Home · 2013 Honda Accord Fhev · Complaints

What 1,418 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Honda Accord Fhev

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (1,418)Crash / fire / injury (86)Steering (497)Electrical system (413)Engine (179)Brakes (112)Transmission & drivetrain (109)Airbags (51)Speed control (50)Seats (47)Fuel system (45)Driver assistance (44)

179 of 1,418 complaints match · Engine · clear filters · page 3 of 8

Sep 13, 2019Engine

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 HONDA ACCORD. WHILE DRIVING UNKNOWN SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL BURNING ODOR EMERGING FROM THE VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO FLOW HONDA (2600 PETERS CREEK PKWY, WINSTON-SALEM, NC 27127, (336) 785-3380)WHERE TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS ADDED AND THE BATTERY WAS JUMPED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 126,005.

NHTSA ODI 11255297

Aug 15, 2019AirbagsEngine

TAKATA RECALL. NOTHING HAS BEEN RESOLVED. ADDITIONALLY, VTC ACTUATOR. HONDA HAS REPAIRED ACCORD'S FROM 2008-2012 BUT NOT 2013-2016 WHICH HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. VARIOUS FORUMS AND MY OWN VEHICLE HAS THE ISSUE. I HAVE VIDEOS AND SOUND TO PROVE THE SAME ISSUE THAT HONDA IS REPAIRING ON ACCORD'S FROM 2008-2012 ON THE SERVICE BULLETIN. THE VEHICLE IS STATIONARY. WHEN TURNING ON THE VEHICLE, THE VEHICLE STARTS WITH A LOUD START-UP AND SOMETIMES WHEN THE WEATHER IS REALLY COLD, THE ENGINE WON'T START. HONDA DOES HAVE A RECALL FOR THE SAME ISSUE BUT FOR OLDER CARS.

NHTSA ODI 11244308

Jul 15, 2019Electrical systemEngine

I THINK THIS MIGHT BE MY 3RD COMPLAINT, I LOVE HONDA AND HAVE HAD HONDA CARS FOR YEARS, BUT THIS HAS REALLY TESTED MY PATIENCE. FOR THE LAST 4 YEARS I HAVE GONE THROUGH 3 STARTERS AND 2 ALTERNATORS, EVERY TIME I CONTACT HONDA THEY TELL ME TO DROP THE CAR OFF SO THEY CAN TEST IT, I PAY THEM $130 SO THEY CAN TELL ME WHAT THEY ALREADY KNOW. MY PROBLEM IS THAT STARTER ISSUE IS VERY COMMON, AND THERE IS NO LONG TERM FIX FOR THIS ISSUE. SO THE ISSUE IS BACK, I END UP GETTING STRANDED IN PLACES FOR HOURS AT A TIME, AND SOMETIMES EVEN END UP BEING LATE TO WORK, DUE TO MY STARTER SPINNING AWAY UNTIL I CAN GET IT TO CATCH EVENTUALLY. I TOOK IT TO GET APPRAISED THE OTHER DAY, AND IT WOULDN'T START OFCOURSE, THE DEALER REFUSED TO LOOK AT THE VEHICLE OFCOURSE, BECAUSE NO ONE WANTS TO SELL A LEMON. AT THIS POINT, I AM EITHER LOOKING FOR HONDA TO BUY MY CAR OFF ME, REPLACE IT, OR COME UP WITH A PERMANENT FIX. IF YOU GO ON YOUTUBE AND TYPE IN HONDA STARTER ISSUE YOU WILL FIND PLENTY OF VIDEOS, AND I ALSO HAVE RECIEPTS FOR ALL THE TRIPS MY CAR TOOK TO THE DEALER. I AM NOT GOING TO INSTALL A 4TH STARTER, THAT IS THAT REDICULOUSE, I REFUSE TO GO TO A HONDA DEALERSHIP AGAIN FOR THEM TO TELL ME WHAT I ALREADY KNOW.

