I smelled something burnt on Thursday, 4/14/2106 for the 2008 Honda Civic I bought from a Honda Dealer in October, 2015. I took my 2008 Honda Civic to an auto repair shop on Saturday, 4/16/2016, and I left it with the auto repair shop. The auto repair shop called me back later on to let me know that the 2008 Honda Civic's engine cylinder cracked, and it will cost $5000 to $6000 to repair.

Good grief!!! There was no warranty since the Honda Dealer doesn't certify any car that's more than 5 years old. Now I don't know what to do, and I don't have a car to drive to work. I hope someone could let me know what to do.

I recently purchased a two owner 2008 Honda Civic EX-L which appeared to have no known problems. The vehicle was inspected by a mechanic with only minor oil leaks found around the head cover. After driving for about 2 weeks the engine temperature indicator pegged out and the car engine shut off. It was discovered that the coolant was completely empty. The coolant/water mixture was replaced and the engine started. It was then discovered that the coolant leak was originating from the engine block. I investigated this problem and learned how very common this issue was with the 2006-2008 Civic line and also learned about the extended engine block warranty that Honda issued under TSB 10-048. I contacted my local dealership and brought the car in for inspection. The technician agreed the block was cracked and the dealership agreed that the block would be covered at no charge. I requested to have the clutch, associated components and the flywheel replaced. This cost was about $600 which was parts cost only since the entire engine would be essentially rebuilt anyway. After the technician had disassembled the engine and performed inspection on the parts that would remain after the rebuild he learned that the cylinder head was warped. The cost for this part was going to be about $2000. The tech had looked around at local mechanic shops and found a used head for $500. Now my total bill was going to be around $1100. Now the dealership had been very good about everything and I have no gripes with them. I do however have a gripe with Honda corporation as my head was damaged due to overheating caused by a defective block. I contacted Honda Customer Service twice and both times was told they would not cover the cost of the head. This is the fourth Honda I have owned and have never had a problem of this magnitude before. I've always considered Honda to have great reliability for a median investment. I can't seem to wrap my brain around the fact that Honda would warranty a defective engine block but not any issues that were created from a known problem. At this point my relationship with Honda has soured so much so that I will no longer buy another vehicle with the big "H" on the grill.

In 2013 we received a letter that our one owner 2008 Honda Civic was covered under an extended warranty for 10 years unlimited mileage from the date of purchase as the 8th generation Honda Civic engine blocks were all defective.

July 2015, our block cracked and spewed out all the antifreeze it contained after driving on the freeway in Wisconsin. Took it to Wilde Honda in Waukesha, WI to have it looked at and it was diagnosed with a cracked block. The dealer advised this was a no cost repair to my family. The dealer had my car for a week to fix and get parts.

We got the Civic back and it made more noises than I have ever heard this car make. I brought it back and was told my left strut bearing and boot was bad. ( hmm, wasn't bad when it showed up there) so I had them replace it charging me of course. Drove off the lot and the engine was making noise. To make a long story short, it went back and forth to the dealer four times, and of course we were never given a loaner car for the trouble. The dealer acknowledged there is an issue with the engine but cannot find what it is, it's ticking and sounds like a valve that is bent or a slight push rod knock.

I called Honda in CA and went through the menu tree to finally get someone to talk to. I advised what is going on and they called the dealer to find out what has been done and why this issue is going on. behold, I get a call back from the dealer advising they are tearing my car down completely again and tearing out the replacement engine. It's my understanding after talking to a tech with Honda in CA that what the customer is getting is nothing more than a new engine block or " hollow casting" they dealer is taking out the used parts from the defective engine block and re-using them in the new block. these parts would include, pistons, push rods, crank, etc.

I know this is an expensive fix however, this is only setting up the consumer for my failure. I smell a class-action lawsuit coming down the pipes on this issue. Honda is going to lose it's loyal customer base with these practices if indeed this is what dealerships are being instructed to do with a engine block replacement.

I just bought this car with 119,000 miles on it from a dealership. It was OK for the first five days until I noticed that something was wrong. On my way back home, I noticed the temperature gauge raising. It kept rising almost to the red marker. I was very stressed. I finally figured out that my coolant reservoir was completely empty. My temporary solution was to add some coolant to the radiator and to the reservoir. So far the temperature gauge has remained at a good and steady temperature. Hopefully, Honda will take a look at it and determine the problem.

