RoadVitals

2025 Honda Civic Steering Problems

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

Data refreshed

Steering 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 Nov 4, 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.
42%
of 84 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.
6
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
8

What this page shows

Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2025 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 steering

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

Steering
Filed Nov 4, 2026

The contact owns a 2025 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving, the steering wheel felt unstable, causing a loss of vehicle control. The contact stated that the message "Steering Rack Failure" was displayed on two separate occasions. Additionally, the contact stated that the steering wheel was sticking while turning. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with a steering failure; however, a comprehensive diagnostic test was not performed. The dealer declined to proceed with the repair. The failure mileage was 48,000.

NHTSA ID
11775721
Incident
Oct 7, 2026
Mileage
48,000 mi
Fuel systemSteering
Filed Nov 2, 2026

Steering wheel is binding, pulling and getting stuck when turning left and making clicking noises. Car makes a burning smell when accelerating aggressively. Think the fuel pump is defective.

NHTSA ID
11775148
Incident
Nov 2, 2026
Steering
Filed Nov 2, 2026

Although my particular VIN number is showing no recall, the steering is sticking at any speed the car is traveling, whether traveling straight or making a turn. When trying to turn the wheel it is causing resistance and requiring me to jerk the steering wheel to free it temporarily to make the turn. Once the turn is made the steering wheel locks back up again.

NHTSA ID
11775097
Incident
Aug 4, 2026
Steering
Filed Oct 29, 2026

The vehicle's steering system, specifically the steering rack, is malfunctioning. The steering wheel intermittently catches, becomes difficult to turn, and then suddenly releases. An authorized Honda dealership diagnosed an issue requiring replacement of the steering rack under warranty. The defective component remains installed in the vehicle and is currently available for inspection. The steering wheel unpredictably becomes resistant to turning and then suddenly releases, making it difficult to maintain consistent control of the vehicle. The vehicle also drifts to the left or right, requiring frequent steering corrections. These symptoms create a potential risk of losing steering control, particularly when turning, changing lanes, or driving at higher speeds. The unpredictable steering behavior could result in a collision and endanger me, my passengers, and other motorists. Yes. I brought the vehicle to an authorized Honda dealership for inspection. Although the service advisor initially stated that he could not feel anything abnormal during a test drive, the dealership subsequently diagnosed a steering rack issue and determined that the steering rack requires replacement under the manufacturer's warranty. Yes. The vehicle was inspected by an authorized Honda dealership, and American Honda corporate customer service has been notified. Honda has discussed the possibility of a manufacturer buyback due to the safety-related defect, and I am awaiting assignment of a case manager.The vehicle was also previously inspected by repair facilities and Progressive Insurance following a minor collision. However, the steering rack was not replaced during those repairs, and the relationship between the collision and the current steering malfunction has not been established. The primary symptoms were intermittent steering resistance, catching or binding sensations, sudden release of steering resistance, vehicle drifting, and the need for frequent steering corrections.

NHTSA ID
11774490
Incident
Oct 21, 2026
Steering
Filed Oct 15, 2026

Sticky steering possibly caused by the issues stated in the recent recalls for Honda vehicles of my make and model. However looking up my VIN does not show me the active recall for my vehicle

NHTSA ID
11771465
Incident
Oct 13, 2026
Steering
Filed Oct 11, 2026

While driving, the vehicle consistently exhibits a “wandering” or drifting sensation, especially at highway speeds. The steering wheel does not sit centered when driving straight, and small corrections are constantly required to keep the vehicle in its lane. This behavior has been present despite the tires being properly inflated and the vehicle having relatively low mileage. The wandering sensation makes the vehicle feel unstable and reduces driver confidence, particularly during longer trips or when sharing the road with other vehicles. The off‑center steering wheel suggests a possible issue with the steering system, steering angle sensor, alignment from the factory, or an electronic steering calibration problem. The issue has not been resolved and continues to occur. No warning lights or messages have appeared. The problem can be reproduced consistently during normal driving. UNKNOWN whether the manufacturer has formally inspected the steering components or electronic steering system.

