Car Issues Tracker
Vehicle complaints, recalls & safety data — sourced from NHTSA

2008 Honda Civic: Complaints, Recalls, and Known Problems

Owners have filed 916 safety complaints about the 2008 Honda Civic with U.S. regulators. Here's what the federal data shows, system by system.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · Retrieved September 7, 2026 · Counts change as new reports are filed

916
Complaints
7
Recalls

Complaints for this vehicle report 62 crashes, 6 fires, 50 injuries. No deaths have been reported.

Key findings
  1. Engine & cooling leads the complaint list, cited in 207 of 916 complaints, followed by Airbags & restraints.

What owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA name the vehicle system involved. For the 2008 Honda Civic, here is how reports break down by system.

Complaints by vehicle system
System mentions in 916 complaints · a complaint can cite more than one system
Engine & cooling
207
Airbags & restraints
181
Visibility & lighting
139
Suspension
99
Body & structure
96
Other / unspecified
74
Power train / transmission
52
Wheels & tires
52

"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."

Owner complaint filed February 2026 · Engine · NHTSA ODI 11719251

"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"

Owner complaint filed September 2023 · Engine · NHTSA ODI 11542379

When complaints were filed

Complaint filings for the 2008 Honda Civic over time:

Complaints filed per year — 2008 Honda Civic
Year the complaint was filed, not the incident year
2
37
87
120
113
67
35
59
48
107
72
47
37
22
14
22
16
1
6
4
0708091011121314151617181920212223242526
2026 is a partial year (through September 7, 2026).

How the 2008 compares with other model years

Across the Honda Civic model years we track, the 2006 has the most complaints on file (1,402); the 2008 ranks 4 of 9.

Total complaints by model year — Honda Civic
All complaints on file per model year, as of September 7, 2026
1,402
1,204
2008
916
395
396
454
1,078
591
598
Older model years have had more time on the road to accumulate complaints — compare adjacent years, not endpoints.

Recall history: 7 recalls

7 recalls apply to some or all 2008 Honda Civic vehicles. Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit.

Oct 200808V-535
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.

May 201616V-346
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 …

Jan 201717V-030
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 Hond…

Aug 201717V-545
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. One dealership may have inc…

Apr 201818V-268
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. The front passenger air ba…

May 201919V-378
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…

Jun 201919V-502
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, 2010-201…

Does your car have an open recall?

Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit. Look up your 17-character VIN on the official NHTSA site to see open recalls for your specific vehicle. Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov →

Frequently asked questions

How many complaints does the 2008 Honda Civic have?

As of September 7, 2026, owners have filed 916 complaints about the 2008 Honda Civic with NHTSA. The most-reported system is engine & cooling.

How many recalls does the 2008 Honda Civic have?

The 2008 Honda Civic has 7 NHTSA recalls on file. Recall repairs are free at any dealer.

Methodology & source

All figures come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public APIs: the Office of Defects Investigation complaint database, the recalls database, and NCAP safety ratings, retrieved September 7, 2026.

Complaints are self-reported by consumers and are not verified by NHTSA or by this site. A single complaint may cite multiple vehicle systems, so system mentions can sum to more than the complaint total. Complaint volume is influenced by fleet size, media attention, and recall notices, and is not by itself a measure of defect rates.

This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer. Nothing here is repair, purchase, or legal advice. For your specific vehicle, use the official NHTSA VIN lookup and consult a qualified technician.