Honda Issues Stop-Sale For Some 2016 Civics

2016 Honda Civic Type R (Credit: Honda)

Honda came roaring out the gate with the 2016 Civic, which put the bite into the little car once again. Some of the company’s bravado has been swept away as it’s been forced to issue a stop-sale and safety-recall notice for all models that have the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine.

In other words, if you were smart and went for the turbo, you’re in the clear. For now.

The news actually broke through an enthusiast forum called CivicX, which claims that Honda has notified dealers to not sell any of the vehicles with the 2.0-liter engine.

2016 Honda Civic Sedan (Credit: Honda)

The problem, as described in Honda Service Bulletin 16-017 is: “A small number of engines were produced with piston pin snap rings that may not be completely seated. If the snap ring is not completely seated, it will come out allowing the piston pin to contact the cylinder wall which can damage the engine.”

Oops.

About 34,000 Civics will be recalled. At one time, Honda enjoyed a darling reputation for creating vehicles that were incredibly reliable. That image has been seriously tarnished in recent years, with some former brand loyalists fleeing elsewhere. On top of that, enthusiasts have largely abandoned Honda since it started catering to boring people and killed off or fattened up any fun products.

This recall is really going to hurt Honda since the Civic is one of its three staple models. The Civic combined with the Accord and CR-V for over 1 million sales in 2015, after doing the same thing in 2014 and 2013. If nothing else, some buyers are going to go get a Mazda3 instead of waiting for Honda to fix the engine failure issue, while others are probably wondering what else could go wrong with the Civic or any other Honda.

If you own one of the soon-to-be-recalled Civics, you’re in for a little bit of a wait. Reports indicate Honda won’t even have a timetable for repairs until about the middle of March, so don’t expect to get it fixed just yet.