2013 Honda Accord

Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues

Steering is the leading concern among 1,421 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 4th highest complaint count among 25 Accord model years with reports.

Complaints by model year
  1. 1,421

Of the 2013 reports, 67 involved a crash and 9 involved a fire. 59 people were injured and 1 person died.

Primary concernSteering499 reports · 35% of complaints
Owner complaints1,421Filed with NHTSA
Recall relationship5 safety recallsNHTSA campaign records

What owners report most often

  1. Steering499
  2. Electrical system415
  3. Engine179
  4. Other or unspecified119
  5. Service brakes115
  6. Power train109
  7. Air bags51
  8. Vehicle speed control50

Recalls and investigations

  1. Power train, driveline, driveshaftJun 19, 2025

    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.

    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.

    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.

    Campaign 25V422000 on NHTSA.gov

  2. Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, fuel pumpDec 18, 2023

    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.

    Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

    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.

    Campaign 23V858000 on NHTSA.gov

  3. Power train, driveline, driveshaftDec 10, 2020

    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.

    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.

    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.

    Campaign 20V769000 on NHTSA.gov

  4. Electrical system, 12v/24v/48v batteryJun 29, 2017

    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.

    An electrical short increases the risk of a fire.

    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.

    Campaign 17V418000 on NHTSA.gov

  5. Fuel system, gasolineJul 8, 2013

    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.

    An insufficent seal may led to a fuel leak which increases the risk of a fire.

    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.

    Campaign 13V297000 on NHTSA.gov

Representative owner complaints: steering

499 reports, newest first. Show all

  1. Steering, Dec 10, 2021

    The contact owns a 2013 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel inadvertently moved to the left. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The mechanic informed the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with steering failure. The steering gearbox needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000. The VIN was unavailable.

  2. Steering, Dec 9, 2021

    The electric power steering seems to be failing on my 2013 Honda Accord intermittently with no warning light present. While my husband was driving the vehicle at highway speeds, he indicated the steering wheel suddenly wanted to turn to the left on it's own. I drove the vehicle the next day and really did not notice an issue. However, my adult daughter drove the vehicle the following day and after driving the vehicle a short distance had to return home because the steering suddenly became very difficult to turn to the right, but super loose when turning to the left to the point it was almost impossible to control. I drove the vehicle for myself and found the same, plus the steering was extremely jerky, not at all smooth as it once was. The vehicle is in the repair shop now with an independent mechanic we trust 100%. He lifted the vehicle and was shocked at how the steering is reacting, advising the vehicle is definitely not safe to drive in it's present state. His extensive research, coupled with the codes presented, leads him to believe the rack and pinion needs replacement. Unfortunately, the repair cost is quite high due to the parts cost and labor involved. After reading all of the reports online about this exact same complaint from other consumers, I am disturbed that Honda has not done a recall. If so many of these vehicles are having this exact same issue, and it is a very strong safety hazard, why is this not considered an incident that requires recall? And how can I be assured that the Honda replacement parts are not going to fail in the future for the exact same reason? Do I now have a vehicle that is unsafe and I will constantly worry the steering is going to fail? I live in a rural area and hate to think that at any time the steering could fail and my car and it's occupants could end up in a ravine or body of water. Even after the repair is complete, I will always be uneasy driving this vehicle.

  3. Steering, Electrical system, Dec 8, 2021

    CAR VEERED LEFT HARD, NEARLY CRASHED ACROSS MULTIPLE LANES ON I-95 SOUTH IN ORMOND BEACH, FL. POWER STEERING FAILED, WOULDN'T STOP VEERING LEFT AND HARD TO TURN RIGHT. HAD TO REPLACE RACK AND PINION AND POWER STEERING GEAR BOX. NO WARNING SIGNS IN CAR TO NOTE. PROBLEM CONFIRMED AT AUTO SOLUTIONS Ormond Beach AS POWER STEERING AND GEAR BOX.

  4. Steering, Dec 4, 2021

    Sudden loss of steering making the vehicle very difficult to steer. Told by by Honda dealership that cause was steering rack failure. The steering rack was replaced by dealership on 8/9/2021. No warning lamps were triggered during failure. No steering issues were noted prior to this immediate steering failure.

