Symptom explainer · every vehicle on the site
Steering sticks, feels notchy or jerks
Most reported: 2022 Honda Civic with 556 reports. Across the 110 model years on this site with at least five, owners filed 4,101.
- 4,101owner reports
- 110model years affected
- 35,000median miles
- 55involved a crash
- 7involved a fire
Sticky steering is a wheel that catches or hangs for a moment before it turns, then moves in a small jerk. It's different from a wheel that's simply heavy: owners here describe a notch, and many say it's worst when making small corrections at highway speed.
Which cars report it most · By model · When it happens · What it is and what to do
The 25 vehicles with the most reports
Each row is one model year. The bar is its count of sticky steering reports; the share is how much of that car's complaint file this problem takes up. Bigger sellers draw more reports, so read the share alongside the count. Red dots mark crashes and fires in these reports; amber marks a recall on the same system.
- 12022 Honda Civic9 crashesrecall55663% of its complaints20k mi
- 22016 Honda Civic2 crashes35333% of its complaints40k mi
- 32018 Honda Civicrecall23832% of its complaints50k mi
- 42023 Honda CR-V3 crashesrecall23846% of its complaints8k mi
- 52018 Honda CR-Vrecall21010% of its complaints57k mi
- 62023 Acura Integra2 crashesrecall15976% of its complaints10k mi
- 72017 Chrysler Pacifica1 crash1419% of its complaints60k mi
- 82023 Honda Civic1 crashrecall12951% of its complaints10k mi
- 92017 Honda Civicrecall12221% of its complaints57k mi
- 102024 Mazda CX-902 crashesrecall11534% of its complaints40k mi
- 112022 Honda CR-V1 crash11042% of its complaints27k mi
- 12908% of its complaints42k mi
- 132021 Honda CR-V1 crash8526% of its complaints40k mi
- 142019 Honda Civic1 crash8119% of its complaints54k mi
- 152018 Chrysler Pacifica1 crash708% of its complaints114k mi
- 16607% of its complaints32k mi
- 172023 Honda HR-Vrecall599% of its complaints6k mi
- 18502% of its complaints60k mi
- 194934% of its complaints36k mi
- 202024 Honda CR-V1 crashrecall4712% of its complaints5k mi
- 212019 Ram 15002 crashesrecall453% of its complaints10k mi
- 222023 Honda CR-V Hybridrecall4539% of its complaints9k mi
- 232014 Chevrolet Silverado 15001 crash1 firerecall443% of its complaints43k mi
- 242018 Jeep Wrangler1 crashrecall422% of its complaints8k mi
- 25393% of its complaints40k mi
Where it dominates the complaint file
Model years with at least 25 reports, ranked by the share of all their complaints that describe sticky steering. That takes most of the sales-volume effect out (small sellers still swing more).
- 12023 Acura Integra2 crashesrecall15976% of its complaints10k mi
- 22022 Honda Civic9 crashesrecall55663% of its complaints20k mi
- 32023 Honda Civic1 crashrecall12951% of its complaints10k mi
- 42023 Honda CR-V3 crashesrecall23846% of its complaints8k mi
- 52022 Honda CR-V1 crash11042% of its complaints27k mi
- 62023 Honda CR-V Hybridrecall4539% of its complaints9k mi
- 74934% of its complaints36k mi
- 82024 Mazda CX-902 crashesrecall11534% of its complaints40k mi
- 92016 Honda Civic2 crashes35333% of its complaints40k mi
- 102018 Honda Civicrecall23832% of its complaints50k mi
By model, every year together
The 12 models with the most reports. Each chip is a model year; the darker chip is its worst year.
- Honda Civic1,576
- Honda CR-V839
- Mazda CX-90115
- Kia Sorento114
- Ram 1500106
When it happens
1,377 of the 4,101 reports state a mileage. The middle half fall between 12,800 and 60,000 miles; the median is 35,000. Each column is a 20,000-mile band.
Reports by model year
Every report of sticky steering, grouped by the model year of the car. 55 involved a crash and 7 a fire. 42 people were hurt.
What owners describe
Share of the 4,101 reports that use each phrase. One report can use several.
What got replaced
Reports that name the part, across every vehicle.
What it is and what to do
The numbers make that clear. About four in five complaints in this group use a word like stick or catch, a third call it notchy or jerky, and 43 percent mention highway or higher speeds. Only about one in seven mentions the steering locking up or going stiff. The group is smaller than most on the site, at roughly 4,100 complaints, and it's concentrated. Honda Civics from several model years sit at the top, led by the 2022, and the median mileage owners give is low, around 33,000.
Firestone describes the mechanism in general terms: steering parts such as the rack, tie rods and the steering shaft joints can lose lubrication or corrode, and then they bind, leaving steering that feels stiff in some spots and loose in others. Where owners here name a replaced part, it's the steering rack about one time in five. Recalls in the data describe binding racks too. Honda's 24V-114 replaced power steering racks on some 2023 and 2024 Odysseys and 2024 RDXs after water got into a loosely tightened gearbox and corroded it. FCA's 22V-154 replaced racks on some 2021 and 2022 Durangos and 2022 Grand Cherokees whose rack bar may not have been hardened enough, and Ford's 25V-022 did the same on some 2024 F-150s built with the wrong rack.
That list gives a mechanic a place to start: the rack or steering gear, tie rods, ball joints and the steering shaft's U-joints. Don't expect the dash to help. About one owner in seven says it came on without any warning.
Should you keep driving? The recalls above describe binding gears as a possible loss of steering control. If the wheel ever refuses to turn, or the notch is getting worse, have it looked at before the next highway trip.
Tell the mechanic the speed, whether it happens near center or through a full turn, whether it's worse cold or hot, and if it began after an alignment or pothole. (If it won't happen on command, a short video with the wheel in frame does a lot of the explaining.) Check NHTSA's recall lookup by VIN first. If there's no recall, report it during the warranty and get a repair order; the FTC says a defect reported in that window must be fixed even if coverage runs out before the repair.
Sources
- Steering wheel hard to turn? Causes and fixes, Firestone Complete Auto Care
- NHTSA recall 24V-114, Honda steering gearbox
- NHTSA recall 22V-154, FCA steering rack bar
- NHTSA recall 25V-022, Ford F-150 steering gear
- Check for recalls, NHTSA
- Warranties, FTC Consumer Advice
- Complaint counts, mileages and phrase shares: NHTSA complaint files as tallied on this site
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints on the 1,040 vehicle model years that have a page here, grouped by the word patterns described on the method page. A vehicle needs five matching reports to be counted in this ranking. Checked Sep 27, 2026. All problem explainers.