I also brought my 2008 Honda Accord in for regular maintenance this past weekend. I was shocked and annoyed that the rear brake pads were completely worn down. I purchased this car last summer. This is my first Honda and I bought it for its "reliability" and "low cost maintenance" since I drive a lot for work. I was completely frustrated that I had to get the rear brake pads replaced already...at this rate I will have to get them replaced once a year! This is ridiculous. Honda really needs to look into this and do something about it immediately!

I just got off the phone with the dealer and they admitted this is a "problem" well...he back tracked and said that "...Honda is investigating the issue. For some reason the rear brakes are wearing sooner then the front brakes..."

I asked him why Honda doesn't cover the problem and he corrected me by saying that it's an issue they are investigating. This is ridiculous! I didn't pay $30K+ for a car to have the damn brakes wear out this soon. I do mostly highway driving...not the stop and go of city driving!

I plan to borrow the complaint letter someone else posted to add my voice! I probably won't get much out of it...but at least I can say I tried.

Well, its true- my 08 accord started making sounds when backing up, then screeching while driving/braking- couldn't be the brakes, as the mileage was way too low at just 20k.

Took it to the dealer and its the REAR BRAKES- the front still had 7 of the 10 mm left, but the rear was down to 2-- just as expected, based on what I've read here... They said they don't know who at Honda decided to put these thin pads on the new accords, but the problem was not news to them. Its not a warranty item ,but a bad idea from Honda, maybe to save $$$? who knows. -- the "coupon price" to fix is $189. They suggested I contact Honda, which I will... class action suit anyone? but they did warn that anyone that had experienced this did NOT get any assistance from Honda.. This isn't at all what I expected from Honda- My Lexus, Ford, Volvo (which are famous for needing brakes), Chevy, didn't need service anywhere near this soon, this is twice, maybe 3 times the normal wear period.

I also have had some brake problems with our 2008 Accord. It felt that when you braked hard from high speeds the brakes would vibrate and push back a little. So after reading the complaints on here aboutt he Accords I decided to take it to the Honda Dealership in Bowie Maryland for their mechanics to look at. I knew going in that they were going to tell me it was not covered under the warranty and that they would charge me and arm and a leg for repairs. I took the car in and had them tell me it would be $270.00 to change my rear brakes (they stated on the service bill that my brakes were at 2MM), turn the rotors (on 24k miles????), and balance my tires. I told them they were crazy and that I would take it to my local mechanic. I would rather pay him then Honda for their crappy product in the first place. Oh, did I mention we received a "courtesy car wash".

I took it to my mechanic yesterday, he checked everything out on the car and said it was fine, we looked at the pads they were no where near 2 MM. Another dealership hurting for business by trying to lie to their customers to get you to pay for repairs that we dont need at this time. If you live near the Honda in Bowie Maryland, be aware.

We too bought a Honda Accord 2008. We got married in 2007 and this is our first brand new car, we were so proud of ourselves....until we realized the brakes started squeaking, pretty much right off the lot! So we take it in to see what is the matter, only to see all of the technicians scatter. Now only 23,000 miles later a new noise starts, and it sounds like the indicators on the back brakes. At this point I had taken the car in twice before once at 9000 and once at 16,000...both times they told us everything was fine. This third time we take it to a mechanic we know and have him look at it before we take it to the dealer to get his opinion. Our mechanic gets the pads off and the calipers are stuck, they won't collapse and the back right brake pad seems more worn than the back left so I tell him just to put the pads back on because surely this will be covered under the warranty. I start to drive the car away and the back right tire starts to SMOKE! yes smoke. so i turn around and park the car. the next morning I have the car towed to the dealer only to be told that it is not covered, this is the way Honda is making the brakes and it is totally normal, and that I will continue to have to replace the brakes every 20,000 miles "like clockwork" they said. really? they blame the smoking on a mysterious white residue that doesn't exist and say everything else is normal and it will be $270 on top of the towing fee.

We bought a Honda because of the great reputation as a low maintenance quality vehicle, not b/c I wanted to replace the back brakes every 20,000 miles. I am all for a class action lawsuit! we will probably have the cars brakes replaced, and then try to get enough money for the car to cover what we owe on it and start over again with another used car. So much for our first new car purchase. Never will I ever...buy another Honda!

