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.

3.6

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
34,818 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2008 Honda Accord accessories - exterior problems

accessories - exterior problem

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2008 Honda Accord Owner Comments

problem #12

Jan 092017

Accord

  • miles

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

The contact owns a 2008 Honda Accord. The contact recieved notification of NHTSA campaign numbers: 16V056000 (air bags), 09E063000 (latches/locks/linkages), and 16V346000 (air bags); however, the parts for the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact had not experienced a failure. The manufacturer was not notified.

- Arlington, TX, USA

problem #11

Nov 032014

Accord

  • 73,000 miles
Driver side front door automatic lock mechanism failed.

- Columbia, MD, USA

problem #10

Feb 282014

Accord 4-cyl

  • 55,000 miles
Few months ago my car locks started to lock, unlock, lock, unlock, etc every time when my driving speed passed 10 mph. Then I noticed that my driver side rear door was unlocking in few seconds after I locked my car doors. Last night my car locked itself (except driver side read door). This is definitely a safety issue for a single woman. Very unsafe to park in public places when you cannot lock the car doors. Today I am at Honda and waiting for the final bill for their repair. I told them that there are thousands of complaint of this issue, but the service technicians is not aware ("?").

- Easley, SC, USA

problem #9

Nov 222012

Accord 4-cyl

  • 59,000 miles

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

On thanksgiving night 2012, I went shopping and got back to my parents house around 11:00pm. I had gifts and food in the car and the power door locks locked on me automatically with me in it. I finally was able to open the passage door and got out. The car door locked again and I was not able to get into the car either by using the keyless entry nor by manually trying to unlock it with the key in the door lock. I had to let the food stay in the car over night as well as the other things I had purchased. I am so glad I did not have my niece with me. The next day, I had to spend $60 to get a locksmith to open the door. About 6 months later the automatic door locks that locks when you put the car in drive, keeps locking every time a make a stop and pull off again. This is driving me crazy too. This is truly a safety issue. I can only imagine if I had a child in the car, what would have happen. The local news featured a news story with a woman who is having the same problem with her Honda CRV about 3 months ago. This is a real problem that the Honda manufacture needs to address either thru recall or extended warranty. Enough is enough.

- Riverdale, GA, USA

problem #8

Dec 012010

Accord

  • 40,000 miles
I have had 5 door actuators changed on my car - all doors and one door was twice. I have a 6th one out but I have not gotten it fixed. The dealership told me that "sometimes things happen". I tried to talk with Honda, they did pay for most of them repairs but refused to admit it was a problem. The dealership never could tell me why it was happening, just kept replacing the actuators. I got tired of fighting with them, that is why the last one has not been replaced. This is my first and last Honda. I was extremely disappointed with my service from Honda. We bought the car brand new off the lot and it started within a year and a half of purchase.

- Mt. Plymouth, FL, USA

problem #7

Jan 032011

Accord 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Accord. The contact stated that the doors would lock and unlock independently. The contact mentioned that there were some occasions that he was unable to exit the vehicle because the doors failed to unlock. The vehicle was taken to the dealer multiple times, who decided to replace the door actuator as a temporary remedy. The remedy failed to repair the problem. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who referred him to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 90,000 and the current mileage was 125,000...updated 11/14/12 updated 11/15/2012

- Spring Valley , NY, USA

problem #6

Mar 112009

Accord

  • 18,822 miles

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

The contact owns a 2008 Honda Accord. The contact stated that the rear brakes had to be replaced four times within two years. The second time the brakes were replaced, the contact was advised by the dealer that the previous brake pads were inferior. The contact then spoke with the manufacturer and was told that the cable to the emergency brake would need to be released slightly, but there was no way to make the correction. The contact also stated that the door latches were also replaced several times. The failure mileage was 18,822 and the current mileage was 48,569.

- Mobile, AL, USA

problem #5

Dec 012009

Accord

  • 41,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while trying to unlock the vehicle, the key fob failed and would not open any of the doors on the vehicle. Also, the contact experienced failures with the rear brakes. When applying the brakes, the contact would hear an abnormal squealing noise. The vehicle was inspected by the dealer and the dealer informed the contact that the key fob had a faulty part and the rear brakes were exhibiting the abnormal noise due to normal wear and tear. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 41,000.

