RoadVitals

2016 Honda Civic Powertrain (other) Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the powertrain system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Powertrain (other) reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
35
Latest Jun 23, 2026
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
3%
of 1,071 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
3
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
2

What this page shows

Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2016 Honda Civic submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 35 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming powertrain

The 25 most recent of 35, in the owner's own words

ElectricalFuel systemPowertrain (other)
Filed Jun 23, 2026

Honda civic is stalling while driving due to faulty fuel pump or fuel delivery component. Computer not coordinating correct power.

NHTSA ID
11746051
Incident
Apr 1, 2026
EnginePowertrain (other)
Filed May 7, 2026

2016 Honda Civic EX-T 1.5L turbo. Coolant is disappearing with no visible external leak. Diagnosed by mechanic as likely head gasket failure. This is a known defect affecting 2016-2022 Civics with the 1.5T engine. There is an active class action lawsuit (Alcantara et al. v. American Honda Motor Co.) regarding this exact issue. Vehicle has approximately 190,000 miles.”

NHTSA ID
11736313
Incident
May 6, 2026
Powertrain (other)
Filed Sep 12, 2025

The CVT transmission causes the car to stall when gaining acceleration past 20 mph-40 mph from a complete stop and when slowing down and then trying to gain rpm with flow of traffic whether on streets or highways. This can cause a safety concern for the driver if the car stalls out in the middle of oncoming traffic in the streets or highways that could potentially lead to death of owner and others. The car was taken to the dealership and no warning lamps were on. The tech had mentioned that they see this problem a lot with this model containing the CVT transmissions.

NHTSA ID
11686790
Incident
Aug 29, 2025
Powertrain (other)
Filed Jul 16, 2025

Upon a quick right turn into traffic, the right front drive axle shaft snapped in two, leaving the vehicle without propulsion.

NHTSA ID
11673913
Incident
Jul 2, 2025
Powertrain (other)
Filed Dec 16, 2024

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated upon taking the vehicle to the dealer for service, the contact was informed that both CV axles were fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired at the contact's expense. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under an unknown recall. The failure mileage was approximately 99,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ID
11631067
Incident
Dec 15, 2024
Mileage
99,000 mi
EnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Nov 11, 2024

Over a several month period the car was losing radiator fluid. I figured it was probably a stuck thermostat and the fluid was coming from the overflow. But only once did I see a minimal amount of fluid. Not near the amount that had been lost in the cooling system. Fast forward a few months and I am driving home. Top speed starts out at the speed limit of 70 and slowly slips to 65 then 60. Giving it more gas would increase the rpms but no power or forward thrust was making to the tires. It was as if, it was falling into neutral. The next morning drive to work was much worse. starting with a top speed of 65 within 10 miles on the highway the top speed went to 55 then to 45 then 35. When the top speed was 45 mph I took the first exit and made it through a stop sign on the service road. With a crawling speed of 10 mph it limped into a strip-center parking lot. Once it was stopped, pushing the gas pedal would increase rpms but no forward movement. So, I assumed a new transmission (CTV) was in my future and had it towed to a local dependable, honest, five-star reviewed auto shop. They found it misfiring and upon investigation find radiator fluid in the oil. So, they tell me the engine died and they could not even check the transmission. In the end, a used engine with 40K miles was put in it, a newer used transmission, and a new turbo (it was bad too). $14,000 + dollars is what the shop charged in June of 24 and Dec of 23. I tried to no avail to have the turbo covered under a lifetime warranty of an autobody shop that had replaced it following a road hazard claim that damaged it.

NHTSA ID
11624575
Incident
Nov 1, 2023
EnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Aug 23, 2024

The air conditioner does not blow cold air. The heating and fan work just fine, but no cool air. I was told by Honda that if it’s not because of the recall, that I would have to pay, and that just wasn’t feasible at the time.

