Driving downhill on a busy interstate, car made this horrible vibration and brakes locked up while reducing speed before hitting traffic. Luckily, drivers behind me were aware and nobody hit me. It was a very scary situation. The car didn't respond when pushing the gas, so I got stuck in the middle of the highway for a few seconds with the emergency lights on trying to figure out what the heck was going on. I turned the engine off and back on then I could get out of the way. I received a few insults from other drivers. Then, 2 miles ahead, the same damn thing happened, I started braking while hitting traffic and suddenly the car started shaking and brakes locked up. It wont respond to the gas, so again I restarted the engine and it was fine. I took the car to Washington Honda, PA for inspection. They kept the vehicle for a complete day. Next day they told me nothing was wrong, and gave me a very vague report on what could have happened. They said either the transmission could have downshifted which would be a normal condition, or the car was understeering/oversteering causing the VSA to work. I told them I didn't feel safe driving a vehicle like that and their answer was "well, don't drive it!". I couldn't believe my ears, what the f**k these people think they are? I paid $30K for a new vehicle. I asked them for a number where I could make a complaint, they gave me 1800-999-1009. I called and talked to a very educated lady, she took note of my problem and two days later I was contacted for some Jeff guy from Honda Services Management, he suggested I could take the car to a different dealer. So this AM I went to Honda South Hills, after 30 minutes they told me that Washington Honda, PA was wrong, they found brake pads were all gone and need to be replaced (??!!), the guy said pad pins were out probably due to bad lubrication. I have no idea what hes talking about and I don't care, I bought this car last May 2008, I bought a new car because I didn't want to deal with these kind of situations (a few moths ago I got the CD player replaced for a mechanical problem at Washington Honda, they asked a monkey to work on it I believe cause they scratched the damn dashboard and the stick, I complained so they ordered the parts and again I had to go and getting them replaced ). Now, with 13K miles brakes need work?. I'm considering to find a lawyer if I have to be out of my office one more time to bring the car to the shop.

Bought my 2008 Honda Accord because we have friends that love theirs but noone has the 2008 and I never realized the problems with brakes. I took the car back to the dealership because of the noise that it was making and was told not once but twice that the brakes were like new and it was brake dust that needed to be rinsed off. After my husband drove the car he tells me that the rear brake is metal to metal. He takes the car and guess what? The rear brakes are worn completely out. The service manager agreed because we had proof to fix the problem free of charge. For that I will have to praise Economy Honda in Chattanooga but, Honda in general gets a big thumbs down. This is my first experience with Honda and it has not been a good one!!!

Man, this is just plain ridiculous. I have a 2008 2door coupe. At first I thought I might have done some damage after going over a curb ever so slightly. But as the noise became more frequent and annoying I knew what it was. I have changed my brakes in all my vehicles since I was 16 so I took off the rear right tire and sure as a zebra is striped, I noticed the inside pad was worn bad. The outside and left inner/outer pads looked excellent. I went to the Huggins dealership in North Richland HIlls and bought new pads. I had asked the parts guy if this had been reported and he gave me the standard company line. "this is normal for smaller cars and it could be related to driving styles." Do I have "slap me" written on my forehead? This is an issue and Honda needs to fix it before the power of our voices overcome their ignorance. Honda, please address this issue.......

Brought car in for noise in the rear wheel area. After the inspection, was told rear pads were worn and needed to be replaced. At 24000 MILES??!! we're talking about the REAR brakes here! After asking the service adviser to explain to me why the rear brakes wore out prior to the front, answer: "the pads are smaller...blah, blah, blah,..... and the way that Honda designed the ABS after 2003 is so the rear brakes will do the bulk of the braking" Now, IF that is indeed the case ( I doubt it ), WHY , if the rear brakes are going to do the bulk of the braking , would they be designed SMALLER????!!! makes No , ZERO, sense to me! I was also told that we were "lucky" they didn't need to be replaced sooner ( around 15k or so ) We also used to own a 2005 Accord EX ( w/ABS ) over twice as many miles and NEVER had this problem ( I don't know if the rear pads are smaller on that year) I guess my point is ---- after reading the other complaints , sounds like the 2008 model has some kind of design flaw and there should be a "recall" of some sort.

MUST READ THIS ONE!!!

I leased a 2008 Honda Accord from HONDA WORLD in February 2008. In December of the same year, I began to hear weird noises coming from the rear brakes. It crossed my mind that it could be the worn brakes but I figured there’s no way the car only had 12k miles and I had only owned it for 10 months. I took the car in to HONDA WORLD in Downey CA. for an inspection. The service guy notified me of a $28.00 fee to inspect the brakes. Irritated I decided not to have them inspect the car. I took the car home and inspected it myself. To my surprise, YES the brakes were severely worn. I immediately got on the internet and found this site. I called HONDA WORLD and asked to speak to a supervisor. I spoke with Steve Pulido about my problem and about this site. He immediately jumped on the internet and read all of the complaints on here. He asked me to bring the car in the next day. Steve took really good care of me and to my surprise offered to inspect and replace the breaks at no cost to me.If you're local I highly recommend this service dealer to you for all your service needs.

another 2008 Honda Accord with worn rear brakes!!! i was told at the local dealer with 25,000 miles they were needing replacement...I have NEVER had a car need rear pads that fast. The car had an issue with vibration in the front brakes at 13,000 miles! After three trips to the local dealer and nothing but bull.... answers i went to the Ellicott City MD dealer who resurfaced the front rotors under warranty and replaced the rear brake pads with 10% discount for parts and labor...191.00!!! I am calling American Honda today expecting no response.This is my third Accord...my 92 was just sold with 262,000 miles and only two sets of brakes in 16 years!

