2021 Honda Civic Owner Complaints

On September 17, 2026 at approximately 8:00 a.m. I was driving my 2021 Honda civic Lx with my children in the vehicle when multiple warning lights and system malfunction messages suddenly appeared on the dash board. The vehicle appeared to experience an electrical malfunction/ reset while still driving and I suddenly lost normal power- steering assistance. The steering wheel became extremely difficult to turn and control while the vehicle was moving.I was able to call for assistance and when jumper cables were hooked on to battery underneath the vehicles hood the vehicle engine was able to restart, then was able to get the vehicle home without a collision or injury. The sudden loss of steering assistance created a serious safety risk to me, my children and others on the road. I photographed multiple warnings displayed on the dash panel, including Electric Parking break problem and collision mitigation system problem. This vehicle has a documented history of electrical/ mechanical concerns and prior repairs, including battery and alternator replacement. The exact cause of this most recent failure is currently UNKNOWN. American Honda motor co. has also opened a case #16640343 regarding this incident. I am reporting this to NHTSA due to the sudden loss of power- steering assistance occured while the vehicle was actively being driven and could have resulted in a collision.

NHTSA ID

11765597

Incident

Sep 17, 2026

While I am driving there is a stickiness in my steering wheel and it causes me to overcorrect my steering and becomes an issue. Feels dangerous to me. This has gotten worse over time.

NHTSA ID

11762215

Incident

Jul 1, 2026

Driving down street after pulling out of parking lot and driver’s side air bag employed for unknown reason.

NHTSA ID

11761450

Incident

Aug 31, 2026

Struts good bad really quick

NHTSA ID

11760492

Incident

Dec 31, 1969

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact experienced an intermittent failure, and the steering wheel became very firm and became difficult to turn. During the failure, the power steering became inoperable, causing several malfunctions, and several warning lights were simultaneously illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, and the technician diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the electronic power steering assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 58,000.

NHTSA ID

11759478

Incident

Jul 29, 2026

Mileage

58,000 mi

Sticky steering, especially when it’s hot or humid. The issue has been going on since the car was at 60k miles, taken in multiple times and they don’t see and issue. It’s at 117k now issue still present. Same issue as the 2022-25 that got a recall

NHTSA ID

11754981

Incident

Mar 12, 2024

while driving last week with my family, doing some grocery shopping, we got on the highway which is 75mph in our 2021 Honda Civic and it had a catastrophic failure on its ADAS system out of nowhere it stopped and made my car swerve off the road and applied the breaks like it detected a car in front of us, it took us from 75 to 0 pretty darn fast fortunately no one was behind us, after the event im not able to use any features that involve the camera which includes crucial features of the car including cruise control, i can't even see what any info that is supposed to be displayed on the dash, I took it to the dealership where they said that their ADAS system doing this's a common occurrence and that most likely the camera it self will need replacement, i truly believe this to be a very dangerous feature that should be looked into and if the camera is prone to getting messed up like they said they are there should be a recall on this equipment before there's a bad accident! also yes my vehicle is and can be inspected whenever it is needed and no we didn't have any problems whatsoever with the ADAS system before it just failed

NHTSA ID

11754955

Incident

Jul 24, 2026

Steering locks up at highway speeds. This vehicle has only 36,526 miles on the odometer. This is a serious safety issue and could easily cause a high speed crash. The dealer has road tested and confirms the problem. The dealer states the electric steering box is at fault. We are having the electric steering box replaced by the dealer.

NHTSA ID

11753496

Incident

Jul 24, 2026

Vehicle: 2021 Honda Civic Hatchback Current Mileage: ~24,400 miles Component: Steering / Electronic Power Steering (EPS) Gearbox / Steering Rack Summary of Issue: Vehicle is experiencing severe "sticky steering" (mechanical binding) in the Electronic Power Steering (EPS) assembly while driving, most noticeably at highway speeds. The steering wheel feels stuck when trying to make minor lane adjustments, requiring noticeable extra force to break free, which causes the vehicle to over-correct and weave. This is an active safety hazard that interferes with normal vehicle control. The vehicle has only ~24,400 miles. A Honda dealership diagnosed the issue as a faulty steering rack/gearbox requiring full replacement at a quoted cost of $5,000. This behavior matches the known defect detailed in NHTSA Campaign 24V-744 (gearbox worm gear binding/sticky steering) affecting millions of Honda vehicles sharing this same EPS architecture for 2022-2025 models. Requesting an investigation to expand coverage to 2021 models.

NHTSA ID

11753123

Incident

Jul 27, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the steering wheel became firm and was sticking while driving. The contact used excessive force to turn the steering wheel while driving. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.

NHTSA ID

11752576

Incident

Oct 15, 2024

Mileage

15,000 mi

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal clicking sound coming from the vehicle, and the steering wheel was sticking. The contact stated that the steering wheel was continuously turned while attempting to prevent it from sticking. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was a persistent failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a power steering rack assembly failure. The contact was informed that the power steering rack assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with a recall related to the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000.

NHTSA ID

11749998

Incident

Jul 8, 2025

Mileage

36,000 mi

Spontaneous rear window shattering while parked. Problem not confirmed or reproduced Insurance claim filed for repair No warning lamps, messages or symptoms of impending problem.

