10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
103,618 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 Civic engine problems

engine problem

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2008 Honda Civic Owner Comments (Page 1 of 8)

problem #144

Feb 022023

Civic

  • miles

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

Coolant leaking from cylinder block. i was driving with my family in the car and the vehicle begin overheating from loosing all my coolant. There were no warnings before it happened

- South Charleston, WV, USA

problem #143

Sep 212022

Civic

  • miles
My daughter was driving Honda 2008 4DR Civic and it stopped acceleration on highway. Fumes were coming out of the car. Got it towed to Auto Centers. Their diagnostic stated that due to over heating of engine, one of the cylinder was not generating compression. The car is regularly serviced at Honda Civic dealer.

- Piscataway, NJ, USA

problem #142

Aug 222022

Civic

  • 102,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle started to overheat. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled into the gas station and allowed the vehicle to cool down. The contact then refilled coolant in the vehicle. The contact was able to continue driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the part of the engine block located between with the alternator and the exhaust had fractured. The contact then contacted the dealer who informed him that the engine needed to be replaced per the instructions on Honda Technical Service Bulletin Number: 10-048. However, the dealer advised the contact that the 10 year extended warranty had expired and he had to pay out-of-pocket for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

- Morris, IL, USA

problem #141

Jul 172022

Civic

  • miles

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

cae is well maintained but recall expired last 2018 but the problem which is a cracked engine happened just recently and honda USA and dealer will not honor the warranty already i really feel that honda has the responsibility but it just happened only after the warranty expired it is a cracked engine hope you can help me and others who have the same problem

- Egg Harbor Twp, NJ, USA

problem #140

Aug 132022

Civic

  • 200,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was able to restart the vehicle however, after driving ½ mile, the vehicle stalled again. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the head gasket was blown and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure, but the contact was informed that there were no recalls associated with the VIN. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

- Long Beach, CA, USA

problem #139

Jul 012022

Civic

  • 68,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated that she had noticed fluid leaking from her engine after her daughter parked the vehicle. Upon inspection, the contact discovered a crack on the engine block. The manufacturer was initially notified about the failure and referred the contact to the dealer. The dealer then gave the contact an estimate for a diagnostic to repair the vehicle. The vehicle had yet to be repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #138

Aug 012022

Civic

  • 114,044 miles

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

The contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, he saw steam exiting the hood and the temperature gauge started rising. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to park at a nearby parking lot. The contact opened the hood and noticed steam coming from the front engine block. The contact also saw coolant leaking from the vehicle. The contact allowed the engine cool down before driving to his residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 114,044.

- Sacramento, CA, USA

problem #137

Jul 142022

Civic

  • miles
My car overheated last week and now has a cracked engine. Yes, my car is available for inspection but my car will be repaired in a couple days. My safety was put at risk since my car gave me no warning signs of overheating. I had absolutely no problems with this car beforehand and out of nowhere my engine cracked and my car overheated. I was lucky that my car didn't start steaming and breaking down. The problem has not been confirmed by a dealer, I am trying to work that out with them since this years model has a recall for overheating. It has been, however, confirmed by my mechanic that my mileage is extremely low for this to happen and to call Honda for reimbursement. The vehicle has been inspected by my local mechanic. There were absolutely no warning signs of my car overheating other than my air conditioning malfunctioning, that was the only sign of overheating that I had other than it showing on the temperature bar on the left side of my cars dashboard that the temperature was too high. My car overheated on Thursday (7/14) and the first sign that something was wrong was when my AC malfunctioned on Tuesday (7/12). I took my car straight to a mechanic on Thursday when I saw my car overheating.

- New Brunswick, NJ, USA

problem #136

Jul 142022

Civic

  • miles
My temperature gauge for the coolant went to the highest mark and then my car overheated. At the time, I was driving really early in the morning and in a secluded area where it would be difficult to obtain help. Eventually I pulled over and noticed there was a coolant leak. My coolant was near empty. I took my car to a mechanic and found out that the engine block was cracked. I have had the car for approximately 3 months. My mechanic told me that this is a common occurrence with this model. I had no idea. The vehicle is available for request upon inspection.