We have a 2008 Honda Civic with the cracked engine block/leaking coolant issue (do not know yet if the head is warped). I called Honda, but because my family is on government PCS orders and my husband is serving the United Stated overseas Honda advised me that a known warranty issue would not be fixed. It surprises me that families that serve the United States are expected to pay for a major issue that Honda is aware about and would fix for anyone else. We are not overseas on vacation. We do not have a villa on the Med. We are in a country, away from our families,because my husband has felt the need to serve the US citizens in various capacities since for the last 15 years. There is a Honda dealership in this country. Could Honda USA work with that dealership to fix the problem? No. They were quite rude about it too. They said that my husband's service didn't matter, we were just outside of the US.

I know other car companies have worked with people posted overseas, so it can be done. It's just that Honda chooses NOT to do it. Very disappointed.

I purchased this Honda Civic in 2010 as a certified used vehicle. This was the first used vehicle purchase for me with only 28,000 miles. 2 1/2 years later I notice the temperature rising so I promptly pulled over & turned off the engine. I called my mechanic thinking it was maybe a hose issue. He said after the car cooled down to check the fluids, drop it off & he would check it out. He called later that day & I was shocked when he said my problem was the engine block was cracked.

I immediately contacted Mike Whatley Honda, a dealership in Brookhaven, MS. referred to me by a friend. I was directed to the service department. I inquired about the engine block leak, he took my Vin #, looked it up & assured me I was covered under the extended warranty to replace block. I made an appointment for the next week. I did not originally purchase my vehicle at this dealership but in the future I will because of the outstanding service shown to me by Chuck Holloway, the service manager & his crew. They were EXTREMELY courteous & helpful...... He further explained the defect, assured me this was covered by Honda & ensured me everything will be taken care of quickly and efficiently. I picked up my car four days later & I couldn't be happier. Thanks again to Chuck Holloway & all service department employees @ Mike Whatley Honda Brookhaven, MS.:))

2008 Honda Civic ES started having overheating problems. Called dealer about it and they said to add coolant. Then the engine completely stopped. Engine block is cracked. Honda refused to honor the warranty saying the engine had been driven until the engine block cracked. Local Honda dealers refuse to have the car fixed and told me to get the car off their lot. Now stuck with a car that doesn't run and making payments on it. Being furious with Honda is an understatement.

Update from Jun 24, 2016: Honda corporate refused to honor their extended warranty for engine block crack failures, claiming we abused the engine. What? This was my son's car that he bought and he lost his job because he didn't have transportation to get to his job. We could no longer afford to make the payments for him and the car ended up being repossessed by the bank. Now his credit and mine has been affected.

I've read here and other forum of only a few people having their engines replaced by Honda, but I wonder how many more claims they denied like mine? I can see if it was our fault this happened, but it wasn't. This is a common problem among the 2006-2008 models. It would cost Honda too much money to honor their warranty, so Honda chooses a few at random to fix their problem. Disgusted with Honda.

Problem started 03/20/2013. Mechanic at my bus yard noticed fluid leaking from my engine, and thought I might have a blown hose or water pump issue. After he looked at it an sprayed a liquid where he thought it was coming from told me it was most likely and engine block crack. I bought this car because I was very impressed with Honda's rep and quality of their vehicles. I plan to call my dealer to see if there is a remedy for this, as this is my wife's primary work vehicle. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE FOR A VEHICLE WITH 63K MILES ON IT!!!!!

Update from Mar 31, 2013: Honda issued a warranty extension, and covered the cost of the repair at no cost to me. I'm once again satisfied with their product and service. (it took about a week to get resolved)

It started last Dec 3 2012 when I was driving my son to school. I noticed the temperature rising up so I have to stop on the side of road to check, When I open the hood I smell burning coolant and noticed it was leaking. I bring it to the shop thinking it was only hose or water pump issue but I was shocked when they call me back and told me the problem is Engine Block cracked. When they told me the cost to fix it, I almost fell to my chair. I hope Honda will take care of this problem. I have a great respect for this company and I trusted them but I think they have to take care any defects on their product. I bought Honda because of their good quality and reliability.