NHTSA ID
11770431
Incident
Mar 17, 2026
Steering
Filed Sep 25, 2026

Steering binding, car feels unstable, steering wheel does return to center, car floats at any speed, issue gets worse with speed, this is going to cause a crash sooner or later, faulty steering rack

NHTSA ID
11766925
Incident
Jul 27, 2026
Steering
Filed Sep 25, 2026

Steering binding, car feels unstable, steering wheel does return to center, car floats at any speed, issue gets worse with speed, this is going to cause a crash sooner or later, faulty steering rack

NHTSA ID
11766924
Incident
Jul 27, 2026
Steering
Filed Aug 21, 2026
Crash reported

While driving my 2025 Honda Civic Touring, the electric steering system suddenly malfunctioned without warning. While entering/navigating a roundabout, the wheels forcibly straightened out on their own, overriding steering input and causing the vehicle to crash directly into the roundabout curb/barrier. Prior to this sudden steering lockout/binding event, there were no known performance or handling issues with the car. Following the impact, the steering remains unsafe to operate, experiencing binding, severe misalignment, and persistent inability to steer smoothly. Mechanics have replaced the passengers lower control arm, ball joint, sway bar link, the passenger side strut tower, and two front tires because of the camber caused damage to the tires, but the vehicle's camber remains out of spec and the underlying steering binding/stiffness remains unresolved. I believe an internal defect or electronic lockup in the Electric Power Steering (EPS) system caused the vehicle to lose steering control prior to the impact.

NHTSA ID
11758615
Incident
Nov 21, 2025
Steering
Filed Aug 7, 2026

a lot of new honda cars have steering rack problem and no recall yet. please help!

NHTSA ID
11755381
Incident
Jan 1, 2025
Steering
Filed Aug 3, 2026

The contact owns a 2025 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel started sticking and was difficult to turn to the left or the right. The steering wheel had almost seized. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V744000 (Steering); as a possible cause for the failure; however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact believed that the failure was caused by the springs in the steering mechanism. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with steering rack assembly failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 2,900.

NHTSA ID
11754484
Incident
Aug 3, 2026
Mileage
2,900 mi
Steering
Filed Jul 14, 2026

The contact owns a 2025 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel started sticking and was difficult to turn to the left or the right. The steering wheel was sticking while accelerating around corners. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V744000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with steering rack assembly failure. The vehicle was not repaired because the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 38,000.

NHTSA ID
11750414
Incident
Jun 1, 2026
Mileage
38,000 mi
Driver assistanceSteering
Filed Jun 29, 2026
Crash reported3 injuries reported

UPDATE:American Honda was formally notified of this steering failure on my 2025 Civic Hybrid. Honda corporate has officially declined to pull the EDR black box data, stating that data retrieval must be handled via the insurer. The physical vehicle is now being transferred to State Farm Insurance at Copart (Arcadia, FL) under Claim [XXX]. Requesting that NHTSA investigators reference this claim and VIN [XXX] for any engineering analysis regarding the 24V-744 steering defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID
11747204
Incident
May 23, 2026
Driver assistanceSteering
Filed Jun 17, 2026
Crash reported

Hello, I am writing to formally request escalation and review of a potential vehicle safety concern involving my recent accident. I previously filed a complaint with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), contacted Honda, State Farm, and the investigating police department regarding this incident. I am following up because I am concerned this may represent a broader public safety issue, not limited to my individual case. Given the nature of the incident and vehicle behavior involved, I respectfully request: * Confirmation that my complaint has been received and assigned for review * Evaluation of whether this issue may indicate a potential safety defect or recurring pattern * Preservation and review of all relevant vehicle data, including Event Data Recorder (EDR), ECU/diagnostic logs, and any available telematics data * Any guidance on additional information or documentation needed to support a safety investigation I am concerned that if similar incidents are occurring in other vehicles, this may present a risk to public safety. I am requesting that this matter be reviewed accordingly for potential defect or safety trend analysis. Please confirm receipt of this request and advise on the next steps in the review process. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. Sincerely, [XXX] Report# [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID
11744722
Incident
May 23, 2026
ElectricalSteering
Filed Jun 17, 2026

