NHTSA Complaint #11585598 — 2023 HONDA CIVIC

My car is afflicted by a common steering issue experienced by other owners of 22-23 model year civics. The steering becomes “sticky” or “notchy” often at highways speeds. It is most noticeable when making small steering adjustments to stay in center of lane, and it takes more effort than normal which causes over correction and difficulty staying centered. It creates a more stressful drive in heavy traffic and creates a higher rate of driver fatigue on longer drives. On a long night drive, I have experienced enough fatigue from trying to maintain center of lane that I’ve needed to pullover and rest frequently. I have described the issue to one dealership but the problem is intermittent and they have not yet observed it or done more than a basic inspection. However, there is a wealth of anecdotal data online in owners forums of people who are experiencing this, with varying levels of success with getting their dealerships attention and meaningful action or resolution. Honda has released a service bulletin (23-037) which matches my issue, however people are now reporting that the issue continues even after getting a replacement EPS gear box. Therefore it is my opinion that this should be escalated to a recall, and that Honda take more action to resolve this known issue before it results in accidents (particularly through driver fatigue or inability to maintain center of lane accurately). I have also started to notice noise from my steering system when stopped or at low speeds, which makes me worry that the steering issue is worsening over time and will become an even more significant safety issue just outside of warranty (I’m only at 22,000 miles currently).