Just to start, this is our family's 4th Honda. We are very loyal Honda customers. Our first Accord. Purchased car new, has been a great vehicle until- it started eating up oil like no tomorrow. Noticed it using about 1/2 Qrt each oil change. Thought no big deal. Was I ever wrong. Car has been using excessive amounts of oil from about 59k fwd. Brought this up to dealer they said use was with in normal limits. At 64K had motor start to cut out checked oil did not even register on dip stick. Service recall to have computer re-programmed done at dealer done. This was supposed to correct problem. Was 4,200 miles into oil change with 60% left on computer, engine oil did not register added 2 1/2 quarts of oil. Registered complaints with American Honda- they appointed a case manager who had me take car into dealer for oil consumption test. Case manager and dealer act like this is the first time they ever heard of any such type of an issue. Still into test 1,749 miles into test used at least 1 full quart of oil. They attempt to make you feel like your the village idiot. Case manager at Honda states problem is not related to recall at all. Most likely an unrelated incident. If Honda does not make this wright, this will be the last Honda my family purchases!!! I just want them to step up and do the wright thing! I love the power of Google- funny how you can find thousands of online complaints all related to same issue... NOT SUCH AN ISOLATED ISSUE AFTER ALL!!!

Update from Jul 25, 2012: 7-25-12 American Honda case manager after agreeing that car was consuming to much oil, has now had an about face. Now states that after consulting with dealer and American Honda, no further action is required or required. Stating that consuming 1qt per 1k miles is with in normal limits. I have owned multiple vehicles over the last 35 years and this is the only one that has ever consumed oil. Looks like my 4th Honda will be my last!! Will now look into taking further legal action on my own or joining class action suit.

My "Honda Certified" used car was purchased @ 45,000 and burns 1 qt. of oil every 3,000 mi. According to the America Honda guidelines, it is within reasonable guidelines for oil consumption. When was one quart of burning oil "NORMAL" for a 2008 Honda Accord? This is not normal for any car to be burning that much oil for every 3,000 miles driven. Give me a break. I am never buying another Honda again, this car is going to be a money pit. Thanks for the lemon Honda! Excessive oil consumption causes other problems son!

Went into the dealership for the software upgrades to the vehicle in 2nd half of 2011.

In January of 2012 I had an oil change done to my car 4 weeks later 1000 miles the oil light went on in the car I went back to the dealer ship and I explained the problem and they checked the issue and said to be on the safe we will change the oil again, 3000 miles later

I pull into my driveway and smell something burning when I get out of my car.

I decide to check the oil and it is bone dry ,no light went off to notify me that this happened.I also noticed the car is running rough could have to do with oil getting on the spark plugs.Going to the dealership next week to see what they say.Sounds like Honda

has an oil consumption problem here.

Checked my oil before going on a 500 mile road trip. When i got to the destination my oil light came on and I heard a strange grinding noise. (Had the car inspected with the multi-point just days earlier". Checked the oil and it was completely empty, not a drop on the dipstick. Called honda they said "This is normal". WHAT??? So they tell me I need to get an upgrade to the software. Also told me that I should add a quart of oil everytime I fill up with gas. I have had many cars in my lifetime and even my 10 year old vehicle doesnt require me to add any oil to it! I am so upset. I just want to trade this car in and get rid of it!

I have owned only driven honda's since 1983. They have been the most reliable bulletproof run forever cars. I had a 92 civic go to 450000k miles on original motor. just sold my last commuter 2004 civic with 300000k miles. So i decided well I think I would like an accord this time. F***en "A" REALLY 2008 ACCORD WITH 65000 miles for ten grand WOW I stole this one!!! OH HELL NO who would have thought about a reliability issue with a honda?????? LOOKS like I am screwed after talking so highly about MY GREAT HONDA CARS for almost 30 years THEN "BAM" MY FIRST EVER OIL LIGHT COMES ON WTF? I recently had the oil changed and it was still showing 60% NOT ONE DROP of oil on the dipstick. Looks like this great deal was a bust, turned out they stole my money. and from the looks of it I have ALOT of company!! I guess I will do my part and complain to as many people as I can. I bought used thinking as I have in the past, it's a honda who needs an extended waranty? Looks like we all wait for a class action suite?

