2016 HONDA CIVIC Steering Problems

While driving straight, steering wheel sticks in the straight position. Moving the steering wheel slightly to left or right leads to over correction due to resistance.

There is a jerky/sticky issue with the steering while driving. The steering wheel seems to get stuck and I end up almost over correcting to get it to unstick. I’ve read multiple complaints of this issue and my car’s year is 2016 purchased in October 2025.

Steering is very stiff and fights you while trying to make minor corrections at highway speeds (45mph+). Not safe to drive the vehicle on road trips or for extended periods of time on the highway. As I understand it, the 11th generation civics have a recall on the same component. It seems the recall needs to be extended to the 10th generation civics as well.

2016 Honda Civic LX. Electronic power steering has sticky feeling when traveling at highway speeds, does not return to center. This leads to a danger situation as car becomes difficult to control when traveling at highway speeds. Honda is away of this issue on newer generation of Honda's. Upon inspection, the mechanism that is having an issue is almost identical in Honda's 10th generation of vehicle.

UNKNOWN - The steering wheel sticks in the center position when driving on the freeway or highway. When I go to adjust the wheel to correct my direction the wheel sticks and I have to turn harder and it results in an overcorrection and jerks the car. This seems to be a common problem and from what I have read online and it is either the EPS system or the clock spring in the steering wheel. People have said it can be very costly to repair. It has been happening continuously for a couple of years now but sometimes there are gaps when it is bad and when it doesn't happen a lot. It is definitely a safety concern.

My 2016 Honda Civic has a recurring safety-critical defect that began approximately 2–3 weeks after purchase. While turning (most often left turns), the vehicle suddenly shuts off without warning. When this occurs, the power steering assist locks, brake assist is lost, and the electrical system cuts off and then reboots. This has happened more than 5–6 times and nearly caused collisions. I had to apply extreme brake pressure to avoid hitting another vehicle during one incident. The steering becomes rigid, the dashboard goes dark, and the car restarts on its own while still in motion. Before I purchased the vehicle, a diagnostic inspection was performed and no issues were reported. Since owning the car, it has also been taken to a mechanic multiple times, and no diagnostic code or mechanical explanation for this shutdown issue has ever been identified. The defect appears intermittently and leaves no trace or error codes,...

The entire steering rack has an issue especially when driving on the highway. To make slight adjustments and wide turns it feels like you have to turn out of a notch and can’t make any smooth minor adjustments. I took it to the dealership near me and they test drove it and confirmed there was a “notch” in the steering rack and the entire steering rack had to be replaced.

My front driver side wheel completely detached from the vehicle’s body while I was driving home causing the left side of my car to collide with the street pavement and skid to a stop. The driver door airbags deployed, fluid leaked from under the vehicle and the bottom driver side of the car was damaged including the back left wheel/tire. The car had to be towed and an insurance claim was filed for review.

Steering wheel seems to get stuck with minor corrections, and then “gives way” causing a serious over correction. This is mostly noticeable at high way speeds (45+) but can be felt even when the vehicle is stopped. Vehicle is Not lane assist equipped. Appears to be a sticky Rack or Pinion gear.

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, she became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring the steering wheel to be manually returned to center after completing a turn. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 84,000.

I purchased my '16 civic in 2018. The following summer, I started to notice that the steering wheel would "stick" in straight or shallow turn positions, requiring excessive force to break free and start turning. This is especially noticeable during highway driving, when the sticking steering wheel results in minor corrections being impossible. The end result is the car is impossible to keep in the center of the lane all the time, and must continuously be corrected, over-corrected, and over-corrected again. Being unable to correctly control the car is a major safety problem, especially for older drivers that may have difficulty overcoming the force of the steering wheel "sticking." This problem has reappeared every spring. 11th generation civics have this problem and a recall/warranty for the offending components, but not the 10th generation. There are no warning lights or messages from the vehicle about this problem.