- Summerville, SC, USA

problem #4

Aug 152010

Accord

  • miles
Both rear doors on my 2008 Honda Accord have defective doo handles on the inside. I can only open the doors from the outside. The first one quit working around mid August 2010, and the other about three weeks after that. I am concerned that if there were a fire after an accident that someone in the bsack seat would not be able to exit the vehicle.

- Winchester, VA, USA

problem #3

Apr 122010

Accord

  • 29,000 miles
I have a 2008 Honda Accord ex-L I picked up new in the fall of 2007. To date I have just over 30,000 miles. Today, (4/12/10) I took my car to my local Honda dealership for an oil change. I was told that my rear brakes were at 5% and repair cost would be $330!!! I mentioned I paid an additional $2,200 for an "extended warranty "on top of the $28,000 sticker price back in 2007. Today I asked the Honda advisor what does my $2,200 "extended warranty" cover? he said nothing mechanical. By this point I did not want to argue, but rather I paid the $38.13 for my oil change and left. Also with my previous oil change maybe 3 months ago with about 29,000 miles I was also told my rear brakes were somewhere around 15% and I think the Honda dealership quoted me around $300. I am definitely a named party in the gibbs lawsuit as of 12/17/09. I have not paid to fix my rear brakes yet. Other problems I am having is my navigation freezes up, I have this rattling sound in my front drivers door, my front passenger door sounds like it is not closed all the way because I hear road noise, and twice now my wipers have continued to stay on even though I turned them off or the wipers will be "delayed" even though the wipers are off, my glove box is misaligned on the right hand side and at times when I am pulling into the garage with my foot off of the gas pedal, the car will accelerate forward a little. I am finished with this car!!!! my 2008 Accord is my 3rd Accord and by far the most obnoxious lemon I have ever owned. My 1986 and 2000 Accord were more "Honda" than my 2008 Accord. I am thoroughly disgusted with Honda's caring integrity.

- Elkhart, IN, USA

problem #2

Oct 062008

Accord

  • 3,300 miles
Headliner had to be replaced on my 2008 Accord LX because raw edges were showing at weather stripping on all doors. Original dealer had car all day for repair. Three days later, the driver side sun visor fell on my head while driving on the parkway at high speed (knocked off my glasses). This could have caused an accident since I swerved after visor hit me. Went to different dealer for repair and it took two tries before they attached visor properly. They admitted that 2008 Accord now use plastic latch instead of 2 screws (civics still use screws), so it breaks easily. Honda should acknowledge and change back to the metal screws. The pleasant attitude that Honda is famous for is missing.

- Seaford, NY, USA

problem #1

Sep 082008

Accord

  • 8,700 miles
My 2008 Accord consistently flash/dim every 30 seconds when the auto climate control mode is on. This is a safety issue when driving on a dark road at night as one's eyes naturally look away from the road for about a second-- enough time to be dangerous. I complained to the dealer and they said all vehicles do this. I have never heard of any vehicle doing this. I asked when the service bulletin would be coming out, assuming there is one in the works given the widespread issue, but the service writer ignored my comment. I had to literally demand that the dealer write my complaint on the repair order, and at the end, with my repair order, the clerk handed me an article trying to explain away the issue or pacify me. (it was a Honda article, which looked like it was from a repair manual or brochure, which stated that basically, if the customer complained to tell them its normal.) in "auto" climate mode, the air conditioning compressor/fan kicks on every 30 seconds (even in the middle of winter) and the lights seem to flash at that time. Also, the steering pump makes a very loud whining/moaning noise at 1500-2000 rpms, and the steering in the vehicle has a shuttling/slipping sensation in the steering wheel upon turning. The dealer confirmed the steering issue and has ordered a new power steering pump which will hopefully remedy the issue. Finally, the driver's door handle, interior and exterior, does not open the door on occasion. This is also a safety issue as being able to exit the vehicle in emergency is critical. For such a highly touted vehicle manufacturer, Honda needs to work on fixing problems with their cars on the road and finding a resolution, not just their reputation and/or their bottom line. Also, Honda needs to instruct its dealers to take its customer's complaint's seriously, not simply attempt to diminish the complaint (I.e. headlights flashing) because it is a widespread issue. I am disappointed with Honda's handling of the defects.

- Springboro, OH, USA

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