What 1,418 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Honda Accord Plug In Hybrid

My car has had problems turning on. The alternator and battery had been changed twice in the past 4 years. I’ve recently changed the battery and alternator and my car still has that problem of turning on my mecanic said it could be the starter now. So battery, alternator and starter problems.

NHTSA ODI 11503038

Started noticing problem with steering a few weeks ago. Trying to turn left is very loose and oversteers so much that it almost takes me to a U-turn. Even driving straight, I often notice the car being pulled to the left like it's trying to make a turn on its own. Turning right seems more "normal" but also more difficult that I have to use more force to complete the turn. When I took my car in for state-mandated annual inspection, the inspector immediately notified me something is wrong with the steering rack and wouldn't pass inspection, and I should take the car to a mechanic. Manual examination of the car revealed no issues with physical parts, and alignment check also had no issues. So I had another appointment for the electrical system, which diagnosed that the EPS (electrical power steering) sensor is failing, giving inaccurate readings, pulling too much to left and "skipping" on right. They informed me this was a known issue with all 2013/2014 Honda Accords, and I have to spend $3000+ to replace the entire steering rack. Upon further research, I became aware that there have been thousands of complaints filed with NHTSA regarding the same issue, and there is a service bulletin 15-056 extending the EPS sensor warranty to 13 years. So I took my car to a Honda dealer. The technician and the service advisor both recognized the exact same symptoms as described by bulletin 15-056 and recommended the same $3000+ repair to replace the steering rack. However, they said this will NOT be covered by the extended warranty due to lack of DTC codes. She suggested maybe driving around more until I get a code, which according to the technician, only happens upon a catastrophic failure of the torque sensor. I contacted American Honda, and my request for coverage was out-right rejected. Only 41k miles on the car and had been so scared driving since issue started. Outrageous to me they want me to drive dangerously until sensor COMPLETELY fails when it's a known issue for years.

NHTSA ODI 11501005

2013 Honda Accord Deadly Electronic Power Steering Failure. Once the slightest input is received from the operator to move the wheel left, the wheel starts turning on its own in that direction and does not return to center. In some cases, the turn can be abrupt causing the vehicle to steer sharply into oncoming traffic or out of its lane. The problem is so bad that I had to have the fuse for the power steering pulled in order to avoid collisions, especially when my teenage son is operating the vehicle. The vehicle was purchased used with about 111, 000 miles on it and the steering worked for about 30 days. After that the above noted problem occurred without remedy. I made and posted a video that illustrates the problem. Please use the link below to see exactly what is happening. https://youtu.be/SNiLWlmFbm8

NHTSA ODI 11500493

No warning lights displayed on dashboard. Steering wheel began turning right by itself sitting in the driveway in park . I turned it back to the straight position only to have it turn again one half or more rotation. Took it to a parking lot ( flat area) it went in a circle by itself. I could stop it with some effort. While driving straight it kept pulling me right hard, not like a crowned road would do! The vehicle was bought new and only has 76,000 miles.

NHTSA ODI 11494328

The electronic push start button doesn't work all the time. On most occasions, I have to press the push button 10-15 times before it engages. Have read many complaints online regarding the same issue, especially for 2013 models.

NHTSA ODI 11494102

The electric power steering rack is binding up and making the car veer towards the right. It is not an alignment issue was check by Honda dealership. It’s a EPS , need replacement to correct. It’s a Honda Accord 2013 and I’m seeing it’s under review due to lots of complaints . The part to fix this issue is also 8-12 months to get . I need my car, and hoping this issue is recalled soon!

NHTSA ODI 11489037

Since I bought this new accord, I replaced starter 3 times and I only have 73000 miles on it. The third time 4 lights came on. Honda company should recall these issues. No accidents

NHTSA ODI 11486823

My car just started clicking when trying to crank it. Had it tested everything is good but continues to click multiple times before turning over

NHTSA ODI 11486775

Their is an issue when trying to start the vehicle. When the ignition button is pressed, the engine does not start. Instead, their is a grinding and whirring sound. I believe this is coming from the starter. It takes 3-4 attempts to start the car. Their are numerous complaints on many forums about this issue.

NHTSA ODI 11484916

The vehicle randomly won't start. Then after a few minutes with no intervention will start normally. The battery is new and fully charged. Mileage: 83k.

NHTSA ODI 11484650

Eletric power steering was bad making it impossible to drive. Had it replaced at auto shop for 2 091 dllars. Honda dealer diagnosed it as power steering rack, independent auto shop said same, transmission warning light came on but was cleared by independent auto shop.

