On 9/9/2026 and one other occasion within the past few months, the vehicle was started normally using the keyless ignition. The driver then disengaged the parking brake and shifted into Reverse. The vehicle began backing out a driveway when it was discovered that the steering remained locked despite the vehicle being in motion. The steering wheel could not be turned, indicating that the steering column lock mechanism failed to release after startup. It is believed that one or more dashboard indicators may have illuminated but no details are available. The driver immediately stopped the vehicle, shifted to Park, and powered the vehicle OFF. After restarting, the steering lock disengaged normally and the vehicle operated as expected.
2026 Honda Civic
Owners filed 28 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the steering. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown or Other | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Steering | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Service Brakes | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Visibility/Wiper | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Engine | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Electrical System | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Air Bags | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Tires | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsA stick that fell off of a truck pierced the grill then radiator and pcu radiator. Now both need to be replaced on a 2026 Honda Civic Hybrid that was purchased in May. There was a service bulletin posted for them to be fixed and it isn’t one of the vin numbers for it but it’s obviously unsafe and not protected enough. A stick should not go through a grill and pierce a radiator and cause $4,000 in damage. Honda has already admitted the problem and has not sufficiently fixed it. The cars are unsafe and clearly not made well. This is my third Honda and I have liked them all, until this, I am 49 years old and have never complained about a vehicle. But these are lemons and unsafe, grills should not be paper thin to the point a wooden stick can do this kind of damage.
Steering wheel: Cable reel failure, loud clicking noise when turning at 20k miles, replaced factory cable reel, within 10k miles replacement had failed as well. Current cable reel is also defective, dealership advises ignore the noise. Dealership has reproduced noise and has replaced 2 cable reels. No warning lights, just randomly starts clicking when turning left at first then over time very loud when turning either left or right. Unsure on if it could cause a steering failure.
The person driving this car was driving aggressively and was following me.
The drivers side airbags deployed while the car was parked. No impacts occurred.
The one I put down are affected items the water pump could be bad the alternator the computer I’m not a mechanic so of the thing in the car on display don’t always work the cruise control is effected the front left tire wheel and axle feel bad and a times I think the steering wheel could fail and leave me going in that direction..!! The web says it may need an asymmetric rebuild I wasn’t being careless . At some point if the car has faulty water pump it could burn or fire.. I could be go 70 or 25mph and it would happen
This vehicles forward collision system uses a camera mounted in the upper windshield area instead of a radar based system. On 2 occasions during rain events the vehicle slammed on the brakes without warning. Also on 1 occasion it started to happen when the windshield suddenly became shadowed.
These systems of the car have almost caused collisions, being forced off the road or emergency braking that almost caused additional accidents. These systems are supposed to prevent accidents and are more likely to cause traffic accidents then prevent them. All of the systems have to be disabled to safely operate the vehicle.
Steering feels catchy or like it is hesitating
The windshield wiper design and wiper fluid nozzle make visibility worse. The nozzle doesn’t spray until the wiper is at the top of the windshield amd sprays the fluid off the side of the car instead of onto the windshield for the wipers to clear. The little bit that does hit the windshield is enough to smear any smudge or bug right in front of drivers face making them extremely dangerous.
I bought a 2026 honda civic. About two days after receiving the car while driving the car I felt a shaking while driving mostly around 30-40 MPH. ALSO when I put my foot on the gas sometimes there is a hesitation before I start to move and when I do start moving it’s like getting launched on a rocket. Many times while driving I get a shutter, the whole car would lerch forward even while driving it felt like the car was lerching forward. I brought the car to the dealer and had them look at the car, I explained everything I was feeling. They had the car for HOURS and when I got the car back they said they had two different mechanics look at the car and they said they test drove it and couldn’t replicate the problem. But when I got in the car just after the test drove it, I ABSOLUTELY STILL HAD THE PROBLEM. I brought the car back to the dealer a couple of weeks later and talked to the assistant service manager and he said that could be that the transmission is learning how I drive. I feel honda is covering up a problem with the cvt transmission. There is so much information online about problems with the CVT transmission and honda just tells me it’s normal for the car to act that way. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS CAR. I was hoping that your department could please investigate this situation.
The windshield wiper fluid is built into the wipers. The fluid sprays at the edge of my windshield, thus not spraying the windshield at all, and all fluid is lost. My windshield gets smeared worse than it was prior to tuening the fluid on and not cleaned at all. This presents a huge safety issue during the winter months when the windshield gets heavily soiled from sand on the road. Finding somewhere safe enough to pull over, and having Windex on hand will be necessary to keep visibility possible due to the unsafe design of the wiper fluid wipers. It also creates a safety issue when the sun is shining through the front windshield and visibility due to the smeared, dirty windshield. Honda said they ate not defective, it is how they were designed. This design is defective amd causes a large safety hazard.
I am reporting a critical security and safety defect regarding the 2026 Honda Civic Sport Hybrid. The vehicle was stolen only 10 days after purchase. Despite being equipped with factory-installed anti-theft systems and immobilizers, the security was easily bypassed without any physical keys. As a professional engineer, I believe this indicates a significant vulnerability in the vehicle's electronic security infrastructure or 'smart key' encryption. A security breach of this nature on a brand-new 2026 model, occurring within such a short timeframe, suggests a systemic manufacturing defect that puts other consumers at risk of vehicle theft and unauthorized operation.
