Problems · by component

2016 Honda Civic exterior lighting problems

30 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2016 Honda Civic cite exterior lighting, 3% of all 1,083 complaints for this model year. NHTSA also lists 1 recall on this component.

Complaints
30
3% of all complaints
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the exterior lighting

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“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…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 24, 2026Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Service brakesODI 11733704
“Air conditioner in my 2016 Honda Civic has never worked. Condenser or compressor needs to be replaced continues to leak throughout system and is defective. Emergency Brake malfunction does not work and poses as a safety issue. Left head lamp doesn’t work due to excessive heat exposure in Nevada.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 3, 2023Exterior lighting, Unknown or other, Service brakesODI 11536240
“I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING MULTIPLE ELECTRICAL ISSUES SINCE ABOUT 6 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE WITH BRAKE LIGHT BULBS REPEATEDLY BURNING OUT ALONG WITH EVERY SYSTEM ICON ON THE DASH FLASHING OFF AND ON WHILE DRIVING THE CAR IT WILL NOT START ALWAYS AND AT TIMES IT WILL NOT OPEN WITH THE KEY OR THE REMOTE FOB ALL BEING TAKEN IN TO SHOPS FOR REPAIRS AND WITHIN WEEKS I CAN BE BACK TO THE SHOP WITH YET ANOTHER SO CALLED FIX THIS RECURRING PROBLEM IS A BIG SAFETY ISSUE”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 26, 2021Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Service brakesODI 11404997
“I BOUGHT A HONDA CIVIC 2016. I NOTICE THAT MY FRONT LED LIGHT MAKER DOES NOT WORK ONLY LEFT SIDE WORK AND IT IS ABOUT TO GO OUT TOO. SOMETIME IT GOES ON AS ITS PLEASE. AND AIR CONDITION DOES NOT BLOW COLD AIR . I HOPE THEY RECALL ALL THESE PROBLEMS..”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 26, 2019Exterior lighting, Unknown or otherODI 11291313
“I HAVE ISSUES THAT HAVE BEEN REPORTED PREVIOUSLY AND WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS UNDER WARRANTY. NOW THAT THE WARRANTY IS OUT THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN MORE SEVERE. THE 1ST PROBLEM IS THE DISPLAY FOR THE RADIO, HEATING AND COOLING AND THE SPEED DISPLAY HAS BEEN EFFECTED SOME BUT NOT LIKE THE RADIO AND COOLING/HEATING DISPLAY. IT HAS GONE BLANK, IT HAS FROZE UP. IT HAS LOST ALL FUNCTIONING. THE 2ND IS THE AIR COMPRESSOR. IT HAS A LEAK AND APPARENTLY THIS IS AN ISSUE WITH A LOT OF THE TOURINGS. PEOPLE HAVE REPLACED THEM AND HAD THE SAME ISSUES. THE DISPLAYS HAVE HAD PROBLEMS BOTH IN DRIVE MODES AND PARKED. I HAVE GOOGLED ON HOW TO FIX THOSE ISSUES AND WE HAVE DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY TO DO THE SAME. THE COOLING/HEATING SYSTEM COOLS SOME TIMES BUT NOT ALL THE TIME.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 7, 2019Electrical system, Exterior lighting, EngineODI 11242374
“FOLLOWING MY WIFE AFTER A RECALL ON HER CAR, IT BEGAN TO RAIN LIGHTLY. KNOWING WE WERE ENTERING A 75MPH TURNPIKE, I PHONED HER TO ADVISE HER TO TURN ON HER LIGHTS. SHE DID. AT THE STOP LIGHT BEFORE GETTING ON THE TURNPIKE, ALL I COULD SEE WERE 2 TINY LED BULB TYPES ON BOTH SIDES. AS SHE BEGAN TO REACH SPEED, SHE GOT 10-15 CAR LENGTHS AHEAD OF ME. WE KNEW THE FACTORY SPOILER CAUSES A VORTEX BEHIND HER CAR AS WE WIPE OFF BLACK POWDER THAT BUILDS ON THE BACK OF HER CAR EACH DAY WHEN SHE COMES HOME FROM WORK. I'VE NEVER DRIVEN BEHIND HER LET ALONE IN THE RAIN. WITH THE VORTEX CREATING A BOILING SPRAY, AND THE TINY LED BULBS, I COULD NOT SEE HER AT ALL. JUST A SPRAY. NO LIGHTS. AT OUR EXIT CLOSE TO HOME, AS SHE TOOK OFF, I COULD NOT SEE HER TAIL LIGHTS EVEN 5 CAR LENGTHS BACK. IT WAS DAY TIME I FORGOT TO MENTION BUT CLOUDY AND AS STATED, LIGHT RAIN. I COULD SEE HER BRAKE AS THE BRAKE LIGHTS USE A COMMON BULB. AGAIN, WITH THE LIGHTS IN THE ON POSITION, THE ONLY TIME I SAW HER TAIL LIGHT WAS IN THE GARAGE. THE VEHICLE HAS TWO ISSUES. THE SPOILERS CREATE A SPRAY OF WATER REDUCING VISIBILITY OF THE BACKBOF HER CAR IN THE RAIN OR FOG TO ZERO. HONDA EVEN SHOWS PHOTOS WITH…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 19, 2016Exterior lighting, StructureODI 10936316

Showing 6 of 30 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Related recalls

1 recall on this component

Exterior lighting

Free remedy

American Honda Motor Co. (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2016 Civic 2-Door vehicles manufactured February 23, 2016, through May 20, 2016. The affected vehicles may have a damaged LED side marker light circuit board inside the taillight assembly, making the marker light inoperable. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Assoc. Equipment."

Exterior lightingReported Jul 11, 2016NHTSA 16V526000
Data from NHTSA Recalls API · synced Nov 3, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.