NHTSA Investigates 2022-2023 Honda Civics for ‘Sticky’ Steering

Steering seems to be the latest challenge facing the world’s automakers in 2023. After the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced it was investigating Tesla over claims that its steering wheels were falling off, the U.S. regulator is now looking into claims that the steering on newer Honda Civics is too sticky.

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According to AP News, the investigation affects more than 238,000 Honda Civics across the 2022-2023 model years. So far, the NHTSA says it has received 145 complaints about the issue, which it says could “result in overcorrection or inability to avoid a road hazard.”

NHTSA documents say that the issue is most prevalent at highway speeds, where drivers reported a “momentary increase in steering effort.” The 145 complaints received by the agency have all come in over the past 11 months.

Drivers reported “sticky” steering at highway speeds. Photo: Honda

According to The Drive, Civic owners reported that the issue makes driving the car “feel as though I’m trying to correct the steering of a drunk driver.” One complaint shared by the site read:

“While driving at about 60 mi/hr, my car veered suddenly to the right and the power steering seemed to not work. The steering required vigorous correcting to maintain vehicle control. This continued for several minutes and it felt like the power steering was not working. When I finally stopped the car in a parking area, I got out and checked the tires. Originally It had felt like one of my tires going flat.”

The Civic owner reported that the incident happened on January 25th this year, and that when they restarted their car after the scare it appeared to work fine once again. When they took it to a dealer to ask about the issue, “they could not identify any problem and my car was OK,” they said.

Other users reported that their steering wheels would “stick” sometimes when turning, and others reported that their cars would begin drifting away from the center of their lanes while driving on highways.

The NHTSA has received 145 complaints about the Civic. Photo: Honda

AP News reports that the NHTSA has so far received no reports of crashes or injuries as a result of the problem. But, through its investigation, it hopes to determine how many vehicles are affected and how severe the problem is. The agency notes that “a recall is possible.”

If an issue is found with the affected models, Honda has pointed out that “most of the Civics should be under warranty.” They also added that any owners who are experiencing issues with their cars should contact their dealers.