- Richmond, VA, USA

problem #135

Jun 302022

Civic

  • miles
While driving to work, the owner noticed a smoke coming out of the hood. The owner also noticed that engine temperature shot all the way up indicating that the engine might be overheating. Upon taking to a nearest auto shop, the owner was told that the engine block has a crack which is causing leak. Honda is aware of this issue and has provided extended warranty for 10 more years from the date of purchase. Unfortunately, the owner experienced cracked engine block issue 14 years after the date of purchase - 4 years after the extended warranty had expired. Upon calling the dealership, the owner was informed to file a claim with North America Honda. If Honda was aware of cracked engine block, why did it not replace engines in all affected models and trim levels?

- Lake Forest, CA, USA

problem #134

Feb 122022

Civic

  • miles

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

Inspected Honda civic was gonna do a water pump replacement, but water pump was not the issue. Issue is a cracked engine block that leaks coolant form the defective casting, read thatbits a common issue with 2006-2008 Hondas, car can travel with out overheating.

- Las Vegas , NV, USA

problem #133

Jan 182022

Civic

  • miles
The vehicle has the well known cracked block issue and is leaking coolant

- Trujillo Alto , PR, USA

problem #132

Dec 302021

Civic

  • miles
Engine block is leaking coolant. This has been verified at Highlands Ranch Imports. (303)771-9600. The car cannot be driven without causing the engine to overheat. I have been told that there is a potential recall.

- Highlands Ranch, CO, USA

problem #131

Aug 192021

Civic

  • miles
My engine block is cracked and it is leaking antifreeze

- Des Moines, WA, USA

problem #130

Sep 302021

Civic

  • miles
The engine block was designed or manufactured in a way where certain 06-08 honda civics would crack. Many people experience this problem and it is extremely dangerous for honda to be allowed to manufacture an engine block that cracks.

- Granada Hills, CA, USA

problem #129

Sep 302021

Civic

  • miles
This one happend to my 18yrs brother in law. He using my car to get to his school i dont know what happend he said brake didnt went through. No injury got a car crash thats all. But the sad thing is my insurance went up and the car history gonna be under my safety driver record. Dmv said im a good driver thats why they email me a safety driver number to renew my license no waiting in line. Maybe next renewal im not gonna get that treatment again

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #128

Sep 082021

Civic

  • miles
My 2008 Honda Civic engine block cracked on 09-08-2021. Honda had a class action settlement for this issue and extended the warranty 10 years from first purchased date a couple years ago. Well mine finally cracked and its been 13years from the first purchased date. So the repairs are not covered under the extended warranty. I feel Honda should still fix this issue regardless if the extended 10 year warranty is expired.

- Merced, CA, USA

problem #127

Jul 112019

Civic

  • miles
Having a lot of problems, coolant leaking, when in park. Power steering, engine idles when in park and at a stop light.When passing on the brake the car idles so have to push really hard on brake. Passenger air bag light never turns on. Ac blows hot air then cold then hot again. The car makes a really loud noise from the engine and wants to go even in neutral or if my foot is on the brake. Windshield leaks when it rains, roof trip flaps all over the place. Passenger door locks will not unlock except if you manually push it. Head lights flicker and the growling noise from the hood is really scary

- Brandon, FL, USA

problem #126

Apr 212021

Civic

  • 110,800 miles
The block cracked causing a antifreeze leak. Honda extended the warranty on 08 Civics an extra 10 years from original warranty which would allow my Civic to still be under warranty. I contacted Honda and they told me the warranty only pertained to first owners. I suspect my problem occurred on Wednesday 4/21/2021 as I was driving home from work. It has never overheated since I have owned it.

- Church Hill, TN, USA

problem #125

Dec 152020

Civic

  • 140,000 miles
Engine block cracked while I started driving it today and car overheated, towed to dealer and they said that it was 2years out of warranty, I had asked before if it was in the recall and they said if it wasnt cracked it wouldnt be under warranty

- Holmes Beach, FL, USA

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