2008 Honda Civic Electrical System Problems
- 40
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 40 stored complaint records:
- 3 indicate a crash
- 1 indicate injury
- 0 indicate fire
What owners report
- hybrid battery · 5 records
- software update · 5 records
- wiring harness · 4 records
- replaced times · 4 records
- software upgrade · 4 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 1–30k mi | 16 |
| 60–100k mi | 8 |
| 30–60k mi | 7 |
| 100–150k mi | 5 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Electrical System
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…
ODI 11222405
Electrical System
After turning the car off making sure everything is off the would not start the next morning so i took it to the for the second time he change the battery and starter the next day the still would not start took it back to him stil could not find out what was killing the battery for the third time, after having the car all day agin it seems that something with the air conditioner was not shutting off. I say it's…
ODI 11207900
Electrical System
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.
ODI 11281855
Air Bags · Electrical System · Seat Belts
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…
ODI 11131153
Air Bags · Electrical System · Seats
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…
ODI 11120689
Electrical System · Unknown Or Other
I am having an ongoing problem where my vehicle suddenly begins to rev up and accelerate forward. This issue first happened in february 2017. I was in a fast-food drive thru with my foot on the brake (automatic transmission). The engine began to rev up to 3000 rpms. I shifted into park which caused it to rev at 5000. At that point, i shut off the car. I started it again and the car was fine. I contacted honda of…
ODI 10984409
Electrical System
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…
ODI 10947507
Electrical System
My honda was parked in the garage when i tried to start it the key would no longer go into the ignition. Had to have it towed to dealer where it was diagnosed as a defective ignition switch. Had it replaced and now the remote key won't work on the doors.
ODI 10892593
Electrical System
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.
ODI 10819277
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
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.
ODI 10764002
Air Conditioner · Electrical System
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.
ODI 10744256
Air Bags · Electrical System
The air bag light (srs light) has been coming on and off for about a month. The honda dealer said it was a code 32-10, an open in the front passenger' side airbag inflator. Need to replace the floor wiring harness per sb 10-001, the srs portion of the floor harness has a poor crimp in it. That is on the dealer work order. The honda dealer said the car is out of warranty, and the repair is about $1300.00. This is not…
ODI 10560489
Electrical System
The battery dies without warning after the vehicle sits for only a few days. Dealership replaced the battery with a new oem battery. Problem still exists. There are many complaints across many forums about this phenomenon on civics. *tr
ODI 10550292
Electrical System
Air conditioner compressor not engaging while car is idle and in drive. *tr
ODI 10653425
Electrical System · Engine · Power Train
My wife was headed home from work (approximately 5 pm) when she had to stop in traffic on a fairly steep hill, with an outside temperature at, or near, 100 degrees. When she attempted to resume forward she pressed the gas on her 2008 honda civic hybrid and the car started to roll backwards into another car. The transmission was in drive, she switched to the lowest range, still the car would not move forward. As a…
ODI 10465281
Body · Electrical System
The front of hood and fender area . Paint is chipping away. It is called crow's feet. Lines and chips along with cracks are very visible to the naked eye. Honda has a tsb about it, since a lot of people have the same issue but they only claim to take responsibility of the vehicle that have protection plan. When i bought the vehicle they never offered me, nor speak of protection plan. So what can i do? *tr
ODI 10479388
Electrical System · Wheels
My 2008 honda civic lx started experiencing door lock problems in march of 2011 (i can provide the exact date, but will need to go through paperwork to find it.). Since that point in time, i have had over a dozen locks replaced. I have the driver's door lock replaced 3 times, the driver's side rear door replaced 4 times, the passenger side front door replaced 3 times, and the passenger side rear door replaced 4…
ODI 10676333
Electrical System
'08 honda civic hybrid experiencing a dramatic decrease in fuel economy. Ima battery suspected. Dealership upgraded software (as per honda recall) and told me that to get better mpg's i should shut off my heater (we live in wisconsin!) and recommended an air filter change. I stated that an air filter and shutting off the heat would not increase my mpg's from 28-31 back up to it's prior performance range of 40-50.…
ODI 10386429
Electrical System · Equipment
I have 2008 honda civic hybrid had no problems until august 2010 when they sent a letter to have a software upgrade for the ima integrated motor assist battery after having the upgrade i had loss of power when acceleration the ima seems towork 50-75 percent less then what it use too also my battery indicator had never been down to 4 bars before the upgrade but after it was done seems like it wants to stay right at 4…
ODI 10369983
Electrical System · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · Vehicle Speed Control
2008 honda civic repeatedly has failed to stop (three separate incidents, three different drivers). Honda refuses to replace vehicle. *tr the consumer also stated, the vehicle would not start. Updated 09/20/12
ODI 10364013
Electrical System · Engine And Engine Cooling
Have a 08 civic hybrid with 89k miles. Got the recent battery software upgrade several weeks ago. Have had a sudden drop in battery charge down to one or two bars, both before and after the upgrade. Recovery usually fairly quick, driving on the interstate, 72 mph, all of a sudden dash went dark and engine stopped. No warnings or lights beforehand. Coasted to the side of the road. Able to restart immediately.…
ODI 10360211
Electrical System
At approximately 30k miles the hybrid battery charging capacity started to decrease. The battery would not hold a charge as long. Honda sent letters out to have a software patch put in to prolong the life of the battery. Therefore they know they have a problem. The software made things even worse by degrading mpg and power on acceleration. The electrical motor torque is not enough to make a diff with the…
ODI 10403734
Electrical System
Significant drop in mileage since the "software upgrade" on my 2008 civic hybrid. Electric motor does not always kick in when extra power is needed. I called the honda a local honda dealer...the service rep said he would need the car for several days and needed to drive it 140 miles to diagnose the problem. I next called the corporate office to complain...the rep i spoke with said i should take it to a dealer, but…
ODI 10390062
Electrical · Electrical System
We own a 2008 honda civic hybrid. The ima battery frequently in hot weather goes down to nothing, and car has difficulty. Received the recall notice from honda regarding update to computer software. When i took the car in, i asked specifically if this would decrease the gas mileage, as the ima battery assist would not come on as frequent. I was told, "no, gas mileage should be the same" well, the gas mileage has…
ODI 10351461
Electrical System
2008 honda civic hybrid appears to have problem with battery system; overheats and looses charge. Honda has issued software update to "repair" the problem, however, this update robs the car of acceleration power thus making it dangerous to react to an emergency situation. *tr
ODI 10372049