2008 Honda Civic Problems, Recalls & Reliability
1,083 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2008 Honda Civic, alongside 7 recall campaigns and 0 defect investigations. It scores 60/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Engine leads the reports, typically around 99,850 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2008 Honda Civic sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 1990–1993, 2011, 2020–2021.
Avoid
Where 2008 sits among all Civic years
What owners report
“Engine block honda civic 2008 147000 miles began leaking coolant after driving on city street”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Civic
“Takata recall. I received notice of the recall july 2016. The recall call has not been remedied.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Civic
“Driver's side sun-visor split at the rear edge while driving. This limited the motion of the visor causing it to be flipped down while driving obscuring the view of the road for the driver. This caused driver distraction.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Civic
“One of the control arms, i believe it is called, went bad and cracked. The front ones went bad and had to be replaced, but were under warranty. These would be the arms that connect and hold the tires/brakes but not the suspension. I may have referred to them wrong, but they went bad nonetheless.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Civic
“The paint has been peeling/ chipping away on the roof and trunk of my car and it is only getting worse.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Civic
“Clear coat & paint still fading after it was repainted by cleobay honda in 2014. Side airbag warning light is on most of the time for no reason. Sun visor's where replaced twice last in 2014 and are broken again. They will not stay up or down.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Civic
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 802 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 50,050 miles. Half of those reports fall between 22,000 and 95,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (7)
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Acura TSX, 2011-2014 TSX Sport Wagon, 2010-2013 ZDX, 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic and Civic Hybrid, 2008-2010 Civic GX NGV, 2012-2015 Crosstour, 2007-2011…
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at…
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Acura TSX, 2011-2013 TSX Sport Wagon, and 2010-2012 ZDX and 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic, Civic Hybrid and Civic NGV, 2012-2014 Crosstour, 2007-2011 CR-V,…
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the inflator installation and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began July 5, 2019.…
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003-2012 Honda Accord and Pilot, 2010 Accord Crosstour, 2001-2011 Civic, 2002-2011 CR-V, 2003-2004, 2006-2008 and 2011 Element, 2007 and 2009-2013 Fit, 2010-2012 Insight, 2002-2004 Odyssey, and 2012…
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began June 22, 2018. Owners may contact Honda…
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2008-2012 Accord, 2010-2012 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2009-2012 Fit and Pilot, 2010-2012 Insight, and 2009-2012 Acura TSX vehicles that received replacement passenger frontal air…
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began October 30, 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at…
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2012 Acura TSX, 2011-2012 Acura TSX Wagon, 2010-2012 Acura ZDX, 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2012 Honda Accord Crosstour and Honda Insight, 2009-2012 Honda Fit, 2009-2012 Pilot, 2007-2011 Honda CR-V,…
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger side air bag inflator, free of charge. The manufacturer has mailed an interim notification, and will send a second notification…
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2009-2011 Acura TSX, 2011 TSX Wagon, 2010-2011 Acura ZDX, 2008-2011 Honda Accord, 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic, Civic Hybrid, and Civic GX, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2010-2011 FCX Clarity…
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this…
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.
Fix: 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.
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2008 Honda Civic reliable?
The 2008 Honda Civic drew 1,083 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 60/100, scored against the model's worst year (2001).
What are the most common 2008 Honda Civic problems?
The top reported problems for the 2008 Honda Civic are engine (212 complaints), airbags (179), and visibility & wipers (133).
At what mileage do 2008 Honda Civic problems show up?
Owners most often report 2008 Honda Civic problems around 50,050 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 22,000 and 95,000 miles.
Does the 2008 Honda Civic have recalls?
7 recall campaigns apply to the 2008 Honda Civic. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.