  5. Steering, Nov 20, 2021

    Sudden failure of steering wheel. It became extremely difficult to turn out of nowhere. I was parking when it happened thankfully. But turning the car off and on didnt help. It is still parked since yesterday. I haven’t checked to see if the problem corrected itself.

  6. Steering, Nov 16, 2021

    Power steering failure accompanied by steering warning light. Vehicle difficult to steer and steering systems seems to be trying to assist in the opposite direction trying to steer. No accidents or damage at this time but seems to pose a dangerous situation. Dealer did not refuse to diagnose but discouraged leaving vehicle for diagnosis until failure was continuous as opposed to the current intermittent failure.

  7. Steering, Nov 15, 2021

    While driving, the steering is intermittently difficult to control and/or lacking resistance. There have been multiple occasions when it takes a great deal of effort (physically) to control the vehicle--almost as if there is a loss of power steering. Conversely, the steering wheel almost spins freely--requiring extra motion to steer the car and making it difficult to control. Of most concern is that the malfunctions occur without warning—resulting in the car drifting toward the adjacent lane on several occasions. Fortunately, I was able to make the correction in time--preventing the car from crossing into the next lane and possibly causing a collision. The local dealer checked the steering on May 20, 2021. At that time, the steering wheel was returning to the home position on its own—while I was driving the car and attempting to turn. The dealer did a diagnostic, performed a sensor re-learn and several other procedures. After exhausting all options, they contacted the Tech Line to inform them that the car was still difficult to turn during the road test. The Tech Line responded that this can be caused by hitting the curb and other driver-related mishaps. Although the adjustments made at the dealership improved the condition, it was clear that the manufacturer didn't provide the support required to resolve the problem. The steering worsened last week to the extent where I felt unsafe driving the vehicle. I took it to a different repair shop, it was inspected, and they recommended that it not be driven until repaired. After doing some research, it was clear that this is an on-going problem that has yet to be corrected by Honda. Currently, the car is parked and I have no transportation.

  8. Steering, Nov 12, 2021

    Steering has becoming increasingly heavy, feels “spongy” , and is pulling to the side when making turns… I am extremely concerned that there is a failure with my vehicle’s power steering that may cause me to lose control or cause an accident.

  9. Steering, Nov 5, 2021

    When going over small bumps strong pulls to one side dramatically, causing car to jerk out of lane

  10. Steering, Oct 27, 2021

    Vehicle suddenly turned left on its own, also partial lost of power steering. Even with vehicle parked, it turned totally to the left. There were no dash warning lights indicating a problem I took it to Dean Honda and it was still doing this when I arrived there. The technician said he could not duplicate the problem, and that no code came up. They stated Honda would not pay for the repair unless error code came up. They expected me to simply take the car and I stated that I would not as it was unsafe to drive. They agreed to keep it and try to duplicate the problem which after about a week they did, but still no code appeared. I contacted Honda headquarters who eventually agreed to replace the steering box "as a courtesy" but if it happened again , they would not pay for the repair. While I am happy that they repaired it, I feel that these vehicles should be recalled and Honda is using the "no code" as an excuse to refuse paying for these repairs and this is an ongoing, dangerous defect. This Accord has only 24,000 miles and is in excellent condition and I am the original owner.

  11. Steering, Oct 18, 2021

    Car began jerking to the right while driving. It feels like the power steering is out in 50% of the car.

  12. Steering, Oct 14, 2021

    I placed my car in revers and it began to spin uncontrollably to the left. I was able to, with difficulty, pull it back but it continued to spin once I backed up. Next day when I turned right, the steering wheel suddenly pulled me to the right. It is hard to steer and I was told it is steering Rack failure. Yes it is available for inspection upon request. It is putting my safety and others at risk as I do not know when it will pull to the side. Honda of Concord was able to reproduce the problem and co formed the issue. It was only taken to the dealer which is Honda of Concord. No accident has happened yet. There was no warning. It just happened the evening of 10/7/2021 and again 10/8/2021. On the way to Honda dealership, it pulled when I turned on the way.