My 2025 civic presents the dangerous defect for sticky steering from the recall already placed on models 2022 to 2025 under recall 24V-744 but my VIN number is not listed so the dealer wants to charge me the full replacement cost . Please help me include my VIN to this well know and dangerous recall. I have kids and I can't drive them in this car with this problem and I don't have the means to pay the cost of replacing the parts of a well know manufacturer defect. PLEASE HELP ME!!

NHTSA ID
11744705
Incident
Jun 17, 2026
Driver assistanceSteering
Filed Jun 11, 2026

After using the lane assist the steering wheel becomes sticky when I turn it off. Then if I turn it back on letting the lane assist correct my driving to turning it back off when turning around corners my steering wheel becomes really sticky. Then when driving the vehicle with lane asssist on the steering wheel will feel slightly different then I’ll turn it back off and it won’t stick around corners anymore (so then I can’t use my lane assist without my steering wheel getting sticky again) it really makes me worried. I don’t know if it’s connected but it makes me feel unsafe. When getting a hold of the dealership, they told me that I had to pay $150 to get a diagnostic because I didn’t have any active recalls. Which I think is a little crazy considering I keep reading about all these recalls about sticky steering wheels, but not specifically mine even though I’m experiencing the same thing they are. I’ve talked to somebody about three different times about recalls on this and they just keep saying that I don’t have a recall, but I’m telling them about what I’m experiencing is similar to people with active recalls, but they will still charge me a diagnostic fee that I can’t afford. And tells me I’m not in warranty. So my safety is at risk.. I have children in this car. I have pets in this car and I have family in this car…..

NHTSA ID
11743592
Incident
Nov 28, 2025
Fuel systemPowertrain (other)Steering
Filed Jun 8, 2026

2025 Honda Civic Hatchback experiencing dangerous mechanical binding, sticking, and notching in the steering column. The defect is strictly thermal, escalating significantly in extreme Arizona heat and/ or after driving for a prolonged duration. This requires excessive driver effort to break the steering wheel free from center, risking over-correction and loss of vehicle control. Additionally, vehicle experiences intermittent powertrain jerking and hesitation during low-speed acceleration. Under active factory warranty, the vehicle was towed to a local Honda dealership. The Service Director initially pushed back significantly, attempting to dismiss the safety keywords and label a major steering defect as a vague 'multi-system failure' on the printed Repair Order. After consumer refusal to accept the vehicle, the Service Director capitulated, personally authorizing a Repair Order explicitly documenting in handwriting: 'Also Steering Sticky while CAR in motion. Also vehicle jerky at low Speeds.' The Service Director physically signed next to these terms. The Service Director explicitly acknowledged that the symptoms sound like the NHTSA recall 24V-744, but stated they must put up to 300 miles on the vehicle to 'replicate' the issue before replacing the steering rack due to fear of corporate financial chargebacks, actively attempting to force a consumer to keep an unsafe vehicle unless able to replicate.

NHTSA ID
11742750
Incident
Jun 6, 2026
AirbagsDriver assistanceSteering
Filed Jun 7, 2026
Crash reported2 injuries reported

i was driving on the highway with lane assist on and i can feel it correcting me even though it wasn’t needing to be but i thought maybe i was driving a little bad but then i contirue to drive with it on and i instantly get jerked to the left like if it saw something and swerved and we spun out and almost went to another highway oncoming traffic , my passenger stated the wheel was shaking the same instant before hand but we crashed and the vehicle is waiting to be looked at currently

NHTSA ID
11742613
Incident
Jun 5, 2026
Driver assistanceSteering
Filed May 25, 2026
Crash reported3 injuries reported

