This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
I began to experience 'sticky steering' before reaching 90k miles on my vehicle. At its worst, the steering issue would cause the driver to overcorrect when attempting to overcome the notch in the steering while simply trying to stay in the center of a lane on the interstate. Because it is a steering issue I had the vehicle inspected at a cost of $236.34, at which time it was recommended that the eps rack and gearbox be replaced at a cost of over $3000 dollars. I declined at that time and went back to my home dealership where the repair was done at a cost of $2055. The rack and gearbox were faulty and the service manager affirmed that it was a known issue on these models, but that Honda had yet to do a recall even though they have done recalls on later models.
Beginning in April 2024, I noticed that my steering wheel would catch slightly when I was driving straight ahead, so that I needed to overcorrect left and right, with resistance in the steering wheel (like it was moving between two notches). This would happen whenever I drove my car straight ahead. I took my car to the local dealer and, after the first visit where they said I should get four new tires in case stretched bands in my tires were causing the steering problem, on a second visit they diagnosed an internal rack problem and advised a steering rack replacement. The car mileage was slightly under 33,000 miles at this time. I reached out to American Honda about the problem, and after they reviewed my case, they provided some goodwill toward the steering rack replacement, they said in part because I've routinely taken my car to the local dealership for service. The steering rack was replaced in September 2024.
Experiencing the same sticky steering issue that a number of other customers have also reported. After driving the vehicle on the highway for 15+ minutes you will start to feel the steeling wheel stick at the center position when turning the wheel from the center position to the right. Have not had the vehicle inspected yet. No lights or sensors indicate any issue.
At highway speeds or after driving longer distances there is an increased amount of effort needed to turn the steering wheel. When making slight adjustments the steering wheel -??sticks-?? and then overcorrects sometimes causing my car to shift into the other lane. I have had several others drive my car and notice the same issue.
While driving the steering wheel becomes sticky. It is difficult to turn and requires varying levels of force, reducing accuracy and resulting in jerky movements, difficulty staying in the lines, and increasing risk of crash. No warning lights or errors are coming up for this issue. No other symptoms. Issue has been going on for about a year. If necessary I can get supporting documentation from a mechanic for this issue. No inspection from insurance or police.
- Jay, ME, USA
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When driving at highway speeds (generally around 50 to 80 mph), the steering wheel has a "sticky" feeling when trying to maintain a straight line. Making minor adjustments with the steering wheel requires excessive force to correct minor lane adjustments. This, in turn, creates a very unpleasant and unsafe driving condition as it feels like you are constantly fighting the steering wheel, just to maintain the center of your lane. Driving long periods like this also causes the driver to some what "fight" against the issue causing fatigue in the drivers hands, wrists, and arms. The larger concern is if this issue continues, or gets worse, this could easily lead to an increased risk of loss of control of the vehicle and/or crash. This seems related to a similar recall just issued by Honda for 1.7 million vehicles (including Civics) for 2022 - 2025 models by NHTSA.
Anytime I drive on the highway, the steering wheel begins to stick, causing me to need more force to correct, which causes overcorrection. I then have to correct the overcorrection which causes an overcorrection in the other direction because the steering wheel does not move smoothly. It's extremely frustrating and almost every time someone is following me, they call to ask if I'm all right due to the swerving. This can be a serious safety issue because of constant swerving due to how difficult it is to correct the car in the lane without overcorrecting, starting an overcorrection snowball. It also doesn't stop until the car is shut off and turned back on, in which case it starts up again once getting over 45mph.
Steering becomes noticeably "sticky" at highway speeds (50+). Steering wheel "sticks/freezes" near the center point and it takes some force to turn/unstick it... then I am forced to over/re-correct the opposite direction making the car swerve right/left or vice versa. On a slick road this could cause a complete loss of control... luckily I don't drive at highway speed on a daily basis. Car mileage is currently 57,860. This has been happening for at least a year, and I just finally remembered to Google it last night and discovered that this is a known issue with Civics.
I started having steering issues from the steering wheel being stiff and having to fight against it to keep the car in the lane of traffic. I took the car into the dealership, and the service writer stated he knew exactly what was wrong. He stated it could have gotten dangerous and could lead to a crash. I was charged $4500 for an electric power steering rack. After seeing the recent recalls and other same sounding issues, I am thinking the recall for the newer models, is potentially what was wrong with my 2016 Civic. I only had 33K miles on it. I had this repaired exactly 1 year ago. I feel that this recall should go back to cover the older models like mine. Seeing the other complaints from other people, it sounds like they should be covered.
Feels like steering wheel gets stuck when going highway speeds, takes more effort than usual to turn/ unlock to change lanes. Happens every time i drive 60+mph
A notchy feel when you get at about 40 mph or greater. Steering kind of gives a hesitation or resistance when trying to give minor corrections to the left or right. Very noticeable on at high way speeds when trying to stay within a lane along a straight away. You have to force the steering wheel to turn and by the time it "releases" you have to over correct to not go into the next lane accidentally. Very unsafe feeling
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the steering wheel malfunctioned and failed to immediately respond while turning the in either direction while attempting to switch lanes. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who performed a steering module software update, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 65,000.
The steering sticks and causes me to overcorrect to stay in my lane. I see that later models of Honda have been recalled for the same issues as my car has been having for some time now. I feel it is dangerous.
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel became difficult to turn in either direction. The contact indicated that the failure was intermittent. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 40,000.
For a while now (months), we have noticed our 2016 Honda Civic has had a "sticky" (a click or jerk) feeling when handling the steering wheel, particularly while driving on the freeway, holding long turns, or when even reversing (from an angle) into a parking stall (for the parking, a click/pop is audibly heard). Basically, the steering wheel will suddenly shift/jerk slightly left/right, which causes you to no longer be steering in the exact line you were on. Driver has to then correct by making an opposing shift in the opposite direction to return to the exact line that was being driven. It is a bit of a nuisance, and produces anxiety on the driver's part, leaving one wondering if/when the shift/jerk will cause even larger of an issue, potentially posing risk of harm to the vehicle's and neighboring vehicles' riders via a collision. Our Honda service technician recently confirmed, after our recent big maintenance service, that this issue is present and has something to do with some steering mechanism (I don't recall the correct term of the equipment/device), and that an estimated repair cost would be $3,000-$4,000. For now, we have been advised to monitor, and that basically it is up to us to decide if/when we would like to spend $3,000-$4,000 to have this repaired at our own expense. We are not aware of how this issue arose (what the exact cause is), but is potentially due manufacturing. There are no dashboard warning lights that illuminate during the shifting/jerking of the steering. We just feel it, moreso if you are the one driving. This issue is experienced daily. Our primary concern is prevention of a collision. We do not want it to get to the point of having had a collision/emergency, then reactively reporting the issue to NHTSA. And we do not have funds to purchase a new vehicle. Can we possibly have more confidence in this vehicle being able to transport our family safely without fear of steering issues? Thank you for your support.
While driving the steering wheel is sticking and have to jerk the steering wheel to prevent going into another lane. Contact Honda dealer ships and Honda corporate office and asked if there was a recall for this, they said not on my particular vehicle, but some of the Honda civics. There is no warnings, it just happens periodically.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Manchester, TN, USA