After about 30mins of driving car would start pulling to left even if the steering wheel was straight. When trying to correct it the steering wheel would feel stuck like to magnet and when it would release car would over correct to the right. Found out its a common issue among hondas 2015 and above no matter the model, took my car in to the dealer to replace the gearbox and the rack and pinion which fixed the problem. There are no warning lights or codes for this.

Sometimes when driving the steering wheel will tend to “jerk”, or appear “stuck” when trying to turn. This has started to happen recently and I have noticed it when NOT using lane “assistance” this issue has not only been seen from me, but rather by many others as seen in forms such as the following: [XXX] This issue has yet to cause a wreck for me, but this does pose a safety risk as it could prevent me from moving out of the way of cars, or worse prevent me from turning causing me to hit someone or something around my environment. I hope that this is something that can be fixed or recalled for as I am not the only one experiencing this and does genuinely pose a risk. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Driving on highway steering wheel is sticky requires extra effort to control steering has gotten worse since 2025

PURCHASED AS CERTIFIED USED HONDA. I FEEL THIS VIN SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL FOR THE SAME ISSUE IN OTHER 2016 HONDA CIVIC STEERING GEAR BAX FAILURE RECALLS AND HONDA SHOULD HAVE TO RECTIFY THE FAILURE. 1 YEAR AGO MY CAR STEERING SEEMED TO BE STICKING. I TOOK IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD MY SWAY BAR WAS LEAKING. I HAD THAT REPLACED AND THE ISSUE SEEMED TO NOT BE NOTICED. AGAIN THIS YEAR IT BECAME MUSH MORE PRONOUNCED ESPECIALLY WHEN DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE. THE STEERING SEEMS TO GET IN A GROVE AND THE STEETING WHEEL NEEDS TO BE ALMOST JERKED TO GET IT FROM VEERING IN A SPECIFIC DIRECTION. (RIGHT) IF I CONTINUALLY JIGGLE THE STEERING WHEEL IT DOES NOT HAPPEN. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND UPON DIAGNOSIS THEY DETERMINED THAT THE STEERING GEAR BOX IS FAILING. I DID RESEARCH AND SOME 2016 HONDA...

The steering wheel sticks when you try to turn it. The best example of what happens is when you're driving on a fairly straight road, you typically make small steering adustments to keep your car in it's lane. What happens is, when you try to turn the steering wheel it "sticks" and doesn't move and so you turn harder than what would be normal to turn it. So you have to turn the wheel harder to make the steering wheel move. When it finally does break free and turn, the result is that instead of turning the car a small amount left or right as you would like, it turns it more than you expect it to and then the car moves more than you expected it to which causes a dangerous situation. I've noticed this more on hotter days when going over 50 MPH but it has occurred at...

After driving for over 30 minutes, the steering becomes sticky. When I try to make minor corrections to stay in the lane, the steering gets stuck, requiring a little extra force, resulting in a slight over correction. At high speeds this slight over correction is very dangerous. This happens on all extended drives. It happens at all speeds.

Civic EX 4D bought new in 2016, Steering wheel is “sticking” seems to be a common issue on 10th gen Civic’s but is only recalled on 11th generation models. When driving straight at highway speed, steering wheel does not want to stay in the middle. Car has been aligned (twice) and has 4 new tires and it seems the issue is even MORE felt. The car does not PULL either side, it is just impossible to keep the steering wheel centered. It causes it to be extremely jerky and hard to drive long distances. Can be felt at lower speeds when turning the wheel left to right in quick succession, feels as though there is a pop in the middle/something gets caught causing the wheel to pop back.

The steering is sticky and it is hard to keep the car in the lane requiring you to over correct. I have been told it is an issue with the steering rack and needs to be replaced. This repair is very expensive. This has been an issue for several years but I did not associate it with a problem until I started doing some research. No warning lights. My car has low mileage and has been maintained. This is a known issue but a recall was only done on newer vehicles.