NHTSA ODI 11482543

VSA modulator seems to be a defective part in many Hondas and Honda is not doing anything about it. It is a safety issue the should be taken care by Honda. My car has only 100K miles and is needing this repair that is going to cost me over $2000! Not fair for a consumer.

NHTSA ODI 11475049

Car is just randoming not starting, having to get it jumped to start it & pistons are knocking!

NHTSA ODI 11474875

Steering wheel spins to the left, I had it evaluated and it was a electrical problem with the steering wheel.

NHTSA ODI 11470771

As i was driving i felt my steering wheel jerk violently to the right with no warning, as i continued to drive my steering wheel than jerked towards the right again on its own before locking up. I was not able to turn my wheel which was not only extremely dangerous but also very scary. I was luckily passing by a Honda dealership and they confirmed to me that my electric power steering was the reason behind the incident that occured. What is disturbing is that the day before i went to priority honda in chesapeake virginia and they changed my oil and supposedly checked the fluids etc on my car. They provided me with a report that stated my brake fluid was good. The other honda told me i had no brake fluid……….. they marked my power steering fluid as good… i have no power steering. I am considering my options right now and have not ruled out legal action. This was a very scary situation. The icing on top is the fact they spelled my name incorrectly as well as the wrong address…

NHTSA ODI 11466561

My vehicle trunk randomly unlatches and opens. The trunk does both while driving and when parked. The key fob button to open the trunk is not pressed or in range during these incidents. This is a safety concern in that if can block my rearward view. It is also an inconvenience since it can lead to theft of contents and the car.

NHTSA ODI 11464446

Bought the car in 2013, and around 2015 it started having intermittent problems starting the car. After about 5-6 tries it would start normally and everything would be fine for couple of months. This went on all the way up to this year 2022. At least 6 different times of having my car inspected for this, they could not determine a cause. Come today, it won't start again, and after numerous times it won't start at all. After reading through many numerous owners having the same issues on Accord forums, Reddit and YouTube, the obvious cause is the starter is prone to failure. I am now trying to figure out a way to have my car towed to the dealer and dreading the cost of replacement for the starter including labor costs (when I've done everything pro-active to try to find the cause of this issue). I am sure I am not covered under any equipment warranty for this (but I sure was when I first reported this to them from 2015-2022.

NHTSA ODI 11461228

The contact owns a 2013 Honda Accord. The contact stated while starting the vehicle there was a grinding sound coming from the engine. The vehicle would not start immediately. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the failure with the starter switch. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure continued. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 35,000.

NHTSA ODI 11460793

When pulling into my driveway, the dash lights suddenly all turned on, and the engine started racing causing the car to crash into my house.

NHTSA ODI 11446201

Car has intermittent problem starting the engine, will not start. The starter, battery, key fob battery have been replaced.

NHTSA ODI 11445077

Accord does not start frequently. Lights and electrical turn on, but does not turn on. Battery, alternator, key battery and starter were replaced with the same problem. After about 10 minutes or so after trying the vehicle will start. It has left me stranded many times. Honda will not assume responsibility. After reading blogs many owners with 2013 and 2014 Accords experience same problem with no known fixes.

NHTSA ODI 11444981

VSA, brake, ABS, EPS, tire pressure light always on and won’t go away! I thought there would be enough information about this in the web. There is but, not actual solution. You would have to change out so much and still the lights would come back. Recently, my VSA light coming on and off have made my brakes and something else grind whenever i press on the brakes. To a point where I would need to pull over and hold vSA off button to not have brake grind when pressing on them. There should be enough content to be able to realized that this is a cause and concern for Honda vehicles.

NHTSA ODI 11444209

At 73,000 miles was not able to use push start to start vehicle. It would take several tries and was stranded where we were. It progressively got worse and finally we could not start vehicle. Since they have no other way to start this vehicle. Tried to take to Miller Honda Winchester they were rude charged over $800 just to look at. Couldn’t get us in for a while. So took to another repair garage in Winchester since we needed vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11443065

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.

NHTSA ODI 11443105

The ABS Module has failed on this car. Upon a lot of research, I have found that a lot of people are stating they have had this same issue with their honda accords within a few years before and after. This is a $1700 fix from Honda that most people are not going to be able to afford and a lot of people are having problems with..... the part is also on a nationwide backorder which to me seems like they have surely had to replace a lot of them..... I believe that this should be investigated for a recall. I spoke with someone at Honda and they also agreed that this should be looked at for a recall. This could be very dangerous to have failing ABS systems on vehicles. Research on forums where people discuss this will show that this is a common problem and a recall should be considered.

NHTSA ODI 11439183