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!!
Had appt for an oil change and tire rotate. They found rear breaks to be worn down more than they should at 23,000miles. I had heard about a problem with them, but we had not noticed anything on our Honda yet. They said that Honda would pay up to 150.00 dollars even if it cost more. Sure pissed us off on such a great vehicle??
Having it fixed this week. Also the front seats are not worth a crap. My back starts to hurt within a few minutes of being in the car. I see a lot of people have complained about this also. Luckily it is my wife's car. I am not in much. I would not be able to go on any long trip. It has brought me to tears because my back hurt so much.
Will not lease any more Honda's after this one is up. This is probably our 4th Honda that we have had but no more. They are getting way too expensive and after this mess definitely will not get another one. Will go GM
Need to have rear brakes fixed...bought car used at 26,000 miles and now a few months later, after an oil change.....rear brakes are too worn and need to be replaced...this is per the Honda Dealership.
Noticed back in October a squealing sound from the back of my car with the window rolled up. Went to have my oil change & they told me it probably was just bad weather & probably needed to have my rotors smoothed. I asked can it wait til after the holidays, they said yes. Finally in March I went cus vibrating was going on when applying brakes when slowing down from high speeds and the sound. I go into Honda & ask & I'm finally hearing about brake recall. Shouldn't they send you a letter when something like this happens or an email. I make my payments online, how about a flash alert there! So now I'm told I have to pay almost $200 to have just the rear brakes fixed & then I have to go on a site & fill out a form to get reimbursed $150 of it! WOW! First of all I shouldn't have to replace any brakes at only 22,000 miles and if there's a recall it should be free of charge to fix their mistake. Now I feel like I need to constantly check if there's a recall on my car so I don't get screwed! Maybe I will just call every month when I make my payment & ask is there any recalls lately on my car? IF so how much will this one cost me?
Have had to replace back brakes in my Honda Accord, 2008, 2 times now. Called Honda today and complained they don't care they told me to file a claim, I said i have once already, they told me to do it again and that's all they can do for me. This really is not fair. I will never buy Honda again, back to Nissan or Toyota . I have both and have had put brakes on front once in ten years. Honda you really suck!!!! I will keep fighting you, i am not done yet.
Had to replace the damn back brakes for a second time. Honda you really need to step up and fix this, or maybe you want to wait till people start dying before you can spare some of the millions and millions of dollars you make off of us. I will keep fighting you until the day i die. It is not right that you only pay for half of the repair, you need to fix this. the replacement brakes don't last any longer, there is a real problem, FIX IT HONDA.
- Patricia H.,
San Rafael, CA, US
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
This is a leased car driven by my daughter who is a very cautious, conservative driver.
The car was inspected August 2010 and maintenance was done Jan 2011. The dealer informed us the rear brakes needed replacement and would be down to metal soon. We were shocked by this news and didn't have the $270 to fix the problem. Five months from inspection (by the same dealer) we need new brakes?!?!
Just this weekend my daughter was home from college and said there was a grinding noise in the rear. We guessed it was the brakes and so I looked this issue up online and was shocked to learn Honda knows about this premature brake wear. They offer only $150 settlement if you go through their 'paperwork'?? This is RIDICULOUS!!!!!!
This being a leased car, I feel these brakes should be fixed at no cost to me when Honda is responsible for faulty parts! I'm ready to drop it off on their lot and say forget it! I'm going to see a lawyer about this and find out what can be done!
must say that it is no coincidence that all these posting are all to similar and that Honda needs to address this safety issue before someone gets injured....i can also say that honda has never had this problem prior to this 2008-2009 year...vehicles are no longer being made in japan to be more cost effective in shipping and the consumers must pay ...thanks to American Honda Corp. I will be repairing my rear brakes for a 2nd time an having to replace my front rotors and pads with less than 30k miles..
This is the second time my rear brakes have gone in 32,723 miles (52,663 km). The front brakes are still OK. The first time (at 15,733 miles) the dealership reluctantly fixed them for free. 6 months later I received a letter from Honda Canada saying they would reimburse for rear brake repairs. I just called the dealer and they say they have only heard of Honda Canada paying to fix the brakes once. They gave me Honda Canada's service number. They aren't open Saturdays...
After just 35,000 miles, many of which were highway miles and just a year and a half old I found myself paying 175.00 for new rear brake pads on my 08 Honda Accord V6. I was shocked that a car this new would require these repairs. It was not covered under warranty. I was not informed there was a known issue or existing problem with the braking system on this vehicle model. I found that out after checking this web site. Now the real fun begins. I drive for work and have quite a few highway miles on the vehicle. I just brought the vehicle back in for a grinding noise in the back rear right. This is 1 year and 3 months later to the original replacement of the back brake pads. I was informed not only that the brake pads were worn out so were my rotors. Total repair bill today of over 500.00. I am pissed to say the least! I was also informed today from the dealer there is a class action lawsuit about this problem and I could get some of my 1st original repair cost reimbursed. I was never notified by anyone about this settlement offer. I am now in a heated conversation with the dealer about the 500.00 repair bill today arguing for some sort of reduction or warranty coverage. I purchased the 120,000 mile extension just in case. HA! Lets see what that covers! As for as Honda is concerned, they should own up to the issue and offer free brake pad replacement for the life of these model cars. Honda Corporation needs to take a page out the "Toyota Way" and make it right for all owners of these vehicles no matter what the cost is! Very disappointing Honda Accord owner.
