Honda5 independent sources
2016 · Sedan and Coupe
2016 Honda Civic Problems, recalls and specs
The first year of the tenth-generation Civic, which Honda describes as a new-from-the-ground-up redesign with two new powertrains. LX and EX trims use a 2.0-litre rated 158 hp at 6,500 rpm and 138 lb-ft; EX-T and above use a 1.5-litre turbo rated 174 hp at 6,000 rpm with 162 lb-ft held from 1,700 to 5,500 rpm. Which engine a car has decides most of what follows, because the fuel-dilution history and the warranty extension behind it belong to the turbo alone.
Photo coming
Power158–174 hpTorque138–162 lb-ftEPA comb.34–35 mpg
Against 2015
What changed for 2016
- All new. Honda calls the 2016 sedan a completely new-from-the-ground-up redesign and the most extensive in the Civic's history to that point.
- Two new engines arrived: a 158 hp 2.0-litre, which Honda calls the most powerful base engine offered on a Civic to that point, and a 174 hp 1.5-litre turbo.
- A Touring grade was added at the top of the range.
- The turbo engine is sold only with the CVT; the 2.0-litre could still be had with a six-speed manual.
Before you hand over money
Check before you buy
- Check the title status first - clean, salvage, rebuilt, flood or lemon buyback, on a car that is now old enough for all of them.
- Identify the engine before anything else, from the VIN rather than the badge. Honda's warranty extension for fuel dilution covers 2016-2018 Civics with the 1.5-litre turbo and nothing else; a 2.0-litre car is outside it.
- Pull the dipstick on a cold engine and look at the level and the smell of the oil. A level above full and a petrol smell is the pattern behind the turbo engine's bulletins, and it is easiest to see before the car has been driven.
- Look up open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov. Five campaigns are on file for this model year, including 16V-074, which covers 2.0-litre engines built in a specific window, and 16V-725 on the electric parking brake. Dealers close open recalls free.
Two engines offered that year
Engines
Which engine a listing has is the first thing that changes the answer.
| Engine | Power | Torque | Transmission | Drive | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K20C22.0L I4 | 158 hp | 138 lb-ft | CVT, or 6-speed manual | FWD | 30 city / 40 hwy / 34 combinedFWD |
| L15B71.5L I4 turbo | 174 hp | 162 lb-ft | CVT | FWD | 31 city / 42 hwy / 35 combinedFWD |
EPA city / highway / combined, from fueleconomy.gov.
NHTSA public records
Complaints and recalls
Where the complaints land · top 6
STEERING437
UNKNOWN OR OTHER201
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM98
ENGINE51
SERVICE BRAKES47
STRUCTURE36
All other categories202
A complaint count is not a failure rate. It tracks how many of these were sold and how much attention a problem drew, so a popular car will always show more complaints than a rare one. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, retrieved 2026-08-13.
Documented mechanisms
Known problems
Charging system: battery and alternator
The alternator charges the battery while the engine runs and powers everything electrical. Both are consumable parts with a service life, and on a used car at least one of them has usually been replaced already — or is due.
Air conditioning compressor failure
The compressor is the pump in the air conditioning loop. When it seizes it can send metal debris through the whole system, which turns a component replacement into a system job.
Suspension and steering noise
Bushings, ball joints, link rods and strut mounts are rubber and grease components that wear continuously. They rarely fail suddenly; they get gradually noisier and vaguer, which is why a test drive on a rough road tells you more than one on smooth pavement.
Turbocharger wear and failure
A turbocharger runs at very high speed on an oil-fed bearing, driven by exhaust gas. Its condition is tied directly to the engine's oil history, which makes service records more informative here than on most components.
CVT judder, slip and failure
A continuously variable transmission transmits torque through a steel belt or chain running between two variable-diameter pulleys. It depends on a specific fluid and on the clamping pressure between belt and pulley, which makes fluid condition central to its condition.
Clutch and dual-mass flywheel wear
The clutch is a wear item on any manual car. What changes the arithmetic is the dual-mass flywheel fitted to many modern engines: when it is worn it is replaced with the clutch, and it is the more expensive half of the job.
Carbon buildup on intake valves
In a direct-injection engine the fuel is sprayed into the cylinder rather than at the intake valve. Nothing washes the back of that valve, so deposits from crankcase ventilation and exhaust gas recirculation accumulate there over time.
Low-pressure fuel pump impeller failure
A fuel pump supplied to several manufacturers has an impeller that can crack and deform, stopping the pump from delivering fuel. Because the part was bought in rather than designed by any one carmaker, the same failure was recalled by Toyota, Honda and others in the same period — the vehicles have nothing else in common.
Petrol in the oil on the 1.5 turbo
Fuel works its way past the rings into the sump, the oil level rises, and the oil stops being oil. Honda extended the powertrain warranty on affected cars to 6 years with no mileage limit and pushed a software update — a bigger response than a bulletin usually gets. Two model years for the CR-V, three for the Civic, and both ranges are narrower than the story's reputation.
Air conditioning that stops cooling — two different parts
The air conditioning gradually stops cooling because refrigerant is escaping. Honda extended the warranty to 10 years — twice, for two different parts with two different year ranges. Getting the part right matters, because a car can be covered for one and not the other, and a recharge that works for a season tells you nothing about which.
What it is good at
Strengths
Running it
Ownership and maintenance
Drivetrain
FWDFront-wheel drive. The economy figures are EPA's rows for the sedan; the coupe is rated separately and its numbers are lower.
Parts
Common — parts and independent shops are easy to findThe Civic is among the most common cars on US roads and both engines were built in very large numbers, so parts supply is deep. The turbo's ancillaries are the parts most often quoted through a dealer rather than the aftermarket.
Transmission note
CVT, or 6-speed manual · CVTThe 1.5-litre turbo was sold only with the CVT in this model year, so a turbo car with a manual gearbox in a listing is a mis-described car. Honda's fuel-dilution warranty extension is a powertrain extension, and it is tied to the engine rather than to the transmission.
Service intervals
Engine oil and filterPer the Maintenance MinderOn the turbo engine the oil level itself is worth reading at each check, not just the age of the oil.
CVT fluidPer the manufacturer's stated interval
Spark plugsPer the manufacturer's stated interval
Engine and cabin air filtersPer the manufacturer's stated interval, shorter in dusty use
Brake fluidPer the manufacturer's stated interval
Cost items
Relative bands only. What a job costs depends on your region, the shop and where the parts come from, so a dollar figure written here would be wrong for most readers — and a wrong number costs more trust than a missing one.
HighTurbocharger replacement1.5-litre cars only.
HighCVT replacement
MediumAir conditioning condenser or compressorHonda extended the warranty on both parts, with different year ranges and different limits - which part failed decides whether a car is covered.
MediumIntake valve cleaning on the turbo
MediumClutch replacementManual cars only.
LowBrake and suspension wear items