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.
The electric power steering rack assembly is malfunctioning. The steering wheel becomes stuck while driving and high force is required to free the steering wheel to enable turning. This can repeat rapidly and can be very clearly heard with an audible knocking noise. This issue is most evident when driving on the highway and driving straight. Making small adjustments to stay within the driving lines is incredibly difficult, exhausting, and leads to unintended oversteering and swerving. This puts the driver and others at risk of death and/or injury. This issue occurs every time the vehicle is operated. This issue has been confirmed by a Honda dealership and there are no warning lamps to notify the user of this issue. This safety issue affects 10th generation Honda Civics and is widely known to owners of these vehicles. Honda recommends replacing the electric power steering rack assembly. Action is needed to ensure a recall of these vehicles and a safe solution is implemented. Failure to do so will likely result in more accidents, injury, and death associated with this safety issue.
There is an issue with the steering in my 2018 Honda Civic. The vehicle is available to be inspected as long as it won-??t cost me anything. My steering wheel sticks after driving and the engine has a change to get warm. It seems to stick slight off center and I cannot drive straight or make the minute adjustments needed to maintain my lane. Once I go over 25 mph and the sticking begins I have to constantly over compensate to stay in my lane. This issue has made it nearly impossible to stay in my lane while driving, could cause a crash this putting myself, my child, and anyone on the road in danger. I have not been able to bring my car to a dealership to replicate the issue or to evaluate it because I can-??t afford the cost of that. The car has not been inspected by any third party. There are no warning lights or messages.
At higher speeds, the steering wheel sticks when trying to maintain in a lane. You have to apply a little extra pressure to get the steering wheel to unstick and this causes the vehicle to swerve.
At highway speeds the steering sticks or hangs up. This car has an early version of electronically assisted steering and research shows Honda has recalled some models for this issue... but not my VIN. That doesn't make sense. Honda tells me that recalls are based on manufacturing facility which doesn't make sense on a safety issue. So, when driving at highway speeds, the steering will stick, pulling to the left. I have to pull it back to the right to correct this. The result is that I am basically weaving down the road, appearing not to be able to hold my line. It is certainly a safety issue to the point that I won't let others drive the vehicle. I don't understand why Honda has repaired this issue on some vehicles but not all. I want there to be a record of this in case of the worst case scenario. The car has about 72,000 miles now and the problem started at about 55,000 miles. I have contacted Honda several times to no avail. They say there is no recourse through Honda.
Steering is sticky or notchy, usually happens above 30mph, but varies, is not consistent. Happens in the middle of a curve and causes overcorrection. Has occured many times.
- Eden Prairie , MN, USA
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After approximately 15 minutes of driving the steering becomes sticky. At highway speeds the steering does not self center. The slightest left/right movement will cause the vehicle to continue in that direction until driver input to counter the motion. Steering rack is making clicking/groaning noise when the steering wheel is turned more than 45 degrees either direction when the vehicle is sitting still. This has been an ongoing problem since approximately 2022.
When driving highway speeds (50-70 MPH) the steering wheel feels "notched" between 11 and 1 positions. This will cause me to oversteer in making minor adjustments. The problem is more consistent in daytime traffic with the temperatures at the hottest. In morning commutes, the issue arises about 15 minutes into the commute. Looking at online forums there have been many instances of other drivers experiencing the same problem however most could not have the issue resolved due to licensed dealers not fixing the faulty device but instead saying this is a compliant design.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request" Electronic Power Steering. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? You are not able to comfortably drive in a straight line with this component not working. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear" No Warning
The problem I have is with the Electronic Power Steering (EPS) rack on my 2018 Honda Civic Si. My safety is at risk because the EPS rack causes the steering wheel to stick at the 12-o clock position while driving in ambient temperatures above 60F. The vehicle is difficult to keep driving straight, and the sticking causes me to have to jerk the wheel from side to side to overcome the sticky spot. This is a common issue on 10th and 11th Gen Hondas and Acuras. My vehicle has not been inspected yet by Honda as they would charge me to diagnose the issue, or simply deny any problem exists. I am a shadetree/at-home mechanic who has determined this issue from my own research and mechanical knowledge. The symptoms first appeared 1 year ago during the summer after I bought the car.
Steering feels rough. When traveling down highway, resistance is felt when trying to make steering adjustments right or left. The pressure required to make adjustments causes the car to weave, as each adjustment right or left requires pressure to overcome resistance. I also have had steering bump against my input going around a corner. This is a dangerous defect and is well documented. Honda should recall these defective electronic steering units.
