Problems · by component
2012 Honda Civic Hybrid steering problems
73 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid cite steering, 16% of all 454 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
73
16% of all complaints
Crashes
3
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
1
Reported by owners
What owners say about the steering
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“This is a serious matter that needs to be evaluated as it is a potentially fatal safety issue for human drivers of 2012 Honda Civic. This email needs to be sent please to the Department of Transportation and the National Transportation Safety Board for evaluation of extension of recall: meaning other 2012 Honda Civic vehicles that have the same type or similar area of issues as the two above stated recalls and from the same manufacturer as the 2012 Honda Civic vehicles but whose VIN were not included in the group of VIN numbers in the original recalls) a. 2019 - control arm bushings cracked - cause: leaking - front lower arm compliance bushings, both replaced by Honda( documention available upon request) b. 2019- right front tire shred and upon inspection by Goodyear no nail or issue could be found for the one right front tire shredding. (documentation and images available upon request) c. 2022- right front tire shreds while driving and upon inspection by Goodyear no nail or issue could be found for the right front tire behavior. (documentation and images available upon request) d. 2024-right front control arm mount and right control arm failure while driving…”
“When my car reaches speeds above 60mph the steering is difficult to control (a lot of Play in the steering wheel). I took my vehicle in to a Monrovia, CA Honda Dealer in May 2024 to fix the issue. The dealer replaced the bushings but did not fix the steering issue. This vehicle feels dangerous. I noticed on the internet there are a lot of mechanics talking about steering issues in the model years that my car is under. I am frustrated that the Honda dealers don’t seem to want to fix this issue. I’ve already paid a great deal of money in up keep and the problem has not been corrected. I have had no warning lamps or signs of leaks just a lot of play in the steering wheel and lack of control.I don’t feel safe on the highway in this vehicle.”
“The contact owns a 2012 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.”
“Power Steering suddenly failed after I stopped for a stop sign. The EPS light was not on prior to stopping but came on after the steering failed. Managed to get to the nearest Honda Dealer and was told they wouldn't touch it. Managed to get to a local repair shop who looked up the issue and reset some code(s). They told me it could happen again at any time. This is an extremely dangerous problem that could cause serious damage or death if it occurred while driving. I can't understand why Honda hasn't figured out a solution and issued a recall.”
“The power steering light will come on and the cars power steering no longer works. I was driving down the road approximately 60 mph and the power steering light came on and I could barely turn the steering wheel. I was able to stop and shut the care off and restart and the power steering worked again. On future drives the power steering intermittently will go out forcing me to stop and shut the car off and restart. I took vehicle to Honda dealer and the dealership and I was informed I needed to replace the EPS control unit, which I did. The vehicle was clear of any problems a a while but the same issue is now happening again. Went back to dealer and they reset code 51-04 and said they could not find any problem. Less than an hour after leaving the dealer, the same problem was there again: loss of power steering. This is so dangerous. I've noticed tons of other people have this same complaint and it should be a recall issue and fixed.”
“EPS warning light came on while I was pulling into a local gas station. When I came out and started vehicle, wheel would not turn. Realized with EPS assist off it reverts to manual steering and, with great difficulty, made it to garage. Rack and pinion replaced ($1514.77). Now EPS warning light still continues to come on randomly with sudden loss of steering, once at 70 mph on interstate and another at 35 mph on secondary road. This is EXTREMELY dangerous. If you turn car off and wait 10-15 minutes the system resets and steering works perfectly (until it doesn’t).I refuse to drive it now and, since it is an older car with high mileage, it would be cost prohibitive. Even if I could find a buyer, I can’t in good conscience sell it to someone and worry about their safety. Other potential repairs could be EPS motor, steering sensors, bad wiring, computer issues, etc.”
Showing 6 of 73 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 9, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.