While driving on the freeway at approximately 70 mph, maintaing speed and direction, not changing lanes I noticed that the steering becomes "sticky". This means that as I make very slight 1 to 2 degree maneuvers to maintain a straight path the steering is almost stuck and in order to make those slight maneuvers I have to use more force than should be necessary to keep the car on a straight course. The car has been inspected by twice by my local Honda Dealership and they have been unable to find anything wrong by running diagnostics and test drive. There are no warning lamps on. This symptom has been intermittent for at least a year or more and seems to happen when driving at constant speeds.

*When driving my 2016 Honda Civic LX at any speed you can feel the steering wheel stick then gets loose. This has been happening since 2018. I thought it was an Alignment issue, so i had an alignment completed, then another alignment completed in March 2025. However that was not the issue. *This is a SAFETY issue and puts me and others on the highway at risk, this is a safety issue every time i drive, it puts everyone in danger. It hinders my steering effort and with difficulty, potentially can lead to a crash. There is excessive friction and that makes it difficult to steer. *YES the problem have been confirmed by a Honda Dealership on 7.2025. this is my 2nd notice to NHTSA. I have also called AMERICAN HONDA no response yet. *It has been inspected by the HONDA dealership service department. *NO warning at all. (documents attached)

While driving, the steering wheel occasionally starts to stick. There have been several instances where it became severely jammed while turning, making it extremely difficult to steer. On a few occasions, it nearly led to a crash because the wheel locked up. This issue has occurred multiple times and seems to be getting progressively worse.

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds during hot weather, the steering wheel felt sticky and failed to turn to the left or the right as intended. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not determined. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.

Failed power steering gearbox. Rack and Pinion. Steering wheel gets stuck at center position when driving 4k+ repair quote

While driving my 2016 Honda Civic on the freeway, I consistently experience a sticky or notchy steering wheel—especially when making small adjustments near the center position. The steering resists input slightly, then suddenly gives way, making it difficult to make smooth lane corrections. This issue is more noticeable at higher speeds and creates a safety concern, as it affects my ability to maintain proper lane control and react quickly when needed. This issue appears to be a known problem with the EPS (Electric Power Steering) system on 2016 Honda Civics, and I’ve seen reports of a Honda-issued TSB (17-014) that addresses similar symptoms via a software update. However, this issue should warrant broader attention, as it affects vehicle handling and road safety. I’m submitting this complaint to request further investigation and to urge Honda to issue a recall or mandatory repair for affected vehicles.

Steering rack is malfunctioning; I've taken my vehicle to different Honda dealerships and have paid for multiple diagnostics regarding the steering rack. The last time I took my vehicle to dealership was Wednesday July 16 2025 at 8:00 am Honda of Mishawaka, IN I told them the steering wheel was getting sticky and that it was affecting my alignment. Honda took a look and realigned my wheels, but did NOT fix the issue with my steering.

While driving my 2016 Honda Civic at highway speeds (typically 55–75 mph), especially in warm or hot weather, I experience a significant issue with the steering system. The steering wheel becomes “sticky” or stiff and resists minor directional inputs. Instead of responding smoothly, the wheel feels like it is temporarily stuck in place and then jerks when force is applied to adjust the direction. This issue makes it difficult to make small corrections while driving straight and causes the car to feel unstable or difficult to control, which results in abrupt movements that compromise safety, particularly at high speeds. The problem is more noticeable after the vehicle has been driven for a while or during warm weather, suggesting a potential link to heat or prolonged use. There are currently no warning lights or diagnostic alerts on the dashboard, but the steering issue is consistent and reproducible. The issue has been...

The steering wheels becomes stiff/sticky & notchy after driving for sometime. It is most prevalent at interstate speeds & ramps. It causes me to have to constantly overcorrect to stay in my line & often doesn't return to center. This is a serious safety concern which has been addressed in Class action lawsuit for 22-23 models of the Civic, but it has yet to be recalled or fixed for later models with the same issue.

The steering sticks when driving straight and needs additional force to correct causing an over correction. Vehicle can be difficult to keep in its lane.

