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!!
Not something you expect from Honda. I have replaced rear brakes twice once at 15K and then around 30K and now recent service at 45K the Honda agency tells that rear brakes have worn AGAIN!!!
The first time this happened the dealer told me it was normal. I told them that if the rear brake wore out before the front brake then there's a problem. This was back in 2009. I have not seem a rear brake wore out before the front brake. Not only the rear brake have issue, the front brake also wear out quick and the rotor was warp as well. Which the car wobble badly when you step on you brake at high speed. Where I live is also mainly flat but the dealer try to tell me that it's due to hard driving and stopping. The dealer did resurface the front rotor but it did not last long. They eventually told me it was a recall on the rear brake that I have to paid out of pocket because there was a class action lawsuit going on. I paid for the springs which they claimed to help separate the brake pads after braking. It's an on going issue and it's a pain in the ass.
Rear brake pads wear prematurely - about 30k between changes. Front pads last twice as long. Without close monitoring, rotors will be damaged as well. Very annoying.
- fieldings,
Tallahassee, FL, US
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I bought a Honda because I thought they were reliable. So through two deployments to Iraq I saved enough money to buy one. Only to find out all that money I had saved up getting shot at being separated from my loved ones was a wasted on a 2008 Honda Accord Coupe that takes more oil than gas. Not only that, I go through rear brake pads about every six months if I am lucky.
I had all new front + rear pads and rotors replaced in July 2013. In Dec of 2013, I had to have the rear pads replaced and rear rotors resurfaced. In Feb 2015, I had the front pads replaced and front rotors resurfaced. In June of 2015, I had the rear pads and rotors replaced AGAIN. I've had about $1,800 in brake work done in the last 2 years.
Nothing but problems with the brakes on this car:
6/7/2008 both rear rotors replaced - manufacturer defect - no cost to us
8/23/2008 both front rotors replaced - manufacturer defect - no cost to us
8/10/2009 brake pads on rear tires - $105.44
12/5/2011 rear brakes changed by Brian - $45.00
6/2/2014 rear brakes changed by Brian - $37.09
6/2/2015 front rotors - $66.76
Continuing to have front brake problems. Need to replace the calipers. This is crazy!
This is my wife's car. We use it only to go back and forth to work and shopping. Then, noise came out of the brakes every time we applied them. We went to the Honda dealership. They said the brakes and rotors were in despair, and they had to be replaced pronto. The rear rotors had several cracks in them, and the rear brakes had only 15% life left! The front brakes were fine, though. It cost over $350 to fix! After we fixed them, me and my wife decided to sell this car for a more reliable car. So, we traded it in for a 2014 Altima!
HONDA! You should recall your braking systems! And, as a matter of fact, your faulty transmissions in your 2000 - 2004 Accords! I am outraged! I thought Honda made good quality, not cupcake quality!
Took the car to the shop due to noise upon applying the brakes. The rear pads AND rotors had to be replaced. The front brakes still had 80% life remaining. After research found that there was a class-action lawsuit for this issue but the claim has to be filed within 3 years of purchasing the vehicle (and you still only get a portion of the repair cost). This is the second issue with my vehicle where a class action lawsuit was filed instead of a recall. After the first issue I had to file for reimbursement after the repairs were made and only received a percentage of the total repair cost. It seems Honda is very good at dodging recalls by 'someone' filing these class action lawsuits instead.
Huge problem, sometimes the rotors would get warped as well as the brakes, which had significant cracks. This needs to be resolved quickly without the idea that buying a new car is the only real solution to the problem.
May 2014 was the third fix for the brakes. It included replacing rear caliper assembly and resurfacing front rotors. During a routine oil change in Dec 2014 it was discovered that I need new pads for all brakes and new brake rotors. They were first repaired in 2010. Then, again in 2012.
When I mentioned this to the Honda Dealer, they are not giving me this reason. It is more and more frustrating to deal with Honda because of this Brake Pad Issue
I have had the brakes fixed too many times to count and It's not my driving. I've spoken to other 2008 Honda owners who have had the same experience. There should be a recall on the whole brake system.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
I almost change rear breaks every year, it is really frustrating and costly. I tried to call dealer and honda. but they have no answer.
- Guojun W., ki, ON, Canada