Update from Aug 10, 2012: OK picking up my car today! Called and complained to American Honda.(squeeky wheel gets the grease). I did get a goodwill repair! Probly because I have owned 9 honda's and 3 acuras since 83! LOYALTY rules the day. I have been to the same dealer MEL RAPTON SAC. for 17 years. They replaced all the pistons, rings and all the valve seals. Basicly an overhaul. I inspected the motor after they broke it down. I can tell you it was jacked!. all the oil rings had froze to the pistons due to ALOT of carbon build up, which caused the oil consupmtion. I got to inspect the entire motor. The cylinders were still in great shape with good crass hatch honing. No other visible damage. SOO considering I bought the car used without a waranty I feel lucky Honda took care of me. And since the only problem I have ever had with a honda is the rings wearing and burning a LITTLE oil and not passing smog was normal for my usually 350k -450k milage. so with new rings off I go to see if this one will get me over 300k like the last two did THANKS HONDA!

Update from Nov 7, 2012: Over 15k on the overhauled engine. I have done two oil changes and I am no longer needing to add oil between changes @ 7500 miles. I am also getting 1.5 to 2 mpg better milage. There is a slight bit of oil consumption. Maybee an 1/8 of a qt but @ 7500 miles I would consider that better than average( since the oil is topped a little over the full mark at each change and It stays above full prior to the change, no need to top off between them).So as Stated above this was a good will repair thru honda. SO bitch piss and moan to get this repair. I just wanted to let people know it will resolve the issue!

Update from Sep 16, 2016: As of 9-16-2016 over 225000 miles and still no excessive oil consumption, still the same, 1/8 of a qt maybe, but still a full dipstick even after going back to 10k miles between oil changes. (mainly highway miles)

Where to start? About a year ago I took my 2008 Accord into the shop for a grinding noise at cold start up. Found out Honda was having issues with the VCT Actuator. My car was out of warranty however the dealer fixed the problem for free. 6 months later the problem has come back. After some research discovered the problem is caused by low oil. My Accord has burnt small amounts of oil since day one. Honda states 1 quart/1,000 miles is acceptable usage so they have never fixed the problem.

Just this week I took the car in for the grinding noise and also brought up the oil consumption issue. Honda claimed again 1 quart/1,000 miles is normal. I expressed to them in a polite manor that is crazy. Hell you wouldn’t ever need an oil change again. Just dump a half quart in every fuel fill up. I started to make a scene at the service counter and they sat me down with the service manager.

He told me to be patient. There is a lawsuit in action that will require Honda to fix all affected cars. He said the 1 quart/1,000 miles was an old spec in the early 80’s. He mentioned he traded his 08 Accord for an 11 because of the issue. He claims the issue is in the valve seals and not the piston rings. He said just like the rear brake issue (google it if you don’t know what I’m talking about) Honda address the problem but it will be a year after they should have.

I may be getting the run around but the point I am making is Honda knows this is an issue. I recommend calling Honda Corporate Customer Care number and file a complaint. I honestly call them once a month.

The oil consumption issue on my wifes car started in December 2011. She was about 3,500 miles into her last oil change when the oil light came on. The engine was making a reving sound without the engine acctually reving. We checked the oil level and there wasnt an ounce left. Brought it to the dealer the next day, they said it just needs a software update... WRONG!!! Driving the car last Monda (4/9/12) my wife calls me saying the ending is making the same noise and the oil light is back on... she checked the oil and again not an ounce. She put in 3 quarts of oil and the next day I brought it back to the dealership. The service manager discussed with Honda and got final approval to re-ring the pistons. 10 days later I get the call that my car is ready to be picked up (around 2:30 I got the call). I head to the dealer after work and get there about 4:30-5:00. Return the loaner car I had and picked up my car. I made it approximately 3 miles down the road before the oil light came on and about 10 seconds later the car stalled out. Turned it off and turned it back on pressed the gas and it stalled again. Meanwhile I am in the middle of a busy street, so I try one last time before I was going to push it out of the street and I was able to drive it 20 feet before it stalled the final time. I called the tow and by the time it got there the Accord had a puddle of oil under it. The 3 miles back to the dealership on the bed of the tow there was another puddle on the tow bed. The car is currently with the dealer and I dont want it back with the current engine. I am going to give them three options A. Replace the current engine and payoff the car for me, B. Give me a completely new Honda Accord, C. see you in court

I am in the same boat as everyone else here, figured I would tell my story just to add to the list. Bought a brand new Honda Accord so that I didn't have issues like this. As of yesterday, I have started the ever popular consumption test after losing/burning about 3 quarts of oil over 3,000 miles. While I am at 49k miles and still under warranty, it doesn't sound like there is much hope of truly resolving the issue. The car is paid for and I was planning to drive it for another 6-8 years, but now I am really considering trading it in for something else, because who knows what other problems this will create (probably after the warranty expires). Has anyone actually had this resolved to their satisfaction or should I just get rid of this car while I still can?

