NHTSA lists 5 safety recalls and 1,084 owner complaints for the 2016 Honda Civic.
Head gasket: warranty extended, not recalled. Honda covers the cylinder head gasket of the 2016 Civic 1.5-liter turbo for 10 years from the original date of purchase or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first, and in any case until May 31, 2027, whatever the car's age or mileage (bulletins 26-008,26-009,26-097, and 26-099). 6 of the 1,084 complaints to NHTSA about the 2016 Civic mention a head gasket. Every car in Honda's head gasket warranty extension, and what the dealer does
Recalled components: air bags, fuel system, parking brake, exterior lighting, and 1 more. Most-described problem: steering rack problems such as sticking, play or pulling (217 complaints, 20%). Most-reported area: steering (446 complaints, 41%; median mileage when it happened: 39,000).
One of the Civic years to avoid
The 2016 drew 245 owner complaints in its first three years, against about 122 for a typical Civic year: twice as many.
Years to avoid: 2016, 2022, and 2023; best years: 2019 and 2021. Based on owner complaints, not adjusted for sales.
The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.
Risk: Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
The electric parking brake (EPB) may not engage if it is applied immediately after turning the ignition off.
Risk: If the EPB is not applied, the vehicle may roll away, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
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 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."
Risk: If a side marker light does not function, vehicle visibility can be decreased to other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
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 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.
Risk: 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.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
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.
NHTSA listing: CIVIC. Honda campaign JX9.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA investigations
NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2016 Honda Civic.
What owners report
Owners have filed 1,084 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Civic. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Problems owners describe
Steering rack problems: sticking, play or pulling217 · 20%
Median 38,000 miles at failure, from 67 reports with mileage
Air conditioning or heater failures180 · 17%
Median 39,000 miles at failure, from 79 reports with mileage
Power steering problems or locked steering45 · 4%
Median 39,500 miles at failure, from 22 reports with mileage
Median 39,000 miles at failure, from 139 reports with mileage
Electrical system119 · 11%
Median 26,600 miles at failure, from 64 reports with mileage
Engine96 · 9%
Median 26,800 miles at failure, from 57 reports with mileage
Brakes93 · 9%
Median 22,900 miles at failure, from 66 reports with mileage
Body structure48 · 4%
Most named: body (44) · Median 12,900 miles at failure, from 23 reports with mileage
Visibility/wiper47 · 4%
Median 8,900 miles at failure, from 23 reports with mileage
Powertrain37 · 3%
Median 30,500 miles at failure, from 19 reports with mileage
Unknown or other253 · 23%
Median 34,500 miles at failure, from 118 reports with mileage
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.
Honda Civic recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2016 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2022 Civic drew the most (874) and the 2016 drew 245.
Owner complaints
2016: 1,084 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
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
Safety recalls
2016: 5 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Honda Civic
Model year
Recalls
2010
8
2011
9
2012
4
2013
0
2014
2
2015
1
2016
5
2017
6
2018
6
2019
4
2020
5
2021
4
2022
4
2023
4
2024
3
2025
2
2026
1
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
In the 1,084 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Honda Civic, the problems described most are steering rack problems such as sticking, play or pulling (217), air conditioning or heater failures (180), and power steering problems or locked steering (45). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2016 Honda Civic safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2016 Honda Civic earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
Is NHTSA investigating the 2016 Honda Civic?
No. NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2016 Honda Civic.
How do I check if my Civic has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Honda dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Nov 12, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Nov 11, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026. Defect petitions, which ask NHTSA to open an investigation, are listed apart and only while open. Audit queries, which check whether a company met its recall and reporting duties rather than whether a vehicle has a problem, are not listed.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: CIVIC, CIVIC SI.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.