NHTSA lists 5 safety recalls and 1,081 owner complaints for the 2016 Honda Civic.
5Safety recalls
1,081Owner complaints
36Complaints citing a crash
4Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 27, 2026
Recalled components: air bags, fuel system, parking brake, exterior lighting, and 1 more. Most-reported area: steering (444 complaints, 41%; median mileage when it happened: 39,000). Includes the Civic Si and hatchback. Excludes the Civic Type R, like the GR Corolla on Corolla pages.
5 safety recalls for the 2016 Honda Civic
Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
Air bags
May 21, 2026
sensor · occupant classification · front passenger
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.
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.
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.
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.
What owners report
The areas named in the 1,081 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Civic. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Steering444 · 41%
Median 39,000 miles at failure (139 reports)
Electrical system119 · 11%
Median 26,600 miles at failure (64 reports)
Engine95 · 9%
Median 26,800 miles at failure (57 reports)
Brakes93 · 9%
Median 22,900 miles at failure (66 reports)
Body structure48 · 4%
Most named: body (44) · Median 12,900 miles at failure (23 reports)
Visibility/wiper47 · 4%
Median 8,900 miles at failure (23 reports)
Powertrain37 · 3%
Median 30,500 miles at failure (19 reports)
Unknown or other253 · 23%
Median 34,500 miles at failure (118 reports)
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: 1,081 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Honda Civic
Model year
Complaints
2016
1,081
2017
596
2018
745
2019
441
2020
230
2021
147
2022
957
2023
321
2024
140
2025
91
2026
29
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
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.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Honda Civic 2 DR FWD
Rollover risk 9.3%
Honda Civic 4 DR FWD
Rollover risk 9.5%
Questions
What are the most common 2016 Civic problems?
The areas owners name most often in NHTSA complaints: steering (444), electrical system (119), engine (95). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can name several areas.
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.
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 Sep 27, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 26, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
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.