Diagsheet

2023 Honda Civic · symptom sheet

Power steering cuts out or goes heavy

  • 36owner reports
  • 10,000median miles
  • 3involved a crash

Newest report Apr 16, 2026 · checked Sep 9, 2026

192 of the 252 complaints on this car are about the steering system. 36 of those describe power steering loss. Only sticky steering is reported more often on this car.

Tick what matches of 36 reports

6
19
2
4
29

What got replaced

Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the steering rack (11 reports).

Recalls and investigations

2 recalls on the steering system cover the 2023 model year. A recall on the same system isn't always the same failure, so read the defect text.

24V-744Oct 3, 2024
Steering

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Acura Integra, Civic Type R, CR-V Hybrid, CR-V, HR-V, 2022-2025 Civic, Civic Hatchback, 2024-2025 Acura Integra Type S, 2025 CR-V Fuel Cell EV, Civic Hybrid, and Civic Hatchback Hybrid vehicles. The steering gearbox assembly may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can cause excessive internal friction and lead to difficulty steering the vehicle.

Risk and remedy
Risk: Difficulty steering can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the worm gear spring and redistribute or add grease as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 18, 2024. Owners may contact Honda Customer Service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are SJS, MJU, QJT and VJV.
23V-704Oct 19, 2023
Steering:Rack And Pinion

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2022-2024 Civic 4-door and Civic 5-door vehicles that received a replacement power steering rack as part of a service repair. The steering rack may have been incorrectly assembled, which can allow the tire to chafe against the lower suspension or tie rod end, possibly resulting in tire damage.

Risk and remedy
Risk: A damaged tire can fail and increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the electric power steering rack, as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed January 16, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is YFW.

NHTSA investigations into the steering system on the Civic

EA23-003opened Nov 29, 2023
Steering · model years 2022 to 2024

Momentary increased steering effort. Closed jan 28, 2025, led to recall 24V-744.

NHTSA summary
On November 29, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Engineering Analysis (EA23003) to assess allegations of momentary increase in steering effort in model years (MY) 2022-2023 Honda Civic, 2023MY Honda CR-V, and 2023MY Acura Integra vehicles (subject vehicles). The complaints received by ODI alleged that the subject vehicles experienced a momentary increase in required steering effort (described as “sticky steering”) occurring mostly at highway speeds after driving for an extended amount of time; these complaints could not be duplicated during dealer service technicians’ quick test drives. The complaints had been received over the previous two years with most occurring with low vehicle mileage. The steering gear of these vehicles is aided by an electrical power assist unit. This power assist unit inputs force on the steering rack via a worm gear and worm wheel assembly. During PE23005, Honda stated this condition of momentary increase in steering effort occurs due to two factors within this power assist unit. First, during manufacturing, the steering worm wheel goes through annealing and component conditioning processes. These processes cause internal stress and strain within the steering worm wheel. This strain is slowly released over the first few months of the vehicle life. Over time, the released strain causes deformation of the teeth on the worm wheel, causing the worm gear to catch on the worm wheel. This catching results in the dri
PE23-005opened Mar 17, 2023
Steering · model years 2022 to 2023

Momentary increased steering effort. Closed nov 30, 2023.

NHTSA summary
On March 17, 2023, The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation (PE23-005) to access the alleged defect of momentary increase in steering effort in model years (MY) 2022 and 2023 Honda Civic vehicles. The complaints report that the momentary increase in steering effort (described as "sticky steering") occurs mostly at highway speeds after driving for a certain amount of time. The reports have been received over the past 2 years with most occurring with low vehicle mileage. The steering gear contains a unit that includes a worm gear and a worm wheel. Honda stated this condition of momentary increase in steering effort occurs due to two factors within this unit. During manufacturing, the worm wheel goes through annealing and component conditioning processes. These processes caused internal stress and strain within the worm wheel. This strain was slowly released over the first few months of the vehicle life. Over time, the released strain caused the deformation of the teeth on the worm wheel, causing the worm gear to catch on the worm wheel. This results in the consumer’s momentary increased in steering effort. Also, the manufacturing process did not guarantee consistent grease application and therefore, some vehicles within the scope received too little grease which contributes to the momentary increase in steering effort. Analysis of all relevant data indicates that the subject condition occurs early in the vehicle’s life primarily in winter mont
PE94-055opened Jul 20, 1994
Steering · model years 1993

Alleged steering lockup. Closed dec 30, 1994.

NHTSA summary
There is no summary currently available

When it happens

The middle half of failures fell between 8,000 and 36,616 miles, from the 13 reports that gave a mileage.

1623
1724
225
126

What owners wrote

“The steering like to jerk or stick. It’s sometimes hard to control. It looks like I’m drunk driving to stay in the lane. I think the component that controls the lane assist or lane keep is malfunctioning. Driving on the highway is even more terrifying. Just trying to keep the vehicle in the lane. The dealerships have found nothing wrong and have no idea what I’m talking about. No lights or warnings came on.”

Filed Aug 1, 2024

“The electric power steering is sticking when you turn the wheel slightly. My local dealership failed to fix the recall on my vehicle and labeled it as fixed, when they simply verified the recall matched serial numbers on my car and did not fix the issue.”

Filed Feb 27, 2024

“Power steering has begun to require more effort to make fine adjustments with at highway speeds. Often sticking in one place and requiring more force than normal to make the adjustment. This can create an over correction situation which can result in an accident/loss of control of the car.”

Filed Dec 17, 2023

“Driving on freeway on 12/2/2023 and the steering became difficult to handle. It felt that I lost my power steering. I exited the freeway and the car's steering seemed ok after all. The steering was fine for the remainder of the day. The next day, the problem happened again on a freeway. I can steer the car, but it requires more effort and it seems a bit jerky.”

Filed Dec 5, 2023

Should you keep driving it?

This page can't tell you that. 3 of 36 reports involved a crash and 1 people were hurt. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.

File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation.

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