11 2024-Q1: 12 owner reports 12 2024-Q2: 40 owner reports 40 2024-Q3: 21 owner reports 21 2024-Q4: 30 owner reports 30 2025-Q1: 19 owner reports 19 2025-Q2: 36 owner reports 36 2025-Q3: 32 owner reports 32 2025-Q4: 14 owner reports 14 2026-Q1: 16 owner reports 16 2026-Q2: 36 owner reports 36 2026-Q3: 15 owner reports 15 Owner reports Oct 2015 Jul 2026 Recall campaign 16V074000 ◆ Recall campaign 16V074000 Recall campaign 16V526000 ◆ Recall campaign 16V526000 Recall campaign 16V725000 ◆ Recall campaign 16V725000 Recall campaign 23V858000 ◆ Recall campaign 23V858000 Recall campaign 26V332000 ◆ Recall campaign 26V332000
  • Campaign 16V074000 was reported 8 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 23V858000 was reported 2,834 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 26V332000 was reported 3,459 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2015-Q4 Owner reports 2
2016-Q1 Owner reports 17
2016-Q2 Owner reports 19
2016-Q3 Owner reports 40
2016-Q4 Owner reports 38
2017-Q1 Owner reports 16
2017-Q2 Owner reports 18
2017-Q3 Owner reports 19
2017-Q4 Owner reports 10
2018-Q1 Owner reports 11
2018-Q2 Owner reports 13
2018-Q3 Owner reports 22
2018-Q4 Owner reports 17
2019-Q1 Owner reports 18
2019-Q2 Owner reports 42
2019-Q3 Owner reports 54
2019-Q4 Owner reports 30
2020-Q1 Owner reports 20
2020-Q2 Owner reports 50
2020-Q3 Owner reports 59
2020-Q4 Owner reports 12
2021-Q1 Owner reports 17
2021-Q2 Owner reports 35
2021-Q3 Owner reports 23
2021-Q4 Owner reports 11
2022-Q1 Owner reports 11
2022-Q2 Owner reports 35
2022-Q3 Owner reports 18
2022-Q4 Owner reports 12
2023-Q1 Owner reports 18
2023-Q2 Owner reports 41
2023-Q3 Owner reports 38
2023-Q4 Owner reports 11
2024-Q1 Owner reports 12
2024-Q2 Owner reports 40
2024-Q3 Owner reports 21
2024-Q4 Owner reports 30
2025-Q1 Owner reports 19
2025-Q2 Owner reports 36
2025-Q3 Owner reports 32
2025-Q4 Owner reports 14
2026-Q1 Owner reports 16
2026-Q2 Owner reports 36
2026-Q3 Owner reports 15
Recall campaign 1 16V074000
Recall campaign 1 16V526000
Recall campaign 1 16V725000
Recall campaign 1 23V858000
Recall campaign 1 26V332000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (5)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V074000

    Report date
    Component:
    ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
    Consequence:
    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.
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V526000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    If a side marker light does not function, vehicle visibility can be decreased to other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V725000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    If the EPB is not applied, the vehicle may roll away, increasing the risk of a crash.
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 23V858000

    Report date
    Component:
    FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
    Consequence:
    Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 26V332000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 1,068 complaints · page 1 of 43

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources