2016 Honda Civic: Common Problems, Recalls and Vehicle Data
Check the 2016 Honda Civic records before a viewing: recall campaigns,
owner-reported symptoms, investigations, service bulletins and EPA fuel economy.
Steering complaints dominate the public record for the 2016 Honda Civic, accounting for 440 of 1,076 complaints filed, or 41 percent of the total. That is a sizable concentration in a single category, well ahead of "other" complaints at 276 (26 percent) and electrical complaints at 100 (9 percent). The remaining categories, including visibility and lighting, engine, brakes, drivetrain, airbag, and fuel system, each make up smaller shares.
The five recall campaigns on file for this model year are spread across five different systems rather than clustered in one: engine and engine cooling, exterior lighting, parking brake, fuel system (gasoline), and air bags, each with a single campaign. That breadth means the recall record for this year points to a range of separate issues rather than repeated attention to one component. None of these campaigns are linked as a repeat repair, and there is no record of an open investigation for this model year.
Separately, manufacturer service bulletins -- which are repair guidance to dealers, not recalls -- show clusters around equipment (28), air conditioner equipment (27), and the fuel system (24), out of 315 bulletins total. This indicates areas where dealers received documented guidance, not confirmed defects.
The size of the steering complaint category stands out, but complaint counts reflect how often owners reported an issue to NHTSA, not a measured rate of failure across the vehicle population. Readers should treat the distribution above as a description of the public record, not a defect rate for this model year.
Body class
Sedan
Drive types
Front-Wheel Drive
Combined MPG
30–35
Recall campaigns
5
Check the VIN to find out whether a recall applies to this car. Complaint counts describe reports on
file; differences in time on the road, sales and reporting prevent a direct comparison of failure odds.
Read our methodology.
Complaint trends
1081 complaints on file with NHTSA's
Office of Defects Investigation, grouped into CarTold's broad component categories.
Steering444 (41%)
Other276 (26%)
Electrical100 (9%)
Visibility & lighting77 (7%)
Engine67 (6%)
Brakes57 (5%)
Drivetrain34 (3%)
Airbag24 (2%)
Fuel system2 (0%)
Most frequently reported, by the specific component NHTSA logged each complaint
under (not CarTold's category groupings above):
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.
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.
Campaign 23V8580002023-12-18
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
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.
Campaign 16V7250002016-10-11
PARKING BRAKE
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2016 Honda Civic two door and four door 1.5L turbo and 2.0L vehicles. The electric parking brake (EPB) may not engage if it is applied immediately after turning the ignition off.
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.
Campaign 16V5260002016-07-11
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
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."
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.
Campaign 16V0740002016-02-09
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2016 Civic vehicles manufactured September 22, 2015, to February 3, 2016 and equipped with 2.0L engines. The affected vehicles have engines with piston assemblies that may have been manufactured without a piston wrist pin circlip or with an incorrectly installed piston wrist pin circlip.
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.
A model-year recall does not mean every vehicle is affected. Look up a specific car with our
recall check — paste a VIN and it lists every campaign covering that
vehicle. Whether the work was actually done needs
nhtsa.gov/recalls or the
manufacturer; our guide explains
what each of its answers means.
Investigations
No NHTSA investigations on file for this model year.
Manufacturer communications
Expand a component group to read the service bulletins and other communications
manufacturers filed with NHTSA. Use the document number to ask a dealer whether the instructions apply to
this car and whether any repair is covered. A bulletin alone does not establish payment eligibility.
How these records differ from recalls and investigations.
NHTSA crash-tests each body-style/drivetrain configuration separately, so ratings can
differ by variant — shown as tested, not averaged. See
how the 5-star ratings work, including why an
overall score isn't the average of the three category scores.