Carlexica

2013 Honda Civic: problems, recalls and reliability

0 recalls and 329 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (35% of complaints); the 2011 model year looks more trouble-free.

Data updated weekly · 4 new complaints in the last 90 days

0
recalls
329
owner complaints
1
fire reports
35,000
typical failure mileage, mi

All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.

NHTSA crash testOverall ★★★★★Front ★★★★★Side ★★★★★Rollover ★★★★★
5-star NHTSA overall safety ratingNo recall campaignsWeak spot: air bags (35%)1 fire reportProblems reported early (median 35,000 mi)

Common problems

Computed from 329 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.

Air Bags (airbags and crash sensors)35% · 107 complaints
Electrical System (battery, wiring, electronics)8% · 24 complaints
Service Brakes (brakes)7% · 23 complaints
Steering (steering wheel, rack, power assist)7% · 21 complaints
Engine (engine mechanics)6% · 20 complaints
Structure (body, frame, doors, rust)6% · 18 complaints
“My Honda Civic is experiencing multiple serious system warnings, including Check VSA System, Check Power Steering System, Check Brake System, and Check ABS System. This appears to be a recurring issue reported by Honda Civic owners in different places, and I believe Honda needs to investigate the problem and take responsibility for properly addressing it because these systems directly affect vehicle safety and driver control.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Aug 2026
“Receiving an error message to check my air bag system. Did show - which shows two error codes B0001-13 and B0002-13. Both of which are related to the driver's side air bag. Spoke to the local Honda dealership which advised me the this issue isn't covered under a recall or extended warranty - BUT the same issue is covered for passenger side air bags. This MAKES no sense when it is a KNOWN issue - for Honda to not fix both sides of the air bags. My Honda Civic has around 36,000 miles on it.”Owner report · Air Bags · Aug 2026
“Air Bag light is on. Dealer said it it probably just a faulty relay switch and turned it off. It came back on. I'm listing the date as today, but this has been going on for over 5 years, no incident, but why is light on? I do not trust the airbag system.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jul 2026
Show 7 more owner reports
“The ABS misfired and locked my brakes without warning during normal driving. This was without pumping the brakes or any engagement of the brake system.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Jun 2026
“The contact owns a 2013 Honda Civic. The contact stated that the air bag warning light remained illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was 192,600.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jun 2026
“I bought a 2013 Honda Civic used off the first and only owner, got it at about 98,000 miles. A month later the check airbag system light came on. Brought it to the mechanic down the road from me and it threw a B0001-13 code - driver side airbags faulty. I ran my VIN and it looks like there are no recalls, although there is an investigation into airbag deflators for cars from this year. Really frustrated as I paid a lot of money of this car and was hoping to move to Arizona with it. Now I'm scared to take it down the block.”Owner report · Air Bags · Mar 2026
“The contact owns a 2013 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the driver's side air bag warning light remained illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the air bag inflater needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 92,000.”Owner report · Air Bags · Mar 2026
“A drunk driver hit my car along with six others, and my car spun into the highway wall and totaled the car with an impact probably 40 or 50 mph and airbags did not go off”Owner report · Air Bags · Feb 2026
“Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2013 Honda Civic. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 113,000. The contact paid for the vehicle in full, and when the Title arrived, it was later discovered that the mileage on the Title was 224,000. The contact reached out to the dealer. However, the dealer had not responded.”Owner report · Electrical System · Dec 2025
“The light for the air bag came on. I have not been in an accident. But this is the car of my 16 year old daughter. I did some research it looks like once the light come on the air bags may not deploy if in an accident. It is a sensor problem. Thank goodness she has not been in an accident but this is definitely a concern.”Owner report · Air Bags · Nov 2025

When filing, owners marked a crash in 29 of these complaints and injuries in 34 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.

Trouble codes owners mention

OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.

Specifications

Factory options offered for the 2013 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.

Engines1.8L
Cylinders4
FuelCompressed Natural Gas (CNG) · Gasoline
TransmissionAutomatic · Manual/Standard
Drive typeFWD/Front-Wheel Drive
Body stylesCoupe · Sedan/Saloon

How other years compare

Counts are not adjusted for time on the road here - see all Civic years ranked fairly for the age-adjusted comparison.

Check your exact Civic by VIN

Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.

Open VIN decoder

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2013 Honda Civic reliable?

NHTSA has 329 owner complaints and 0 recall campaigns on record for the 2013 Honda Civic. The most complained-about area is air bags (35% of complaints).

At what mileage do 2013 Honda Civic problems usually appear?

Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 35,000 miles or less.

Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.