MODELYEARINDEX

Which Honda Civic years to avoid

Across 12 scored model years, the 2016, 2012 and 2017 model years carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Honda Civic Full report
F
Grade 2010–2021
2016 vs model median 2.8×
Model median3× median
Steering 101
Electrical 77
Brakes 75
Avoid

2012 · 2016

Best

2013 · 2021

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2010
1.00× 211 C
2011
0.52× 101 B
2012
1.88× 331 D
2013
0.89× 189 B
2014
1.04× 189 C
2015
1.00× 188 C
2016
2.80× 692 F
2017
1.62× 361 D
2018
1.21× 253 D
2019
1.00× 207 C
2020
0.91× 196 C
2021
0.62× 161 B
2022 P
4.84× 1,238 F
2023 P
1.66× 399 D
2024 P
0.74× 172 B
2025 P
0.69× 132 B

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2012 D 331 reports · median 18,179 mi

  1. Airbags & Restraints 65

    Hi, I would like to bring to your notice in regards to my 2012 honda civic cpe. The issue is with passenger side airbags. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Speed Control 35

    The contact owns a 2012 honda civic exl. While driving approximately 5 MPH, the accelerator pedal was engaged and there was a two second delayed response. The failure recurred sporadically. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Body & Interior 33

    2012 honda civic. Consumer states vehicle stalled when pulling away from a stop. The consumer stated the motor would still run, but there would be no acceleration; just a significant pause. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

71 crash · 6 fire · 47 injuries

2016 F 692 reports · median 26,000 mi

  1. Steering 101

    The contact owns a 2016 honda civic. While driving 70 MPH, the vehicle became difficult to steer and voluntarily drifted into the other lanes. The contact had to use force to steer the vehicle. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Electrical 77

    My mother in law's not even a week old civic had a complete electrical failure on I-210 eastbound just before the campus exit, probably doing the speed limit on the afternoon of 02/06/2016. AAA and the police responded. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Brakes 75

    Hi, I purchased 2016 civic in dec, 2015. I I have experience 3 issues till now 1. Electronic brake - I have had 2 incidents where my electronic parking brake engaged automatically while driving, luckily was driving in… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

37 crash · 5 fire · 17 injuries

The best year for the Civic

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2021 is the best-scoring Civic model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 74.5 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations. On complaint rate alone the lowest is 2011 at 0.52× this model’s median, against 0.62× for 2021.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2021 0.62× 161 B
2013 0.89× 189 B
2011 0.52× 101 B

Recalls

33 campaigns on record.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
16V346000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2010, 2011 2,719,386
23V858000 FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP 2016–2021 2,490,460
24V744000 STEERING 2022–2025 1,693,199
18V661000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2010, 2011 1,355,406
17V030000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2010, 2011 977,708
24V064000 AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER 2020–2022 750,114
24V763000 FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP 2025 720,810
18V042000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2010, 2011 691,726
21V215000 FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP 2019, 2020 624,552
16V725000 PARKING BRAKE 2016 350,083
23V704000 STEERING:RACK AND PINION 2022–2024 264,567
15V574000 POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM) 2014, 2015 143,676

+ 21 further campaigns

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2016 were reported at a median of 26,000 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Honda Civic years should you avoid?
2016, 2012, 2017 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Honda Civic model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Honda Civic?
2021 is the best-scoring Honda Civic model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 74.5 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Honda Civic have?
33 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Honda Civic model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2016 Civic
Complaints in window
692
Severity-weighted
895.5
Model median (weighted)
319
vs model median
2.80×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
5
Open investigations
0
Score 17.4 F