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

The ABS Module has failed. I am receiving warning lights on my dash which caused me to pull off the road. After online research, I discovered this is a common problem with this make/model. So much so, that there is a national backorder for this part. My mechanic says that I can drive the car and the ABS system will not work in the event that I might need it. Online forums tell me that the system might activate and cause the brakes to lock up. This seems very unsafe to me and a widespread problem that Honda should address.

NHTSA ODI 11536179

Power steering failed with no indication that the car needed service. Thankfully I was close to home and able to return safely.

NHTSA ODI 11533958

The contact owns a 2013 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling, the Lane Departure, Forward Collision Avoidance, traction control, and power steering warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the contact was informed that the ABS modulator was defective and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the warning lights remained illuminated and over time, the power steering assist failed to operate as needed. The contact stated that excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle due to the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

NHTSA ODI 11532991

The vehicle began pulling hard to the left without any incident to cause this. Tires were replaced but the mechanic could not get the vehicle properly aligned. Replaced struts and the wheels still would not align. The dealer was unable to find a cause for this. There are no codes or warnings.

NHTSA ODI 11531905

The steering wheel locked up. EPS light shows up. The car engine is functional and starts, the fuses are good. One cannot rotate the steering wheel, it is completely locked up.

NHTSA ODI 11530527

Approximately 7-8 months ago in 2022, I started noticing something unusual with the steering for my Mother's (original owner) 2013 Honda Accord. Initially I thought it may have been a defect in the road. In May of 2023, I noticed a significant change in the steering, and that it was a lot tighter and harder to turn (while driving or stationary). Also, if I did not hold the steering wheel firmly while driving, the steering wheel would jerk abruptly, changing my intended path of travel. This issue could potentially cause an accident. I immediately had the vehicle diagnosed at a Honda dealer, and they confirmed that it was a electrical power steering rack issue. The dealer advised me that American Honda extended the warranty coverage on all electrical power steering torque sensors for this vehicle, however, the vehicle needed to display a certain code during the diagnosis. Unfortunately, my vehicle did not display the required code and it was not covered under the extended warranty. The service advisor suggested that I contact American Honda to help resolve the issue, being that it was an electrical power steering issue and it should have been covered. American Honda conducted their investigation and denied my claim. I believe this should have been covered under the warranty because it is an electrical power steering issue.

NHTSA ODI 11528538

Started vehicle and power steering was not functioning. Steering light illuminated on dashboard. Car was towed to dealership who started they secured the connection and the problem would not happen again. Two days later exact same issue occurred, no power steering and extremely difficult to steer.

NHTSA ODI 11520765

The electronic power steering started pulling right unexpectedly. It started without any warning or indication. One day I just started the engine, started driving and power steering began to pull the car to right side. The dealer diagnosed the car and found no error codes and no damage. Dealer said I need to replace entire electric power steering rack.

NHTSA ODI 11518126

For no known reason numerous warning lights appeared on dashboard (steering, LDW, FCW failure, brakes, low tire pressure). Power steering completely stopped working. It appears ABS, lane departure warning and forward collision warning systems all stopped working. Glad this happened to me and not my wife. It is her car. Dangerous as heck!

NHTSA ODI 11517557

I turned on my car and I couldn’t move my wheel left or right. It felt like it was locked. I drove a little forward out of my driveway and I was able to turn my wheel a little bit but I had to do it with great force. the power steering or system failed and made my car unsafe to drive. I couldn’t turn the wheel left or right only forward. There were no warning signs that this failure was going to occur. I contacted Honda accord San Leandro and they said it’s a common problem but not covered. The manufacturer stated it is not a defect and they would charge me to fix it. They will not cover it under warranty.

NHTSA ODI 11512853

Vehicle (2013 Honda Accord) repeatedly drifts and pulls to the left while driving under normal conditions; regardless of my speed (10 mph-75mph). I have come close to crossing the center lane into oncoming traffic. I took my vehicle to the Honda dealership for inspection and a wheel alignment and was told I needed to replace the steering rack. The technician stated he had seen this issue before stating the wheel just spun when on the machine. Additionally, I took my vehicle to a local certified mechanic that took my vehicle for a test drive and immediately stated the issue was the steering rack.

NHTSA ODI 11509409

Steering wheel is turning to the left on its own and slightly stiff when turning to the right. I recently did a wheel alignment and changed tie rod end inner and outer driver and passenger side front I presently live in the Bahamas

NHTSA ODI 11505906

The contact owns a 2013 Honda Accord. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the power steering malfunctioned, and the steering wheel became difficult to turn in either direction. Additionally, the power steering warning light remained illuminated with the "check charger system" message displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.

