2016 Honda Civic: common problems and reliability

The 2016 Honda Civic has 1060 owner-filed NHTSA complaints and 5 recalls on record. The most-reported areas are steering and electrical system. Owners most often flag 1.5l turbo engine concerns: potential for oil dilution, particularly in cold climates and with frequent short trips; also mentioned are chain problems, turbo issues, and head gasket concerns. some owners note a software update mitigated the oil dilution issue. frequency: recurrent.

Safety record for the 2016 model year

1,060
Owner complaints
5
Recalls
36
Crash reports
4
Fire reports

Source: NHTSA complaints and recalls filed for 2016 Honda Civic vehicles (US, public record).

Is 2016 a good year for the Civic?

Across the 21 Civic model years we track, complaint volume runs from 256 (2024) to 2,866 (2006). With 1,060 complaints, the 2016 Civic sits abovethe model's median of 849.

These are raw NHTSA complaint totals, not adjusted for how many cars sold or how long each model year has been on the road. Older and higher-selling years accumulate more complaints.

Where owners report problems

steering
427
electrical system
117
service brakes
95
engine
94
structure
48

Recalls affecting the 2016 Civic

exterior lighting

Campaign 16V526000

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 boa

parking brake

Campaign 16V725000

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 tu

engine and engine cooling:engine

Campaign 16V074000

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 ass

fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pump

Campaign 23V858000

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

What owners say across generations

Extremely positive sentiment regarding long-term reliability, practicality, and value for money across multiple generations.

  • Generation-Specific Engine Problems: Isolated but severe issues include cracked engine blocks on early 8th generation (2006-2009) 1.8L R18 engines and head gasket failures on 7th generation (2001-2005) D17 engines. Frequency: recurrent (for those specific generations).
  • 1.5L Turbo Engine Concerns: Potential for oil dilution, particularly in cold climates and with frequent short trips; also mentioned are chain problems, turbo issues, and head gasket concerns. Some owners note a software update mitigated the oil dilution issue. Frequency: recurrent.

Owner insights cover all generations of the Civic. See the full Civic owner picture and every model year.

Typical used price

Used Civic listings typically run $16,723–$27,952 across 2014 to 2026 model years.

Other Civic model years

Compare every Civic year side by side to see how 2016 ranks against the rest.

Compare the Civic against its rivals