Honda Civic Years to Avoid and the Best Years

Years to avoid: 2016, 2022, and 2023 At least twice the 121.5 complaints of a typical Civic year. Most described: steering rack problems.
Best years: 2019 and 2021 Under three quarters of the 121.5 complaints of a typical Civic year since 2016, with no open NHTSA investigation or do-not-drive or park-outside recall. The 2020 drew few complaints too, but its first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Head gasket warranty extension. Honda covers the cylinder head gasket of certain 2016 to 2026 Civics for 10 years from the original date of purchase or 150,000 miles, and the 2016 and 2017 Civic 1.5-liter turbo and the 2017 Civic Si in any case until May 31, 2027, whatever their age or mileage. It is not a recall. Every Civic in Honda's head gasket warranty extension, year by year

Every model year since 2010 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 49 mpg combined, arrived in 2025 and has held since. Includes the Civic Si and hatchback. Excludes the Civic Type R.

Civic problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Civic year drew 121.5 complaints in its first three years: the median of its years since 2016, higher than the median of all its ranked years (98). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (121.5), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2022 Civic Avoid Most described: steering rack problems such as sticking, play or pulling	874	962	4
2023 Civic Avoid Most described: steering rack problems such as sticking, play or pulling	298	329	4
2016 Civic Avoid Most described: steering rack problems such as sticking, play or pulling	245	1,084	5
2012 Civic Most described: power steering problems or locked steering	148	474	4
2017 Civic Most described: air conditioning or heater failures	136	609	6
2018 Civic Most described: steering rack problems such as sticking, play or pulling	107	754	6
2013 Civic Most described: the airbag warning light or an airbag fault	104	329	0
2014 Civic Most described: transmission failure or replacement	92	298	2
2019 Civic Best Most described: steering rack problems such as sticking, play or pulling	91	455	4
2010 Civic Most reported: air bags	86	414	8
2015 Civic Most described: transmission failure or replacement	77	394	1
2020 Civic Most described: air conditioning or heater failures	71	243	5
2011 Civic Most described: airbags not deploying in a crash	56	172	9
2021 Civic Best Most described: steering rack problems such as sticking, play or pulling	41	151	4

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Civic for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Honda dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	49 mpg Hybrid	1	32
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	49 mpg Hybrid	2	109
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	36 mpg Gas	3	144
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	36 mpg Gas	4	329
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	36 mpg Gas	4	962
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	36 mpg Gas	4	151
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	36 mpg Gas	5	243
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	36 mpg Gas	4	455
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	36 mpg Gas	6	754
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	36 mpg Gas	6	609
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	35 mpg Gas	5	1,084
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	44 mpg Hybrid	1	394	4 to 5 stars
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	44 mpg Hybrid	2	298	4 to 5 stars
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	44 mpg Hybrid	0	329	4 to 5 stars
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	44 mpg Hybrid	4	474	4 to 5 stars
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	41 mpg Hybrid	9	172
2010 MPG · Recalls and problems	42 mpg Hybrid	8	414	Not rated

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2022: 962 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Honda Civic
Model year	Complaints
2010	414
2011	172
2012	474
2013	329
2014	298
2015	394
2016	1,084
2017	609
2018	754
2019	455
2020	243
2021	151
2022	962
2023	329
2024	144
2025	109
2026	32

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 29 to 36 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); 36 since 2017. Hybrid: 41 to 49 mpg (2010 to 2015, 2025 to 2026); 49 since 2025.

Best gas version
Best hybrid version

2026: gas 36 mpg · hybrid 49 mpg

Show as a table

Honda Civic best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best hybrid version
2010	29	42
2011	29	41
2012	32	44
2013	33	44
2014	34	44
2015	34	44
2016	35	–
2017	36	–
2018	36	–
2019	36	–
2020	36	–
2021	36	–
2022	36	–
2023	36	–
2024	36	–
2025	36	49
2026	36	49

Every Civic year's ratings in one table

Comparisons

Questions

Which Honda Civic years should you avoid?

The 2016, 2022, and 2023 Civic are the years to avoid: each drew at least twice the 121.5 owner complaints of a typical Civic year in its first three years. Owners of the 2022 most often describe steering rack problems. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Honda dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best Honda Civic years?

The 2019 and 2021 Civic are the best years: they drew 91 and 41 owner complaints in their first three years, each under three quarters of the 121.5 complaints of a typical Civic year since 2016, and none has an open NHTSA investigation or recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside. The 2020 drew few complaints too, but its first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less. Only years since 2016 are considered, since owners filed fewer complaints in the early 2010s. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Honda Civic years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2022 (874) drew the most, then the 2023 (298). Owners of the 2022 most often describe steering rack problems such as sticking, play or pulling.

Which Honda Civic years have the most recalls?

The 2011 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (9), then the 2010 (8). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. No recall for 2010 to 2026 models tells owners not to drive the car or to park it outside.

What are the most common Honda Civic problems?

In the 6,953 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2010 to 2026 models, owners most often describe steering rack problems such as sticking, play or pulling (1,170 complaints, most of them for the 2016, 2018, and 2022); air conditioning or heater failures (461 complaints, most of them for the 2016 and 2017); and power steering problems or locked steering (367 complaints). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Honda Civic year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 49 mpg combined, first reached by the 2025 hybrid version and matched by every year since.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.