My car turned me into a light pole and was totaled and I was injured!
The auto safety braking system has braked for no reason twice now. Both going 70 mph and going under a bridge. The car senses a car in front and slams on its brakes but there is nothing in front of the car. And all sensors were clean and free of obstructions. Pretty scary going 70 mph and the car just slams on the brakes.
The air conditioning in the is not blowing enough air to cool the car down. It would take long to cooling.
While operating my 2026 Honda Civic, I experienced a sudden and catastrophic tire blowout with absolutely no prior warning. At no point before or during the incident did my Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) alert me via the dashboard that my tire pressure was low or compromised in any way. Three critical failures occurred in this incident: 1. TPMS System Failure — My federally mandated TPMS system, required under FMVSS 138, failed to detect and alert me of dangerously low tire pressure prior to the blowout. I had zero dashboard warning at any point. 2. Tire Integrity Failure — The tire experienced a catastrophic sidewall blowout on a brand new vehicle. No road hazard, debris, or obstacle was struck prior to the failure. The structural integrity of the tire failed without cause. 3. Vehicle Safety System Communication Failure — The vehicle’s onboard diagnostics failed to detect and communicate a critical safety condition to me as the driver. On a 2026 model year vehicle, multiple redundant systems should have caught and communicated this danger, giving me the opportunity to respond and prevent the incident. These three failures created a dangerous chain of events that left me with no ability to take preventive action. The incident caused significant emotional distress. I have retained the damaged tire as physical evidence and have documented the incident with photographs. I am requesting a full investigation into whether this represents a pattern of TPMS and tire failures
Vehicle: 2026 Honda Civic Sport Hatchback VIN: [XXX] Mileage at time of complaint: 1,500 miles Description of Problem: The vehicle jerks/shudders when turning at low RPM. This occurs consistently during low-speed maneuvers such as parking lot turns and slow cornering. The issue is repeatable and has been present since purchase. Multiple passengers have independently noticed and remarked on the issue. The vehicle has not yet been seen by a dealer. When it occurs: Low-speed turns, low RPM Frequency: Consistent/repeatable Injuries or accidents: None to date I am reporting this issue as it may represent a safety concern and to ensure it is documented for investigation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
When car is turned off, the fuel pump continues to run. This has happened twice in the past two weeks.
I was driving my 2026 Honda civic in the early morning hours before sunrise traveling the speed limit of 75 mph on a rural highway in North Texas. Out of nowhere, my vehicle activated the collision mitigation system bringing me to a complete stop in the middle of the highway. I verified that no hazards were present and the system activated on its own. Thankfully no other vehicles were around which could have negatively impacted them.
20 of 28 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Across model years
Worst on record: 2006| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Deaths | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 — this page | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2025 | 70 | 2 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 2024 | 122 | 3 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 2023 | 254 | 4 | 0 | 0 | Above average |
| 2022 | 881 | 4 | 3 | 0 | Above average |
| 2021 | 143 | 4 | 2 | 0 | Routine |
| 2020 | 224 | 5 | 1 | 0 | Above average |
| 2019 | 428 | 4 | 1 | 0 | Above average |
| 2018 | 739 | 6 | 4 | 1 | Fatalities reported |
| 2017 | 592 | 6 | 6 | 0 | Above average |
| 2016 | 1,080 | 5 | 4 | 0 | Above average |
| 2015 | 380 | 1 | 2 | 0 | Above average |
| 2014 | 291 | 2 | 4 | 0 | Above average |
| 2013 | 319 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Above average |
| 2012 | 454 | 3 | 5 | 0 | High concern |
| 2011 | 168 | 9 | 5 | 0 | Routine |
| 2010 | 396 | 8 | 5 | 2 | Fatalities reported |
| 2009 | 395 | 8 | 6 | 1 | Fatalities reported |
| 2008 | 916 | 7 | 6 | 0 | High concern |
| 2007 | 1,204 | 9 | 9 | 10 | Fatalities reported |
| 2006 | 1,402 | 15 | 21 | 3 | Fatalities reported |
| 2005 | 314 | 15 | 9 | 3 | Fatalities reported |
| 2004 | 350 | 15 | 6 | 1 | Fatalities reported |
| 2003 | 499 | 24 | 5 | 1 | Fatalities reported |
| 2002 | 702 | 24 | 14 | 4 | Fatalities reported |
| 2001 | 1,079 | 27 | 15 | 6 | Fatalities reported |
| 2000 | 287 | 18 | 5 | 0 | High concern |
| 1999 | 338 | 15 | 5 | 1 | Fatalities reported |
| 1998 | 435 | 18 | 3 | 1 | Fatalities reported |
| 1997 | 373 | 16 | 2 | 0 | High concern |
| 1996 | 305 | 17 | 4 | 1 | Fatalities reported |
| 1995 | 199 | 12 | 2 | 5 | Fatalities reported |
| 1994 | 135 | 14 | 0 | 0 | High concern |
| 1993 | 146 | 13 | 4 | 0 | Routine |
| 1992 | 98 | 13 | 3 | 0 | Routine |
| 1991 | 110 | 8 | 5 | 1 | Fatalities reported |
| 1990 | 91 | 10 | 3 | 2 | Fatalities reported |
Reading this record
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.