  13. Steering, Oct 12, 2021

    Recently purchased car from used car dealer with 84,000 miles. Driven 1 month. 19 yr son was driving straight on 45mph road and power steering turned completely off. He is a newer driver and luckily managed the heavy steering. This could have been deadly if it happened around a turn. Car was turned off at home for 2 hrs and system reset upon start up. Not sure what to do?

  14. Steering, Oct 11, 2021

    While driving under ideal conditions my steering suddenly stopped functioning. I was on Hwy. 190 in Covington, LA which is a heavy traffic area. It was extremely unsettling and frightening. This ordeal, so far, has cost me: Towing charge $85.00, rental car $600.00, estimate on parts, labor and tax to replace the "Electrical Power Steering Control Unit" which Royal Honda mechanic says "FAILED", is $1,170.00. This is the second recall issue I have had with this vehicle. The first was in February, 2021 when the "Starter" failed at my odometer reading of 75,235 miles. It had to be replaced at total cost of over $500.00. WHAT'S NEXT Next!!!!!

  15. Steering, Oct 8, 2021

    Steering wheel jerked to one side (left) without warning

  16. Steering, Oct 1, 2021

    All of a sudden, without any warning, one day, I turned on the engine of my 2013 Honda Accord and the steering wheel went all the way to the left. I hadn’t even touched it and when I tried to turn it to the right, the steering wheel kept pulling to the left. I had to go to work so I drove like that since my work is not far but I had to keep pulling the steering wheel to the right firmly with both hands, otherwise it would go to the left on its own making it hard to pull back to the right (hard to control). It did it when I was driving and also when I was stopped. It did it again on my way home and a couple of days after that but then it went away all of a sudden just like it came. It now comes and goes randomly but the steering wheel feels stiff either way, not soft like before. The warning lamp didn’t come on so my car apparently looks ok. I had it checked by a mechanic who told me that the car seems fine. He didn’t see anything abnormal when he checked it. I’ve looked it up online and some people have reported the same issues but have been ignored since the lamp light doesn’t come on so it’s like the problem doesn’t even exist. I do feel it’s a safety issue when I’m driving and all of a sudden my car pulls to the left. This needs to be addressed since I’m not the only one with the issue but maybe people don’t know where to report it.

  17. Steering, Sep 30, 2021

    This morning as I pulled out of my parking spot into my driveway, I turned to the left. As I released pressure on the steering wheel to return to driving straight ahead, the steering cycled hard to the right. I thought perhaps loose stone had caused the unusual response, but thought better, slowed the vehicle (under 5 mph), and released the steering wheel. The vehicle pulled hard to the right. I got out and checked for a flat and checked to make sure the wheel hadn't somehow come loose. I decided that the vehicle was unsafe to drive and parked it. While parked, I cycled the steering all the way to the left. When I started to turned the wheel back to the right I could feel pressure in the steering wheel attempting to turn the wheel right. I released the wheel and the steering cycled completely to the right without my assistance. The car was parked on a dry, level surface at the time.

  18. Steering, Sep 28, 2021

    The contact owns a 2013 Honda Accord. The contact stated that twice he had experienced sudden loss of power steering without warning while driving at various speeds. The contact had initially taken the vehicle to a dealer where he had the vehicle repaired; however, a few years later, the failure recurred. The contact then took the vehicle to Leith Honda Aberdeen (501 11045, US-15, Aberdeen, NC 28315) where he had the vehicle repaired for a second time. The manufacturer was notified of the failures but offered no assistance. The vehicle had been repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

  19. Steering, Sep 27, 2021

    The contact owns a 2013 Honda Accord. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, she lost control of the steering wheel. The power steering assists warning light is illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The independent mechanic stated that the electronic power steering control module had failed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the electronic power steering control module had failed and was a manufacturer’s defect. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the case was opened. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 52,000. The VIN was not available.

