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2008 Honda Civic HybridProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 64 owner complaints about the 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid, most often about the electrical system. It is covered by 4 safety recalls, and for recall 19V-502 the manufacturer reports only 36% of affected cars repaired.

2008 Honda Civic Hybrid
46
CarFlaw IndexSolid year1.2× the Civic Hybrid median · #2 of 9 years by complaints
Safety recalls4Lowest repair rate 36%Owner complaints648 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage60kElectrical system, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through November 10, 2022. Updated daily. Photo: Rutger van der Maar, CC BY 2.0.

Complaints by system

Where the 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid has problems

64 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Electrical system192
Fuel/propulsion system140
Air bags112
Engine and engine cooling91
Vehicle speed control61
Fuel system, gasoline50
Engine40
Power train30
Wheels20
11 other systems143

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

4 recalls

2008 Honda Civic Hybrid recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

36%repaired · 2020 Q4

Passenger side: inflator module

Recall 19V-502 · Jun 27, 2019 · 9,555 vehicles · 3,462 repaired

Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

49%repaired · 2020 Q4

Passenger side: inflator module

Recall 19V-378 · May 16, 2019 · 19,138 vehicles · 9,375 repaired

Risk. An incorrectly installed air bag inflator may not properly deploy the passenger frontal air bag in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

70%repaired · 2018 Q2

Passenger side: inflator module

Recall 17V-030 · Jan 10, 2017 · 977,708 vehicles · 688,617 repaired

Risk. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

64%repaired · 2018 Q1

Passenger side: inflator module

Recall 16V-346 · May 24, 2016 · 2,719,386 vehicles · 1,734,324 repaired

Risk. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Honda.

Best & worst years

2008 vs. every other Civic Hybrid year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Civic Hybrid median. How we score

'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'25
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
NHTSA crash tests

2008 Honda Civic Hybrid safety ratings

2008 Honda Civic Hybrid 4-DR. w/SAB in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

  • Stability control: No
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No
1 investigation

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid, and the recalls they led to.

  1. Pedestrian alert soundsDP22005 · closed Aug 7, 2023
    Led to recall 22V-063
In owners' words

What Civic Hybrid owners report

Recent electrical system complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED STATE INSPECTION BECAUSE THE CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE LOCAL DEALER (DCH ACADEMY HONDA, 1101 U.S 9, OLD BRIDGE, NJ, 08857) WHERE THE P0A7F CODE APPEARED…
Complaint 11010522 · Jul 25, 2017 · 100,000 miles
VEHICLE MOVING IN TRAFFIC ON FREEWAY, ALL POWER LOST NOT ABLE TO MOVE AND INVOLVED IN ACCIDENT. CHP REPORT PENDING. AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY.
Complaint 10824216 · Feb 4, 2016 · 77,000 miles
THE CAR IS A HYBRID, IN WHICH HEAVILY RELIES ON A BATTERY. HOWEVER, THE BATTERY UNIT IS NOT SO GREAT AND DIES EVERY FEW YEARS. IF ONE DAY THE BATTERY DIES WHEN I'M DRIVING, IT CAN BE EXTREMELY HARD TO STEER AS IT ALSO POWERS THE STEERING WHEEL. THIS CAN CAUSE A INCIDENT IN THE ROAD OR AT AN…
Complaint 10819570 · Jan 11, 2016 · 135,000 miles

Own a 2008 Civic Hybrid?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.