When merging over left to right my steering wheel seems to stick like a magnet is pulling it. I've taken it to 2 different shops and they say that "it's the electronic rack and pinion. Nothing to be fixed as this is normal." What I see here is a safety issue because when the steering wheel releases from the "magnet" it makes me feel like over correcting my turn because it pulls hard to whichever direction it's being pulled.
While the wheel is centered and moving, primarily at highway speeds, the steering feels sticky in the sense where making slight corrections to the left or right causes over correction. While centered the wheel has a -??hump-?? to overcome before steering input is registered at the wheels.
Over the past few months, I have noticed the steering wheel "sticking" while driving. It occurs most frequently on trips longer than 30 minutes or on trips at highway speeds (55+ mph) for any amount of time. The steering sticks at the 12 position and requires extra force to move it to the 11 or 1 positions. This makes it difficult to make micro-adjustments when driving straight or on slightly curved roads without wrenching the steering wheel in a way that causes the car to swerve or move further than expected/needed. The problem has been reproduced by the dealership McGovern Honda in Boston. The dealership expects the problem to become worse. The manufacturer has not inspected the vehicle or component, nor have the police or insurance agents. There were and are no warning messages or errors. The problem first became noticeable in February/March 2024.
Beginning about early February 2024, the steering of this vehicle became "sticky" at certain speeds. More specifically, above about 40 MPH the steering wheel will almost lock into place and resistance is felt when the driver attempts to turn the steering wheel in a different direction. Yes, I consent to an inspection by Honda or NHTSA representatives upon request. The described condition 1) can cause the driver to concentrate on the condition, and 2) can cause the driver to over-compensate when they turn the wheel from the sticky/stuck wheel position while driving. Yes, the condition was described to a local Honda dealer on February 11, 2024 (I have a copy of their report - which I have uploaded with this writing). While their diagnosis isn't shown on that report, the dealer verbally advised this writer that the problem I described was identified and the dealer provided me an estimate to replace a steering mechanism for a price of about $2,970. The dealer advised there was no recall on this vehicle for this problem. I later called Honda and was told the same thing. No, there were no warning lights or vehicle messages, or notifications from Honda, about this condition. As noted previously, the condition appeared about early February 2024.
Car has rough steering inputs when making small corrections in a left only turn when traveling over 45 mph. The initial input to the left is smooth however when adjusting the wheel to the right to make a correction the wheel will get stuck and then have a jerk or rough correction which can cause large unwanted correction, especially at higher speeds. This issue is most likely the EPS failing in some way.
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the steering wheel was twitching and jerking while turning in either direction. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the steering rack and pinion was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified to the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V663000 (Steering). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.
The steering gearbox needs to be replaced. Saftey risk to the driver and others is present when adjusting steering wheel from center position - to be more specific, the "sticky" steering wheel is causing overcompensation when trying to make slight adjustment from dead center position while driving straight. Documentation from the vehicle's dealership shows a general diagnosis as steering gearbox. The repair estimate shows the replacement cost at $8916.45. Currently, the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. There are no warning lamps or messages to indicate the gearbox, only physical symptoms are present while driving. At this time, the car's dealership is the only party to have inspected or investigate the issue.
I filled complaint few days ago and want to update findings. I brought car to Honda dealership due to sticking steering wheel. They right away were aware of the problem and asked the service manager to come speak to me. He said he would take the car for a quick drive around parking lot to verify problem. Upon return he said the steering rack was definitely the problem and had to be replaced. I asked how he was so sure of this, was this a common problem? He said yes, it-??s a growing issue and had already replaced 5-6 in the last month on the year Civics and CRVs. They worked up a quote for replacing the rack. $6,971.60! The car only has 57,291 miles on it, it is out of warranty by 13 months. He said if had only been 6 months out of warranty he could have covered it. He said it was out of his hands. Cost of this repair is 30% of the cars value! I asked if the car was safe to drive as this is my daughter-??s car. He said in his opinion it was, and he didn-??t think it would get worse. My daughter said problem gets worse after about 40 minutes of driving, so I just took it on a long drive. Not only does it get worse but it-??s almost uncontrollable. I gave her my car to drive until we figure out what to do. We certainly do not have the money to repair this as I-??m sure 1,000-??s of other owners who have the same problem. This is going to start causing accidents on our roadways. This is a very serious issue that Honda is very aware of.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Durham, NC, USA