2017 Honda Civic problems owners report most
2017 Honda Civic problems are documented in public: owners have filed 599 complaints with NHTSA, the earliest in 2016 and the most recent in 2026. Sorting those by the component the filer named puts the steering clearly first, at 173 of the 599 complaints, 29 per cent of everything filed.
A complaint is not a repair bill and not a defect finding. It is one owner telling the regulator something went wrong. What makes the count useful is the concentration: when one component takes 29 per cent of everything filed on a car, the pattern is doing more than chance.
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| STEERING | 173 | 29% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 166 | 28% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 103 | 17% |
| ENGINE | 66 | 11% |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 37 | 6% |
| STRUCTURE | 37 | 6% |
Against the 2016 car, this model year has drawn 45 per cent fewer complaints (599 against 1,081). Both years are led by the steering, so this is a fault that carried over rather than one introduced with the 2017 car.
Of those complaints, 23 describe a crash and 6 describe a fire. Filers reported 13 injuries.
Recalls on the 2017 Honda Civic
A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator found a safety defect, and the repair is free at a franchised dealer however old the car is. There are 6 recalls on this model year. Your own car may be covered by some, all or none of them, so check the VIN rather than the model.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Honda Civic and CR-V vehicles. The magnet that controls the torque sensor output signal for the electronic power steering system may not be properly secured, allowing the magnet to become dislodged. During a full lock turn, the dislodged magnet may cause steering assist to be applied in the opposite direction.
The risk. The unintended steering input reduces vehicle maneuverability and increases the risk of a crash.
The fix. Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering gearbox assembly, free of charge. The recall began November 9, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are C2N, P2O.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Honda Civic Hatchback and Civic Type R vehicles. The owners guide in these vehicles may not have been included or if included, the owner's guide may not have been properly provided required information. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 225, "Child Restraint Anchorage Systems."
The risk. If the information is missing or improper, it can increase the risk of injury or a crash.
The fix. Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the owners information kit, free of charge. The recall began January 9, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is O3A.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017 Honda Civic Hatchback and Civic Type R vehicles. Driver and front passenger seatback pads sold as replacement service parts were made without slit openings for the seat-mounted side air bags. In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, the seatback pad would interfere and adversely affect air bag performance. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 214, "Side Impact Protection."
The risk. If the seat-mounted air bags cannot not deploy correctly in the event of a crash, there would be an increased risk of injury.
The fix. Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front seatback pads, free of charge. The recall began June 15, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is E1D, U1B, and X1C.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017 Honda Civic Sedan and Coupe vehicles. The right halfshaft may have been improperly heat treated, reducing its strength.
The risk. The improper heat treatment can result in the halfshaft breaking, preventing the engine from moving the vehicle, and can allow a possible roll away situation if the parking brake is not engaged. This can increase the risk of a crash.
The fix. Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the halfshaft's serial number, replacing it as necessary and aligning the front wheels, free of charge. The recall began December 8, 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is K0E.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
The risk. Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix. Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.
The risk. Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.
The fix. Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH, NOC, POD, BOE, UOF, POB, EOG, AOI, QO8, TOJ, DO7, and SOK. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.
In owners own words
These are complaints filed about the steering, quoted as written. They are one persons account rather than a diagnosis, and they are here because a symptom described by a driver is easier to recognise than a component name.
I am reaching out regarding an issue in my 2017 Honda Civic EX-T. Over the past few months, I have noticed that the steering wheel seems to "stick" or feel "notchy" when making small adjustments from center (12 o clock) position. This is most noticeable when driving on a long, straight stretch of freeway requiring minor adjustments to keep the car centered. The steering will stick when attempting to making small corrections, requiring extra force to overcome resistance. After providing more force, the steering will suddenly give way, typically causing overcorrection in the opposite direction.
I have owned my 2017 Honda Civic LX since it was new and have maintained the car consistently since purchasing it; the car is lightly driven and while over seven years old, only has 28,000 miles on it. In recent months, I had experienced some odd occurrences on the highway of my steering wheel seeming to stick when driving at highway speeds especially noticeable after driving the car for at least 10-15 minutes; there were no warning lights or other alerts on the car of a problem. I took my car to be evaluated at a Honda dealership service center in early May, as it was difficult to control the
After contact the Honda Corporation of this problem, they suggested that I file a complaint with your organization. I have reported a problem to Honda concerning the steering on my 2017 Honda Civic LX. The steering wheel is having a sticky, notchy effect when I am above 4o miles per hour. I am on the PA turnpike atleast once a week and really notice the problem then. What happens is that the car will slightly drift to one side and when I go to correct it, it is not a smooth transition, the steering has a sticky notchy effect which when I do correct the steering to be in the center, even the
THIS IS A 5-DOOR HATCHBACK IN EX TRIM BOUGHT NEW 12/2016. WITHIN 2 WEEKS ELECTRICAL ISSUES STARTED, FROM XM TUNER GOING OUT TO MAIN HEADUNIT GOING OUT ON A INTERMITTANT BASIS. THIS DISABLES ALL AUDIO, BLUETOOTH, CLIMATE CONTROLS, BACK-UP CAMERA, & LANEWATCH. "CHECK TUNER" SHOWS BRIEFLY OFTEN. OCCURS EVEN WHEN DRIVING. DEALER UNABLE TO DUPLICATE, BECAUSE OF THIS HONDA REFUSES REPAIR. TPMS ALERT DISPLAYS FREQUENTLY, AFTER A TIRE EVEN A WHEEL REPAIR/REPLACEMENT. PER DEALER & HONDA TECH ALL 4 SHOULD BE MATCHING SET @ TIME OF SERVICE, OR DEALER CAN ATTEMPT HARD RESET. SOFTWARE UPDATE RECENTLY DONE
Every component, by complaint count
The full breakdown of what owners named when they filed. Components below the top ten are grouped out of this table.
