CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2013-2014 Honda Accord is showing signs of an electrical problem with the starter failing soon after the 36K mile warranty expires. It's compounded by reports that the OEM battery doesn't have sufficient amps to start the V6 reliably after a year or two.
For now we are rating this problem with the "Beware" seal because it's occurring so soon after the 36K mile warranty expires. The upshot is when your Accord won't start, that's never good, but especially bad when it's just a few years old.
Also once again, owners are complaining that the 2013 Honda Accord seats are uncomfortable. Uncomfortable seats has been a significant complaint with the Accord since the 2008 model year.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
20 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
15 / 1
Average Mileage:
34,163 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
While driving down the highway, the car tried to rapidly turn to the right. I pulled into a parking lot and turned the steering wheel completely to the left. It then turned itself all the way to the right very quickly. It could be driven by forcefully holding onto the steering wheel and applying pressure to keep it from turning. The car would do a 90 degree turn without touching the steering wheel. Tires and alignment are fine. Vehicle is currently at the dealership being worked on.
Traveling down the interstate at 65-70 mph and the steering pulled very hard to the left and veered into the left lane decreases speed and had to counter steer to the right which keep me on the road. No warning or maintenance lights on. Dealership diagnosed with failed steering rack and a $3500 repair bill. 2013 Honda Accord EX L 95,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Honda Accord. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was pulling to the right. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. Upon investigation, the contact discovered an open investigation under NHTSA Action Number: EA21001 which she linked to the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.
- Parkton, NC, USA
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While driving around 65 mph on the freeway, the car suddenly became hard to steer. The electronic power steering seemed to fail, and multiple warning lights simultaneously appeared on the dashboard (Vehicle Stability Assist, Tire Pressure, Power Steering, Engine). I was in the middle of merging into another lane, and the wheel became jerky and less responsive. The car swerved, but I was able to regain control and pull over. I restarted the car a few times, but this did not resolve the issue. The next day, the power steering returned and the warning lights were no longer on. After driving locally for a few minutes (30+ mph), the power steering failed again, and the cluster of warning lights returned. The power steering continues to fail intermittently while driving, but will return seemingly randomly. I was able to bring the car to a certified Honda dealer, and my service advisor let me know the problem may be related to a known issue with the torque sensor, which had its warranty extended to 13 years in 2013 - 2014 Accords (TSB Warranty Extension 15-056). After inspecting my car, the error code DTC 85-01 was discovered (EPS - VSA malfunction), but it was not covered under the warranty extension (DTC 53-01 / 53-02). The service advisor determined "the problem is the gearbox internally not the outside sensors" and that the steering rack should be replaced at my expense (~$2500). I believe my safety and the safety of others was put at risk because this sudden loss of control could have led to a collision with a driver or pedestrian. This component is necessary to safely drive the car, and I believe the manufacturer is responsible for the premature failure of this component without warning. No warning lights were on prior to this incident, and there was no known history of symptoms/issues related to steering or other major components. No history of accidents. The car with faulty steering gearbox is available for inspection (2013 Honda Accord LX).
My car started pulling to the left, and no service lights appear on the dashboard, so I took it to the Honda dealership for an alignment. After inspection, the service consultant took me into the garage, and with my car on a lift, the mechanic turned the steering wheel all the way to the right and upon releasing it, the wheel turns all the way back to the left on its own (very quickly). He said the electronic power steering rack is malfunctioning and needs to be replaced, at a cost of $2,800. I ask if this would be covered under warranty, as it is a serious safety concern. He said it is not. I request a copy of the quote to review options, and I leave the dealership. An hour later the service consultant calls back to say only the electronic steering module needs to be replaced (and not the rack) so the total cost will now be $745 (including an alignment). Honda has recognized the problem, but will not cover under warranty unless diagnostic codes 53-01 or 53-02 appear, but neither code shows up in my vehicle. The car turns by itself to the left, which could potentially steer me into another lane (or oncoming traffic), and I believe this is a serious safety concern for everyone on the road.
The contact owns a 2013 Honda Accord. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the steering wheel was pulling to the right. The contact stated that while attempting to correctly steer the vehicle, the vehicle was still pulling to the right. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven home. The contact did not take the vehicle to a dealer to be repaired. The manufacture was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.