NHTSA ODI 11232048

Jul 2, 2019Electrical systemBrakesEngine

IN EARLY 2019, AFTER MY HONDA DEALER REPLACED MY VEHICLE'S WATER PUMP, I BEGAN EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH THE PUSH BUTTON START FEATURE ON MY 2013 HONDA ACCORD. SOMETIMES, MY CAR STARTS RIGHT AWAY. BUT MORE OFTEN, IT TAKES SEVERAL ATTEMPTS BEFORE MY CAR WILL START USING THE PUSH BUTTON START FEATURE. WHEN REPEATED ATTEMPTS ARE NECESSARY TO START MY CAR, I HEAR A 'CLICKING' TYPE NOISE WHEN I PRESS THE START BUTTON, BUT MY CAR DOES NOT TURN OVER. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS PUSHING THE 'START' BUTTON, MY CAR EVENTUALLY STARTS (SOMETIMES AFTER A FEW SECONDS AND A FEW ATTEMPTS, SOMETIMES AFTER MANY ATTEMPTS AND TWO OR THREE MINUTES). THE PROBLEM OCCURS RANDOMLY, WHEN THE CAR IS COLD AND WARM. I NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM UNTIL HONDA REPLACED THE WATER PUMP ON MY CAR EARLIER THIS YEAR. BASED ON OTHER WEB POSTS, THIS SOUNDS LIKE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE PUSH BUTTON START FEATURE IN 2013 HONDA ACCORDS. ONCE MY CAR STARTS, IT RUNS WELL. AT THIS PRESENT TIME, I HAVE NO OTHER MECHANICAL PROBLEMS OTHER THAN THE PUSH BUTTON START FEATURE. HOWEVER, MY CAR'S FAILURE TO START IS A SAFETY ISSUE IN ITSELF IF A CAR FAILS TO START IN A SITUATION WHERE A QUICK GET AWAY IS NECESSARY (FOR EXAMPLE, FLOOD, WILD FIRE, OR OTHER NATURAL OR OTHER DISASTER THAT MAY REQUIRE THAT MY CAR START WITHOUT DELAY).

NHTSA ODI 11228991

Jun 11, 2019Electrical systemEngine

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 HONDA ACCORD. WHILE THE KEY WAS IN THE IGNITION, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. AFTER TWENTY MINUTES, THE VEHICLE RETURNED TO NORMAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED BY AAA TO BALISE HONDA OF WEST WARWICK (509 QUAKER LN, WEST WARWICK, RI 02893, (401) 822-2000) TO BE DIAGNOSED, BUT NO FAILURE WAS FOUND. THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE DEALER INSTALLED A NEW BATTERY AND STARTER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11219333

May 13, 2019Engine

HEN ATTEMPTING TO START ENGINE OF PARKED VEHICLE, NOTHING HAPPENED WHEN KEY WAS TURNED. TOOK SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO START CAR EACH TIME.

NHTSA ODI 11207377

May 12, 2019Engine

HONDA REFUSES TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR DEFECTIVE TORQUE CONVERTERS PROBLEM. THE CAR WILL NOT START (MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE) OR AS THEY PUT IT IN THE TSB STARTER GRINDS. THERE IS PROBABLY ONLY A SMALL AMOUNT OF DEFECTIVE TORQUE CONVERTERS THAT MAY OR MAY NOT ISSUE A RECALL

NHTSA ODI 11207071

Apr 29, 2019Engine

ENGINE KNOCKS ON START UP, KNOCKS ONLY ON FIRST START UP OR WHEN SITTING FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME, AFTER THAT NO KNOCK'

NHTSA ODI 11204520

Mar 11, 2019Transmission & drivetrainEngineFuel system

UPON START UP, ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD LIT UP. FCW FAILURE NOTED ON THE DIGITAL DISPLAY. ACCELERATION NON EXISTENT IN THIS STATE. SEVERAL RESTARTS (34 WAS THE MAX), NO LIGHTS ON THE DASH. CAR RAN FINE. DEALER DIAGNOSED IT AS A TIMING CHAIN THAT HAD EXPANDED. SEEMS TO BE FIXED. (ONLY BEEN TWO DAYS). I THINK IT IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE THE LACK OF POWER COULD MANIFEST ITSELF AT ANY TIME. IMAGINE GETTING ON A HIGHWAY WITH NO POWER TO ACCELERATE.