Bought this used car April 2011. It was checked out by a dealer May 2008 and i was told had no problems. Took on 2500 trip Summer 2011 no problem.

At oil change Aug 2011, the software update for vtc cold start oil ring problem was done. Nov 2011 drove car from GA to FL and it ran the oil level OFF the end of the dip stick twice??

Dec 2011 , Started a FOUR MONTH ridiculous waste of time process - doing an oil consumption test. Like I had a reason to waste my time talking about a car using strange amount of oil. This test proved the car uses a bunch of oil every 1000 miles ( .3 , .8 , 1.0 , .7 ). Honda dealer and American Honda in CA , both tell me this is NORMAL????? "It's within specs".

Me, and all other people stuck with this car problem, know that this is not normal. Short trips, less than an hour for four months gets the the proof of abnormal oil use. When I take this car on a trip am I to stop every hour and check the oil level???? What other car do you have to do that with????? We had a 1998 Volvo that didn't use any oil. We have a 2002 Altima that uses no oil. They both have 180,000 miles on them = that is more normal.

We spent four months studying which car we should get. Accords were on top of reliability ratings. So were Ford Fusions ; guess which one I should have got.

American Honda will not stand behind its product. My warranty will expire in 8000 miles. So when you ask them if the car runs itself out of oil and engine is damaged or stops, after warranty expires will they still fix it??. They state " they have my comments on file" and "will consider this". What the heck does that mean ????? If they won't fix a defective vtc actuator and probable defective oil rings, that are proably damaging the engine, WHILE UNDER WARRENTY, what would make anyone believe they would fix the same defect after the WARRANTY expires??? I asked if they will change the software back = pre August 2011, the answer was "no we wouldn't want to backwards". Doesn't that sound suspicious? Asked if i can talk with a technical expert, answer was no. Asked if a Honda dealer can trade me for a non-defective motor, answer, this would be up to the local dealer. I'll make sure I ask as many Honda dealers as I can, if they want my excessive oil consuming 2008 accord that you can't take on road trips, without constantly checking the oil level. This is amazing. This car should have next to no problems for at least 200,000 , and it turns out, it can't even keep oil in the engine ????

Here is the deal with this 2008 Accord EX

-Around 48k engine started consuming almost a quart of oil Went to Honda and was told that as long as it does not exceed 1 quart of oil every 1000 miles, this was within their tolerance and was considered normal...for normal driving!

-Around 60k, the engine started to consume a little over 1 quart Went back to Honda and they said it was not over 1 quart and still within specs

Decide to have the oil changed and monitored independently...this was done and found that the car was burning over a quart of oil every 1000 miles.

-Went back to Honda and they said there was a recall and flashing my software would fix the issue. *The flashing lowered my gas mileage and did not fix a thing.

-Returned back to Honda and they said that an oil consumption test needed to be done. So I paid for a oil change and began the process ...around 80K miles.

-The Honda on Grand Dealership here in Illinois along with the district manager there told me that the oil consumption test takes a little bit of time and the first Saturday, made me aware that there was nobody available to do the test. I saw mechanics and asked for the manager. I was then told to come back in a few hours and they would perform the test. I sat in the waiting area for a hour and a half with my kid. At that time, I was told the car was only down less than a pint of oil.

Look at the picture I enclosed to show you what it looked like after the car sat all night and before I took it there

I saw the mechanic standing there with the bottle of oil and the dipstick had nice golden oil dripping down the stick. I am a union tradesman for over 30 years and understanding how to check oil is not that complicated. I explained to the manager that the pic I had is the way the dipstick looked prior to my arrival and that I suspected him of adding oil to the car while I was waiting. Of course he was insulted and then there was a discussion of the matter. End result, I had to come back in 1000 miles.

When I arrived home, I did some research to see what a oil consumption test was and why it needed to be performed by a manager. Upon my discovery, it is just a simple oil change test...they let the car sit for 10 minutes and check the oil and then document it. Let's say that I was outraged that I went there Saturday morning to be told to come back later and then kept waiting for 1.5 hours just to be insulted about the level of the oil..

-Before taking the care back to Honda, I went to 2 independent oil change shops and had them give me documentation about the oil level. Then I went to Honda and had the test done. This time I waited there til he completed the test. He still said there was not a quart missing and topped it off. It was at that time I asked to speak to the district manager, whom NEVER returned my call.

