10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
99,993 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2008 Honda Civic:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #52

Oct 012017

Civic

  • 120,000 miles
Engine seems to be leaking radiator fluid from the engine block due to poor craftsmanship / materials. This is a critical safety concern that could potentially cause the engine to have a catastrophic failure while under power. Honda currently has a service bulletin on this 10-048. However, it does not cover all vehicles. In my case, I have a vehicle that has salvaged title due to damage in rear right quarter panel. Nothing to do with the engine. When I took the vehicle in to be checked, the Honda dealer did state that this vehicle has the exact problem as 10-048, but would not honor the warranty due to it's salvage title. This should be a recall item due to the high risk potential of a deadly accident. This should be reviewed by NHTSA and escalated as a recall item.

- Discovery Bay, CA, USA

problem #51

Oct 022017

Civic

  • 107,440 miles
My 2008 Honda Civic currently has 107,460 +/- miles on it and the engine block has cracked. The car was diagnosed by my mechanic. I then did some research and found this to be a common problem. NHTSA ref# 10030876, tsb ref#sb-08-044 and service bulletin 10-048. Honda put a 10 yr extended warranty on the engines from the original date of purchase. My car was originally purchased on 09/27/2007. My car broke down on 10/02/2017, 5 days past the warranty period. Honda has refused to replace my engine block, giving no grace period on this warranty. This is a known problem and my car only has 107, xxx miles which is not a lot by today's standards.I believe this should be a recall item and furthermore Honda should have put a mileage amount on the warranty as well.

- Spofford, NH, USA

problem #50

Sep 022017

Civic

  • 51,000 miles
Motor mount failure. Causing excessive vibration and affecting handling of vehicle

- Yuba City, CA, USA

problem #49

May 012017

Civic

  • 195,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated that the engine failed and the engine coolant leaked, which caused the engine to overheat. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic (a plus autos 5002 West okmulgee street, muskogee, ok 74401 phone: 918-687-9693) where it was diagnosed that the head gasket failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 195,000.

- Muskogee, OH, USA

problem #48

May 122017

Civic

  • miles
Car began to overheat with normal use. In an attempt to fix the issue, a reputable local repair shop replaced parts to resolve the issue, not fully diagnosing the issue thats found within bulletin 10-048. The shop correctly diagnosed the issue, however were not aware of the recall. The engine was replaced with genuine Honda parts. I went through the recall refund process for 8 full months after supplying all of the relevant invoices, vehicle maintenance history, etc. And was denied on the basis that the invoices had the previous diagnosis listed that was incorrect, below the correct diagnosis of a cracked engine. Honda is not honoring their recall refund in any way shape or form. Honda then attempted to offer me a coupon for future service repairs, clearly showing that they recognize I had a case, however simply did not want to pay out the price of the replaced engine. Note the date listed below is the date my claim was finally rejected. After waiting 8 months.

- Boston, MA, USA

problem #47

Jan 132017

Civic

  • 85,000 miles
Replaced engine (cracked block)

- White Bear Lake, MN, USA

problem #46

Dec 042016

Civic 4-cyl

  • 145,000 miles
The bracket the holds the alternator and is connected to the engine block snapped while I was driving on a city street. I lost power steering and the belt came off. The alternator was just dangling. From what I understand, this is a known problem with this model vehicle and it seems to be a serious design flaw.

- Oceanside, CA, USA

problem #45

Sep 112016

Civic

  • 118,000 miles
Engine block cracked; Honda won't make good even though they extended warranty to 2018! never notified us; we had towed to our mechanic and had to pay out of pocket over $3100. So far. Was told it would have been done free if we towed to hond dealer/service dept. Who knew. Of course we would have had we known. Do they think we wanted to pay$ 3100"??"

- Placerville, CA, USA

problem #44

May 162016

Civic 4-cyl

  • 102,782 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. While driving approximately 55 mph, the temperature gauge needle moved to the maximum temperature. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, added water to the radiator, and waited approximately 15 minutes. The vehicle was restarted and operated normally. The contact stated that the water reservoir had to be filled with water every day. The vehicle was driven to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine block cracked and needed replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 102,782. Updated 12/13/16 updated 12/28/16.

- Gloverdale, CA, USA

problem #43

Feb 012014

Civic

  • 70,000 miles
The engine mounts that prevent major movement of the engine were cracked and had to be replaced. The vehicle would run heavy in extremely cold temperatures, but became more common place in less extreme but still cooler temperatures. The mounts were replaced under warranty, but I suspect at least one may still be cracked or bad. A separate mechanic from the dealership said the engine literally could be moved by pushing on it before the bushing/mounts were fixed.

- Renfrew, PA, USA

problem #42

Jun 202016

Civic

  • miles
Honda has issues a technical service bulletin 10-048 and 08-044 that the engine block overheats and causing engine to crack. I am 3rd owner over the car and bought the car with a salvaged title ( because it was stolen) with 48,000 mile on it. I have since put 54,000 mile on it since I purchased it and am experiencing misfire and cracking of engine block. I called Honda and they are denying my claim for them to fix the issue because my car has salvaged title even though my car was never in a accident. I do not think this is right that they acknowledge this is a problem and only offer warranty extension to original owner to fix the problem, but everyone else who may have salvage title for one reason or another are not covered, even though its Honda's fault for not using good casting for the engine block. I would like to try and get Honda to announce a recall so that everyone who has same problem can get their car fixed. I have taken very good care of my car since I have had it with regular maintenance intervals and would hate to lose my trust in Honda Motors because of this. I just want Honda to do the right thing and exchange my faulty block, I would even be happy with paying 50% of costs or they provide part and I will pay for labor.

