Buyer Research

2013 Honda Accord — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $8,000–$13,000. There are 2 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.

Deciding between model years? Compare the 17 Honda Accord years we've written up →

Kestrel Take

First year of the ninth-generation Accord, and by far the most-complained-about year of it — 1,419 reports, three times the 2016. Two thirds of them are two parts: an electric power steering system that pulls or goes heavy, and a starter that quits. Neither wrecks the car and both are known quantities to any Honda shop. Buy one where both have already been replaced and you have a very good sedan for the money. Buy one where neither has and budget $2,500.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 1,419 owner complaints for the 2013 Honda Accord, and 5 recall campaigns.

A big number here usually means a lot of these were sold, not that it is a bad vehicle — popular models collect more complaints for the same rate of trouble. So the total on its own says little. What is worth reading is the shape of it. 35% of them are about one thing — steering. That much concentration is a genuine pattern rather than background noise, and it is the first thing to check on any example you look at.

5 recall campaigns cover this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.

Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.

Known Issues for the 2013 Honda Accord

Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.

Electric power steering pulls to one side, jerks, or goes heavy — sometimes at highway speedHigh — wallet impact

498 complaints, 35% of the record, 21 of them after a crash. The stories split two ways: the wheel drifting or turning on its own with no light, and the power steering warning coming on with a sudden loss of assist. The first points at the EPS torque sensor and gearbox, the second at the EPS control unit. Honda issued service bulletins and replaced gearboxes on many cars; it never recalled them. A steering gearbox is a four-figure repair. Drive it hands-light on a straight road and feel for a pull.

Repair cost (estimate): $1,500–$2,800 — about 27% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under steering (498).

Starter motor fails — intermittent no-start that gets worseHigh — wallet impact

The second-largest cluster and a well-known one: the 2.4L Accord's starter grinds, clicks, or does nothing, intermittently at first, then daily. Honda issued a service bulletin for it and replaced many under warranty. The complaints filed under 'engine' are mostly this too. If the car takes two presses of the start button, that is the starter, not the battery.

Repair cost (estimate): $450–$900

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (414), the engine (186).

Battery sensor case lets water in — can short and start a fire (recall)Medium

Recall 17V418 covers 2013–2016 Accords: the battery management sensor's case can let water in, and the resulting short has caused engine-bay fires. Dealers apply sealant or replace the sensor free. Owners report electrical trouble beginning right after the recall visit — worth asking about.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: 5 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Driveshaft corrosion in salt states can let the shaft break (recall)Medium

Recalls 20V769 and 25V422: on 4-cylinder CVT Accords sold or registered in salt-belt states, the driveshaft coating can crack and the shaft corrode through, breaking under load. The second recall, in 2025, widened the first. Check both on the VIN if the car has ever lived north of the Mason-Dixon line.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (109); 5 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

V6 oil consumption from cylinder deactivationMedium

The 3.5L V6 with Variable Cylinder Management can burn a quart every 1,000 miles as the deactivated cylinders' rings glaze. Check the dipstick against the last oil change date; ask whether the seller tops up between changes.

Repair cost (estimate): $150–$400 per year in oil, or $2,500–$4,500 for rings — about 43% of what this car is typically worth

Source: not yet checked against public records.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗A pull or drift the seller attributes to "the road crown"
✗Two presses of the start button to get a crank
✗Salt-state history with the driveshaft recalls open
✗A V6 with a low dipstick and a seller who "doesn't check"

Good Signs

✓Steering gearbox and starter both replaced with Honda invoices
✓All five recalls closed on the VIN
✓CVT fluid changed on schedule
✓A straight-road drive with hands off the wheel for three seconds and no wander