KnownCarProblems2013 Honda Accord Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 1,426 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Honda Accord, most often about the steering (35% of complaints, typically around 50,000 miles). It is 4th of 27 Accord model years by number of complaints and has 5 recalls.
Most common 2013 Honda Accord problems
Steering
499 complaints · 35%Half of these problems showed up before 50,000 miles. Parts named most often: rack and pinion, gear box (other than rack and pinion), electric power assist system, hydraulic power assist.
As I was making a left turn at low speed from a stop sign, my car lost stability and steering felt unusual. Traffic was light and I was able to recover. The two subsequent turns (right and then left) on the same drive yielded similar feelings. When I looked into this, I found reports of an investigation by the NHTSA…
While driving at approx. 25 MPH, suddenly the power steering completely failed and power steering warning light came on. As I was only a couple of blocks from home, I was able to hard steer it home. Spouse turned engine off, started it back up and power steering reset. Took it to the dealer. Did diagnostic and…
Electrical
417 complaints · 29%Half of these problems showed up before 50,000 miles. Parts named most often: starter assembly, ignition, instrument panel, 12v/24v/48v battery.
My 2013 Accord is having problems with the push start button. Three separate times in one week our car had trouble starting. It would make a sound of hesitation before starting for 3-5 seconds. We had the battery replaced this past winter. We took the car to our local Honda dealer for a check on the electrical and…
The contact owns a 2013 Honda Accord. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced a complete loss of power. The failure occurred without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure could not be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an…
Engine
186 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 40,500 miles.
2013 Accord sport is starting to have a starting problem. Sometimes engine does not turn over when first turning the key. And from what I have read on this site it sounds like it is progressively going to get to the point of having to replace the starter. Not happy. I was hoping on having a reliable car when I bought…
My vehicle shut down while parked in an plaza on pembroke road at the beginning on march 2015. This happened again x 2 while the vehicle was parked (engine running) on separate days. The last time it happened I was driving along pines boulevard in peak hour traffic (tuesday april 21st 2015), as I approached the…
Other or unspecified
119 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 58,000 miles.
At times the car will not start when the ignition key is turned. It will start on the second turn. On 11/17/2017 , it did not start on the second try. I called for a tow truck . The driver arrived and after turning the key multiple times , the car started. He stated that it is the starter and to have it checked.
Driving down the highway when all of a sudden I heard a loud noise thinking I had a blowout to find out my sunroof glass just shattered .not a car was around me when this happen.
Brakes
118 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 45,500 miles. Parts named most often: antilock, pedals and linkages.
On 07/04/2015 I was coming out of my garage as I made turn I hit my break to slow down...but my break wouldn't work...I pressed the break hard repeatedly. ..but break pedal was going all the way to floor...car woudnt stop and automatically accelerated. ..I prepared myself for crash on the wall so I can stop the…
Since purchased new in 2013 the brakes make a loud roaring sound when applied at high speeds ( 55- 70) MPH. The faster that you're driving when brakes are applied, the louder the roar. Roar happens every time that brakes are applied.
Transmission
110 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 15,500 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, driveline.
Pulling into a parking space, stopped before I could put the car into park, the vehicle lunged forward into a brick wall before stopping. Prior to this incident on 4/28/14 the windshield was replaced due to a crack in the windshield after this the ldw (lane warning device) didn't function properly. 4/30/14 another…
When attempting to go into reverse after the car has sat in the garage overnight it does not want to move. The RPM's go up but no movement. Have to put the car in park, turn it off and restart the process over again. When it does engage, it will begin moving very slowly almost like the transmission is slipping. Once…
Speed control
51 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 7,500 miles. Parts named most often: cruise control, accelerator pedal.
While turning right to park in a residential townhouse parking space, the car accelerated suddenly and hit a tree which was very close but at the top of a slanting hill. It felt like the car was slipping on ice but there was no ice. A person outside of the car heard a strange noise. It felt like there was no ability…
I was in a parking lot trying to park my car in a spot on the right side. As I pressed the accelerator at a normal pressure, the car just started accelerating and did not stop. I first slightly hit a car which had just pulled out of a parking spot. I tried to use the brakes multiple times and tried to shift gears to…
Air bags
51 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 50,000 miles.
2 items- was there an air bag recall? & starter push button malfunction, it doesn't start at times when pushed, it's getting worst, I'm up to over five trys and now it feels like I'd be stuck at any location. It started about two months ago. Someone on youtube claimed that there was a recall on the 2013 Accord push…
My car is making this "clicking" sound when I turn the wheel. Honda knows this is a problem because it is on their service bulletin. My car has 46,000 miles on it so I would have to pay out of pocket for a problem with the car known by Honda! I think this is a load of crap.