In February 2022, inspection by a Honda dealer technician revealed random malfunctioning of magnetic system in steering rack causing car to turn at random on its own that can lead to collision while driving.
The contact owns a 2013 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 MPH, the vehicle suddenly pulled to the right and the steering wheel could not be turned to the left. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was contacted and an appointment to have the vehicle examined was scheduled. The manufacturer was not yet notified. The failure mileage was 100,292.
The power steering stops working making it very difficult to drive especially when turning. I do not know what caused it but over the past several days it has gone off multiple times. Thankfully I have not been in an accident. The car is going to be inspected at the end of the week. Vehicle immediately experienced total loss of power steering. Not suitable for a test vehicle which is experiencing uncommanded steering. VEHICLE REPAIRED.
The contact owns a 2013 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel would jerk to left and lost power steering assist while turning to the left. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle had a software update performed; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 16,000. Regularly occurs, not repaired.
I have lost my ability to turn the steering wheel while driving without warning which is extremely dangerous! Luckily we were close to home. I had very limited ability to turn the steering wheel. It was super tight. If I were on an interstate I would not have been able to switch lanes or turn suddenly as I had no ability to. I took it to Hall Honda in Charlotte, NC and they couldn-€™t locate the problem as it didn-€™t happen during their test drive. The power steering warning light appeared after the wheel stiffened. I took my car to a local Auto Zone and she tightened some screws and my steering wheel mysterious loosened. I-€™ve been able to drive it with no problems for the past month. Unfortunately when I turned on the car this morning the steering wheel won-€™t turn. I have no way to work. This is extremely dangerous and a major inconvenience. This is my second Accord. I loved my first one, but I no longer want this car. Please help!! Thank you!!
I was driving on an interstate highway when a car ahead of me swerved and appeared to lose control. I had to brake extremely hard to avoid being involved in a collision. I was exiting off the interstate at the next exit. My steering had begun to pull to the left very heavily, but was hard to turn to the left, and when I needed to make a right turn it seemed very loose with no resistance. I was able to get the car home. A few days later when I had someone to follow me to the nearest Honda dealership, I took it in and was told that the steering "box" needed to be replaced and they proceeded to repair the car. With the addition of a new battery the repair totaled $3209.01. I asked how braking the car hard could damage an electrical power steering box. Apparently, they did not know, but mentioned having had to replace other "boxes, " but said there was no recall on them.
The steering wheel started jerking to the side on it's own causing vehicle to veer to the side. Now it is stiff and erratic. We had previously had the harness replaced for the passenger side mirror which the dealer said had a short and had caused a stiff steering wheel approx 2 years ago
Power Steering failure. The steering wheel became stiff to turn left or right, in the middle of operation. I was able to get over on the side of the road by switching lanes with very strong force.
When making a right turn without warning the steering went out, I lost control for a short period. My auto repair person has confirmed a continuation of the problem. Had I been in a different location it could have caused a collision endangering myself and others. I'm told the fix is to replace the rack and pinion and the tork senso.
Electric power steering system failed while driving car. I stopped the car for about 15 minutes to reset system, but it failed again after driving another 5 minutes or so.
While driving the car, the steering icon pops up and becomes hard to steer the vehicle. This happens every time you drive the vehicle. It started 3 days ago, and it hasn't gone away. We went to a car repair shop, and they found no issues when connecting and looking through the code. Even when the icon is on and indicates that there is a problem, the steering sometimes get fixed and reverted back to its original state. A few minutes after, it just goes back to the hard steering. I don't know why it would just randomly turn off the EPS while driving, but that is a very dangerous thing when on the road, randomly shuts off while making a turn could cause a crash.
As I was driving, the steering wheel jerked and I had to redirect it, but it was difficult to turn. I pulled over to figure out what was happening and noticed the power steering light on. I restarted the car and was able to make it home safe. It happened again and I took it to a mechanic, but he said he couldn't get it to happen while he was test driving the car; however, it happened repeatedly as I drove home a week later. When it happens, I am able to get control and pull over to restart, but not everyone will be able to regain control without power steering. It is not reasonable for a driver to expect their car to randomly veer off the road and lose power steering so they cannot regain control due to a fault that a mechanic cannot replicate and that is not being recorded as a trouble code. Vehicle has not been repaired.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Elk City, OK, USA