Rear brakes should not go bad at 26K miles. I am appalled at not only the settlement value of the lawsuit, but the fact that Honda didn't recall these brakes. I paid $203 plus tax so I can potentially get $150 back, only after it was court ordered?
Joke is on me, I guess. It will be on you when I buy my next car from Nissan. I will make sure everyone interested in buying cars knows you are crooks. Hope it was worth it.
To all you 2008 Honda owners, sorry to hear we are having these problems with our cars. We purchase a Honda because we know they are reliable cars. Not sure I can say that anymore. My 2008 Honda has been nothing but problems. Here's my list of issues: (hopefully I didn't leave anything out) 1) Rear brakes replaced two times, once covered under warranty, & second set I paid for and Honda re-imbursed me $150.00 under the Brake Pad Settlement that was ongoing; 2) Front brakes replaced one time and due to be replaced now, just haven't had the funds to do so; 3) Air Condition went two times, first was 8 months after I purchased; 4) Tires have been replaced two times. Having an ongoing problems since I purchased the car with the left driver side tire. Not holding its pressure, but all everyone says is, "the tire pressure was low". That I'm aware of, thats why I'm asking them whats the problems. As of today still having the problem; 5) Spark Plugs on cylinders #2 & #3 had to be replaced on 2-3-11, and the Auto Center who did the repairs advised me to great rid of the car ASAP, "stated it would only get worse". Was advised the car was below levels on OIL, with no indication from the car that the oil was empty !!!!!! STILL OWE 1 1/2 YRS OF CAR PAYMENTS........WHAT TO DO??? ANY ADVISE FROM ANYONE???; 6) Front driver seat looks like it's in a car that 30 years old; 7) Arm rest between seats has a HOLE the size of a silver dollar, for no reason other than I put my arm there. 8) Area of the dash board was never installed, causing the speakers to vibrate. Im a Paralegal with a Law Firm and will be filing a CLAIM with HONDA. IF YOU'VE FILED A CLAIM WITH HONDA OR SETTLED A CLAIM WITH HONDA, PLEASE LET ME KNOW HOW IT WORKED OUT FOR YOU? VERY UPSET HONDA CUSTOMER.....PAMELA
The leather seats are very cheap. Had to replace the driver seat cover at 14,000 miles.
The brakes are awful, cheap, bad design, bad configuration, not tested and do not last. I am stationed at Ft Gordon, GA. My wife lives in Columbia, SC and she dropped the car off on 2 FEB to fix the horn which got stuck and to check the brakes due to the hissing noise at about 34,000 miles. They told her on the phone that the repairs to change the rear brakes and face the front rotors are about $450 plus tax.
I am very upset because Honda is cheating us by not recalling all the cars and fixing them. My daughter has Honda Accord 2009 which will have problems soon.
The Judge must and should make Honda pay for all the reimbursements to the last dollar.
Replaced rear brakes and had rotors done. Driving a stick usually get 80 thousand out of fronts and have never replaced rears. Definitely a design issue.
I got the problem fix at the Honda dealer in Lagrange, Ga. I had to pay out of pocket then got reimburse only portion of the money. This was only the rear brakes.
Like many, I bought a Honda because of their great reputation for quality. Well, after only owning the new Accord for a little over a year. The rear breaks went wore out and I also had to get the rotors replaced.
Zoom ahead to this year and the rear breaks need to be replaced again after only 18,000 miles. Honda needs to do something about this huge problem. Not only was there a lawsuit over this, but it continues to be a problem. Step up Honda and get this resolved!
Purchased 2008 accord new, have less than 58,000 miles and have replaced the rear brakes twice (first time less than 30K miles), front brakes and rotors on this car. This is my 7th Honda and will be my last! I have spent over $600 on brake/rotor repairs. The dealer repaired the rear brakes, I submitted my receipt to the class action lawsuit and only received half of my money back. The rear brakes have gone out again! I have been a loyal Honda owner for 20 years but will not be buying another.
Yep, same problem as 1,000 others--premature rear brake wear. Supposedly the replacement pads last longer--we shall see. The $150 from the class action covers the pads but not the rotors which also needed replacement. Not what we expect from Honda products.
This is the second time my brake pads and rotors need to be replaced in less than 3yrs.
It's totally ridiculous!!! I was only re-imbursed for $150 the first time and this time doesn't seem to be any better. I bought my 2nd Honda more than anything because of quality and reliability but now it feels like I bought a lemon!
Similar noise from the rear.Have it serviced and again found 0mm in the rear brakes.Have it replaced this time dealer says about this settlement claim.Found the website to know that there was a deadline for every repair made.we submit 2 claims even if we know the previous repair was overdue.Within 3 weeks, we received $150 settlement claim for the recent repair made on Dec 4 but not yet on the previous repair (still hoping though.)The replacement Brake pad is said to be original but wears out even fast ,only 17,721 miles compared to 20,575 to the first brake pads.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Had appt for an oil change and tire rotate. They found rear breaks to be worn down more than they should at 23,000miles. I had heard about a problem with them, but we had not noticed anything on our Honda yet. They said that Honda would pay up to 150.00 dollars even if it cost more. Sure pissed us off on such a great vehicle??
Having it fixed this week. Also the front seats are not worth a crap. My back starts to hurt within a few minutes of being in the car. I see a lot of people have complained about this also. Luckily it is my wife's car. I am not in much. I would not be able to go on any long trip. It has brought me to tears because my back hurt so much.
Will not lease any more Honda's after this one is up. This is probably our 4th Honda that we have had but no more. They are getting way too expensive and after this mess definitely will not get another one. Will go GM
- spohn, Newark, OH, US