-I went back the next 1000k miles and then finished the oil consumption test with the same results from the manager. He did not care what my pictures showed or what 2 other independent shops said, he was just saying it is burning normal oil.

Next I sent some letters and called Honda of America for help. I explained the situation and they referred me to another dealer....McGrath City Honda. I had to go through the oil consumption test process again. The only difference is these guys were honest and found that the car was actually consuming 2 quarts of oil every 1000 miles.

You would think that after all the lies and deception that was pulled on me that a honest repair was going to made .....especially since I was at 99K miles and been fighting over this since under 50k, boy was I wrong. The problems just continued.

-I authorized them to tear apart the engine to see what the problem was. It was explained to me that the rings would be changed and if there was damage to the cylinder, then that would be replaced. I was fine with that and left the car and took a loner car.

....5-6 days past and I called to see what the situation was. At that time I was told a used engine was being put in and it would be ready the next day. I asked for info about the engine and was told they only knew that it had 40K plus on it. The next day I called Honda warranty to see what I can find out and why a different repair was being made other than the one I authorized.

I was told that Frank, McGrath City Honda Rep, was off and that a Honda inspector came by and said they were going to replace the engine and that he had one shipped there. When I asked about the engine, I was told that it came from a salvaged car. It had 44k miles. Never was looked at by Honda and would come with a 1 year 12,000 miles warranty.

My wife drives from Chicago to California and Boston to work and puts on a lot of miles. She is pregnant and expecting with the month and is currently on disability. This repair was not acceptable for the following reasons:

1 - The engine is from a salvaged car with no repair history on it

2 - Upon further investigation, the car engine is under the same recall for the oil consumption test. The problem was never repaired by Honda. This information can be verified by any Honda dealer and Carfax by looking up the VIN 1HGCP26489A184336

3 - Alan. extension 117728, at Honda of America says that this is an acceptable repair and has increased the value of the car

4 - Upon trying to trade it in now, we were offered $7400. Prior to the repair, we were offered $13,000 on a trade-in. This can be verified by Jose Hinohosa at McGrath City Honda

5 - Is replacing a damaged engine with another potentially damaged engine and then trying to justify it by not telling me at first, stating the value has increased, as well as telling me the computer caused the problem on the car and since that was fixed the engine would be fine now. But this was not done to the other engine and has not even been re-manufactured, rebuilt, or even check out.

6 - If this engine burns oil, I will be in the same situation as I am in now because I was specifically told that unless the engines burns over 1 quart in 1000 miles, that there is nothing I can do. Is this really a repair then?

This information about the engine can be verified by Carl at Honda Warranty ....Senior Claims agent who refuses to connect me with a Supervisor to discuss the situation.

I do understand cost and stuff, but to be told:

-A certain repair was to be made, then something like this is done is disturbing

-If they are confident about this engine, why not stand behind it and extend the warranty, better yet, just fix my original engine instead of trying to put somebody's problem into mine just to continue with the stress and aggravation over this whole situation.

-I understand they can put in a like engine, but who wants a damaged engine installed into their car. The purpose of a warranty is to repair the issue.

Honestly, as a loyal Honda customer, I am VERY disappointed by the way I have been treated. I am disappointed at the way the car has been built and how the customer has to suffer because of it. Most of all, I am disappointed in the Honda brand and how they built such a strong reputation on building quality cars and standing behind then, to turning into a company who could care less about you or your investment in them.

I will make sure I have my documented story told everywhere I can, from my Union Local, to the employees of Commonwealth Edison, to the nurses at the hospitals I currently work at, the church members, and any news provider who will want to hear my story and the story of many who have been wronged by Honda. How dare we let a foreign company due this to our citizens and do nothing about it! The Honda name has gone down as apparent by not only this make and model of car, but also to others. Look at the recalls and class action suits they have had to deal with. Now as customers, we have to suffer for their mistakes.

My car has been excessively consuming oil for almost a year. Despite being checked out at least three times, there was no evidence of a leak. Honda finally admitted that I did maintain my car properly but I will need new piston rings.

