2008 Honda Civic Engine cooling Problems
- Complaints
- 55about this part
- Share
- 6%of 916 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 46,834miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 55 complaints about the engine cooling of the 2008 Honda Civic, 6% of the 916 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 46,834 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“In august 2010 I took my 2008 Honda Civic hybrid to the dealer for routine maintenance. The dealer performed a purported software update on the battery system without notifying me until afterwards. Immediately upon leaving the dealer, I noticed a profound reduction in power and acceleration. …”
NHTSA complaint #10354345, filed 2010-09, 13,500 miles“This problem occurred one time so far but I have a 2008 Honda Civic lx that I just bought used with about 25,500 miles on it. I bought it from a Honda dealership in south florida. It is a Honda certified vehicle. It almost stalled at a stop sign when I pressed the gas pedal. I don't know why it did this but it worries me. I had to release the pedal and re-press is slowly to get the car to go again. What if I need to get out into traffic?”
NHTSA complaint #10347387, filed 2010-08, 25,500 miles“Honda software update on my 2008 Civic has made my car lethargic to drive. It is now dangerous to drive in normal traffic. Gas mileage has dropped from ~40mpg to ~35 forcing me to stop more often to fill up and costing me lots more money to drive.”
NHTSA complaint #10356672, filed 2010-09, 29,188 miles“Coolant leak - I have about 32,000 miles on the car - still under warranty. I noticed coolant leak from engine block . Took car to Honda dealer - they were aware of the problem and are going to correct it. There were no recalls for this failure.”
NHTSA complaint #10304016, filed 2010-02, 34,000 miles“I took my 2008 Honda Civic into the dealer because the air conditioning wasn't working. They said it wasn't working because there was a hole in the AC condenser and that this wasn't covered by warranty. They indicated that this was a problem with hondas but that this design defect wasn't covered by warranty. They could not guarantee that this would not happen again and again due to the defect but that it would not be covered under warranty. …”
NHTSA complaint #10231478, filed 2008-06, 11,600 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10115157Jul 19, 2017Service bulletin - On some 2006 - 08 and early production 2009 Civics, the engine (cylinder) block may leak engine coolant, resulting in engine overheating. To increase customer…
- 10056874Sep 1, 2014Honda civic: see document search button for owner letter. The engine cylinder block is experiencing over heating on 2006-09 civics.
- 10039531Jul 19, 2011Honda: malfunction light is on with trouble codes stored due to a software problem. 2006-2008 civic hybrid.
- 10039365Jul 15, 2011Honda: excessive pressure in the transmission due to a software problem.
- 10034885Nov 24, 2010Honda vehicle: engine oil leak at the cylinder head cover. There is paint overspray in the gasket groove of the cylinder head cover.
- 10030876Jul 30, 2009Honda: see document search button for owner letter. Engine overheats or leaks coolant. The engine block is cracking at the coolant passages. Install a new engine block assembly.
- 10024034Dec 1, 2007Install crankshaft pulley correctly to prevent oil pump damage.
Engine cooling: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1 | 1% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0% |
| 2017 | 5 | 1% |
| 2016 | 4 | 0% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0% |
| 2014 | 3 | 1% |
| 2013 | 1 | 0% |
| 2012 | 4 | 1% |
| 2011 | 4 | 2% |
| 2010 | 10 | 3% |
| 2009 | 12 | 3% |
| 2008 | 55 | 6% |
| 2007 | 74 | 6% |
| 2006 | 151 | 11% |
| 2005 | 19 | 6% |
| 2004 | 16 | 5% |
| 2003 | 37 | 7% |
| 2002 | 31 | 4% |
| 2001 | 64 | 6% |
| 2000 | 47 | 16% |
| 1999 | 30 | 9% |
| 1998 | 53 | 12% |
| 1997 | 25 | 7% |
| 1996 | 27 | 9% |
| 1995 | 7 | 4% |
| 1994 | 9 | 7% |
| 1993 | 13 | 9% |
| 1992 | 6 | 6% |
| 1991 | 5 | 5% |
| 1990 | 6 | 7% |
| 1989 | 8 | 12% |
| 1988 | 4 | 9% |
| 1987 | 1 | 3% |
| 1986 | 3 | 9% |
| 1985 | 2 | 13% |
| 1984 | 1 | 20% |
Other parts of the 2008 Honda Civic
177 complaintsEngine
156 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
133 complaintsSuspension
99 complaintsBody and structure
85 complaintsOther or unknown
54 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
52 complaintsElectrical system
51 complaintsBrakes
42 complaintsTires
30 complaintsVehicle speed control
29 complaintsSteering
24 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2008 Honda Civic
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology