2013 HONDA ACCORD Complaints

My vehicle was inspected at a Honda Dealership in the state of CO & it all appears the VSA Modulator unit have an internal failure & it’s not functioning properly. Due to this effective issue the traction control would not be able to operate appropriately & it can cause an accident & endanger my life in traffic & other people’s life. Unfortunately, the VSA Modulator unit is “Nationally” out of stock & unable to find the VSA Modulator unit.

The ABS Module has failed on my 2013 Honda Accord LX. The ABS system may not function properly in reducing braking distances and could cause the car to slide in wet or slippery conditions increasing the chances of a collision or loss of vehicular control while driving. The car was taken to a Honda Specialist and upon inspection, the vehicle was diagnosed to have a faulty ABS module. The quoted repair was in excess of $2000 USD. The ABS, Power Steering, TPMS Check Tire, Traction Control warning lights are all ON indicating an issue with aforementioned faulty ABS Module. The warning lights all appeared simultaneously in February, 2023. Diagnostics were run and all error codes indicated a faulty ABS (VCS) module

The steering wheel stopped turning smoothly and would occasional turn toward the right erratically. The car is available for inspection upon request. Since now the steering wheel will occasional move on it's own or become more difficult to turn, the car is now more difficult to drive and thereby more of a safety risk. The steering problem was confirmed by a local mechanic. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representative regarding this issue. There has been no warning lamps or messages on the dashboard in regards to this steering issue.

In December 2022, I took my 2013 Honda Accord sedan 2.4L EX 4-door to the same Honda dealership where I purchased the vehicle new in December 2012. The car had 81.5k miles on it then, and the issue was with steering and having to always hold the wheel tightly with pressure to the right as it consistently wanted to pull left. After confirming this was not an alignment issue, the Honda dealer put it up on the rack and confirmed the wheel turned quickly all the way to the left, even when idling (I have video of this). There were no stored trouble codes so they performed a torque sensor clear and steering torque learn, which seemed to fix the issue. Note there is a warranty extension (from 5 to 13 years) by Honda for the EPS Torque Sensor (DTC 53-01 or DTC 53-03), for all 2013-14 Accords; however my vehicle did not show either of those diagnostic codes. Now in November 2023 (83.4k miles), the steering has failed again, pulling left but also suddenly becoming tight while steering and then suddenly going slack; at times if I let go of the wheel (safely), the wheel rotates quickly all the way left exactly as it did when up on the rack under a year ago. Took it back to the same Honda dealership service department and, after being asked if I knew I was supposed to drive with two hands on the wheel, left the car with them to check out. The same issue occurred for them. They said they hadn’t seen this issue before and didn’t know if it was an issue with the rack or the control module (which are separate components on my model), and that they had to call the Honda engineers to find out where the issue was and what to work on. A day later they were told the rack was the issue and needed to be replaced. The rack itself is $1800 and with labor would cost over $3k. I looked online and saw that many others with the same make/model/year had posted that they have these exact issues, which makes it seem that there is a major (and unsafe) flaw in Honda’s design.

Vsa module failure. Anti lock brakes will not work unless repaired. Honda dealer quoted repair over 2500.00 dollars. Know issue of poor quality design and use of inferior parts to make module failure imminent.

Electronic power steering failure. Pulls dangerously to the left after failure. Very hard to steer, no EPS warning light or indication of any problems prior to failure.

Honda Service has reported I need a VSA Modulator Assembly replaced and they want me to order this part now which is on backorder for at least 2-3 months. Car had 87,000 miles at time of inspection. I have tried to source this assembly from various Honda dealers and parts distributors to no avail. Cost will be $2,800 to replace. There are many other Honda owners experiencing this same problem but Honda will not cover the costs and seem to have no way to expedite the parts. They have started a VSA recall in newer Honda models on a limited basis. The VSA modulator is a safety feature on the car and I notice a difference in the stability and braking of the car. I am sure if I have an accident, the fact that the lights are on the dashboard will negate my insurance coverage if it can be related specifically to the VSA modulator. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE Why are so many owners affected by this and yet Honda is getting away with it. This Honda is no where near the quality of my first Honda Accord in 1999.

The ABS Module seems to fail on all 2013 Honda Accords and many other year models as well. This causes the antilock break system to not work properly, potentially causing a very serious accident. The quoted replacement from a Honda dealer is over $2k which is very cost prohibitive for many people. I'm sure you have received many complaints on this and if you don't believe the severity of this please look on any online car repair forum and you can see the countless drivers with this issue. Honda needs to pay for this not stick unsuspecting customers with a very expensive repair.

While driving down the road my power steering went out without warning and then light came on, I turned the car off/on several different times and the power steering is still out. I was able to make it home without incident but that was not a safe feeling.

Daughter driving in speed lane in Indiana at speeds over 70mph- steering locked up completely as she was surrounded by semis. Thank God she responded and handled the situation - she could have been killed. Now car is in repair on what is KNOWN to be common failure, but NO recall. She is 6 hours away from vehicle now at college. Part will take 8 weeks. Honda doing nothing to provide her with a vehicle. I am sick HONDA has not issued this as a recall. She could have died. This is very common problem.