- Chico, CA, USA

problem #41

Jun 202016

Civic

  • 100,000 miles
Honda has issues a technical service bulletin 10-048 and 08-044 that the engine block overheats and causing engine to crack. I am 3rd owner over the car and bought the car with a salvaged title ( because it was stolen) with 48,000 mile on it. I have since put 54,000 mile on it since I purchased it and am experiencing misfire and cracking of engine block. I called Honda and they are denying my claim for them to fix the issue because my car has salvaged title even though my car was never in a accident. I do not think this is right that they acknowledge this is a problem and only offer warranty extension to original owner to fix the problem, but everyone else who may have salvage title for one reason or another are not covered, even though its Honda's fault for not using good casting for the engine block. I would like to try and get Honda to announce a recall so that everyone who has same problem can get their car fixed. I have taken very good care of my car since I have had it with regular maintenance intervals and would hate to lose my trust in Honda Motors because of this. I just want Honda to do the right thing and exchange my faulty block, I would even be happy with paying 50% of costs or they provide part and I will pay for labor.

- Chico, CA, USA

problem #40

May 112013

Civic

  • 85,000 miles
"burning oil" we purchased the car at thurston auto in ukiah ca. It has burned excessive oil from day one. It burns 1 quart every thousand miles. Honda told me that is common for high performance engines. Thurston conducted their own test and did find the engine was burning 1 quart every thousand miles. They said the would put a new engine in but I would have to pay half. This was my daughters first car purchase and feels she was taken advantage of. She went on her own to purchase the car. Please let me know if there is anything that can be done. She has been trying for years to save the money for a new engine.

- Santa Rosa, CA, USA

problem #39

Jan 022016

Civic

  • 86,000 miles
Head of the tension bolt for the idler pulley broke while driving the car. Took it into the dealer and was told that this was a common issue, and that they could either drill it out, or it was stuck and a new engine block was needed. In this case a new block was needed. Doing some research on this issue revealed that there was a recall for this bolt breaking on the 2006 Civic, which is of the same generation and has the same engine as my 2008 Civic. My car only has approximately 86,000 miles on it. Had the idler pulley come off after the bold head had broke, this could have caused a serious accident. The fact that this issue has been recalled in a previous model year, and persists through a future model year makes me worry about others. The bolt is also not something that is called for to be regularly replaced. Calling Honda yielded no assistance or concern in this matter.

- Latrobe, PA, USA

problem #38

Jan 072016

Civic

  • 129,000 miles
Engine failure knocking a lot of oil comsumption.

- Falling Waters, WV, USA

problem #37

Sep 282015

Civic

  • 138,000 miles
Shortly after receiving a voluntary warranty extension/ recall my wife's 2008 Honda Civic LX 4 dr. Experience an engine block crack after driving on the freeway. I drove it to the dealer in waukesha, wi where is was confirmed as a crack. Since the replacement I have experienced issued with the new block including a knocking sound in the engine at low RPM's I was advised by Honda in ca that the block is new however the older internal engine block parts were being reused to include the crank, pistons, etc. Which is causing the new engine to fail also.

- Franklin, WI, USA

problem #36

Sep 262015

Civic

  • 119,000 miles
I just bought this car with 119,000 miles on it from a dealership. It was ok for the first five days until I noticed that something was wrong. On my way back home, I noticed the reading on the temperature gauge rising. It kept rising almost to the red marker. I was very stressed. I finally figured out that my coolant reservoir was completely empty. My temporary solution was to add some coolant to the radiator and to the reservoir. So far the temperature gauge has remained at a good and steady temperature. There is a coolant leak in my car but I can't find it. Hopefully, Honda will take a look at it and determine the problem.

- Waynesville, OH, USA

problem #35

Jul 212015

Civic

  • 44,500 miles
I was making a left turn leaving my place of work. The car made a loud grinding noise and the steering wheel locked (power steering went) and A/C stopped working. I immediately parked the car and the next day had it towed to a Honda dealership. Upon inspection, the water pump seized up. The pulley and lock bolt holding the serpentine belt had practically fallen off. This was confirmed by a Honda dealership technician. The car has low mileage, I am the first owner, and the car has only been serviced at a Honda dealership. I will also reference a service bulletin issued on 2006 Honda Civics. There is no recall on 2008's even though it contains the same R18 engine (engine block cracking problems) as the 2006 and 2007. Service bulletin number: 08-038 NHTSA id #: 10026085 bulletin date: Fri, 08/01/2008 failing component(s): 062000 engine and engine cooling:cooling system summary: Honda: Product update: Water pump pulley flange cracks. A crack pulley flange may create a pulley noise, cause the water pump to fail, and cause the drive belt to break. Updated 12/19/08. Csc letter was received.

- El Paso, TX, USA

problem #34

Apr 112014

Civic

  • 83,452 miles
The engine suddenly overheated. I had the car towed to a dealership. (community Honda of orland park). There is a recall for this overheating engine problem but Honda and the dealership say it's not the overheating recall problem. The repairs are in excess of $2,500.

- Orland Park, IL, USA

problem #33

Jun 052015

Civic

  • 125,011 miles
Engine block is leaking - coolant leak.

- Randallstown, MD, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »