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.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
74,252 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2008 Honda Accord engine problems

engine problem

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2008 Honda Accord Owner Comments (Page 5 of 11)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #124

Sep 282016

Accord

  • 115,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2008 Honda Accord. The contact noticed a pool of oil under the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was confirmed that there was an oil leak and a socket needed to be installed. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was returned to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine would need to be removed to repair the oil leak. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

- Randolph, MA, USA

problem #123

May 212016

Accord

  • miles
Vsa/brake/check engine/and ABS light.

- East Orange, NJ, USA

problem #122

Nov 052016

Accord

  • 96,000 miles
High oil consumption and engine cold making noise. Honda repaired this issue 2 times in the past under warranty, issue a extended warranty that expires and the issued has happended a third time.Honda knows the issue is happening to the cars and all Honda does it fix it until the car is out of warranty

- Athens, AL, USA

problem #121

Nov 012016

Accord

  • 103,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My car makes a loud rattling noise during cold start.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #120

Jun 012016

Accord

  • miles
Car rattles from cold starts. Honda dealership notified but cannot replicate, because it was driven there. Took Honda many years to release a service bulletin, but what about us that are out of your warranty? called Honda customer service, and even though the bulletin reads all 2008 Accord, they keep repeating VIN specific. Case #05211326. Honda step up and fix your mistakes. The date is incorrect, it has been going on for a while, did not save the date.

- Salinas, CA, USA

problem #119

Nov 042016

Accord

  • 75,000 miles
Car lost power and nearly stalled when sitting at a railroad crossing intersection. This was later confirmed to be a oil leak into the pistons that caused the engine to misfire. Car would not run smoothly and nearly stall when driving up to 50mph.

- Lincoln, NE, USA

problem #118

Aug 092016

Accord

  • 41,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Check engine light intermittently on and off from 02/2016 (codes P1009 camshaft position and P0341 camshaft position a circuit each time). Car stalled a number of times when running stationary and in motion in August 2016. Honda dealer on August 9 found camshaft timing chain stretched and in need of replacement. Car had 41,059 miles on odometer and power train warranty of 60,000 miles or 5 years. Repair cost $1,562.90. Honda refused any compensation even though mileage well under 60,000 miles and the vehicle was in excellent working order including engine oil level. Repair should have been covered as an exception under warranty. Consumer reports magazine shows frequency of repair very poor for major engine problems for 2008 Honda Accord(obviously unknown at time of purchase 12/2007). Major engine problems not cited for Honda Accord from 2005 through 2015 in consumer reports magazine.

- Clarksville, MD, USA

problem #117

Sep 122016

Accord

  • miles
Vtc actuator car makes rattling noise at start-up and at other times.

- Greensboro, NC, USA

problem #116

Sep 052016

Accord

  • 82,000 miles
While driving, oil light flickered, upon investigation noticed car had lost 3 quarts of oil. I had noticed a momentary rattle upon start up of engine that went away quickly. Honda stated they needed to replace the vtc actuator(O rings, head gasket, timing chain, cylinder repair) before they could do an oil consumption test. Upon research which indicates the actuator is an issue and they refuse to take responsibility. Honda did not want to service it under a recall notice.

- Oak Lawn, IL, USA

problem #115

Aug 152015

Accord

  • 97,000 miles
This is my second complaint about the oil consumption extended warranty. This issue began a year ago. On 8/15/2015, Honda offered and extended warranty for the piston/vct issue that caused the car to consume too much oil. The extended warranty says.."if the vehicle is experiencing high oil consumption, contact any authorized Honda dealer for and appointment to have it insepected and, if needed repaired. Please plan to leave your vehicle at the dealer for two full days to allow them flexibility in scheduling." This quote is right from the warranty. A year later and Honda will not honor this warranty. What they do is make the car have a oil consumption test. If the car is not burning more than a quart in 1000 miles they say its not a problem. Honda mall of Georgia claimed my car is burning 3/4 of a quart therefore this is not a problem. Around 7/1/2016, I had my oil changed at gwinnett place Honda. I am 1000 miles away from having my next oil change and the "grinding" noise hit my car again. My oil light came on. I checked and was down to 2quarts of oil. I had to add two quarts. Bringing car in today 9/7/2016 to start yet another oil consumption test. Honda knows this is an issue, yet will not honor the warranrty!!!!! they extended the warranty to get NHTSA off of its back yet writes unwritten rules that protects them from fixing the issue. The extended warranty is useless unless they fix the issue.

- Snellville, GA, USA

problem #114

Mar 012016

Accord

  • 115,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Excessive oil consumption. I change the oil religiously every 3-4,000 miles even though the owners manual says 10,000. If I did not add oil, 2 qts every 1,500 miles it would be bone dry at 3,000. No blue smoke, no oil drips left behind

- Fulton, MO, USA

problem #113

Jun 012016

Accord

  • 73,000 miles
Vtc actuator makes loud rattle with almost every start. It is an engine problem on 2007 to 2012 Honda CRV as well as 2008 to 2012 Accord. If this part fails, the engine will seize up and could cause the driver to lose control. Honda has verified the problem but since the vehicle is out of warranty at 75000 miles, they refuse to remedy the problem. Given case number 04825102 and contacted product concerns department but still refused to address problem. Vehicle has service notice 09010. Honda tech confirmed they have had may problems and even had to get a replacement part for their replacement part. This needs to be dealt with by Honda, but they are not taking any responsibility.

- Bettendorf, IA, USA

problem #112

Jan 012014

Accord

  • 80,000 miles
Engine clicks when starting, especially when cold. It sounds like oil is not getting to the engine. I believe it may be related to the vtc actuator.