ATTENTION HONDA!!!! Your rear brake system is a JOKE on the 2008 Accord. Never have I owned a front wheel drive vehicle and had to replace the rear brakes prior to the front.... and so soon. Are you kidding me 23,000 miles and the rear breaks are shot. Of course what do you expect. Some all wise Honda engineer must have figured that since about 70% of the braking is done on the front brakes, and 30% is done on rear... That it would be a good idea to reduce the size of the rear caliper & pad size (yes, for all of you that have not looked. The rear caliper and pads are half the size of the fronts) so that owners would have to replace there whole brake system at the same time. Well, it didn't work. And now those of us that put 20k plus on our vehicle a year will have the pleasant annual experience of replacing them. Not to mention the fronts every two years. For those that have had the wonderful experience at the dealership service department. Did you get the feeling like I did, that the excuses have been well thought out and rehearsed?They were its because there are tons of complaints. THEY ALL KNOW ITS A JOKE! Even the mechanics will tell you. They even told me that is was because of the way I drive.. PLEASE. I've owned plenty of vehicles and this in not the first Honda I have own... Matter of fact I had a 2002 Civic that I gave to my son... And ever single car & truck (including the previous hondas) have gotten AT THE LEAST 40k on a set of brakes..... and 90 % of the time the rears much much longer. This is just one way Honda is sticking it to the customer. The dealerships and the parts departments are making bank on this deal. Theoretical a 2008 Accord owner will spend $700 every 40,000 miles at the dealership. Just on brakes. I will think twice about buying Honda again.

I too had to have the brakes replaced on my 2008 Accord. It had 19,474 miles on it at the time and Honda, while cordial, refused to acknowledge there is a design problem on these brakes. I had to replace the rear pads and the dealer magnanimously agreed to do it for only $150 (the local repair joint said I needed to turn the rotors too, but I decided to let the dealership do it and cross my fingers they were wrong).

They agreed to pay for my rental car (but this brake issue is not a "problem" - they're just really nice guys rolls eyes), which I had to have for two days, but guess what hit my credit card anyway and I've been unable to get it removed even though the dealer acknowledges they agreed to pay it.

Who the Hell believes an almost $30,000 vehicle should have brakes that need to be replaced/repaired every 20,000 miles (or less)? Honda needs to step up and admit the brakes are sturdy/big enough for the new bigger Accord, redesign, and recall to fix this. I've owned four Honda's since 1994 (four new and one used) but this may be the last one if they can't admit this is their issue and do what they need to do to make it right.

So I too have had to replace my rear brakes and was given the whole thing about how Honda knows it is a problem however it is not under warranty. So my service guy offered me a $30 coupon that he "really shouldn't" be giving me but since they know it is a problem and are choosing to do nothing about it my dealership feels "bad" for us poor guys whom bought one of these lemons.

This is my first Honda ever and more than likely will be my last unless this problem gets fixed. I was told that more than likely I will be swapping out my rear brakes about every 25K miles or so from the dealer. "Are you f-ing kidding me?"

He could not tell me whether it was a caliper / pad / rotor problem at all. Only that they know its a problem and that nothing is currently in the works to resolve it. "What a bunch of crap!"

Question: Did everyone have a constant grinding on the rear? Because the sound that I took mine in for would come and go and didnt really sound like a scrapping but more like a rattle from underneath the car.

I was the owner of a '99 Civic purchased new. It only had 76k mi on it, original brake pads-just wanted a grown up car when I got the '08 Accord last April/May. Rear rotors were resurfaced 2 days after purchase-shook violently. A squeal replaced the shaking so they replaced the rear brakes on day 5. I took the vehicle back over 11 times in 4 months-the service manager & zone rep blew me off before I gave up & started fresh w/ an '09 Accord EX-L. Well, the 09- same squeal, resurfaced rotors day 1 & it still squeals to this day. The dealership finally conceded that this is a common problem but no recall from Honda is in the works. I wish I knew then what I know now about everyone else having these problems. I am all in for a Class Action lawsuit of anyone has something in the works.

Started to hear the scraping noise from the rear brakes so I took it to the dealership where I bought my car. They quoted me $300 to change the pads and cut the rotor!! This car is just over a year old so I told them to take it down and I looked around for a better price. I found someone to do it for just under $200 out the door. I can't believe this is such a widely known problem and Honda still refuses to do something about it, then the dealership tries to rape me on the cost to fix it. I told the guy I would shop around and he said "I hope they don't start to grind by the time you bring it back." Great guy.

Okay so now that the breaks have worn 3 times in 42,000 miles. I am to the point where all my education and home training is about to go out the window and I am going to rip someone a new one. Although the dealership covered it, it is a MAJOR PAIN IN MY ASS. I have to drive it 45 min to the dealer and miss work. They kept my car for 2 days, and gave me a rental, but having to change my breaks this often is hardly worth keeping the car. Now b/c I drive so much (highway miles mostly), I have a lot of miles on it, so trading the car puts me upside down for about 6K. I Love my Honda with the exception of this problem, but I will never buy one again!!!!!