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2013 Honda Accord recalls
Transmission: driveshaft
Risk: A broken driveshaft can result in a loss of drive power, or a vehicle rollaway when the vehicle is in park without the parking brake applied. Both scenarios can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the driveshaft assemblies as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed august 11, 2025. Owners may contact honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is om2. This recall expands previous recall number 20v769.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain 2013 honda accord vehicles equipped with a 4-cylinder engine and a continuously-variable transmission. The affected vehicles were originally sold, or ever registered, in connecticut, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, virginia, west virginia, and wisconsin. The driveshaft may corrode and break, due to damage from road salt or other contaminants.
Fuel system: fuel pump
Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
Full defect summary
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.
Transmission: driveshaft
Risk: A broken drive shaft may cause a sudden loss of drive power. The vehicle could also roll away if the parking brake has not been applied before the vehicle has been exited. Either condition can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the drive shafts, replacing both the left and right drive shafts, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began february 4, 2021. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain 2013-2015 accord vehicles equipped with a 4-cylinder engine and a continuously-variable transmission that were originally sold, or ever registered, in connecticut, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, virginia, west virginia, and wisconsin. The drive shafts were assembled with a lubricant that may have degraded the drive shafts' protective coating, making it more susceptible to damage from road salt or other contaminants, and potentially cause it to break.
Electrical: 12v/24v/48v battery
Risk: An electrical short increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the sensor, free of charge. Dealers will perform an interim remedy of applying adhesive to the case to prevent water intrusion. The recall began november 8, 2017. Owners may contact american honda customer support center at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is kg0.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain 2013-2016 honda accord vehicles. The case for the battery sensor, part of the battery management system, may allow water to get in, potentially causing an electrical short.
Fuel system: fuel system, gasoline
Risk: An insufficent seal may LED to a fuel leak which increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tank, nut and o-ring gasket free of charge. The recall began during august 2013. Honda's recall number is ja9. Owners may contact honda at 1-310-783-2000.
Full defect summary
American honda motor co., inc. (honda) is recalling certain model year 2013 accord vehicles that are low-emission vehicle (lev) II rated that were manufactured january 15, 2013, through april 5, 2013. The fuel tank neck may be out of specification causing the fuel pump to not properly seal to the fuel tank.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Desiccated air bag inflator rupture
Summary
From 2000 through 2017, takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("psan") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004l. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 blomquist report at www.NHTSA.gov/sites/NHTSA.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substa
Loss of direction control
Summary
On may 6, 2021, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened engineering analysis (ea21-001) to assess a sudden loss of steering control, in model year (my) 2013-2015 honda accord vehicles. Consumers alleged while driving the steering wheel would pull to the left or the right independently. Steering pull may pose a risk of loss of directional control. Honda stated that they believed the inadvertent steering input was caused by a loose magnet located within the electronic power steering (eps) system. Due to poor formulation of the adhesive, this magnet can become loose and move up to 2 degrees around the steering column. When the magnet moves, the torque sensor generates a signal that res
Loss of direction control
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) received a petition dated october 19, 2020 requesting an investigation of an alleged defect in the steering system in model year (my) 2013 honda accord vehicles. The petitioner alleges that my2013 honda accord vehicles are experiencing a sudden loss of steering control as the vehicle veers from its intended path of travel. The petitioner further alleges that this deviation from the intended path of travel occurs without warning or driver input while operating the vehicle under normal driving conditions. The petition itself can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under odi number 11349961.on november 23, 2020, odi opened a defect petition (dp20-005) to evaluate
Electrical overstress
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened this investigation to determine if the failure of airbags to deploy during severe crashes, in certain vehicles, was the result of a safety related defect.â during the investigation a complex failure was studied that can result in non-deployment of subject vehicle air bags and other restraint system devices in severe crash events. The subject vehicles may be equipped with an airbag control unit (acu) for the supplemental restraint system (SRS) electronic control unit (ecu) manufactured by zf-trw. â the ecu receives signals from crash sensors mounted in the vehicle and deploys the vehicle air bags and seat belt pretensioners in accordance with m
Electric power steering failure
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe14-033 to investigate 24 complaints alleging loss of power steering while driving in model year (my) 2013 honda accord vehicles equipped with electric power steering (eps).analysis of service data for the original 24 complaints and 33 additional complaints received after pe14-033 was opened found that 85 percent of the vehicles with diagnostic trouble codes available to identify the faulty component had a code indicating torque sensor failure (dtc 53).in its response to odi's information request letter for pe14-033, honda identified two manufacturing process conditions that may have affected the quality of some early production torque sensor
Questions about the 2013 Honda Accord
- What are the most common problems with the 2013 Honda Accord?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: steering (499 complaints, typically around 50,000 miles); electrical (417 complaints, typically around 50,000 miles); engine (186 complaints, typically around 40,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2013 Honda Accord have?
- 5 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from June 19, 2025 (transmission). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2013 a bad year for the Honda Accord?
- It is 4th of 27 Accord model years by number of complaints, with 1,426 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.