Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 Honda Civic owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
This one happend to my 18yrs brother in law . He using my car to get to his school i dont know what happend he said brake didnt went through . No injury got a car crash thats all . But the sad thing is my insurance went up and the car history gonna be under my safety driver record . Dmv said im a good driver thats why they email me a safety driver number to renew my license no waiting in line . Maybe next renewal im not gonna get that treatment again
The car has a problem with the SRS wiring harness that controls airbag deployment and driver and passenger safety. This causes the airbag light to come on and prevents proper deployment. The problem is extremely common in hondas, specifically 8th generation cars. The cause is a poorly made wire that gets caught in the passenger seat track, causing a short in the wire. It can only be repaired properly and safely by removing the entire wiring harness and replacing it. This requires that the carpeting and the dashboard be removed and takes 6-8 hours worth of work, and is replaced with a $200-400 part depending on where you take it. It cannot be fixed easily or affordably by the consumer, and prevents the car from being safe to drive or passing inspections in the state of virginia. The problem May have occurred sooner, as the vehicle was only purchased used a few months ago. …
Changed the passenger airbags at recommended dealer by Honda. They supposedly changed it and should have done the proper checks to make sure all is well but it was obviously not done as the car ended up locking up seatbelts on driver and passenger from a minor pothole that the case manager is calling a collision. I couldnt believe he insisted that this (hitting a pothole and airbags going off) had happened to him already trying to make it seem normal. More importantly, from the codes that the shop informed me of, seat sensor on passenger side was no good and although no one was sitting on it it locked belts and the airbags failed to inflate. They are with my car 60 days and counting.... Never Honda again.
This vehicle has a demobilizer unit that controls vehicle starting and is connected to keys , when unit goes bad there is no way to start vehicle without it being replaced and reprogrammed by Honda , there are unfortunately numerous things that cause this problem including jump starting ir even disconnecting battery , when this happens car is immobilized and stranded with no way to fix , when brought to dealer for this issue we were told part was on nationwide back order , I believe this is a common problem with these cars that they are aware of and do not try to remedy or have parts available , car had to be towed to dealer and is now waiting who knows when for parts not to je back ordered
I had an incident with my 2008 Honda Civic. I was pulling into the church parking lot and turned to park in the grass next to another vehicle when I lost the steering and then suddenly the car jumped forward out of control and crashed into a tree about 10 ft in front of me. I thought the gas pedal had stuck but the adjustor was not able to confirm that this was the case. I never put my foot on the gas pedal-I was braking and going less than 10 mi/hr at the time. I have been unable to find out what caused the car to leap forward and accelerate. I have had no other incidents with this vehicle. I have put around 35,000 miles on the car mostly highway driving.
Came out to start the car in morning but car battery was completely dead. Jump started car and drove to work. Came back after work and car was completely dead. Jump started car. Took to a auto parts store. Checked battery which tested good. Came home cleaned battery cables, tightened and recharged battery. In morning, battery was completely dead. Suspect car has electrical short that is killing the battery. Car has aprox. 120K miles on it and had engine replaced at 50K due to cracked engine block (covered under recall)
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. Upon starting the vehicle, the contact attempted to initiate the air conditioning system but it failed to work. The contact stated that the failure would occur intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the air compressor had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 91,300.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated that the alarm system would activate independently without any warning. The contact mentioned that the battery had to be disconnected in order to deactivate the alarm. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 42,761.
When I turned my headlights on, my dashlights go completely off, leaving me with no lights on the interior dashboard; fuel, speed, etc., all lights gone. When I turn my headlights off, the dashlights come back on. There was no accident and this car is way under mileage for its year; I worked at home.
Third (high) brake light did not function upon annual inspection. Appears a soldered connection was defective. Ordered a replacement 3rd brake light and it to, new out of the box, also did not work and again had a faulty solder joint at connection to light. Seems to be a manufacturing defect.
Electrical complaints in other Civic years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2008 Honda Civic?
NHTSA has 51 complaints about the electrical system of the 2008 Honda Civic, 6% of the model year's 916 complaints. The component named most often is horn (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 Honda Civic electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2008 Honda Civic, though it has 7 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2008 Honda Civic electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 35,000 miles, and 38% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.