NHTSA ID
11610544
Incident
Jun 14, 2022
Powertrain (other)
Filed Jun 17, 2024

- HONDA CVT TRANSMISSION: 4356 - Went out. Is available for inspection within the week. - My daughter was driving on the freeway in the fast lane when vehicle started making loud hum noise then, came to a stop. She had to coast to the side of the road, where she was almost hit by multiple vehicles. - Yes Vehicle has been inspected by a independent service center - towed by USAA insurance. - Has been inspected by other: Davis Auto Clinic, Davis, CA 95616 - No warning lights came on, or symptoms of the problem. Only hum noise which began 5 minutes before car stalled in middle of freeway. First appeared at time of stall, no warning at all.

NHTSA ID
11594965
Incident
Jun 14, 2024
EnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Jun 4, 2024

Turbo charger malfunctioned went out

NHTSA ID
11592443
Incident
May 30, 2024
Powertrain (other)
Filed Mar 7, 2024

Transmission shifted out of gear into neutral driving down the highway with no available gear options no warning lights nothing.

NHTSA ID
11576018
Incident
Feb 5, 2024
Powertrain (other)
Filed Aug 9, 2023

My Honda Civic with manual transmission, suddenly would not go into gear and lost power (engine still running). Fortunately, I was able to coast to the opposite side of the road across oncoming traffic, since there was no right shoulder. After a tow home, I discovered that the manual clutch slave cylinder was detached from the engine block (photo attached) and of the 2 connecting bolts (photo attached), one was sheared and the other was intact but unconnected. The last service to the vehicle was with Manly Honda service in Santa Rosa, CA replacing the AC condenser and compressor. I called them to see if they had not secured the 2 bolts after completing the AC service. The service manager said that they would not have removed this clutch slave cylinder in the AC service. I advised the service manager that if the clutch cylinder had not been removed by them, then it could be a safety hazard issue that should be reported to Honda Motors. After some online research, I have discovered that this problem has been experiened by other Honda Civic owners.

NHTSA ID
11537446
Incident
Jul 24, 2023
Powertrain (other)Steering
Filed Mar 16, 2023

Steering system console. Remove and replace rack and pinion assembly

NHTSA ID
11512197
Incident
Mar 16, 2023
EnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Nov 9, 2022

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that on numerous occasions while the vehicle was idling or driving at various speeds, she depressed the accelerator pedal however, the RPM’s increased and the engine revved; however, there was an extended delay before the vehicle responded. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure, and an appointment was scheduled. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.

NHTSA ID
11492957
Incident
Nov 8, 2022
Mileage
108,000 mi
Powertrain (other)
Filed Oct 20, 2022

TRANSMISSION FAILED

NHTSA ID
11490088
Incident
Oct 18, 2022
Powertrain (other)Steering
Filed Sep 17, 2022

Steering wheel has some extra resistance (sticking, stiff and jerky) when making small corrections at any speeds, resulting in extra pressure being applied to break the resistance, resulting in sharp (hard) correction changes.

NHTSA ID
11485003
Incident
Sep 17, 2022
Powertrain (other)
Filed Dec 23, 2021

I experienced a total catastrophic failure of the transmission with less than 55000 miles and only 5 years and 1 month old. The transmission needed to be replaced.

NHTSA ID
11444838
Incident
Nov 17, 2021
Powertrain (other)
Filed Aug 16, 2021

When driving for over 15-20 minutes started to noticed my steering begin to become stiff then would being to stick. Found the longer I drove the stiffer it would become, as well if I was going over 55 mpg it would stick more and more. Took it to the Dealership had no error codes and they couldn't find anything. Have taken back to the Dealership after having a private mechanic look at it as well as doing some research and other people having the same issue and they have confirmed the issue being with the Power Steering Assembly(Part # 53650-TVC-A21). This issue is sporadic and gradually gets worse.

