The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has started an investigation into 2022 and 2023 Honda Civic models over “sticky steering.” To date, there have been 145 complaints of the issue over 11 months. The organization’s documentation also shows some manufacturer reports of the issue, too. This is an investigation for the time being, not yet a recall, which will be determined post-investigation.
More specifically, this “sticky steering” refers to a brief loss of power steering assistance, making the steering heavier and harder to move. Naturally, this could be an issue for controlling the car and avoiding a collision at worst, and is just annoying and disconcerting at best. Fortunately, no crashes, injuries or fatalities have been reported related to these complaints.
Complaints have cited the issue cropping up at highway speeds and on vehicles with relatively low mileage, though NHTSA didn’t specifically say what “low mileage” is. Since the issues have been reported only on 2022 and 2023 Civics, cars that are no more than a year or two old, it’s likely somewhere below 50,000 miles at the most. Also, both regular Civic sedans and hatchbacks and the sporty Si are covered by these complaints. This means that in the event a recall is issued, an estimated 238,271 cars could be affected.
It is important to reiterate that there has not been a recall issued yet. This is just the investigation stage. The investigation officially opened on March 17. No potential causes have been determined – whether it’s a power steering issue or some other mechanical snag. It’s also possible that no actual problem is found or recall issued. If you have one of these Honda Civics and have experienced such an issue, it would still be good to take it in to be checked out by the dealer. You can also file an official complaint to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov.
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