The problem is with the steering. When driving in a straight line and just normal driving, correcting from left to right to keep the vehicle in the lane, when moving the steering wheel, it seems to be sticking, and it causes one to overcorrect, and then causes the car to sway in the lane, and it seems to do it more turning to the right then to the left. I’m taking to have it inspected by a Honda dealer but after reading some reviews online, it could be a $4000 repair and apparently it is something that has been going on for a while, and a manufactured defect with these vehicles, and there is no recall about it , and there are several videos on YouTube showing The inside of the gearbox of the steering rack and pinion, and that the grease was not applied to the gears correctly, and...

The steering has been sticking for quite some time in the "straight" or center position. One must provide excessive force to the steering wheel to get the car to alter direction left or right. The steering wheel will resists normal minor corrections to follow the road. The steering wheel requires excessive force to "break loose" of the center position which results in overcorrection to the left or right. Picture a car veering left and right over and over while traveling straight as no road is completely straight and requires minor steering corrections to maintain a straight path. Almost ran off the road due to the force required to correct the car's path. This is an extremely majot safety issue that Honda MUST address. The car has far too few miles to have this major problem. I have NEVER had a car in the past that was so dangerous to myself...

Our steering has started to be “sticky” and needing over correction for over a year now. It is progressively getting more prominent and is worse when driving on the highway (causing swerving). There is currently a recall for Hondas with this problem, but only from 2022-2025. Mine is a 2016 Honda civic and many others have the same problem with older models and needing to pay $4000+ to get it replaced.

When driving straight, the wheel gets stuck and requires some force to become unstuck which then causes the wheel to jerk in the direction you are turning. This results in over steering and is very dangerous. I have found many complaints about this online after looking for solutions.

I’m having a problem with my steering lately. It’s like it’s sticky and jerky feeling when driving, causing me to have to overcorrect left or right when making slight adjustments to center.This happens on long drives on the highway. Over correction on a 2 or 3 lane highway is not safe.

Steering sticking while driving. Took it to the Honda dealer and was told that power steering failure is common on Civics. Cost around 4K.

The steering wheel gets stuck in the center position. Cannot make minor steering changes with over correcting. You have to steer left/right back and forth so that the steering wheel does not get stuck. High temperatures make the condition far worse. The steering gets stuck in center position and requires additional force to break free which causes the car to veer too far left or too far right back and forth. Very dangerous.

I purchased my 2016 Honda Civic in 2018. Not too long afterward, I noticed the steering would occasionally stick in place when trying to turn it causing overcorrections in driving. Over time, the occurrences have dramatically increased, especially on the highway (dangerous). I have brought the vehicle to a Honda dealership regarding this issue. They test drove it and did not find the wheel to stick (I brought it in (California) Wintertime, but the issue primarily occurs in warmer temperatures).Since Honda issued a recall for this exact problem on its 2022-2025 models, I have contacted the Honda manufacturer regarding this issue, but there is no open recall for my VIN. I find I’m in good company with other 2016 Civic owners, from the number of identical complaints on various automotive forums regarding this same complaint for their Honda civics. I’ve also noticed that “steering” has the large number of reported...

I have had to replace my steering rack twice in eight months. The first replacement my tie rod had to be replaced twice as well. I see other Honda models have had this similar problem I think it’s time to include my model as well. This is a very expensive problem once is enough but now twice is absurd.

Steering feels like it’s getting stuck when driving straight on the highway. The wheel almost fights you when you try to make a course correction. Vehicle feels unsafe to drive since you are constantly trying to keep the car straight

When driving on a straight road then having to slightly change course due to perhaps a slight bend in the road the steering wheel feels like it is sticking and takes a bit of force to straighten the wheel. I have had numerous alignments done per maintenance recommendations. It seems to happen more often when it is warm outside. There are no warning lights present. Im afraid that the steering wheel will become actually stuck while driving.

When driving at highway speeds the steering is sticky or notches feeling to leave center or return center. Less noticeable at lower speeds.