NHTSA ODI 11185779

Jan 18, 2019EngineFire

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2013 HONDA ACCORD. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS AT THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE, SHE WAS ALERTED THAT HER VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE IN THE PARKING LOT. THE CONTACT WAS UNSURE IF A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENT. THE CONTACT'S INSURANCE COMPANY DEEMED THE VEHICLE TOTALED AFTER THE POLICE INSPECTION. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. *TT CONSUMER STATED SHE RECEIVED A RECALL FOR A BATTERY PART THAT COULD CAUSE FIRE. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE FOR AN OIL CHANGE TO HONDA DEALER BUT PART WAS NOT REPLACED. CONSUMER STATES WHILE IN THE DOCTORS OFFICE, CAR STARTED A FIRE IN THE PARKING LOT. FIRE WAS EXTENSIVE BUT MANUFACTURER CLAIMS IT IS NOT THEIR PROBLEM.*JB

NHTSA ODI 11170772

Dec 26, 2018Engine

VEHICLE HAS EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION WHICH HAS CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO RUN OUT OF OIL IN BETWEEN OIL CHANGES. THIS HAS NOW DAMAGED OTHER VEHICLE PARTS LIKE CATALYTIC CONVERTER.

NHTSA ODI 11163452

Dec 7, 2018Engine

STARTER IS BAD WILL NOT START BROUGHT CAR TO A MECHANIC. HE RECOMMENDED ME TO GET A NEW STARTER. CHECKED BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR WELL WITHIN WORKING PARAMETERS.

NHTSA ODI 11156897

Nov 30, 2018Transmission & drivetrainEngineFuel system

TWO NIGHTS AGO I WAS DRIVING ON I-75 BACK HOME FROM WORK , I WAS GOING SPEED LIMIT 70-75 MPH AND THE CAR SUDDENLY STARTED "BOGGING DOWN", DIDN'T WANT TO GO ABOVE 30 MPH AND A NUMBER OF DASH LIGHTS WERE ON: SERVICE ENGINE, POWER STEERING, TIRE PRESSURE AND MAYBE TRACTION CONTROL. I TURN OFF THE CAR, TURN IT BACK ON, AND THE LIGHTS STILL ON. I DRIVE SHORT DISTANCE HOME AT 25-30 MPH. THE FOLLOWING MORNING I LOOKED AT THE CAR, DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING WRONG I FELTED VERY UNSAFE FROM CAR SUDDENLY SLOW IN THE MIDDLE OF HWY I-75 GOING FROM 70-75 MPH TO 25-30 MPH, THIS HAPPENED WITH OUT ANY WARNING OR ENOUGH TIME TO PULL OVER THE SHOULDER, DEFINITELY A BAD ACCIDENT WOULD HAPPENED HERE.

NHTSA ODI 11155245

Nov 29, 2018Engine

TAKATA RECALL STARTER MOTOR (MITSUBA) (V6) STARTER GRINDS OR SPIN AT STARTUP

NHTSA ODI 11154836

Nov 20, 2018Engine

HAD TO REPLACE THE STARTER AS IT STARTED GOING OUT WITH JUST OVER 51,000 MILES ON THE CAR

NHTSA ODI 11152937

Nov 13, 2018Electrical systemEngine

I HAVE 2013 ACCORD LX 55K MILES, AND HAD INTERMITTENT STARTING PROBLEM FROM LAST FEW MONTHS, DOESN'T MATTER IF IT'S COLD OR HOT, SOMETIMES IT JUST DOESN'T START. I LEAVE IT ALONT FOR ABOUT A MIN OR TWO WITH KEY OUT AND THEN IT'LL START, SOMETIMES LONGER. BATTERY IS NOT THE PROBLEM AND I'VE ALREADY TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THEM CHECK THE BATTERY AND THE STARTING SYSTEM. CHECKED OUT OK, THEY COULDN'T DUPLICATE. ANYBODY ELSE HAVE THIS PROBLEM? NOW IT WON'T START AT ALL. I FOUND THE RECALL IS FOR V6 MODELS ONLY. WHAT SHOULD I DO AT THIS POINT?

NHTSA ODI 11151118

Nov 9, 2018Engine

WHEN ATTEMPTING TO START ENGINE OF PARKED VEHICLE, NOTHING HAPPENED WHEN KEY WAS TURNED. TOOK SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO START CAR EACH TIME. STARTER HAD FAILED AND WAS REPLACED.

NHTSA ODI 11150401

Aug 10, 2018Engine

WHEN STARTING THE CAR WITH THE PUSH BUTTON, ABOUT 50% OF THE TIME THE ENGINE DOES NOT START, THERE IS A NOISE LIKE STATIC. LOOKED ON THE INTERNET AND IT APPEARS THAT MANY MANY PEOPLE HAVE THIS PROBLEM ON THE 2013 ACCORD. 99.9% OF THE TIME THEY HAVE TO REPLACE A DEFECTIVE STARTER AT $800. HONDA SHOULD STEP UP AND RESOLVE THIS DANGEROUS SITUATION WHERE THE CAR DOES NOT START. THIS REALLY IS A SAFETY ISSUE.

