2008 Honda Accord Engine Problems
Owners have filed 210 complaints with NHTSA about engine problems on the 2008 Honda Accord, 14% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 89,500 miles. The words owners use most often: “oil consumption” (21% of reports).
- 210engine complaints
- 89,500median miles at failure
- 5mention a crash
- 3mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $2,100typical repair cost reported by owners
- 40%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Oil consumption: mentioned in 44 of 210 complaints (21%)
- Vtc actuator: mentioned in 40 of 210 complaints (19%)
- Cold start: mentioned in 21 of 210 complaints (10%)
- Rattling noise: mentioned in 18 of 210 complaints (9%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical engine repair on the 2008 Honda Accord at $2,100, and half of them between $1,300 and $2,500.
Based on 11 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2012–2019), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do engine problems happen?
Based on 158 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 210 complaints, 5 mention a crash, 3 a fire, 3 an injury.
Honda Accord engine complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Accord | 1 | 10% | — |
| 2025 Accord | 2 | 2% | 6,090 |
| 2024 Accord | 11 | 7% | 41,500 |
| 2023 Accord | 11 | 13% | — |
| 2022 Accord | 31 | 12% | 22 |
| 2021 Accord | 37 | 15% | 133,000 |
| 2020 Accord | 72 | 20% | 28,000 |
| 2019 Accord | 184 | 26% | 72,281 |
| 2018 Accord | 557 | 29% | 56,000 |
| 2017 Accord | 62 | 12% | 33,500 |
| 2016 Accord | 44 | 7% | 36,000 |
| 2015 Accord | 106 | 18% | 51,500 |
| 2014 Accord | 179 | 18% | 50,500 |
| 2013 Accord | 179 | 13% | 42,500 |
| 2012 Accord | 43 | 12% | 63,000 |
| 2011 Accord | 25 | 8% | 95,140 |
| 2010 Accord | 116 | 20% | 80,000 |
| 2009 Accord | 111 | 15% | 78,500 |
| 2008 Accord | 210 | 14% | 89,500 |
| 2007 Accord | 29 | 6% | 100,000 |
| 2006 Accord | 21 | 5% | 110,000 |
| 2005 Accord | 29 | 4% | 120,000 |
| 2004 Accord | 28 | 3% | 113,150 |
| 2003 Accord | 51 | 3% | 131,239 |
| 2002 Accord | 19 | 2% | 141,478 |
| 2001 Accord | 14 | 2% | 144,938 |
| 2000 Accord | 11 | 1% | 106,617 |
| 1999 Accord | 28 | 2% | 150,000 |
| 1998 Accord | 18 | 2% | 190,000 |
| 1997 Accord | 10 | 2% | 191,750 |
| 1996 Accord | 1 | 0% | 185,736 |
| 1995 Accord | 1 | 0% | 210,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists engine for the 2008 Honda Accord. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
When cold starting my car it has a very loud rattle. Lately the rattle takes some time to go away.
VTC failure, grinding on cold start up. There is a known issue with this in my year model, 2008 Honda accord.
Engine is making rattling noise at cold start... I see it being reported by 1000s of 2008 honda accord sedan owners. My car mileage is only 120k. I need Honda dealer to fix it as this is a Honda company issue
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2008 Honda Accords have engine problems?
No. NHTSA has 210 owner complaints about engine for the 2008 Honda Accord (14% of the 1,520 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2008 Honda Accord engine?
No recall currently lists engine for this vehicle.
At what mileage do engine problems start?
The median reported mileage is 89,500 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix engine problems on the 2008 Honda Accord?
Owners report a typical cost of $2,100 (half paid between $1,300 and $2,500), from 11 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about engine problems on the 2008 Honda Accord?
The most frequent phrase is “oil consumption”, in 44 of 210 complaints, followed by “vtc actuator” (40).
Other 2008 Honda Accord problems
See all 2008 Honda Accord problems or engine problems across all Accord years.