During normal driving in rainy conditions, I experienced a sudden and unexpected loss of vehicle control involving steering behavior. At the time of the incident, the lane-keeping/driver-assist system was active, and I had both hands on the steering wheel while actively controlling the vehicle. Without any prior warning lights, dashboard messages, or alerts, the vehicle suddenly began to behave abnormally and unexpectedly pulled/dragged. I experienced a sudden loss of effective steering control and was unable to fully correct or regain control of the vehicle before a collision occurred. The incident happened abruptly without any gradual warning or system notification. Road conditions were wet due to rain, but there was no prior indication of mechanical or electronic malfunction before the event. Following the crash, the vehicle was declared a total loss by insurance. There are no open recalls listed for my VIN at this time. I am reporting this incident due to the sudden steering/control behavior and potential safety concern.

NHTSA ID
11739895
Incident
May 23, 2026
Steering
Filed May 13, 2026

The contact owns a 2025 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving and turning the steering wheel does not come back to center when turned and the driver experienced resistance, sticking and binding while turning. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the steering wheel gear box needed to replaced. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 54,000.

NHTSA ID
11737514
Incident
Mar 1, 2026
Mileage
54,000 mi
Steering
Filed Apr 16, 2026

My car is experiencing steering problem- it is sticking and makes it hard to steer, I took it to get diagnosed today and I was told I need a new steering gear box because it is faulty. This is a common recall for the year make and model car I have and I was told that my vin number doesn’t not have any recall yet it is still experiencing the same exact problem as the recall. The car is a year old but it’s been going on for months and I assumed it was normal because it’s never been mentioned until I found out about the recall and brought it in specifically for that reason

NHTSA ID
11731726
Incident
Nov 5, 2025
Driver assistanceSteeringSuspension
Filed Apr 7, 2026

A complaint is being filed regarding a **2025 Honda Civic** involving failure to diagnose and repair a safety-related suspension defect during the warranty period. While under warranty (~20,000 miles), a **clunking noise from the rear suspension** was repeatedly reported to Tamaroff Honda [XXX] ). Despite multiple service visits and complaints to both the dealership and American Honda (Case #XXX and #XXX), no proper diagnosis or repair was performed. After continued inaction, another Honda dealership identified a **broken rear shock absorber with an active fluid leak**, a safety-critical defect affecting vehicle stability and control. This condition existed and was reported during the warranty period but was dismissed. There is also a pattern of complaint mishandling, including lack of follow-up and unresolved case activity. Requests for service records and complaint documentation have not been fulfilled. This complaint requests investigation into the safety risk and failure to diagnose and repair a known defect during warranty. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID
11729710
Incident
Apr 6, 2026
Other / unspecifiedSteeringSuspension
Filed Apr 7, 2026

Warranty work has not been completed and I have had this issue for months.

NHTSA ID
11729632
Incident
Jan 2, 2026
ElectricalOther / unspecifiedSteering
Filed Mar 20, 2026

This car is have been giving me issues for months even tried to trade in for months but got denied this is an safety hazard i can lose my life but the steering power is bad is tight the braking system is sensitive everything is difficult and expensive it’s killing my pockets which why I can’t pay my car note and why should I pay for a car that’s not safe ! I want to be put another vehicle

NHTSA ID
11725915
Incident
Aug 1, 2025
BrakesSteering
Filed Mar 18, 2026

While driving, the steering wheel suddenly became stiff and difficult to turn, making it hard to control the vehicle. This happened unexpectedly and created a serious safety risk, as I could have lost control and caused an accident. At the same time, the braking response did not feel normal, which made the situation even more dangerous. This issue has occurred despite previous repair attempts, and the problem remains unresolved. I am very concerned about the safety of this vehicle and the risk it poses to myself and others on the road. No warning lights appeared before the issue happened.

NHTSA ID
11725418
Incident
Mar 15, 2026

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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