It started on morning of Dec. 03, 2012 when I was driving the car, I noticed that the temperature is rising so immediately stop on the side of the road, I open the trunk and I smell the coolant, I noticed that there is a leak. I thought it only a hose or water pump problem because I bought the car with 81000 miles on it but I don't care because it is Honda and I trusted them. Then the very bad news when the shop told me that it was engine block that has the problem and I was shocked when he told me it cost me around 2500 to 3000 dollars to fix it. I don't know what I am gonna do and I still owed 8k to that car. I never thought that it will happened because I knew Honda are good quality cars. Right now, I still think it is still cover by Honda Warranty because it has already 128000 miles on it. It was really a big problem for us because I used this car daily for my work. I hope that there will be a recall for this type of defect on the car

I started to smell a sweet burnt odor in the engine and called my mechanic. He said it sounded like coolant and that I need to bring the car in to be checked. I made the appointment and while on my way to work after calling him the temp gauge shot up to hot. Thank goodness I had just pulled into the parking lot where I work. I had the car towed to the shop and was just sure it was going to be a simple fix like a hose. Then I got the dreadful news that I had a pin hole leak in my engine block and that an engine replacement would be needed. Needless to say I was shocked speechless. After processing this info and asking some questions, I called my oldest daughter who immediately said that the whole incident sounded fishy and googled the problem. That's when we learned other Honda 2008 owners were experiencing the same problem. I still wasn't sure what to do until I read your forum. I called a Honda dealership near me and spoke to a very compassionate young lady who listened to my complaint and my concerns. She took my VIN number immediately and then I heard the most beautiful words a car owner could ever hear: "the problem will be covered by an extended warranty from Honda." Thank you for having this web site because if it weren't for the one complaint that mentioned the extended warranty I would have given up and not called Honda. I will be having the car towed from my mechanic to the Honda dealer which they graciously offered to pay for also. I should have my car back in a few days. Up to this point my Honda was a joy to drive. I pray that this will continue. Thank you very much.

I had purchased my 2008 Honda Civic EX back in January of 2011. The car was purchased with about 43k miles on it and in pristine condition. Up until today, I've had NO issues with the care whatsoever. It's been a pleasure to drive and own.

I commute approximately 90 miles 3 times a week to work, when I am not working from my home office. All of the mileage is highway with the exception of the occasional "around town" errands run during my home days. I have the oil changed on or before the required date and ensure all maintenance is done on time as well.

This morning on my commute to the train station, I noticed a funny "maple syrup" smell coming out from my car. This usually means burning coolant. The temp gauge immediately started to fluctuate from normal to pinned on "H", depending on how much gas I gave it. I pulled over on the highway and noticed smoke coming from the engine bay...not good. I crawled my way to the nearest Meineke to have it looked it and the mechanic's first impression was a blown water pump. Fine, $400 and I could be on my way.

That was until he interrupted my coffee to inform me my motor had cracked. He brought me inside and showed me a procedure involving blowing compressed air resulted in a bubbling on my motor block and proceeded to explain what it was. I had never heard of the issue with Honda's and cracked blocks so I thought I was in for a $4,000 motor replacement.

Luckily, Dave at Meineke on Rt 70 in Marlton, NJ took care of me. He called my dealership, got my warranty info, learned of the defect, set me up with Burns Honda in Marlton and got me out of there. He was even gracious enough to only charge me 1/2 hr worth of labor whereas most shops will charge an hour, especially after he learned he wouldn't be making any substantial repairs.

Currently, my car is at Burns Honda in Marlton, NJ awaiting a new block. I spoke with Chris in the Service Dept and he was EXTREMELY helpful. He further explained the defect, assured me this was covered by Honda and worked with me, my warranty company and the dealership to ensure everything is taken care of quickly and efficiently. I'll be picking up my 5-day loaner in about an hour, free of charge and Chris even said he could have this all done Friday, Saturday the latest.

While this may be somewhat of an inconvenience, I must say that Honda seems to be handling the situation the correct way and I cannot complain with the level of service from all parties involved. I'm also hoping my car is repaired quickly and I experience no further manufacturing issues.

I'll try to post an update after I get my car back in a few days. Again, if Chris from Burns Honda or Dave from Rt 70 Meineke read this, I just wanted to say "thank you" again. You guys both turned what could have been a painful, stressful experience into a seamless repair job. THANK YOU!

My 2008 Honda Civic (35K milage) dropped dead in the middle of a busy intersection on a Friday evening rush hour. I had no clue what was going on. It had to be towed to the dealer and they found crack on the engine block, as a result the coolant leaked, the car got overheated, the radiator and thermostat severely damaged. There was no indicator lights on or whatsoever. The dealer fixed it at no cost, but my peace of mind is all over.

Then, in less than a month later I noticed another leak; wherever I parked my car there was a big patch of fluid on the road just below the engine. Took it to the dealer and now it was the power steering leakage. WHAT'S NEXT???? I chose to buy Honda thinking it will be the most reliable car, not anymore, Honda days are gone.