  20. Steering, Sep 26, 2021

    In early September 2021, my wife was driving our 2013 Honda Accord Sport 2.4L when she stated the steering was pulling itself to the left. It startled her as she was driving in traffic when it suddenly pulled left into another lane. She was able to keep control of the car and brought it straight home. I verified that when my car ignition was turned on, the steering wheel will turn to the left by itself... spinning several times counterclockwise. I also confirmed that there are no EPS error codes or warning lamps shown which seems strange there are no OBD codes. We called the local Honda dealer and they stated there is an issue with the EPS and we could bring in our vehicle for repair. I took my vehicle to the local Honda dealership for the repair of this EPS defect which they originally stated would be fixed free of charge. The dealership confirmed the defect condition on my vehicle and performed the Honda prescribed repair of reprogramming the EPS ECU. However, this did not fix the concern on my vehicle but only lessened the EPS steering force. The dealership contacted Honda directly to request a full replacement of the EPS rack on my vehicle. After about a week of delay, Honda responded and stated that since my vehicle is more than 5 years old, they are declining to replace the steering rack at their cost. They have quoted to me a repair cost of $2,900. This is evidently a mfg defect with the EPS rack system and creates an unsafe driving condition due to steering control. This EPS concern needs further investigation and a recall seems necessary as Honda is only following a programming change which does not resolve all concerns as mine still exists on my vehicle. So now when driving my vehicle, you cannot remove your hand from the steering wheel, or it will steer itself continuously left. Again I feel the vehicle steering system is a critical function and Honda should repair at their cost.

  21. Steering, Sep 26, 2021

    I was driving on a road that was curving right, as I’m curving the steering wheel right the vehicle instead went left into the other side of the road.

  22. Steering, Electrical system, Sep 21, 2021

    The car will intermittently lose power steering all of the sudden and jerk the car to the right. On other occasions the car will automatically steering right at a stand still. It is believed to be either electrical or mechanical but involving the EPS and rack and pinion. The vehicle was inspected by a certified Honda technician. My personal safety and safety of others that have entered my car have been at risk any time I am in this vehicle. On most occasions the EPS light would fail to come on when this occured. It may be on one out of every ten times the issues occured. The code that occurs is a visa system malfunction.

  23. Steering, Sep 21, 2021

    I was driving on the highway and my car just whipped to right like I was making a u turn .

  24. Steering, Sep 20, 2021

    On 9/3, I filled up my Accord with gas and went to start my car again. Upon starting, I saw my power steering light had come on. I called my local shop to see if I could take it by there Friday morning and they couldn't accommodate due to the busy Labor Day weekend. So I called the Honda Dealer (Right Honda) in North Scottsdale and was able to schedule a visit for 7:30am on 9/4. I drove my car home on 9/3 and by the time I made it home, the power steering had come back but the light was still on. The morning of 9/4 I get in my Accord to take it to Right Honda... the power steering light was not on anymore and the car was steering fine. Right Honda told me they can't do anything for me since the light wasn't on anymore... that weekend, 9/5, my light comes back on while I'm away from town and I have to drive it back home without power steering, which felt kind of dangerous. I scheduled a time to take it in for service on 9/7 at my local service center, not Right Honda. It is now 9/20 and I'm being told the part I need is on a national shortage. We've been waiting for almost two weeks now and I'm curious how/why this part can be allowed to be on national shortage when it's a defect of Honda's? I've seen there's plenty reports (100+) of the electronic power steering failing in 2013-2015 Honda Accords and I'm surprised they have the replacement part on a national shortage. This is disappointing as a loyal Honda customer.

  25. Steering, Sep 17, 2021

    The power steering failure while driving on highway ( Check Engine, EPS, VSA, Tire pressure 4 lights turn on the dashboard at the same time) , it's suddenly and unpredictable. I keep driving on outside lane prevent any broke down or crash other vehicles. It's hard to control and accelerate . my car just finished the regular maintenance one month ago, and in very good shape. It's very dangerous situation, I decide drive to dealer for check, and report to NHTSA for safety reason. upload the dealer check worksheet page, and will upload more files if needed.