I am experiencing an issue where the steering wheel seems sticky and I have noticed from a google search that it affects vehicles designated from 2016-2022 Honda civics although my specific vin doesn’t show as one being affected. It sounds like it most definitely should be. It’s only noticeable at speeds greater than 45 since you use very small amounts of steering wheel turn to make adjustments. How do I get my specific VIN included in this recall since it seems like it most definitely should be?

The steering wheel starts to get sticky on freeway after roughly AFTER 45 mins drive, that gives me harder to follow the lane or make a lane change either to the left or right side. My wife experiences that issue for years, she had not brought that into my attention until two weeks ago we took our 2016 Honda Civic for trip to California and I was a driver. I have heard lots of complaints related Power Steering Rack issues on Honda lately. Please consider this is a serious problem.

I have a 2016 Civic LX, and the steering is sticking when on center when the vehicle has been driving for a while/is warmed up. I have read multiple instances and reports of this issue and the EPS/rack being the culprit even when this car was released 10 years ago. There was never a bulletin or a recall for this model year but it is the same issue for the 2022-2025 model years, and it is frustrating that it is still occurring. It requires more pressure than needed to move the wheel and then it jerks as it comes loose causing need to over correction. This is very unsettling when traveling at highway speeds. I purchased the vehicle in late September of 2024, and I believe the vehicle was doing it then but i did not recognize the issue and it wasn't consistent, especially as temps were cold. The issue...

The steering wheel "sticks." When driving in a straight line or a wide turn angle (like a freeway exit), attempting to make small adjustments to maintain direction results in a jerking motion. The steering wheel feels stuck until it suddenly overcorrects. I have attempted to manage this better by keeping a very firm grip on the steering wheel in order to personally "control" the issue, but it is not effective. It is extremely stressful driving longer distances and on narrow roads. I have difficulty staying in my line and was even pulled over by a state trooper as they thought I was driving under the influence. Quick research on the Internet indicates many 10th Generation Civic owners experience the same issue, and that this may be due to faulty rack and pinion.

I would like to request a SAFETY INVESTIGATION on my 2016 Honda Civic - My steering wheel is sticking as I drive. I thought it needed an alignment and have taken it to get an alignment twice (7/29/2021 and 3/4/2025). However, it is still sticking to the point I am scared to drive it as it seems I may lose control of the steering wheel trying to keep it in the road. This is a serious safety issue / hazard for me and other people on the highways. I called the Honda dealership to tell them of my issue, they said it was a SAFETY RECALL and to take it to the nearest Dealership, however upon googling the SAFETY RECALL it stated that there were recalls on this very same issue for the 2021 - 2024 models, it is occurring on models year much earlier than that, as my vehicle...

I have noticed my Honda civic 2016 steering wheel gets stickier while its on highway.

Steering sticks at highway speeds, hard to maintain center of lane. Waiting to get pulled over for suspected drunk driving, which never am. Wife won't drive the car because of this issue. Honda has issued recall for this issue but only 2022-2024 and needs to be at least to 2016 models. Due to price of the electric rack and pinions for civic, unable to purchase one to install myself.

In warmer weather while driving at highway speeds the steering wheel sticks in place. It takes about 4 lbs of pressure to “break the wheel free” from this stuck position. It makes it extremely difficult to make minor steering adjustments while traveling. Many others have experienced this same problem. Recently the newer model or generation of Hondas have been issued a recall while the previous or “10th generation” have not. I believe this to be a significant hazard on our roads in America. Why the newer models get the recall and the older do not I do not understand. Here is a link with others with the same issue. With little research you will find many other forums and YouTube videos address the same discrepancy. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

When driving straight on the freeway small corrections to keep the car straight are resisted when I add force to the wheel. With increasing force the drag is overcome and the wheel will snap to a new position which may be too far the other way. This makes the steering kind of digital instead of analog. I have noticed the issue periodically over the last couple of years and had the alignment done 2X, first by an independant mechanic and then by the Honda dealer. I thought the issue was alignment. Being the problem is not always noticeable it took a while for me to realize this is totally not normal for this or any car. I fully realize that now after testing it out on my last drive.