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!!
This is the FOURTH set of rear brakes I've had on this car, and guess what? I no longer qualify for reimbursement from the settlement--they'll only reimburse you 3 times. I finally paid off this car and I can't wait to get rid of it. By the way, I commute 30 miles each way to work so the town stop and go driving argument doesn't apply to me. I'll report my other gripes in a separate post
We had to replace our back brakes around 35,000 miles. We were never aware, or told of a recall on the brakes. We paid a couple hundred dollars out of our pocket to get them fixed. We have been told our front brakes still look brand new. Really? back brakes going out before front ones??? Yet another problem Honda isn't fixing. I will NEVER buy another Honda and I have owned several in my life.
Purchased from Johnson Autoplex,Raleigh, N.C. on 9/7/11 with 20904 miles. Never mentioned the severe brake problems this car has had since new and no mention made of the class action lawsuit that's ongoing.Mechanic says front brakes are just fine but may have to replace rear pads/rotors every 15,000 to 20,000 thousand miles. Can't believe Honda is not doing whatever it takes to make this right for its customers. Plan to file claim under the class action suit but we all know that only the lawyers come out as winners. Probably will be the last Honda in my driveway.
This is the 2nd time i had this problem with my Honda. My car has highway miles only and after i get my brakes replaces at 33,000 miles, i had to get the brakes replaced again at 57,000 miles and the dealer didn't help me by saying that it is not covered under extended warranty and i have to pay out of pocket for it.
Bought car brand new. Ran into rear brake problems within first two years. Dealer says it's due to slides on calipers not being lubricated. Ended up replacing pads and rotors at my expense ($500.00) at just over 40,000km. Honda then comes out with a "GoodWill" policy to rebate customers who have had the repair done to the grand total of $125.00. I'm impressed.
At 78,000km and with regular dealer service, rear pads wear out again. No coverage from Honda and again, I'm out of pocket another $250.00.
This should have been a safety recall from the start of this issue. Instead Honda continues to waffle over it.
- timnick,
Hampton, NB, canada
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purchased my Honda Accord 2008 on Jan. 17 2009. Brake recall in January, 2010. I had all brakes replaced under warranty in June 2010. 37,000k back brakes needed replacing again at the cost of $ 833.00. One brake worn to metal on metal and the other back brake was perfect... Obviously, they replaced the brakes, but did not fix the problem. The recall is good for 3 years from the date of purchase. Honda Canada would not stand by there warranty, knowing full well there is a brake problem. My car has only been serviced at the Honda dealership in St. Catharines since time of purchase. I can not afford to do the back brakes yearly on this car. Obviously a tremendous and costly problem with the brakes that have supposedly been maintained by the dealership since I am on their service maintenance plan.
Just like the other Accord owners, I was really shocked to find out that my rear brakes wore out in little over 15,000 miles and that they went before the front ones. What also makes it a lousy situation is that 2 months earlier I had my 15000 mile checkup. The Honda service people told me ALL my brakes were good shape including my rear brakes at 5mm. So in 2 months my rear brake pads went from 5mm to 1mm, HMMMM! So the Honda people other then repeating "sorry" about 100 times offered no assistance, that is financial assistance. I take that back, they had a copy of the class action suit against Honda regarding the brake issue. Isn't that odd, a Honda dealership handing out literature against the parent company. Really sad that a company cannot/will not accept responsibility for a defective product. This was my first Honda purchase and last, period!
This was the third set of rear brakes on car. The dealer gave me a form to submit to get some money back. When I filed the form they said it out of date and would not refund anything.
I've owned many Hondas and bought a new 2008 Honda Accord with all the toys. Loved the car until the rear brakes started making noise at only 27,0000 miles. Rear brakes should never fail with such low mileage and certainly not before the front brakes. Now I see hundreds of others with the same problem. I expect they are dragging all the time so that will effect my mileage as well. Honda is loosing a lot of customers with this problem and they don't care. I'm a mechanic and will be doing my own brakes on this honda again at 50,000, if it makes it and then will unload the car for something more reliable soon. Probably a "Toyota Camary". HONDA should fix the problem for their customers who paid good money expecting the reliablilty that we"ve had before and stop making excuses for the defect!
Rear brakes replaced 2 times in 40,000 miles. front haven't needed to be changed yet. Lute Riley Honda dealership told me the rear where bad shortly after putting the new ones on, they where still in like new condition and can put another 20k miles on them.
I just had the rear brakes done in 2010 and now the front rotors have to be repaired. I have had Honda Accords since 1995 and no problems until my 2008 model. Very disappointed!!
Honda rep at university honda in Davis California told my wife that "i have been changing brakes at 20000 miles. I will never buy another honda product. the problem was with the rear brakes. It is bad that he knew there was a problem with the brakes, as evidence by this website and previous complaints. shame on Honda for not being proactive in this situation. This company has a long history of building great products. I thought I was buying security of a good car. I own a lexus sc430 since new and never seen the shop. the brakes are great. My 2005 Nissan Maxima has 100000 miles and the brakes are fine. Again shame on honda.
I have a 2008 Honda Accord. Last year( about 10.000 miles ago ) I had the rear brakes replaced. It cost around 250.00. They continued to make noise. I took it back and they said the brakes looked ok. The car passed inspection in april. The garage said everything was great. It is August. My brakes were rubbing, and practically not there at all! The brakes in the rear were totally worn. The front was rubbing metal on metal. They said I must be a rough driver. I do not do city driving. The car had 10,000 miles from previous year and needed pads, roters and brakes. Will I have to do this every year ??
I loved this car and was hoping to keep it for awhile. This may not be the answer. I may have to sell it. RIDICULOUS.
I have bought this car new and need to replace the rear brakes approximately every 8,000 to 10,000 miles. I have owned several Honda in the past and was always pleased, but the rear brakes problem on the accord is a defect. This defect has lowered my opinion of Honda quality.
Pads replaced at 17,000km and rotors ground.
Pads need replacing again - roughly same number kms
I was told that if rotors need replacing this time it will be my cost
Just read about settlement in the US for this.
What has happened to the good name Honda had?
Now that the cars are made in the US, quality has gone down hill
Honda is not taking their responsibilities very seriously either
This will likely be the last Honda (#3) that I will ever buy
During the summer of 2009 I was informed by the dealership that my rear brake pads were worn and would need to be replaced, keep in mind my car was a 2008 Accord with only 20,000 miles on it at the time. I spent over $200.00 for parts and labor, but recouped $98.00 due to a class-action lawsuit. It is unheard of for back brake pads to wear out before the front ones, let alone to wear out after only 20,000 miles. I do have to say that partial reimbursement was delivered quickly.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
This is the FOURTH set of rear brakes I've had on this car, and guess what? I no longer qualify for reimbursement from the settlement--they'll only reimburse you 3 times. I finally paid off this car and I can't wait to get rid of it. By the way, I commute 30 miles each way to work so the town stop and go driving argument doesn't apply to me. I'll report my other gripes in a separate post
- Peggy E., Wallingford, CT, US