NHTSA ODI 11119010

Aug 8, 2018Engine

SINCE LAST FALL, ENGINE DOES START ONLY AFTER MULTIPLE TRIES OF PUSHING THE BUTTON. LATELY WE NEED A LOT MORE TRIES BEFORE STARTING THE CAR. BASED ON THE SYMPTOMS ON FILE, IT LOOKS LIKE IT IS THE STARTER.

NHTSA ODI 11118456

Jul 24, 2018Engine

AT 5 YEARS OLD MY HONDA ACCORD WILL NOW ONLY START ON THE FIRST TIME ABOUT 50% OF THE TIME. THIS STARTED ABOUT A MONTH AGO. THE INTERIOR LIGHTS AND RADIO ALL POWER ON BUT THE CAR WILL NOT TURN OVER. SOMETIMES IT TAKES ME SEVERAL TIMES/MINUTES TO START. I HAD TO CHANGE MY BATTERY $176 & NOW THE KEY FOBS TOO AND THIS STILL OCCURRED. THIS HAS 411,000 RESULTS IF GOOGLED. THIS IS VERY COMMON ALTHOUGH HONDA CONTINUES TO NOT RECOGNIZE THIS AS AN ISSUE. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS!

NHTSA ODI 11113293

Jul 23, 2018Engine

I HAVE BEEN MONITERING MY OIL LEVEL CONSUMPTION AND FOR ABOUT 3 DIFFERENT OIL CHANGES (6200-6400 MILE INTERVALS). MY DASH SHOWS 40% OIL LIFE REMAINING BUT WHEN I CHECK THE DIPSTICK THERE IS NO OIL ON IT AT ALL. IT'S BONE DRY. TOOK THE CAR IN FOR A DIAGNOSIS AND THERE ARE NO SIGNS OR LEAKS EITHER. THE CAR IS BURNING THROUGH 5 QUARTS OF OIL. WHEN ASKED HONDA THEY SAY THIS IS NORMAL. I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS IN ANY OTHER CAR OR MY OF OTHER HONDA. AND THE LOW OIL PRESSURE LIGHT DOESN'T EVEN COME ON UNTIL I APPLY THE BRAKES HARDER THAN USUAL.

NHTSA ODI 11113060

Jul 12, 2018Electrical systemEngine

EARLY FAILURE OF STARTER. THE STARTER FAILED WITHIN 5 YEARS OF PURCHASE (NEW CAR) WITH VERY LOW MILEAGE 46K MILES. I COULD NOT START MY ENGINE ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS.

NHTSA ODI 11111080

Jul 10, 2018Engine

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 HONDA ACCORD. WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND THE CHECK OIL AND ENGINE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.

NHTSA ODI 11110487

Jul 5, 2018Engine

SINCE I HAD THE CAR WHEN I PUSHED THE START BUTTON THE CAR MADE A GRINDING NOISE AND WOULD NOT START. I FIGURED IT WAS THE STARTER AND DEALT WITH IT. I RECENTLY HAD MY BRAKES FIXED AND THE MECHANIC SAID IT WAS THE FLY WHEEL. I LOOKED ON LINE AND SAW NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS AND A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT. THERE IF OBVIOUSLY A DEFECT IN THE PART. THE SERVICE BULLITN WAS ISSUED IN 2013 SO MY CAR WOULD HAVE BEEN UNDER WARRANTY. I BOUGHT 2 2013 HONDAS I'M HOPING HONDA WILL TAKE CARE OF THE ISSUE AT THEIR EXPENSE. I HAVE AN APPT MONDAY AT THE DEALER [XXX]. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI 11109686

Jun 21, 2018Engine

THE STARTER INTERMITTENTLY GRINDS/SPINS WHEN STARTING, REPLACED STARTER AND PROBLEM STILL HAPPENS. MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS TO THE PROBLEM ON LINE.HAVE LOCATED HONDA'S SERVICE BULLETIN TSB 16-002 BUT HONDA CLAIMS MY VIN NOT COVERED BY EXTENDED WARRANTY.

NHTSA ODI 11102995

← NewerOlder →

Working with the data? Download all 1,418 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 28, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2013 Honda Accord Fhev verdict →