2013 Honda Accord problems & reliability
1,420 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2013 Honda Accord, alongside 5 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Sep 22, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several components.
42 complaints report injuries (59 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2013 Honda Accord vehicles were involved in 186 fatal crashes with 100 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Steering → | 499 | 35% |
| Electrical System → | 414 | 29% |
| Engine → | 179 | 13% |
| Unknown / Other | 119 | 8% |
| Power Train → | 109 | 8% |
| Service Brakes → | 108 | 8% |
| Air Bags → | 51 | 4% |
| Vehicle Speed Control → | 50 | 4% |
| Seats → | 47 | 3% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance → | 44 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 32 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 813 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 48,425 miles (middle 50% between 22,464 and 77,000 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Honda of Nanuet declined to fix the recall issue on my 2013 honda accord sport. a recall in regards to "A corroded drive shaft could break under high torque applications" They did not notify me of the issue until after the expiration date of the time standard for the recall notice. I took the vehicle into the service…”
Steering · filed Sep 16, 2026
“The contact's spouse owns a 2013 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the steering wheel turned to the left independently and failed to remain straight. The contact stated that while turning the vehicle, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The vehicle was…”
Electrical System · filed Sep 3, 2026
“Diagnostic trouble code 81-20 internal circuit failure. Cleared dtc. Road test vehicle, 81-20 dtc return replace vsa modulator w/brake flush, starter motor intermittently seizing up, front engine mount leaking, both front sway bar end links leaking grease, valve cover gasket leaking. High mileage and no history…”
Suspension · filed Jul 10, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Engineering Analysis EA21002 · opened Sep 17, 2021 · open
- Loss of Direction Control
Engineering Analysis EA21001 · opened May 6, 2021 · closed Aug 25, 2023
- Loss of Direction Control
Defect Petition DP20005 · opened Nov 23, 2020 · closed May 7, 2021
- Electrical overstress
Engineering Analysis EA19001 · opened Apr 19, 2019 · closed Sep 19, 2024 · led to recall 20V024
- Electric Power Steering Failure
Preliminary Evaluation PE14033 · opened Nov 4, 2014 · closed Oct 6, 2015
Technical service bulletins
162 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2013 Honda Accord. The 10 most recent:
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain HEALTHY 2013 Accord which fit the criteria listed below.
APaS11292021 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 29, 2021
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain HEALTHY 2013 Accord which fit the criteria listed below.
APaS11162021902 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 16, 2021
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain HEALTHY 2013 Accord which fit the criteria listed below.
APaS11032021901 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 3, 2021
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain HEALTHY 2013 Accord which fit the criteria listed below.
APaS10142021 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 14, 2021
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain HEALTHY 2013 Accord which fit the criteria listed below.
AHPa08262021 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 26, 2021
Service Bulletin - When a failure is detected, the EPS control unit goes into back-up mode. The new software provides partial assist during back-up mode.
A15-055 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 28, 2021
Service Bulletin - There is a loud buzzing or whining when adjusting the driver's or front passenger's seat forward and backward. The flex cable in the seat adjustment mechanism is not correctly lubricated.
A19-029 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 22, 2020
Service Bulletin - There is a loud buzzing or whining when adjusting the driver's or front passenger's seat forward and backward. The flex cable in the seat adjustment mechanism is not correctly lubricated.
A19-029 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 18, 2019
Service Bulletin - There is a loud buzzing or whining when adjusting the driver's or front passenger's seat forward and backward. The flex cable in the seat adjustment mechanism is not correctly lubricated.
A19-029 (v2) · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 5, 2019
Service Bulletin - There is a loud buzzing or whining when adjusting the driver's or front passenger's seat forward and backward. The flex cable in the seat adjustment mechanism is not correctly lubricated.
A19-029 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 4, 2019
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2013 Honda Accord has 5 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2013 Honda Accord?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 48,425 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.