NHTSA ODI 11503409

I was backing out of my driveway on to my street when I felt something off with the steering. The steering wheel was very very hard to turn and kept pulling to the right on its own. I managed to get the car in front my house and had the car towed to a honda repair shop. Honda diagnosed a power steering unit failure without any dtc code. I was very lucky I wasn't driving in traffic since I had no control.

NHTSA ODI 11502811

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

The contact owns a 2013 Honda Accord. The contact stated while driving 10-15 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality intermittently, then completely lost functionality. The steering warning light was illuminated. The contact continued driving to his residence nearby using physical force to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the power steering module had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

NHTSA ODI 11501029

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

I took my car to a Mavis Tire to get the tires rotated and balanced. They told me the electronic steering rack failed and is causing significant wear on my left front tire and that they recommended replacing the rack and the inner tie rods as well as replacing the two front tires and realigning them. I got a second opinion and the guy told me that the left front tire belt has been worn down and that the front two tires needed replacing and realignment, but didn't mention the steering rack (he also didn't look under the car, he just drove it and felt the wheel jerking back and forth). I did not tell the second auto shop about the steering rack, as I didn't want it to bias their opinion. My safety has been put at risk because this randomly happened out of nowhere and my tire jerks back and forth while I am driving. The vehicle has only been inspected by these two auto mechanics. There were no warning messages on the dashboard and the second auto shop ran a diagnostic test and confirmed everything checked out alright.

NHTSA ODI 11499647

POWER STEERING WENT OUT WHILE VEHICEL WAS IN MOTION AND ALMOST CAUSED ME TO WRECK . I WAS DRIVING ON SH 321 , CLEVELAND TEXAS ,TURNED ON BLINKER TO MAKE A LEFT HAND TURN, UPON TURNING POWER STEERING GAVE OUT AND I WAS UNABLE TO MAKE TURN , I HAD TO BACK UP TWICE TO MAKE TURN AND ALMOST GOT HIT BY ANOTHER VEHICLE, I HAVE NEVER BEEN THROUGH SOMETHING SO SCARY IN MY LIFE,

NHTSA ODI 11497979

While using a curved exit ramp my steering locked and I could not turn the wheel and lost control of ability to steer hitting the curb and damaging both the tire rod and rack steering. I could not turn the wheel to move the vehicle and required a tow to move the vehicle. This was an extremally dangerous situation in where I could have easily been hit by another vehicle or been seriously injured. There was a light that did flash on the dashboard but only for a second. There was no other indication that there was a problem with the vehicle. Honda service has indicated to me they are aware of any issues with steering on my make and model. I have have a substantial repair bill as the vehicle is not drivable.

NHTSA ODI 11497660

While in traffic and driving around 40 miles per hour, my 2013 Accord suddenly took a sharp turn to the left. I was able to fight the steering and control the Accord to a stop. The steering was very difficult to manage. The vehicle was not safely under my control, putting the people in the car at risk for an accident, as well as those in near-by vehicles. I have always maintained this car at the Honda dealership. There were no indications of problems with the steering previously (no warning lights, no suggestion by Honda service that an issue existed, etc.). Prior to this sudden failure, the steering worked perfectly. The Honda dealership service department diagnosed the issue as failed steering. Over the next 24 hours they replaced the rack (since we were traveling this necessitated an extra days stay). No one else has inspected this car.

NHTSA ODI 11496557

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

When driving straight the steering will take control and jerk to one side without warning. Fowler Honda in Norman, Ok has admitted to knowing of a problem with the steering column related to other incidents but because there is no service codes firing, they will not pay to have the default fixed. This is a major safety concern!!

NHTSA ODI 11490650

Out of nowhere the power steering gave out. There was no warning of it until the EPS dash light came on at the exact time I lost all power steering.

NHTSA ODI 11489817

The power steering has failed, and just happened all of a sudden. No warning light appears on the dashboard. I can drive it as of right now, but depending on the situation (which changes by the moment) it steers extremely hard or extremely loosely. It's very unstable, and I feel I'd be taking a huge risk if driven on the highway, which is why I'm only taking local trips close to my home, at relatively slow speeds. My local Honda dealership (Leith Honda, Raleigh, NC) has diagnosed the issue as a failed rack power steering assembly (part # 53601-T2F-A94), and wants to charge me a small fortune to have it repaired. I view this first and foremost as a safety-related concern

NHTSA ODI 11489822