Update from Apr 25, 2012: I must note that there was a recall in late 2011 on the car's computer that helps with oil consumption. I had this work done at a dealership around Thanksgiving 2011 to no avail. I went to a different dealership to tell them that it didn't work. They recommended that I come in for oil consumption tests at no cost to me every time I filled up my gas tank. I brought the car in on 4/4/12 for the oil consumption test. The average car consumes oil at a rate of 1 quart per 1,000 miles. My car burned oil at the rate of 1 quart per 720 miles. Clearly there is a problem that they thought would be fixed by replacing the piston rings. When they went in to replace them, it turned out that wherever the piston rings are installed were scored so badly that Honda recommended that I get a new short block; which is a $4,000+ job. They asked me all kinds of questions to keep Honda from admitting that the car is a piece of crap; such as had my car ever been in an accident (no), did I maintain my car properly (yes), etc. I raised hell with both Honda corporate and the dealership since all these problems with my car that is less than 4 yrs old aren't normal. By the mercy of God, they eventually agreed that the short block was covered under my 60,000 mile powertrain warranty so they replaced it at no cost to me. Again, THANK YOU Prime Honda of Dedham!!!

This car has used a quart of oil every 1000 miles since the day I bought it. I have tried using 5w-30 instead of the recommended 5w-20 & it slows the consumption only slightly, but gets less gas mileage using the thicker oil. The ONLY way this problem will be fixed is a recall from Honda to fix the problem & we ALL know that isn't going to happen unless we get a petition signed by EVERY Honda owner with a 2.4 engine.

This was my 1st Honda & if the problem doesn't get takin care of by Honda it will be my LAST Honda & I'll gladly go back to Toyota vehicles that never used a drop of oil

In some respects I guess I'm lucky that the oil consumption issue did not start till the engine had 80k on it (at least till it becaome a noticable issue). But, now and rather quickly it would appear its burning 3/4 quart of oil per 1k miles. First they "reflashed the VCM" and when that didn't work, I went through the "oil consumption test" at the dealer (who are total scam artists) and they basically either won't admit that burns enough oil to be a problem, or pull the whole "burning up to a quart per 1K is 'within tolerances'". Also, its past warranty, so I'm SOL on that end. Lets call a spade a spade... as with most oil burning issues, the rings are shot and no "reflashing" is going to fix the problem.

This car was supposed to last and it appears between the rear brake issues, oil burning, the 2-3 upshift issue, Honda SEVERELY cut corners on this car. If I wanted a headache, I would have bought a Jag, or a used Yugo.

I've heard that a heavier weight oil cuts down on the consumption. But, you can only do this during warmer weather as it won't protect the engine during a cold start up in cold weather and might actually worsen the condition. Now that the weather has turned, I'm going to give this a try till we get word on a class action suit.

The dealers will not own up to the problem and Honda is avoiding the issue. People buy Hondas for thier supposed reliability and the company needs to be held accountable for the total POS vehicles they are putting out. This is the first and last Honda I will ever buy.

I finally did a search on this issue and see that I am not alone - however my problem appeared at the first oil change (about 5000 miles I think). I had not checked the oil (did not think I had to on a new car) and they said I was extremely low. I have had to monitor it ever since. Lately, now that I have about 65K miles, it is going through much more oil. This is ridiculous. Given all the frustration and lack of solutions I see on this site, I probably will just keep adding the oil, but certainly will not be promoting Honda to anyone I know. I spent more on this car than comparable models assuming that I would avoid any scenario of this type. Can't afford another car, so I will just stick it out. NOTE: Honda wanting the VIN to validate this complaint is ridiculous too - I am not running out to my car to get that...

I too have the oil consumption issue with my 2008 accord. I purchased my Honda because I was led to believe they were great, durable and reliable cars. This couldn't be any further from the truth. Honda should be ashamed of themselves for putting this product on the market. With all the complaints Toyota must be laughing their assess off at Honda. I will never purchase another Honda as long as I live. I should have kept my Kia at least it didn't burn any oil. Honda's so called software fix for the oil consumption is a joke. This so called solution has come to little to late, the damage has already been done to my engine. Good by Honda hello Toyota

I went to Honda requesting an oil consumption test. They were very cooperative in initiating the test although I had to pay for the oil change and they said they were using bottled oil whatever that means? My oil change was performed on March 1/12. On Mar 3/12 I decided to check my oil. After parking the car on level ground and allowing it to sit for 2hours I pull out my dipstick and find the engine is overfilled with oil. My question is what kind of scam is Honda trying to pull, no wonder there are very few cars failing this oil consumption test. If they overfill the engine will oil how fair of a test is that. Is this some kind of conspiracy with Honda Canada to do a cover up of this obvious oil consumption issue. On Monday I will be taking my car to a local garage which I have used for years and get them to confirm the engine has too much oil it. After that I may be contacting a lawyer, this is absurd.