Most common 2008 Honda Civic problems
Share of the 916 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Honda Civic complaints by model year
Best Civic years: 2011, 2021, 2014. Years to avoid: 2022, 2016, 2018, 2023, 2017. Compare all years →
2008 Honda Civic recalls (7)
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
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 CR-V, 2009-2013 Fit, 2014 Fit EV, 2010-2014 Insight, and 2009-2015…
Remedy: 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 1-888-234-2138.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
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, 2009-2013 Fit, 2010-2013 Insight, and 2009-2015 Pilot vehicles.
Remedy: 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.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
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 Ridgeline vehicles.
Remedy: 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.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
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 bag inflators.
Remedy: 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 1-888-234-2138.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
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, 2012 Honda FCX Clarity and 2006-2011 Honda Civic, Civic Hybrid, Civic…
Remedy: 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 when parts are…
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
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 and Insight, and 2009-2011 Fit, and Pilot vehicles originally sold, or…
Remedy: 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.
Show 1 more recall
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.
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.
What 2008 Honda Civic owners say
Engine & cooling all 207 →
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 contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, he noticed a strong coolant odor and that the temperature gauge was showing that the engine was overheating. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that coolant was leaking into the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine block was fractured, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer sent a diagnostic report to the manufacturer; however, the manufacturer declined to cover the repair and informed the dealer that an extended warranty coverage notice for the engine, was previously sent to the contact. The contact stated that he had not received the notice. The contact followed up with the manufacturer, but no assistance was provided. …
Air bags all 177 →
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. …
On March 4th, 2019 I totaled my car during rush hour on I-44 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. I hit the back of an F-150 pickup which resulted in totaling my car. My front bumper was pushed in and the hood of my car was bent in half. None of my airbags activated. My car was towed to Service King located in Moore, Oklahoma where the damage was assessed and reported to State Farm Auto the car was totaled. I didn't know where to report the airbags until I saw a story on our local news about NHTSA to investigate 30 million vehicles for defective air bag inflators. That is the purpose of this message. Several months before my accident, I took my car into Eskridge Honda in Oklahoma City due to an airbag recall. They checked and replaced the front passenger airbag saying the rest of the airbags were fine. …
Windows, wipers & sunroof all 131 →
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
The sun visors in this car are a severe problem as they break easily through normal average use and will not remain upright. They fall down and hang in the driver field of vision creating hazardous driving conditions posing injury to driver and anyone else nearby. The visors are not cheap to replace($50 to $100 each) and the replacements also break in a short time. I have already replaced once and both are broken again. This is a design flaw just like the alloy mixture in the lower engine block that causes cracking in the coolant passages in the block (look it up). Honda is supposed to be a quality product and it is obvious that the quality is eroding and Honda's lack of taking responsibility and admitting error and taking actions to correct further reflects poor commerce and care for their customers. …
2008 Honda Civic engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.3L 4-cyl hybrid | CVT | FWD | 40 / 45 / 42 |
| 1.8L 4-cyl | 5-speed automatic | FWD | 25 / 36 / 29 |
| 1.8L 4-cyl | 5-speed manual | FWD | 26 / 34 / 29 |
| 2.0L 4-cyl | 6-speed manual | FWD | 21 / 29 / 24 |
EPA ratings. Class: Compact car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2008 Honda Civic a good car?
Based on 916 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2008 Civic rates avoid: 2.2× as many complaints as a typical year of the Civic at the same age. It is one of the Civic years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2008 Honda Civic?
The engine & cooling — 207 complaints, 23% of all complaints for this model year, most often about engine. Next are the air bags (177) and windows, wipers & sunroof (131).
How many recalls does the 2008 Honda Civic have?
There are 7 recalls for the 2008 Honda Civic, the most recent from June 27, 2019 (inflator module). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Honda Civic?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2011, 2021 and 2014. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2022, 2016, 2018, 2023 and 2017. See the full Honda Civic years comparison.
At what mileage do 2008 Honda Civic problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 50,000 miles; 49% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.