NHTSA ID
11429359
Incident
Aug 16, 2021
Powertrain (other)
Filed Jul 6, 2021

The contact's son owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while her son was driving 60 mph, the accelerator pedal was depressed however, the vehicle temporarily stalled. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred whenever the gear shifter was shifted to DRIVE. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with the transmission needing to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 62,000.

NHTSA ID
11423669
Incident
Jul 1, 2021
Mileage
62,000 mi
Powertrain (other)
Filed May 10, 2021

WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR 7 MONTHS AGO FROM ELITE MOTORS IN SACRAMENTO I ALSO NOUGHT A WARRANTY FOR POWER TRAIN. IMMEDIATELY THE A/C WAS BLOWING HOT AIR. THEY FIXED IT. NOW IT'S BLOWING HOT AIR AGAIN. I WENT TO A SHOP TO FILL FREON THEY SAID THERE IS STILL PRESSURE IN IT AND TGAT THEY NEED A DIAGNOSIS FIRST BECAUSE IT COULD BE A CONDENSER. I DO NOT HAVE $260 TO DIAGNOSE THIS CAR. CAN HONDA BE FORCED TO REPAIR THIS?

NHTSA ID
11416006
Incident
May 10, 2021
Mileage
90,000 mi
Powertrain (other)
Filed Sep 26, 2020

MY 2016 HONDA CIVIC EXL A/C SYSTEM NO LONGER WORKING. FOR THE YEAR OF THE VEHICLE I WOULD THINK THE A/C SYSTEM WOULD NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEMS YET. I GOT A NOTICE IN THE MAIL THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE CONDENSER SYSTEM DUE TO LEAKS, SO I TOOK IT IN THINKING THIS WAS GOING TO BE THE ISSUE. I FIND OUT I'M OUT $100 FOR THE INSPECTION EVEN THOUGH IT WASN'T THE CONDENSER AND THAT THE ISSUE IS INSTEAD THE COMPRESSOR THAT IS LEAKING! THESE PARTS ARE SO CLOSELY RELATED THAT HONDA SHOULD BE DOING A COMPLETE RECALL ON THE WHOLE AC SYSTEM! I LOOKED ONLINE FOR OTHERS TO SEE IF THEY WERE EXPERIENCING SIMILAR PROBLEMS AND OF COURSE THEY ARE! WHAT A SURPRISE, IT SEEMS AS IF HONDA IS ALSO AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT ARE DOING NOTHING TO RESOLVE OR FIX THEIR FAULTY AC SYSTEMS. THERE COMPRESSORS ARE ON BACK ORDER 3-4 WEEKS OUT. I BELIEVE HONDA SHOULD RECALL THEIR COMPLETE HONDA CIVIC'S 16-18 FOR FAULTY AC SYSTEMS!

NHTSA ID
11361307
Incident
Sep 15, 2020
Fuel systemPowertrain (other)
Filed Sep 17, 2020

FIRST, THE NEW "NO FUEL CAP" FUEL PUMP SUCKS.. IT ALWAYS GET STUCKED WHEN I'M PUMPING GAS AT ANY GAS STATION. OIL WILL SPILL OUT. BTW (THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM) SECOND, AC PARTS! YES, I KNOW THAT HONDA HAD A LAWSUIT FOR THEIR AC AND DID A RECALL ON THEIR AC CONDENSER. THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER PARTS THAT HAVE DESIGN ERRORS BUT HONDA REFUSED TO ACKNOWLDEGGED THEIR MISTAKES. FOR EXAMPLE, AC EVAPORTATOR? AC COMPRESSOR? PLEASE HELP ALL THE HONDA CIVIC BUYERS! THIS IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!

