CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2008 Honda Accord has several serious defects: poor brakes, excessive oil consumption, & uncomfortable seats. Read more »

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.

8.2

pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
$690
Average Mileage:
44,750 miles
Total Complaints:
12 complaints

Most Common Solutions:

  1. not sure (8 reports)
  2. recall (2 reports)
  3. replace the A/C relay (1 reports)
  4. replace the whole car (1 reports)
2008 Honda Accord AC / heater problems

AC / heater problem

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2008 Honda Accord Owner Comments

problem #12

Jun 012016

Accord LX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 99,419 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

A/C worked well in the winter but I didn't need it then. Would only seem to work in the summer when the windows were down but then what's the point of having the a/c on? Eventually it fixed itself, not sure how.

- Brooklynn I., Sa, SK, Canada

problem #11

May 172012

Accord EX-L Navi 4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 69,129 miles

5 times ac broke in 5 years. Glad we bought extended warranty. soo glad

- John R., Acworth, GA, US

problem #10

Jun 202013

Accord LX V4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 75,620 miles

Like many on this side - the errant Rock to the compressor got my poor little Hannah the Honda... To this point - I have LOVED this car... not so much as a SINGLE problem in almost 80K...

On a recent Dallas / Houston Road trip the air just "stopped"..

Ugh - have you been to Houston in June -- Well - not when you want your air to go out...

and Yup - no extended warranty coverage... Dealer was fairly good - but I still find it hard to believe until I read the design flaws ya'll report.

Thanks - Add my 700 bux to the list!

- jayjayzee, Dallas, TX, US

problem #9

Aug 152012

Accord EX-L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 87,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My ac started blowing cool air out of one vent and warm air out of the other. I had to turn my air on high to keep the car somewhat cool. What in the world? I asked a couple of people about it and it could be a number of things. I was told it was going to be pretty expensive being they will have to take the whole dash out though. Being I am unemployed right now, I have not taken it in yet. It is winter now and the same thing happens with the heat. It blows warm air out of one vent and cold out of the other. My car is also making this really loud noise. It makes it off and on. It is the worst sound I have ever heard and it is so loud. Im not sure what Hondas problem is. I now the economy has been bad but Honda hadn't been doing so bad because of their reputation of building great quality vehicles. Even during the recession, people were looking for used vehicles. There are certain things you cannot skimp on or drop quality on and a vehicle is one of them. The problems I have had with my newest Honda is unacceptable. I can name a list of things that should be recalled, this isn't the only problem I have had. Seems as if Honda is cutting quality and that will destroy their reputation. I know I wont be buying another Honda on my next purchase and I was always a Honda girl. My 2002 model has almost 300k miles on it and still running great. Never had any major problems with it. Im just so disappointed with my 2008 model and with Honda.

- Sameera W., Greenville, SC, US

problem #8

Aug 242008

Accord EXL V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 100 miles

The air conditioning temperature jumps from hot to cold to hot after the car has fully warmed up. Even on cold days when it is freezing out, we can have the temp set to 75 degrees and frigid air is blowing out of the vents. Then it would suddenly blow hot air, but would change to cold again. We have noticed that it seems to operate normally if the sensor in the center of the dashboard near the windshield is covered up. If we uncover it, it blows cold air, especially when it is sunny outside. Just covering and uncovering the sensor causes the air to change. And I thought the sensor was only supposed to effect the headlights. Something seems screwed up in the wiring, like an open ground circuit that is somehow affected by the light sensor. I have asked repeatedly at the dealer about the problem, and they always say everything is OK. So much for those computer diagnostics! We are ready to ditch this car after years of suffering with the supposed climate control. Even with the auto feature turned off, it acts the same way. How a supposedly customer oriented company able to ignore this problem. It is very disconcerting.

