The Honda Civic has long been heralded as a very reliable car — with fewer problems compared to most other vehicles. A new class action lawsuit casts some doubt on its dependability, though. The lawsuit contends that 2023-2023 Civic models have a sticky steering wheel that gets stuck when driving. This problem makes the compact car potentially dangerous to drive. 

Defective steering wheel lawsuit against 2022-2023 Honda Civic

The problem asserted by plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit is a strange one. They claim that 2022-2023 Civic models have an issue with the steering wheel, which gets stuck while driving. The problem is due to a defective electric power steering system. 

Four days before the filing of the lawsuit, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) started an investigation into 238,000 units of the 2022-2023 Civic. The investigation follows 145 complaints that drivers made to the NHTSA about the sticky steering wheel. No drivers reported any car crashes or injuries as a result of this problem, though.

Additionally, the lawsuit contends that Honda had known about the sticky steering wheels since 2016 or earlier, per CarComplaints. However, despite this prior knowledge, the automaker didn’t recall any models or offer financial reimbursements to owners of the Civic. The suit also cites the danger of the compact car unexpectedly losing maneuverability. Furthermore, the plaintiffs assert that due to this defect, their vehicles lost value. 

Plaintiffs detail experiences of the stuck steering wheel in the Civic

Three plaintiffs filed the class action lawsuit: Jordan Burgos, Jose Tejada, and Brian Daniels. Burgos, who is from Virginia, owns a 2022 Honda Civic. The steering wheel started having complications around seven months after he bought the vehicle. He claims that it got stuck on many occasions, including nearly causing the compact car to hit another car in one incident.

After taking his vehicle to a Honda dealership to address the dangerous issue, the dealer performed an alignment and balanced the tires. However, it didn’t repair the steering system, which still has the stickiness problem.

Tejada, who is from Texas, also bought a 2022 Civic. He encountered the stuck steering wheel when driving on a highway. Also, Tejada alleges that he took his car to a Honda dealership, but it didn’t provide any repairs. 

Daniels, a plaintiff from Maryland, leased a 2022 Civic. He encountered a sticky steering wheel six months after starting the lease. To get it out of its stuck position, he had to jerk the steering wheel. However, there isn’t any mention in the lawsuit of whether or not Daniels took his car to a dealership to diagnose the problem and repair the steering system. 

What compensation do the plaintiffs request for the suit?

For the class action lawsuit for the 2022-2023 Honda Civic, the plaintiffs request multiple things. For one, they state that Honda should replace the faulty electric power steering system with non-defective components. 

Another request for the suit is the extension of the warranty that covers the steering system. Also, even though the Civic models still have coverage from the original warranty, the plaintiffs assert that the automaker should reimburse owners for any expenses due to the defective steering wheel. This includes diagnostics, repairs, and all other “consequential and incidental damages.”

Furthermore, due to the dangerous nature of the problem, the lawsuit requests that Honda stop leasing and selling 2022-2023 Civic models and give up “all or part of the ill-gotten profits.”

The plaintiffs filed the class action lawsuit for the Honda Civic sticky steering wheel problem in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The name of the suit is Burgos, et al., v. American Honda Motor Company, Inc.