I'm a retiree and bought my 2008 Honda Accord as my "retirement car." I've owned 2 other Honda Accords, the cars never required major repairs, and high resale value. When I heard the mysterious scraping sound coming from the rear wheel, I took the car to Curry Honda in Yorktown Heights, NY - the place I purchased my car. A service man drove a few miles w/me to determine if this 'older woman' had her witts about her or was just an older fruitcake requiring attention. No warning light ever appeared on my dashboard thus I did not think the problem could be major. When I was told I needed rear breaks I couldn't believe it. the service manager told me this is a common problem with 2008 Accords and that it is not covered under my warranty. It amazes me that Honda knows about this and has not issued a recall to every owner. How could that be with all the advertising Honda does with the emphasis on Car with the least service costs. Believe me, $268 is a major expense for me and it is very unfair of Honda to treat it's long standing customers. I'll send letters to the appropriate Honda executives. I'll advise if I get a response.

I started having the same problem (metal scraping noise from the rear wheel well) as most people on this forum around 27,500 miles of driving. I drive a lot on highways for work so that might be the reason why my miles were higher than most people when I first started noticing the problem. I am taking it to the dealership tomorrow for a check-up, but I have been told that my warranty will not cover the problem.

This is unacceptable. My car is just a little more than one-year-old, and should not even be having any brake problems (I know b/c my relatives are mechanics). Honda should recall and pay for repairs and/or reimburse owners who had to pay to get the issue repaired.

Whether or not the government does a recall, I filed a complaint. I would encourage others to do the same. http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls/recallsearch.cfm

I have also been told that I should contact Honda directly. As a practicing attorney, I would strong recommend that you contact Honda in writing.

By Phone At our toll-free number: 1-800-999-1009

By Fax (310) 783-3023 (24 Hours)By Mail American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Honda Automobile Customer Service 1919 Torrance Boulevard Mail Stop: 500 - 2N - 7D Torrance, CA 90501-2746

Update from Jun 23, 2009: I just dropped off my Accord at the dealer in Glen Burnie where I bought the car from. Read below for what happened, and if you are an Accord owner with the same problem, keep in mind that many dealers/service advisors misrepresent. God only knows if they do it intentionally or unknowingly but regardless, always double check.

The service advisors at B's Honda in Glen Burnie, MD lied to me that brakes/brake pads aren't covered after 12,000 miles. Having read the warranty booklet beforehand though and being an anal attorney that I am, I knew that there was no such warranty exclusion. I was annoyed that they came up with this 12,000 limit BS, so I asked the service advisors to point it out to me in the booklet. She couldn't, so she asked another advisor. He couldn't. So he asked an administrative assistance "to get me a copy of the exclusion," but she said, "I have no idea what he wants me to do for you. I don't have anything like that." Then another man came runnning to me with a page from the booklet that said that brake "pads" are not covered as they are normally maintenance issues UNLESS the problem has to do with the workmanship and/or defect. Well, I read the provision and told him that that's why it should be covered - a 1 year-old car with less than 30K miles should not have any problems with its brakes, and clearly it is a manufacturing defect or problems with the workmanship. The man nodded in agreement and walked away.

I was very cordial and told my advisor, "Okay, well, I am reading here in the booklet that any issue that I believe should be covered under warranty (and not specifically excluded) should be discussed with the dealership to see if the dealer would fix it for free, etc. And if the dealership refuses then I should contact the Honda Customer Service. So, if you are telling me that your dealership won't cover it, then could you put this in writing on the quote sheet so I have something in record."

I was told that it would cost me $280 to fix the problem.

With the number of complaints by 2008 Honda Accord owners of the exactly same defect and misrepresentation by Honda dealers regarding its warranty policy/exclusion, I am wondering if I can get people together for a class action suit. I will discuss with my colleagues, and update. In the meantime, please post if you had same issues and have any interest in potential class action suit.

Update from Jun 25, 2009: For those of you interested in taking any action against Honda or asking Honda for reimbursement at some point in time, I would ask that you keep the worn parts after you get the brake pads replaced. All you have to do is ask them to return them to you. Also, make sure you get a qualified mechanic to describe and document well the problem and what he/she had to repair it. Save all receipts.

Finally, if you are making any complaints to Honda, the best way to do is by sending a letter by certified mail, return-receipt requested OR by fax with a confirmation page.

Yesterday I took my Accord in for its regular service and before the initial paperwork was even printed out my service representative warned me that I may be getting a call later about replacing the rear breaks because they've been seeing that the new Accords have been wearing them out prematurely. Sure enough, I got the call and needed to replace the brakes. I was told that even though this was incredibly premature compared to previous models it wasn't considered a mechanical defect and the replacement cost would NOT be covered under the warranty.

I'm so dismayed that this is a known issue with the new Accord and that as of this writing there is no official fix from Honda. I've always been proud to own Honda because of their bulletproof reliability. I used to say that if you owned a Honda all you had to was change the oil and keep it clean and you'd never have a problem. Part of that was joking but compared to other vehicles I've always found that a owning a Honda just meant dealing with fewer mechanical problems.

I'm sending a complaint letter expressing my dissatisfaction and hopefully Honda will respond with an appropriate resolution. Here's to hoping.