- tmdkjam, Chelmsford, MA - Massachusetts, US

problem #7

Jul 222011

Accord V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 67,596 miles

When the AC relay fails, it can cause a pressure relief valve to bleed or blow out the refrigerant. If this occurs intermittently, it can permanently damage the battery but not be evident after the car is jump started. The solution is to recharge the system and replace the valve and relay. The cost would be higher if a new battery is included. Mine was replaced under warranty by the garage that sold the battery.

I have lost a huge amount of respect for Honda engineering. It is clear to me that they took too much cost (and quality) out of this model based on the numerous problems I have encountered that could be avoided with better components or fail safe design practices.

- Robert F., Phoenix, AZ, US

problem #6

May 012009

Accord EX-L 2.4L 4 cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 20,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I bought this car new and after about a year I noticed that the A/C did not cool very and it is now to the point were it just blows out hot air. Based on all the postings it looks like it is a condenser issue. I will be fixing it myself because my car is out of warranty. It would be good if Honda came up with a fix to keep the condenser from being so susceptible to road damage.

- seanw, San Diego, CA, US

problem #5

Jul 042010

Accord

  • Automatic transmission
  • 50,000 miles

The AC just started blowing warm air one day while on a road trip in the middle of July. I took it to the dealer twice while under warranty and of course they couldn't find anything wrong. The warranty is expired now and the AC works sometimes but a lot of the time it will only blow warm air. The purchase of this Honda has been nothing but disappointing and the customer service I have received from Honda has been extremely disappointing!! Will not buy Honda again!

- Debbie R., Kingwood, TX, US

problem #4

May 252010

Accord EX-L 2.4L

  • Manual transmission
  • 25,000 miles

A/C wouldn't blow cold air when outside temperature is 90F or above. If I am staying on parking lot or awaiting for green light with engine making 700-800 RPM, A/C would blow warm air. As soon as you start driving and engine goes to 1500-2000 RPM cool air starts coming out. This summer we had several days with above 100F. These days A/C was blowing warm air constantly. As usual, Honda dealer wouldn't find anything wrong with A/C. What a surprise!

- Eduard L., Cordova, TN, US

problem #3

May 012010

Accord EXL 2.4L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 23,320 miles

I took my 2008 Honda to my local dealership in 2009 for service and told them that it didn't seem to cool on warm days and they told me to bring it back when the weather got hot. Took my car to the dealership today and they said that the car tested within the allowable range. The car does not cool down unless you run it on high on the highway, I was told to keep the windows down during the day to reduce heat build up and that the A/C would cool better. The A/C doesn't get as cold as my 9 year old explorer did on low. The dealership was rude and very unhelpful.

- Lee M., Valdosta, GA, US

problem #2

Aug 172009

Accord EX-L 3.2L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 14,800 miles

Right from the day I bought this lemon from Gunn Honda located in San Antonio, Texas, I complained about the performance of the AC system. The cooling capacity has always been limited to state the least. As an example, the car has dual-side controlled temperature, and even at a setpoint of 65F, the AC did not manage to keep the car reasonably cool. The staff at the Gunn Honda dealership disregarded my complaints. After several complaints they decided to replicate the problem. There's only one problem - the ambient temperature was 95-100F, but the poorly trained staff at the Gunn Honda dealership tested the AC outlet temperature while the vehicle was positioned inside an airconditioned building!

Having earned a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, I was rather surprised about the poor performance of the Gunn Honda dealership. At 14,800 miles, during my second oil change checkup, they finally tried to enhance the performance of the AC, and yes it did help, but only marginally. I would say that the AC performance of my vehicle is still only about 75%. I am very disappointed in the quality of my 2008 Honda Accord, but I am even more disappointed in Honda Motor Co. for not standing behind their warranty. This is my last Honda vehicle that I will own.

- Kent F., San Antonio, TX, US

problem #1

Jul 062008

Accord 2.4L Vtec

  • Manual transmission
  • 5,000 miles

no experience about autobeef because its my first time

- rajeshjain, Delhi, Delhi, India

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