- Newport, KY, USA

problem #111

May 122016

Accord

  • 155,000 miles
The vehicle was running smoothly on the freeway, being driven at approximately 64 mph - there were no warning lights on (check engine, low oil, temperature..) - suddenly there was a metal clank from the engine compartment followed immediately by a plume of thick clear smoke that completely engulfed the car as the engine stalled and died - within a matter of seconds. The smoke cleared rapidly, and looking under the hood, nothing seemed to be amiss. No fire, no more smoke, no leaking fluids, but the engine was completely dead. Subsequent attempts to re-start it produced only the click of the starter - the engine refused to turn over. The car was towed to an auto repair shop where it was discovered that there was absolutely no oil in the engine which had caused it to seize. For the past 18 months the car has been burning quite a significant bit of oil. During that period, it needed at least two two quarts of oil between scheduled oil changes - there never was any oil leak. Two weeks prior to the incident, it was topped off with two quarts of oil when the low oil and check engine lights came on. When the engine was finally opened, it was discovered that the piston rod had snapped off when the engine ran dry of oil (see attached pictures). Subsequent research has revealed that Honda is aware of several problems involving excessive oil consumption for this particular engine configuration and model year (2008 3.5L V6 pzev). I have also discovered official several Honda service bulletins that are relevant and pertinent to this issue. So far, my best attempts to get a resolution from american Honda has produced no result even though I submitted documented evidence that the car was serviced regularly as per Honda's recommendations and its long history of problems and repairs relating to excessive oil consumption.

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #110

Jul 062015

Accord

  • 38,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Accord. While driving, the vehicle would not accelerate properly. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact also indicated that the vtc actuator was faulty and caused the vehicle not to start occasionally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the actuator was replaced, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 38,000.

- Birmingham, AL, USA

problem #109

Jul 132016

Accord

  • 58,000 miles
This is a safety raised issue on a 2008 Accord-lxp that I purchased used (which had about 29K originally when I purchased it as a certified Honda Accord) from herb chambers boston. Since I purchased the car, I started hearing an odd grinding noise when starting the car on cold days - Honda said just keep oil full. I then find out that a recall had been issued to fix the oil consumption, that Honda had finally agreed there was an issue with the engine design and would fix it and at the same time would not cause other issues to emerge such as vtc and the timing chain issues. Recently my engine light came on, I started researching the problem. It was the first time I knew about the following issues which I will be detailing/describing below. Results were bad: A timing chain failure. My car has stopped in the middle of road causing a very dangerous situation which could led to me losing my life. Not, only that, when I tried to just drive the car a mile back to my house it was accelerating and decelerating by it self. In addition, I decided to take it to the dealership for a diagnoses, I almost ended up in couple accidents. The car was uncontrollable and won't stop and the brakes won't respond due to issues caused by oil consumption, to vtc actuator to a timing chain failure: The car keep accelerating and decelerating by it self on the road or highway. Note: Ideally the timing chain should not fail on 58K miles. Simplified sequence of problems: Oil consumption issue vtc (valve timing control) actuator timing chain (either loose or broken) safety issue

- Winthrop, MA, USA

problem #108

Feb 062016

Accord

  • 65,000 miles
I received a letter regarding a warranty extension: Sticking piston rings resulting in high engine oil consumption. When I took my car to the mission hills, ca Honda dealer for repair, I was told that my engine light first had to be illuminated and then I would have to purchase 3 consecutive oil changes from this dealership before they would repair the problem.

- North Hills, CA, USA

problem #107

Mar 182016

Accord

  • miles
Experiencing excessive oil consumption, per Honda recall, it is due to piston O rings leaking oil into chamber causing excessive oil burning and causing engine knocks once the oil was consumed within less than 3 months.

- Westmont, IL, USA

problem #106

Jul 062016

Accord

  • 84,000 miles
I purchased this Honda Accord from automaxx of summerville in good faith from dealer stating that vehicle passed all their inspections (including brake system). I found out within 2 weeks later by taking it to a Honda dealership, that the brakes, brake lines, caliper, exhaust system are all affected by severe, damaging rust. During inspection, inclusive were sticking caliper. I had front brakes replaced; but due to rust, technician had to bam & force brakes lose. I was informed of the risks with severe rusting causing parts to brake and fail. New brakes would not install properly after old, seated brakes came off. When vehicle is in motion and stopping, the brake system makes noise, and seems like something coming apart due to the insecure fitting of brakes/rotors/calipers, which all have a great build up of rust. This vehicle was purchased approximately 1 month ago in these conditions. It should be illegal to sell such vehicles that pose safety risk in brake system. Honda inspection suggested that rust was so severe that car could have possibly been damaged by salt water/snow/ice or flood. Car originated from up North. Re-sale should not be allowed.

- Barnwell, SC, USA

problem #105

Apr 222016

Accord

  • miles
My 2008 Honda Accord has been using oil way before the next oil change. This has only occurred the last two changes. The car does not leak or smoke. There has been a class action suit regarding spark plug fouling indicating unusual oil consumption. My car has only 59500 miles and I believe the problem may be starting now. Honda extended a recall until Nov. 2015, 8 years past the purchase date. I was never notified about this and because the problem hadn't begun until now, it is only a matter of time that my plugs will foul. Other 2008 Honda owners had rings replaced and other engine remedies to correct the premature oil consumption. I have had several new Honda, and never experienced this kind of problem. I first saw about the class action law suit, about a month ago, and several people had this problem. Because of the low mileage I was not affected, until my recent oil change. I certainly don't believe the car should be using 2 or more quarts in less than 1000 miles. The dealer told me they would have to do an oil change and monitor the consumption and then he said only about 2 out a 100 have been warranted. I have taken good care of my vehicles and changed the oil regularly and never had a problem like this. Had I had this problem arise a few months back, I may have gotten this taken care of. Unhappy Honda customer

- Edmond, OK, USA

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