2016 Honda Civic electrical system problems

“Failure of my Electric Power Steering General Assembly/Steering Rack and Pinion in my 2016 Honda Civic EX sedan while driving at highway speeds. My steering wheel sticks or feels notchy at highway speeds requiring physical effort to overcome the binding. A highly reputable independent automotive shop (Gearheadz) in [XXX] has confirmed in its diagnosis that this is a dangerous defect that needs to be corrected. The odometer on my 2016 Honda Civic EX has only 70,000 mileage as of XXX. My car is in very good condition except for this manufacturing defect by Honda.. I discovered in my research that Honda has issued a massive safety recall for an identical physical safety hazard on 2022-2025 Honda Civics, but excluded the 2016-2021 model years. Hundreds of other owners have documented the exact same dangerous "sticky steering" symptoms at highway speeds in their Civics that predate the 2022-25 recall. My out-of-pocket expenses to correct this problem will exceed $2,000. The expense would more than double that amount if I let Honda repair or replace the steering rack and pinion problem. Clearly, Honda knows about this issue and yet has decided to limit its recall on…”

“With increasing frequency, at seemingly any condition or speed, a cluster of dashboard warnings, including power steering EPS, ABS, tire pressure TPMS, and others, flash on and stay on. Shortly after, the warnings appear power steering assist fails completely. This leads to uneasy and potentially dangerous circumstances as the car becomes minimally controllable as the physical effort required to maneuver is largely increased. Making turns especially difficult and hazardous while on public roads. This happens with increasing frequency. Initially restarting the car would temporarily fix the problem but that is decreasingly the case and the lights and steering lock happen again shortly after the reset. I no longer attempt to reset the car as it rarely helps now. I am actively keeping log of the frequency of this problem including date, time, and milage.”

“Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while getting maintenance work performed on the vehicle , her mechanic discovered a mileage discrepancy through a Carfax report. The contact stated that she was given a Carfax report upon purchase of the vehicle; however, the report she was given did not match her mechanic's Carfax report. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 120,000 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 190,000.”

“I was driving my car home from work and many warning lights lit up on my car dashboard (brake problem, engine problem, uphill start, steering problem) etc.. I got off the freeway and my car dashboard lit up and notified me “to pull over to a safe location because my car needle (temperature) was on high. I pulled over to a safe location and opened the hood and noticed that the antifreeze coolant compartment was empty) my car could have caught on fire because there was no coolant inside the compartment. After I got home and filled the car with coolant I placed cardboard under the car engine to see if the coolant would leak. There are no signs of leakage. I took my car to my mechanic and he told me that he couldn’t fix the problem and suggested I call Honda USA customer service. The mechanic told me that the problem is with the “head gasket” and that the coolant does leak into other parts of the engine. He didn’t charge me anything for the inspection and added coolant to my car. I called Honda USA customer service and they told me that there are “no recalls” regarding coolant leaks and head gasket problems. I googled problems with “Honda 2016 civics and learned…”

“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…”

“Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 Honda Civic in October 2024. The contact stated that while attempting to trade the vehicle at the dealer, the Carfax Report indicated a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. The contact stated that at the time of purchase, the odometer reading was 109,000; however, the Carfax Report indicated that the mileage was 172,000 in 2023.”