The Lemon Index

All cars · Honda Civic · 2016

2016 Honda Civic. Advanced data.

The raw numbers: engines, recall campaign numbers, failure mileage and manufacturer communications.

Lemon Index106100 = average car
Complaints389NHTSA, first 3 years
Sold366,927U.S. model year
Per 100K sold106complaints
Year rank#19 of 23#1 = fewest complaints

Engines and drivetrains 3

EngineTransmissionDriveCity / hwy / combinedFuelFuel cost/yr
1.5L 4-cyl turboAuto (variable gear ratios)FWD31 / 42 / 35Regular$1,800
2.0L 4-cylAuto (variable gear ratios)FWD30 / 40 / 34Regular$1,850
2.0L 4-cylManual 6-spdFWD27 / 38 / 31Regular$2,000

EPA test versions for this model year. Fuel cost is the EPA's current estimate, not the price in that year.

Failure mileage by system

Half of owners who gave a mileage reported the problem between 7,500 and 48,700 miles. Median 30,000, from 495 complaints with a mileage.

SystemMedianMiddle halfComplaints
Steering39,00023,000–52,500139
Electrical26,6006,100–44,60064
Engine26,8006,000–48,90057
Brakes22,9005,800–44,20066
Body structure12,9003,500–35,00023

Mileage owners typed into their NHTSA complaint, all complaints for this model year. People report some problems late, so read it as a range.

Complaints by system

SystemShare of complaints
Electrical18%
Brakes17%
Steering16%
Engine12%
Wipers & visibility8%

One complaint can name more than one system, so shares can add to more than 100%.

Severity, all complaints

TotalCrashesFiresInjuriesDeathsTows
1,08336413028

As reported by owners to NHTSA. Not verified.

Recall campaigns 5

  • 26V332000 May 2026 Air Bags / Sensor / Occupant Classification / Front Passenger

    Defect. Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. 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.

    Remedy. 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) involve

  • 23V858000 Dec 2023 Fuel System, Gasoline / Delivery / Fuel Pump

    Defect. Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

    Risk. Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy. 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.

  • 16V725000 Oct 2016 Parking Brake

    Defect. 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 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.

    Remedy. 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.

  • 16V526000 Jul 2016 Exterior Lighting

    Defect. American Honda Motor Co. (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2016 Civic 2-Door vehicles manufactured February 23, 2016, through May 20, 2016. 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.

    Remedy. 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.

  • 16V074000 Feb 2016 Engine And Engine Cooling / Engine

    Defect. Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2016 Civic vehicles manufactured September 22, 2015, to February 3, 2016 and equipped with 2.0L 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.

    Remedy. 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. H

Manufacturer communications 327

Honda filed 327 service communications for this car with NHTSA.

  • Dealer message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc
  • Techline summary article - were getting reports of the brake indicator blinking after turning…
  • Dealer message - is the high mount brake light detached from the rear window?

Crash ratings by version

VersionOverallFrontSideRollover
Honda Civic 2 DR FWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★★
Honda Civic 4 DR FWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Safety equipment

Electronic stabilityForward collision warningLane departure warning
StandardOptionalOptional

YouTube repair topics

97 videos about the 2016–2021 Honda Civic, 36.0M views.

TopicVideosViews
Heat, A/C & blend door4992K
Transmission & shifter3840K
Infotainment, battery & electrical3709K
Brakes & ABS2437K
Oil changes & service2377K
No-start: theft light, key & ignition1331K
Steering & suspension2251K
Timing chain & engine1191K

Nearby model years

YearLemon IndexComplaintsSoldTop system
201331125336,180Steering
201433119325,981Transmission & drivetrain
201532106335,384Airbags
2016106389366,927Electrical
201751204377,266Electrical
201846159325,760Engine
201935115325,650Automatic emergency braking

Sources: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications; EPA fuel economy data; YouTube video titles. Complaints are owner reports, not proof of a defect.

Updated

Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com). Get the data