We've had the car less than a year. Took it in for only its second oil change and were told "rear brakes are 2.0mm from sensors" and brake pads will need to be replaced very soon, if not right now. They said we might get 17-18,000 miles before a warning would come on. I said that replacing the brake pads once a year was ridiculous (which they said would be about $300) and clearly meant that they were defective. Dealer said it happens to the rear brakes when people tap lightly on them. So, by their logic, I guess if you go easy on the brakes, they wear out faster. Never had anything like this on any previous car. Judging by all of the similar complaints, it seems clear that this is a product defect. Haven't gotten them fixed yet, and may contact someone about California Lemon Law. This is something that clearly warrants a recall.

I just received the wonderful news that as a 2008 Honda Accord Owner, I get to replace my rear brakes at 22,000 miles that I have had for 11 months and bought the car BRAND NEW off the show-room floor!

I was told by the dealership that maybe I should change my driving habits, that this was "normal wear" on an Accord that my pre-paid maintenance package did not cover, and that I should expect to change my rear brakes every 25,000-30,000 miles!!!!!

WOW Honda----you REALLY knocked it out of the ballpark on this one!

Rear Brakes that wear completely out in 20,000 miles? give me a break!

I submitted a formal complaint with Honda CS to get a reimbursement and it was denied. I am very disappointed in this response. I have been a loyal Honda owner for 18 years and actually worked at Honda in Marysvile Ohio for 8 years and cannot believe that they are not standing behind their product when it is obviously a design/ calibration issue. I believe it to be related to front-rear brake bias calibration.

What is more unfortunate, is that for $275 they are willing to loose a long standing customer.

sad.. very sad...

I plan to write an official letter to Honda of America documenting all the postings on the internet of people reporting this issue, and my personal experiences. Maybe i will setup a website to collect an electronic petition of people who are having the issue. I am going to try to get with some of my old contacts at Honda in Marysville to see if i can find someone to put this issue in front of the right people to assist in bypassing the customer service bureaucracy so it can be seen as the real issue at that it is.

Un-freaking believable. I thought I was the only one arguing with the dealer that brake pads should last longer than 19K miles. My other vehicle is a 2007 Suburban with 37K miles and weighs 3 times as much as my accord. Suburban still has same brakes when I bought new. Contacted Honda America, they said they will look into it (I am not holding my breath). I was actually thinking about trading in for an Odyssey (the V6 accord has some issues with regards to the VCM, it's jumpy on the highway, no fun to drive).however, I don't think I will ever buy a Honda again. I can't believe I am saying that, but the lack of concern by the dealer and Honda America is very troubling. I feel like I have lost a close relative, this car has got too many issues for me. I traded in a BMW so that I wouldn't have to deal with fixing a car all the time. Very sad.

I have a 2008 accord and a year later and 18,000 miles later the rear brake pads need replacing. WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is obscene I have never had a car with a problem like this. The dealership says its not covered under warranty and it will cost 400+ to replace the brakes. And the only place that sells the rear brake pads are the dealership because all of the parts stores say there is no way you should have to be replacing the pads that soon and they don't carry them. Honda does not want to take responsibility for this and am PISSED that I spent alot of money for a car and a company who can't stand up for their product.

Coming home from seeing my parents for an early Christmas and heard this awful noise and scraping sound when I made a left hand turn and went over a bump. Called my local Honda dealership 1st thing Monday morning and took it in. They called back within 2 hrs said they heard the noise and that it was my rear brakes and that they needed replacing ALREADY. Of course because it was the brakes it wasn't covered under warranty and it was gonna cost $265.00. I told them that was absurd with the low mileage on the vehicle. He actually told me he wasn't surprised that he has seen the new 2008 Honda accord at 19,000 miles needing new brakes. This is TOTALLY UNACCEPTED. I had a toyota prior to this and wishing I had it back now. This was my 1st and will be my LAST Honda ever. Merry Christmas to you too Honda and A Crappy New Year to u.

after speaking with the dealership I determined to look for more information. the dealership told me that the wear was probably due to my driving habits and that brakes were a "wear" item not covered. I had heard of problems, then read about the same thing happening to many owners of the 2008 accord. my biggest gripe is that the dealership said that they were not aware of any other instances of grinding/premature wear on this model...no recall notices or tsp's. does not look good for Honda and their reputation for quality and customer service.

I purchased my car in November 07 and I replaced my rear break pads December 08. I had notice while driving the rear breaks would grind and make a weird noise. My brother in law works for Honda and informed me that there have been issues with the rear breaks on the 08, however when this will occur is the answer! Nevertheless I could not wait for Honda to decide to issue a recall I had to get the breaks fixed. I received the cost from the dealer and it was 400-500. I called around to purchase the break on my own and NO ONE in town had the break for the 08 Hondas! Honda did a recall on all breaks to local distributors. Anyway I ended up taking my car to Break Check and they had to get the breaks from the dealer, ultimately the cost to me as 160.00. What a hassle, HONDA get it together.