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.
6.5
fairly significant
Typical Repair Cost:
No data
Average Mileage:
28,100 miles
Total Complaints:
16 complaints
Most Common Solutions:
not sure (9 reports)
cleaned electrical contact inside of the remote (2 reports)
dealer service said they need to re-program all the keys. pa (2 reports)
service rep said there was nothing wrong (2 reports)
Dealer said to replace battery which fixed things temporarily. Started acting up again about a year later. Have been just using the key in the driver's door lock because I don't want to throw more money away.
Remote key does not function properly (both key sets). Sometimes it will function, sometimes not. Brought to the dealer, cleaned both sets. Worked for a month and same problem reappeared. This is annoying since I need to unlock/lock my car by using the keyhole! I will see what the dealer will find at my next visit.
37,000 Miles, Had in dealer to fix recalls and asked them to check remotes, hard to use. We had extended warranty, still charged us $108.00 with warranty???????
The first time I found out we were shopping at Grand Mall in Myrtle Beach and I hit the lock button and figured it locked the car. My old Chevy Impala has had same key lock for 9 years. Remote did not work for 3 weeks. Went to dealer and they took out battery and cleaned grease off it. Of course by that time someone had stolen items we had bought at the mall and thought I had locked the car and it never did. We have to use the armrest lock now and I always check the drivers door before we leave the immediate area.
The remote key to lock and unlock the doors and trunk never works. I always have to go to the driver's side to manually unlock the car and pop the trunk manually also. I wish there were more options to unlock the doors. The dealer says that this key thing is a problem that Honda doesn't know how to solve so I guess I'm stuck with this. Hope I never have to use the panic button or shut off the horn honking alarm! Anyone else have this issue?
- peiferct,
Middletown, CT, US
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A year after I got the car the key-less remote would start acting odd. I could lock the car but couldn't open doors or trunk. Honda dealer suggested to replace the battery. I did so, however it didn't affect the issue. On my next visit dealer fixed the issue and I was told that I was using a battery with a wrong brand name... I suppose to use only Honda recommended battery for the remote...(never heard such things before). Well, a year later the remote is going the same. This time Honda dealer informed me that the real reason for such malfunctioning was a dust accumulation inside the remote. And... the source of the dust is my dusty pockets!!!! So, dealer had to clean the electrical contacts inside of the remote for me again.... People, NEVER BUY HONDA, really!
Pressing the remote control is inconsistent. One day I can open the car remotely, the next day I will have to use the key to unlock the door. Frustration with the remote key
Just found out today at the dealership that there is a problem with the remotes. They need to replace the insides (sorry can't remember exactly). It's NOT the batteries! Bring the keys in before your car is out of warranty. Just so happens my car is just over warranty miles. Can't wait to get rid of this crap car! D
Update from Aug 15, 2011: 7 guys I work with all have this car. They all look to me so they know what problems are coming. Every single one had the key problem. They were under warranty.
Have you ever experienced the inconvenience in not being able to access your vehicle or trunk? It can be fairly annoying, believe me. Anyway, the remote for the door and trunk locks has always been responding fairly weakly to activation. Recently, both my remotes quit working at about the same time. As a result, I changed batteries in both. With new batteries, one improved, the other one worsened! Now, a few weeks later, both are completely malfunctioning. Honda Accord is an inferior products at the time being, and Honda does not back up their product. I strongly advise anyone not to buy a Honda Accord before the company delivers reasonably quality.
I was told there was nothing wrong with my remote keys. This problem has not gone away and has gotten worse. It seems like weather, heat and moisture have some effect on whether or not it's going to work. I'm going to bring it in again. Seems like I'm not the only one with this problem. I'm getting sick of these service reps that talk to you like you're an idiot who knows absolutely nothing about cars. I now have the service manager telling me that 20 thousand miles is normal for rear brakes to wear out. Sounds like Honda is taking the Toyota way out by admitting nothing may be wrong.
After I had my read brake pads replaced. I was told that was the only problem with the 2008 Accord. Then I went to the parts department and told them my remote was not working properly and had to get real close to the car and try it many times. i thought it was the battery but the parts man said they had a service letter to re-program the keys or transmitter. I had to make another appointment to get it fixed. Lucky, it still is being covered under warranty.
It is very disappointing that Honda did not send a letter to everyone asking them to turn in their remote transmitters for replacement. They surely know that a replacement is necessary when a customer is pressing the transmitter button several times for the car to lock/unlock
First, the brakes go to crap - now my key remote only works 1/4 of the time! Jeez, Honda! Am I supposed to believe it's ok for the battery to go bad after only two years? I have a 10-yr-old Chevy truck and the key remotes continue to work fine and have never replaced the batteries!
We have a 2008 Honda Accord. We have 2 remote open keys that neither of the remotes work on. We told Honda and they said yes they know. There is not fix yet. They had a sub contractor make the keys and Honda can do nothing about it according to my dealership in Chesapeake VA.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Dealer said to replace battery which fixed things temporarily. Started acting up again about a year later. Have been just using the key in the driver's door lock because I don't want to throw more money away.
- grency, Plano, TX, US