2018 Honda Civic EX steering wheel crunching noise when turning

JCH

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I've had my Civic for about almost 3 months now with around 2.5k miles on it. Just recently I started to notice a crunching sound when I turn the steering wheel.

The strange thing is, if the car is parked in the sun for a while, the noise is completely gone. However if parked in a garage, you can definitely hear it, especially in the cold mornings. Here are two videos showing what I'm talking about, both being filmed in the morning.

I am thinking of taking this to the dealership to get it checked at but does anyone know what this could be? Thanks!


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I've had my Civic for about almost 3 months now with around 2.5k miles on it. Just recently I started to notice a crunching sound when I turn the steering wheel.

The strange thing is, if the car is parked in the sun for a while, the noise is completely gone. However if parked in a garage, you can definitely hear it, especially in the cold mornings. Here are two videos showing what I'm talking about, both being filmed in the morning.

I am thinking of taking this to the dealership to get it checked at but does anyone know what this could be? Thanks!


Owner of an ex too and that noise is really strange. I honestly have no definite answer but I would check the general steering column to see if there is anything loose, caught, or broken in that area because that noise definitely isn't normal. I wouldn't see any harm in taking it to the dealer though because it doesn't seem like a serious issue and they honestly shouldn't charge you for fixing something as basic as that (just good customer service).
 

SpoolAndGo

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I've had a thread going for a steering clunk in my 2017 Civic Hatchback. The video from March 17 on page 2 of that thread is the best video I have of it. Two trips to the dealer for me and they claim there is nothing wrong / they can't reproduce the noise. Same as you, once the car bakes in the hot sun, the noise disappears.
https://www.civicx.com/threads/17-civic-steering-clunk.20417/
 
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JCH

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I've had a thread going for a steering clunk in my 2017 Civic Hatchback. The video from March 17 on page 2 of that thread is the best video I have of it. Two trips to the dealer for me and they claim there is nothing wrong / they can't reproduce the noise. Same as you, once the car bakes in the hot sun, the noise disappears.
https://www.civicx.com/threads/17-civic-steering-clunk.20417/
I've booked my appointment and will be taking my car back to the dealership on Friday, will let you know if they manage to fix it for me... hopefully.
 
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JCH

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Brought the car into service today. After the technician inspected it, he told me it was the reel assembly causing the noise. Apparently it's when there's not enough grease in it for it to "turn smoothly", it makes that noise. Considered normal, and mine was just one of the minor cases they've seen.
 


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Brought the car into service today. After the technician inspected it, he told me it was the reel assembly causing the noise. Apparently it's when there's not enough grease in it for it to "turn smoothly", it makes that noise. Considered normal, and mine was just one of the minor cases they've seen.
Is it just being left as is or add more grease ?
 
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JCH

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Is it just being left as is or add more grease ?
Well the technician told me that since it was normal I wouldn't have to worry about it. They said they cannot add grease because the unit itself is sealed, and if they tampered with it, they would be liable for if let's say the steering wheel airbag doesn't deploy.

In order to completely get rid of the noise, they would have to replace the whole unit. I didn't ask about replacing it as they advised me that the noise was normal.
 

travisc12

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JCH, my 2018 EX hatch has been making the same noise while turning the steering wheel as what I heard in your first video. It was quiet but mostly noticeable at low speeds. I found that my noise was coming from the plastic trim on the front of the steering wheel that surrounds the buttons. When I turned the wheel, this trim was flexing enough to make a crunching sound. I inserted a few thin strips of black foam/neoprene between the plastic trim and the center plastic cover of the steering wheel (one piece in each corner) and voila- no more noise! Hope this works for you. I can post a picture if helpful.
 

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Hey man I recently upgraded from a 2016 civic to a 2020 hatchback sport (only has 400KM) and noticed these faint clicking noises when turning the steering wheel (left or right). Only happens when the car is standing still or at low speeds. Can barely hear it over the A/C and not at all when streaming music.

Wondering if it this is something to be concerned about, is it a problem that gets worse? My old 2016 civic sedan never had this issue.
How is your car holding up?
 

zspeed

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Hey man I recently upgraded from a 2016 civic to a 2020 hatchback sport (only has 400KM) and noticed these faint clicking noises when turning the steering wheel (left or right). Only happens when the car is standing still or at low speeds. Can barely hear it over the A/C and not at all when streaming music.

Wondering if it this is something to be concerned about, is it a problem that gets worse? My old 2016 civic sedan never had this issue.
How is your car holding up?
I also have that faint clicking noise that I can hear on the front driver side when I am moving forward from a complete stop and it disappears as I speed up.

Dealership said that it could be because of my wheel spacers or the axle. I brought the car to my friend’s mechanic for a second opinion and he said that it is impossible for the axle to be the problem. We removed the wheel spacers and the clicking noise is still there. He suspected that it can be worn out brake components as he saw a lot of rust from the rotors considering my car has more than 40k miles already.

I’ve been reading some posts here saying that it can be because of the brake retaining clips to which I hope that is the only problem to all that clicking noise that I am hearing.
 


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If the sound is outside of the car then maybe CV joint or tie rod
 

bmedhat

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I had this very similar problem with my 2018 civic. I lubricated the exposed 3 springs that help actuate the horn on the back of the airbag unit and the problem went away. Apparently, the screws that hold the unit in place sit on a bracket that also houses these horn springs so that any tension felt on the unit is transmitted through these springs.
 

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I had this very similar problem with my 2018 civic. I lubricated the exposed 3 springs that help actuate the horn on the back of the airbag unit and the problem went away. Apparently, the screws that hold the unit in place sit on a bracket that also houses these horn springs so that any tension felt on the unit is transmitted through these springs.
What did you use to lubricate the springs and was it an easy fix?
 

bmedhat

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What did you use to lubricate the springs and was it an easy fix?
I used white lithium grease spray. It was a very easy fix. Just carefully remove the airbag by disconnecting the car battery then wait 15 minutes and discharge any remaining power like by braking (from lights).

HOW TO REMOVE AND REINSTALL 2016-2019 HONDA CIVIC DRIVER WHEEL AIRBAG STEP BY STEP - YouTube

Spray the springs avoiding the main unit as this could possibly damage the airbag according to some warnings.

Before I sprayed I held the screw holes with fingers using one hand and the front horn cover with the other hand then I twisted both hands and could hear a creak but after I greased the springs I twisted again and the creak went away. I put the unit back and its been about a month now and I haven't had the annoying faint clicking.

This is what mine sounded like before...

 
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mmdan

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Well the technician told me that since it was normal I wouldn't have to worry about it. They said they cannot add grease because the unit itself is sealed, and if they tampered with it, they would be liable for if let's say the steering wheel airbag doesn't deploy.

In order to completely get rid of the noise, they would have to replace the whole unit. I didn't ask about replacing it as they advised me that the noise was normal.
Has this sound gotten louder/worse for you since then? I just purchased a used civic and I'm noticing this problem as well.
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