NHTSA ID

11746766

Incident

Jun 11, 2026

Cruise control does not disengage upon electronic parking brake being engaged while moving, causing the car to accelerate aggressively after the brake is released. While it does disengage after enough speed is lost, it should disengage immediately as it does when the brake pedal is tapped

NHTSA ID

11745360

Incident

Jun 1, 2026

A/C System completely failed. During a diagnostic they found three components with refrigerant leaks. 1) Compressor Shaft Seal 2) A/C Condenser 3) Evaporator Core A certified Honda Service center completed the diagnostic. The issue first appeared in late 2025. During the winter I rarely use Air Conditioning but now in Spring/Summer it does not cool at all. Honda knows there is an issue with the Air Conditioning system on this generation of Honda Civic, they cover the Compressor shaft seal but not the other components, on an extended warranty. My main issue is that Honda covers replacement of the A/C Condenser for 2016-2020 Honda Civics, the last year of the generation is 2021 and it is not on the Extended Warranty bulletin. 2021 cars should be covered, it is the same exact generation. Not only that, the Evaporator core and any other Air Conditioning component should be cover as well. This is not normal wear and tear, my vehicle only has 40,000 miles.

NHTSA ID

11743881

Incident

Oct 6, 2025

High pressure fuel pump issue diagnosed by mechanic. The models prior to mine up to and some 2021 vehicles were included in the recall but my VIN is not considered within the recall. My vehicle is a very early 2021 bought in 202 that likely has the same fuel filter as 2020sz

NHTSA ID

11743031

Incident

May 25, 2026

Vehicle: 2021 Honda Civic Mileage: Approximately 58,000 miles Over the past couple of months, I have experienced a steering issue that appears to be worsening. While driving at highway speeds, the steering wheel intermittently feels as though it “sticks” or catches near center, requiring constant small corrections to maintain a straight path. The steering does not feel smooth or normal and creates difficulty maintaining lane position comfortably. I have also noticed similar catching/resistance during sharper turns at moderate speeds. To attempt to resolve the issue, I have: * Replaced a flat tire * Had two separate wheel alignments performed *opened case with Honda directly Neither repair corrected the issue. The symptoms appear similar to “sticky steering” complaints and steering investigations reported on newer Honda Civic models. Because this issue affects steering control and highway driving, I believe it may present a potential safety concern. The problem occurs intermittently but repeatedly during normal driving conditions and is most noticeable at higher speeds.

NHTSA ID

11739931

Incident

May 12, 2026

Steering rack binds and requires extra effort to return to center. Specifically for me, when proceeding on a long curve that requires me to turn my steering wheel left more than like 40 degrees the steering will "stick" in place and won't automatically return to center when releasing the wheel requiring me manually start returning the wheel to center before it will auto center. It happens after having driven for about 20 or more minutes. It happens at smaller degrees when driving at highway speeds trying to keep the car centered in the lane. (Adjusting the wheel to the left more then 5 degrees will cause the steering wheel to stick left requiring manually effort to return to center.) I informed my dealership (Metro Honda of Jersey City) of the steering feeling sticky but they couldn't replicate it at the time.

NHTSA ID

11738707

Incident

Jan 22, 2025

At speeds between 40 and 70 my 2021 Honda Civic EX Hatchback steering feels sticky when making small adjustments. There is a slight resistant in steering when a slight correction is needed. Once that resistant is overcome, the steering wheel jerks in the direction of the correction potentially causing an over correction. This is a safety problem and can cause an accident. I am not seeing any warning lights or warning noises.

NHTSA ID

11736942

Incident

Nov 19, 2025

The steering wheel gets stuck in lock position making the steering wheel feel sticky. Issue happens at highway speeds of around 40-60mph causing to overcorrect while driving.

NHTSA ID

11735761

Incident

May 1, 2026

The clutch began slipping while driving vehicle. Lost power and could not accelerate while on highway.

NHTSA ID

11734939

Incident

Mar 2, 2026

While driving the car began to smoke from under hood and engine stopped. Interior and under hood flooded with smoke and fire under hood. This was a major fire, fire company put it out. No repairs were made or needed on car since purchase October 2024.

NHTSA ID

11733110

Incident

Apr 17, 2026

The Steering Gearbox, Electronic Power Steering failed. The steering was resistant and sticks on the highway, causing jerking and overcorrection to control the vehicle. This was with both manual driving and Lane Assist. Took the vehicle to the local Honda dealership, they confirmed the problem, and replaced the steering gearbox, EPS, because it was still under warranty. However, this is the same exact part and this problem will occur again. The car did not display any warnings.

NHTSA ID

11731202

Incident

Apr 12, 2026

There’s a sticky notch in my steering that becomes noticeable at highway speeds. I see later models (2022-) already have been recalled by the exact issue is happening on my relatively new 2021 Civic

NHTSA ID

11728303

Incident

Mar 10, 2026

I went to my dealership for the recall on November seventh of 2025 and the service crew notified me that my car did not have the lug nuts Honda was worried about.

NHTSA ID

11725983

Incident

Nov 7, 2025

My steering wheel becomes "sticky" when I am accelerating 40mph and up. It is hard to make minor corrections without potentially over correcting due to the stickiness.

NHTSA ID

11722620

Incident

Feb 7, 2026