CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2008 Honda Accord has several serious defects: poor brakes, excessive oil consumption, & uncomfortable seats.
BRAKES: There was a class action lawsuit against Honda in 2010 for premature & excessive brake wear. See our page on Honda's brake problems for more info.
OIL CONSUMPTION: Honda issued a TSB about this in late 2011, claiming it could be fixed through a software update to the VCM (variable cylinder management). There are class action lawsuits pending. See our page about the Accord oil consumption.
UNCOMFORTABLE SEATS: Owners have consistently reported uncomfortable seats with the entire 8th generation (2008-2012) of Honda Accords. Complaints range from back pain to leg circulation problems due to bad lumbar support, cushioning, & seat angle. Complaints aren't limited to only a certain body type -- the seat comfort problems are from a wide spectrum of owner height & weight. The common theme we hear is "we never noticed this during the test drive." Unfortunately for unwary buyers, the seat pain is noticeable after 15-20 minutes.
7.6
pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
$230
Average Mileage:
26,150 miles
Total Complaints:
1094 complaints
Most Common Solutions:
replaced brakes (567 reports)
have 2008 Honda brake system recalled (278 reports)
not sure (85 reports)
replaced brakes and rotors (44 reports)
repaired under warranty - sort of.. (25 reports)
replacing rear OEM pads with ceramic pads (23 reports)
YouTube: Honda Accord rear brake pad change - Great 6-minute clip explains how to replace the rear brake pads yourself on any 8th generation (2008+) Honda Accord. Looks really easy.
Honda Accord Premature Brake Wear Repair Guide - Shows you how to resolve the premature brake wear problems on 2008-2010 Honda Accords. Easy DIY repair involving swapping/re-greasing upper & lower caliper pins along with changing to ceramic brake pads - all for about $26.Did mine, works great!!
Rear brakes went out during warranty and after warranty. Honda refused to address the matter after the 3rd brake and rotor job. I traded it in for a 4 runner so I don't have the vin anymore. Also the a/c went out during warranty and after, Honda of midland refused to address this issue as well after the 2nd repair........also, the drivers side visor would not stay up. No more Hondas for me
This is the 3rd time I have replaced the rear brakes, pads on a car that was purchased new in November 2007. The car at this point had 102,000 km/63,000 miles on it.
The previous repairs were done at roughly 25,000 and 53,000 km.
This repair was by far the worst and, unlike the first 2 repairs, this time Honda would have nothing to do with it. My callipers had seized placing the brakes in a partially engaged position. Not only did I have to replace the pads and rotors but I had to replace both callipers as well. A very expensive repair.
This represents the second time the rear brakes failed since the car was purchased in November 2007. rear brakes replaced twice in 3 years on a new car with a total of 53,000 km/ 33,000 miles.
When they first went at 25,000 km I had to fight tooth and nail to get it fixed under warranty. By the time this repair occurred there was a secret recall, although according to the notice from Honda Canada it had come to their attention that "certain driving habits or conditions in Canada may cause premature brake pad wear."
- markb.c.,
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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This is second time I have to replace the rear brake pad. The first replacement happened at 2010 when mile age was only 25000 miles. The cost has been covered by Honda. After 50000 miles, I can hear the noise from rear brake again and dealer said I have to replace the pads. I have asked the service guy if it is something related with the brake position which causes rear brake pad wear off faster than front pad. He said it is possible.
I have not heard anyone around me needs to replace the rear pad twice within 75000miles. I was wondering if this is a defect and Honda needs to fix this.
I can't believe I needed to change the brakes and rotors already. I wouldn't have needed to replace the rotors if the damned brakes had held up. Its so expensive to replace these things. Just because the company is too cheap to install decent brakes... This is absurd!
Despite the class action lawsuit, Honda still refuses to fix the problem with the premature wearing out of the rear brake pads. This forces owners into replacing their rear brakes very often. With such little forewarning, I have had to replace the rear rotors as well. This means that despite only having my car for 91,000 miles, I will have replaced the rear brakes thrice and the rear rotors twice. Clearly, Honda places corporate greed above the safety of their customers. This is a documented issue that they refuse to rectify. They should be utterly ashamed of themselves!!!
Update from Apr 22, 2014: I just called Honda's corporate office. They stated that the class action lawsuit was settled, the brakes are now a matter of legal record and they therefore cannot touch offering customers any further assistance with the brakes. They will not acknowledge that there is an issue with the rear brakes. They only state that my car's warranty has expired, brakes & rotors are wear & tear items and they have gone above & beyond the class action lawsuit to satisfy their customers. So, I now have to pay $500 to have my rear brakes and rotors replaced AGAIN!!! The dealership did give me a $30 coupon so I guess that I should be somewhat grateful. I cannot wait until I can afford to get rid of this car. I will never EVER purchase another Honda vehicle again!!!
I have a 2008 Accord and the rear brakes are needing to be replaced again, with only 17,000 miles on the second set. I had left a message for the service manager to call me, which he has not done. I am a certified brake,engine and transmission mechanic and I can tell you that the real problems lies in the Brake Distribution Valve, It's located at the right front of engine compartment. It is allowing too much pressure to be put on the rear brake first before the front pads are applied and also not releasing as soon as the front. In the newer 2010 models they replaced that very valve. I am going to go back to the dealer and insist that they replace it along with the new Ceramic Pads.
They told me it was the rear springs were not strong enough to reset the rear brake pads to their set position. I told them I was a brake mechanic and did not believe it.
After my Accord rear brake pads needed change at 19500 miles I started investigating and came across a video where it explain that the caliper pins in the rear brakes were installed incorrectly. That if there was premature wear it meant they needed to be switched. I spent about $10 in the grease and did the job myself, once done I haven't have to change the pad since then and the car has 80,000 miles now.
I have had to replace the front and rear pads along with the front left rotor and rear right rotor within the last 10 months. I am purchasing near top of the line pads but because of what I perceive as a structural problem of the Accord, I am replacing the pads as twice the rate of my wife's car even though we drive the same distances for work.
After putting 260,000 miles on a 2004 Civic with no problems I decided to stick with Honda and buy a used Accord. The second month I had it I had to replace the rear brakes. I have also had trouble with the spark plugs. So far I've had over $500 in repairs for a car that has less than 60,000 miles on it. I'm really disappointed.
WE HAD THE CAR SINCE NEW, I'M A SELF REPAIR/MAINTENCE MAN AND FIX EVERYTHING, BUT THIS IS BID MUCH. IN 5 YEARS I'VE REPLACED THE LEFT REAR BRAKE PAD 5 TIMES AND THE ROTOR TWICE.I HAVE YET TO REWORK ANY OF THE OTHER BRAKE PARTS IN 89K MILES.
Rear brakes wear out quick on this car. Obvious design flaw as the rear brakes are much to small. Pain but easy fix with new pads, did it myself and my neighbor got me the pads at cost
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Rear brakes went out during warranty and after warranty. Honda refused to address the matter after the 3rd brake and rotor job. I traded it in for a 4 runner so I don't have the vin anymore. Also the a/c went out during warranty and after, Honda of midland refused to address this issue as well after the 2nd repair........also, the drivers side visor would not stay up. No more Hondas for me
- Chris B., Midland, TX, US