| Component | Complaints | Share of all complaints |
|---|---|---|
| STEERING | 173 | 29% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 166 | 28% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 103 | 17% |
| ENGINE | 66 | 11% |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 37 | 6% |
| STRUCTURE | 37 | 6% |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 32 | 5% |
| POWER TRAIN | 29 | 5% |
| AIR BAGS | 24 | 4% |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | 21 | 4% |
What parts cost for the 2017 Honda Civic
Prices read from one AutoZone store for this exact year, make and model, covering 10 kinds of part and 276 products. AutoZone year, make and model catalog prices. Engine, trim, transmission and VIN fitment are not confirmed. They are what the shelf said on the day, not a quote.
| Part | Listed | Range | Typical |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alternator partial | 9 | $283.99 to $474.99 | $379.99 |
| Starter partial | 11 | $159.99 to $419.99 | $299.99 |
| Battery | 16 | $99.99 to $359.99 | $184.99 |
| Brake rotors | 43 | $29.99 to $205.99 | $69.99 |
| Brake pads | 72 | $26.49 to $147.99 | $58.49 |
| Cabin air filter | 10 | $19.99 to $47.99 | $26.99 |
| Engine air filter | 16 | $18.99 to $68.99 | $24.99 |
| Wiper blades partial | 71 | $8.19 to $43.99 | $22.99 |
| Spark plugs | 16 | $6.99 to $35.99 | $15.99 |
| Oil filter | 12 | $6.99 to $17.99 | $12.99 |
The cheapest way to keep it serviced
Taking the lowest listed price in each routine maintenance category, the filters, plugs and wipers for this car come to $61.15 in parts. That is parts alone, before labour, tax and the oil itself, and it assumes the cheapest option fits your engine.
Battery. 16 products listed, from the Econocraft Group Size 51R Battery 51R-E at $99.99 up to the OPTIMA Yellow Top Group Size 47 / H5 Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) Battery DH5 at $359.99. A refundable core deposit of $22.00 is charged on top and returned with the old part. AutoZone's own labels account for 10 of them, starting at $99.99.
Brake rotors. 43 products listed, from the PowerStop Disc Brake Rotor JBR1728SCR at $29.99 up to the PowerStop Disc Brake Rotor Set JBR1730XPR at $205.99. AutoZone's own labels account for 9 of them, starting at $66.99.
Brake pads. 72 products listed, from the PowerStop Z16 Evolution Ceramic Performance Brake Pads 16-1878 at $26.49 up to the PowerStop Track Day Semi-Metallic Carbon Fiber High Performance Brake Pads PST-1001B at $147.99. AutoZone's own labels account for 13 of them, starting at $42.99.
Fitment is by year, make and model only. Engine, trim and transmission were not selected, so confirm the part number against your own car before buying. Prices change and vary by store.
How other model years compare
The same nameplate across the years we hold. Complaint counts fall naturally for newer cars because fewer of them have been on the road for long, so read the column as a rough signal rather than a ranking. In this set the 2016 Honda Civic has drawn the most complaints and the 2021 Honda Civic the fewest.
What to check on the steering
Steering reports describe the wheel going heavy or sticky at speed, pulling to one side, or a loose feeling where the car wanders and needs constant correction. Several describe the effort changing mid-drive rather than being wrong from the start.
Buying a used 2017 Civic
Take it on a road where you reach a steady highway speed and hold it there. Most of these complaints describe a fault that only shows after some minutes at speed, which a drive around town will not find.
If you already own one
Raise it with a dealer before paying for a repair yourself. Steering faults draw manufacturer service bulletins and extended warranties more often than most components, and some of these cars were covered after the standard warranty ended.
- Drive at a steady highway speed for several minutes, not around town.
- Ask whether a service bulletin or extended coverage applies to the VIN.
- Check for play at the wheel with the engine running and stopped.
- Have the alignment checked before replacing any steering part.
Where the 2017 Honda Civic problem data comes from
Every figure on this page is counted from complaints and recalls published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, read October 12, 2026. Complaints are filed by owners and are not verified by the agency before publication. We count each complaint once per component it names, so a complaint naming two components appears in both rows.
- NHTSA recalls and complaintsRead October 12, 2026
- NHTSA record for the 2017 Honda CivicRead October 12, 2026
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