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2008 Honda Civic

The Verdict

5 Total Klunk

The 2008 Honda Civic has 907 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are body (408 complaints) and engine (216 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 5/100, it earns a "Total Klunk" rating. If you're shopping for a Honda Civic, consider the 2021 model year which has 85% fewer complaints.

Safe Bet

The 2021 has 85% fewer complaints

View the 2021 Honda Civic dashboard →

5

Klunk Score: Total Klunk

Among the most complained-about vehicle years on record. Strongly consider alternatives.

How is this calculated?

The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.

Recalls 1

Active safety recalls from NHTSA for this vehicle year.

08V535000 FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

HONDA IS RECALLING 128 MY 2008-2009 CIVIC SEDANS. A BRACKET THAT COVERS THE FUEL HOSE CONNECTOR IS SECURED WITH A BOLT AND NUT, BUT DURING ASSEMBLY THE NUT WAS NOT INSTALLED.

Risk

IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE BRACKET MAY BECOME LOOSE WHICH COULD RESULT IN DAMAGE TO THE FUEL HOSE CONNECTOR. A DAMAGED CONNECTOR COULD LEAD TO A FUEL LEAK AND INCREASES THE RISK OF A FIRE.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NUT ON THE FUEL FEED HOSE BRACKET. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 13, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009.

Reported Apr 10, 2026

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Under the Hood

Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.

YearBodyBrakesElectricalEngineTransmission
200085141185725
200115340393129387
20021462430659181
2003147361806496
20047891674452
200585161404131
20066515224339261
20076034120625988
20084083820621639
2009160461224718
201015790108317
2011582961164
2012141311845739
201398311273717
20146811833691
201593107239163
20167108811312226
201735427878719
201832117591847
201915423261357
20208216553429
202188142072
202278818421610

By Category

Body
408
Engine
216
Electrical
206
Transmission
39
Brakes
38

By Severity

1
434
2
401
3
6
4
66

Worst Problems

Compare Against

See how the 2008 Honda Civic stacks up against rivals.

Complaints

Electrical 1

Got mail that my car needs to have the airbag recall done and I took it to Honda dealer in Selma for the recall, got the car back and noticed the passenger airbag light was left on. I called and talked to the service attendant that worked on my car and they said they couldn’t not do anything about it. Not sure on the date but this was about a year ago around around spring time.

1mo ago
Engine 2

Engine temperature suddenly rose high, pulled over. Discovered what appeared to be coolant on front of block. Had diagnosed and found to have a cracked block. Contacted Honda, the refused to do anything as it wasn’t a recall only a warranty bulletin. This needs to be recalled so people who are affected can get their cars fixed.

4mo ago
Electrical 2

The contact owned a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the air bag warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and turned off the engine. After the vehicle was restarted, the air bag warning light was no longer illuminated. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 159,000.

9mo ago
Body 1

Driver's side sun visor defective. Visor started splitting, leading to inoperative, and finally fell off. Replaced by manufacturer a number of years ago, but design flaw not addressed causing persistent issue recurrence. Multiple complaints have been filed related to this issue. Following are some of the complaint record numbers: 110884671041796510466838 110630431041670210466343 110395371041422810462119 109831981041221710461924 109710161041170010461699 109368151041080710457914 109285781041061610456750 108965601041024110456044 108888061040930510454884 108858631040937310448984 108632171040869610432332 108462841040941710432252 107168651040740610430111 106761951040741410430141 106386011040692010428110 105211741042513210427775 104781981041925910426693 104754451042547910426377

11mo ago
Body 1

Electronic steering pulls hard to the left and is more difficult to turn right.

11mo ago
Engine 2

Engine block cracked. Leaking coolant and rendering vehicle useless.

14mo ago
Electrical 4

The drivers air bag system or any other didn't deploy upon a rear collision with another vehicle, and yes the vehicle is available for any inspection.

14mo ago
Engine 1

Engine has a crack block on the front. It is a known issue but it is past the warranty that honda offered. I think they should extend the warranty more.

16mo ago
Engine 2

Oil is leaking and now coolant is leaking. Did not buy the car brand new bought it from a pre owned vehicle dealership

26mo ago
Engine 2

Engine block crack over heat during driving

31mo ago
Body 1

Paint defect should extend it to fix the paint issues. Clear coat as well.

32mo ago
Engine 1

As I was driving my car home on 8/31, I looked at the temperature gauge and saw my car was overheating. I make sure to check my temperature gauge periodically while driving so I am positive it’s the first time it’s popped up. I tried to pull over ASAP, but was in nonstop traffic and the car stopped moving. No lights were shown on the dashboard. I had recently gotten an oil change end of July when I purchased the car. Car was inspected by the state, 7/17/23 and passed. Car had a complete vehicle inspection the end of July as well and passed with flying colors. Car was diagnosed to have a cracked engine block by Conrad’s. My oil and coolant mixed. It has not been seen by a Honda manufacturer. No inspection done by insurance.

32mo ago
Engine 2

The contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle started overheating. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled to the side of the road, where she noticed that coolant was leaking onto the ground. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to Firestone, where it was diagnosed that there was a crack in the engine block, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that she would be charged a fee for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 134,000.

33mo ago
Engine 1

No warning except temp Guage rising extremely fast pulled over no coolant no obvious leaks took to shop cracked block along with all the other 2008 Honda civics with the same factory defect My car is late to show signs and I missed the warranty extention 130000 miles Expected to run at minimum 200000 unacceptable business practice

34mo ago
Brakes 1

These hybrids have defective brake system. The problem is with the part Accumulator Set - Honda (57019-SNC-A02)

35mo ago
Engine 1

The contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated while entering the vehicle, the contact discovered a coolant leak underneath the vehicle onto the ground. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a crack in the engine block. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 144,000.

35mo ago
Electrical 4

The contact owned a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while in the right land, making a right turn, a bicyclist was coming towards the front passenger side of the vehicle however, to avoid injuring the bicyclist, the contact merged over the lane divider and hit the ground with force. The contact then stated that all the driver’s side air bags failed to properly deploy. The contact stated that the steering wheel cracked, and air bag inflator deployed from the steering wheel and the airbag deflated. As a result, the contact sustained injury to the chest and her lower back. Medical attention was required. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was towed to the contacts residence then towed to a tow lot and deemed a total loss by the insurance. The dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.

36mo ago
Electrical 2

Driver Inflator Module Has a crack line in it. honking horn /excessive heat.

36mo ago
Engine 1

The contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, there was smoke coming from underneath the hood, and the vehicle was overheating. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled into a gas station, where her son added coolant to the vehicle. The contact was able to drive to her destination. Additionally, the contact stated that upon parking the vehicle, she noticed a trail of coolant in the driveway and there was no coolant in the reservoir. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the engine block was cracked, and coolant was leaking through the crack. The mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to another independent mechanic, for second opinion, and the same determination was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under Honda Campaign Number: 10-048 because the campaign had expired. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

36mo ago
Body 1

The paint is peeling off from the vehicle, exposing the body to rust and reduce the vehicle lifetime and durability significantly. When I contacted Honda about the issue, they told me it is a Paint defect from the manufacturing plant. They asked me to get a quote from the dealer to fix the issue, after getting the quote they denied the request saying it is outside the warranty period even when they agreed it is an issue occurred at the plant level. Please look into this and issue a recall.

37mo ago

907 total

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