UsedScore

2013 Honda Civic: Solid

Owners filed 140 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Honda Civic in its first five years on the road, about 42 for every 100,000 sold: 0.8× the rate of a typical Civic year. That's close to a typical year.

The biggest problem area, counting serious complaints more, is the air bags (14% of complaints, median 38,000 miles).

Complaint index
0.8×
per vehicle sold, vs. a typical Civic year
Rank
3rd of 14
1st = fewest complaints
Complaints
140
first five years; 42 per 100,000 sold
Recalls
0
campaigns
9th generation, 2012–2015 · Updated September 24, 2026 · How we rate
2014 Honda Civic sedan (facelift)

Photo: 2014 Honda Civic sedan (facelift) · Ghostofakina, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Problem areas

Ranked by severity-weighted complaints · share · median miles
  1. Air bags14% · 19 complaints · median 38,000 miles
  2. Speed control12% · 17 complaints · median 5,000 miles
  3. Steering11% · 15 complaints · median 12,000 miles
  4. Seats and belts11% · 16 complaints · median 15,000 miles
  5. Brakes12% · 17 complaints · median 6,000 miles
  6. Engine10% · 14 complaints · median 10,000 miles
  7. Powertrain9% · 13 complaints · median 6,000 miles
  8. Fuel and propulsion9% · 12 complaints · median 1,000 miles
  9. Wheels and tires10% · 14 complaints · median 10,000 miles
  10. Electrical9% · 12 complaints · median 12,000 miles

Bars rank problem areas by complaints weighted for severity (crashes, fires, injuries and deaths count more). A complaint can name more than one area. Mileage is reported on about half of complaints.

What owners describe

Air bags

Owners describe a warning light for the air bag system that comes on unpredictably, sometimes linked to a failed cable reel or inflator, and in some crashes the air bags did not deploy. Repairs vary widely, with some fixes holding and others seeing the light return after service.

Warning signs:
Many report the 'check air bag system' light flickering on and off intermittently while driving or starting, sometimes disabling the horn, cruise control, or steering-wheel controls.
What shops did:
Dealers often replaced the cable reel, clock spring, wiring assembly, or inflator, though several owners say the problem returned or could not be diagnosed at all.
Mileage:
most between 40,000 and 80,000 miles, among 52 complaints that give it

“Check air bag system light came on randomly. Stayed on for majority of time.”

“I heard a bang and looked to see that the side curtain and seat airbags of the passenger side of my car had deployed.”

Speed control

Owners describe a 2013 Civic that sometimes hesitates before accelerating or, in other cases, accelerates suddenly and unexpectedly, including while using cruise control. For some this happened during turns, parking, or highway driving, and dealers often couldn't reproduce or fix it.

Warning signs:
Owners report the accelerator failing to respond for a few seconds, engine revving or making loud noise, dashboard warning lights, or a jolt of sudden acceleration especially when slowing, turning, or going uphill.
What shops did:
Some owners say dealers found no problem, told them behavior was normal or driver-related, or performed a software update, without resolving the issue.
Mileage:
most between 0 and 20,000 miles, among 19 complaints that give it

“The accelerator pedal took three to four seconds to accelerate and then stalled without warning”

“The cruise control will kick in and the auto-throttle will accelerate the car quickly to 5 MPH beyond the set speed”

Steering

Owners describe the power steering suddenly stiffening or failing, sometimes along with ABS, VSA and brake warning lights coming on together. Several say this happened while turning or backing out, making the car hard to control until repairs like a new control unit or modulator were made.

Warning signs:
Many report the steering wheel becoming heavy, stiff, or briefly locking, sometimes with dashboard lights going dark or multiple warning icons appearing at once.
What shops did:
Some dealers replaced the power steering control unit, rack and pinion, or VSA modulator, while others could not find stored fault codes or duplicate the problem.
Mileage:
most between 5,000 and 60,000 miles, among 22 complaints that give it

“The mechanic told me that they found a code 71-01 motor angle sensor and he performed an update”

“The dealer had the vehicle for six days, where they replaced the rack and pinion”

Summaries are written with AI from the owner complaints shown on NHTSA's site and checked against them; quotes are word for word.

Recalls

Check a VIN on NHTSA ›

NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2013 Honda Civic.

A recall only helps if the repair was done. Enter the vehicle's 17-character VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup before you buy.

Service bulletins

Honda sent NHTSA 78 service bulletins and other notices to dealers covering the 2013 Civic. These are repair instructions, not recalls. Warranty extensions and bulletins about its top problem areas:

  • A19050B · May 2019ServiceNews Article - When removing and installing a cable reel, you need to keep both the cable reel and the steering angle sensor in position.
  • A18-059 · June 2018This bulletin is a notification of a class action settlement relating to airbag inflators.
  • A18-060 · June 2018This bulletin is a notification of a class action settlement relating to airbag inflators.
  • AIR BAG INFLATOR · May 2016Dealer message - if the srs warning lamp is illuminated and a dtc 11-1x or 11-2x or a b0001-13 is stored in the srs main unit, replace the driver's airbag module.
  • AER15070E · October 2015"dealer message - american honda (ahm) is investigating certain 2013-2014 accords & 2013 civic sedans with a customer complaint of srs light on with the dtc 82-11 (internal failure of the front…
  • HONDA - AER15070 · September 2015"engineering request for investigation - american honda (ahm) is investigating certain 2013-2014 accords & 2013 civic sedans with a customer complaint of srs light on with the dtc 82-11 (internal…
  • DLR MSG - RFV - · September 2015"dealer message - american honda (ahm)is investigating certain 2013-2014accords & 2013civic sedans with a customer complaint of srs light on with the dtc 82-11 (internal failure ofthe front…
  • AER15070B · July 2015"engineering request - american honda (ahm) is investigating certain 2012-2015 civics with a customer complaint of eps (electric power-assisted steering) light on with/without loss of power steering…

All 2013 Civic bulletins on NHTSA ›

Questions owners ask

Is the 2013 Honda Civic reliable?
Owners filed 140 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Honda Civic in its first five years on the road, about 42 for every 100,000 sold: 0.8× the rate of a typical Civic year. That's close to a typical year. Ratings compare Civic years with each other using complaints filed with NHTSA; they don't measure every problem owners have.
What are the most common 2013 Civic problems?
Owners' complaints most often involve the air bags (14%), speed control (12%) and the steering (11%). A complaint can name more than one area.
Has the 2013 Honda Civic been recalled?
NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2013 Honda Civic.

Sources

Owner complaints, recalls and manufacturer communications from NHTSA's public data files, as of September 24, 2026. Complaints are counted once each, over the model year's first 60 months on the road. UsedScore is not affiliated with NHTSA or Honda. The 2013 Honda Civic on NHTSA.gov · How we rate