NHTSA ID
11355667
Incident
Sep 1, 2020
Mileage
46,000 mi
Powertrain (other)
Filed Sep 8, 2020

TRANSMISSION FILL PLUG CAME OUT AND LEAKED FLUID ALL OVER MY TRANSMISSION. THE FLUID WAS CHANGED AT MY LOCAL HONDA DEALERSHIP ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO. ONLY NOTICED WHILE I WAS CHANGING MY OIL ON 9/6/2020. I HAVE NO IDEA TO WHEN THE PLUG CAME OUT AND STARTED LEAKING. I LOOKED IT UP IN ONLINE FORUMS AND IT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM. I'M AFRAID IT WILL GET DIRT OR OTHER MATERIALS IN MY TRANSMISSION AND MESS IT UP. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO GET TO IT BY TAKING THE AIR-INTAKE OFF AND PUTTING THE PLUG BACK IN PLACE. WILL BE REPORTING THIS TO MY DEALERSHIP AS WELL.

NHTSA ID
11353883
Incident
Sep 6, 2020
Mileage
94,600 mi
EnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Jul 7, 2020

A COUPLE OF TIMES WHILE IM STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT MY CAR STALLS, I TOOK IT TO A HONDA DEALER BUT THEY DIDNT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. I'M WORRIED THAT I GET IN TO A CAR ACCIDENT IF MY CAR SUDDENLY STOPS WHILE IM DRIVING.

NHTSA ID
11338095
Incident
Jul 7, 2020
Mileage
80,000 mi
EnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Jun 15, 2020

OVER THE LAST YEAR MY 2016 HONDA CIVIC FELT LIKE IT WANTED TO STALL WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY. I DIDN'T KNOW IF SOMETHING WAS WRONG UNTIL IT DID IT WHEN MY HUSBAND DROVE IT. A FEW WEEKS AGO I GOT AN OIL CHANGE AND 2 DAYS LATER I WENT GROCERY SHOPPING AND MY CAR WOULD NOT START IT FINALLY DID AND I MADE IT HOME. LATER THAT AFTERNOON I STARTED MY CAR AND MY CABIN FILLED WITH THE WORSE SMELL OF GAS AND MY GRANDDAUGHTER GAGGED. MY DIPSTICK FOR OIL SMELT I F GAS TOO. I GOOGLED THIS AND FOUND OUT THAT THERE IS AN OIL DILUTION PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL. I TOOK MY CAR TO MY LOCAL DEALER AND THEY CHECKED IT AND SAID NOTHING IS WRONG BASICALLY BECAUSE IT DID NOT THROW A CODE AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS NOT ON. HONDA HAS NOT RECALLED THUS BUT THEY KNOW THERE IS A PROBLEM AND THEY ARE OFFERING A UPDATE BUT ONLY TO OWNERS BACK EAST IN COKD WEATHER STATES. WELL I KNOW SOMETHING IS WRONG AND MY DEALER SAID I CANT GET UPDATE UNLESS THEY SEE THAT CODE. I CAN'T CONTACT HONDA DIRECTLY BECAUSE THEY ARE UNAVAILABLE I MAY LIVE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BUT I LIVE IN T HE MOUNTAINS AND ITS COLD AND SNOWY HERE 6 TO 8 MONTHS OUT OF THE YEAR SO I SHOULD BE ENTITLED TO THIS UPGRADE ALSO. BUT LOCAL DEALER CAN'T DO ANYTHING SO NOW I DRIVE IT AND CAUSE MORE HARM TO MY ENGINE I AM AWARE THERE IS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT ON HONDA FIR THUS OIL DILUTION ISSUE AND B THEY NEED TO DO A RECALL. I WANT MY CAR FIXED. *TR

NHTSA ID
11329000
Incident
Jun 10, 2020
Mileage
95,000 mi
ElectricalEnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Feb 28, 2020

MY CAR AC IS BLOWING HOT AIR SINCE JANUARY 2019. MY CAR IS MAKING SOUND WHENEVER I TURN ON. FEBRUARY 28, 2020, MY CAR WAS SUDDENLY STOPPED WHEN I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY.

NHTSA ID
11312187
Incident
Feb 28, 2020

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

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Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .