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2008 Honda Civic: engine overheating

78 of the 916 complaints about the 2008 Honda Civic describe engine overheating.

owner complaints
78
of this car's complaints
9%
typical repair cost reported
$4,400
typical mileage
107,000
recalls
0
Is there a fix? 13 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Engine overheating by model year

What owners say

Filed Nov 6, 2023 · Engine · OH

As I was driving my car home on 8/31, I looked at the temperature gauge and saw my car was overheating. I make sure to check my temperature gauge periodically while driving so I am positive it’s the first time it’s popped up. I tried to pull over ASAP, but was in nonstop traffic and the car stopped moving. No lights were shown on the dashboard. I had recently gotten an oil change end of July when I purchased the car. Car was inspected by the state, 7/17/23 and passed. Car had a complete vehicle inspection the end of July as well and passed with flying colors. Car was diagnosed to have a cracked engine block by Conrad’s. My oil and coolant mixed. It has not been seen by a Honda manufacturer. No inspection done by insurance.

Filed Oct 12, 2023 · Engine · 134,000 miles · MN

The contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle started overheating. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled to the side of the road, where she noticed that coolant was leaking onto the ground. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to Firestone, where it was diagnosed that there was a crack in the engine block, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that she would be charged a fee for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 134,000.

Filed Aug 7, 2023 · Engine · 144,000 miles · LA

The contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated while entering the vehicle, the contact discovered a coolant leak underneath the vehicle onto the ground. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a crack in the engine block. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 144,000.

Filed Jul 10, 2023 · Engine · 150,000 miles · NV

The contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, there was smoke coming from underneath the hood, and the vehicle was overheating. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled into a gas station, where her son added coolant to the vehicle. The contact was able to drive to her destination. Additionally, the contact stated that upon parking the vehicle, she noticed a trail of coolant in the driveway and there was no coolant in the reservoir. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the engine block was cracked, and coolant was leaking through the crack. The mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to another independent mechanic, for second opinion, and the same determination was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under Honda Campaign Number: 10-048 because the campaign had expired. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

Filed Apr 20, 2023 · Engine · 272,906 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, he noticed a strong coolant odor and that the temperature gauge was showing that the engine was overheating. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that coolant was leaking into the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine block was fractured, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer sent a diagnostic report to the manufacturer; however, the manufacturer declined to cover the repair and informed the dealer that an extended warranty coverage notice for the engine, was previously sent to the contact. The contact stated that he had not received the notice. The contact followed up with the manufacturer, but no assistance was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 272,906.

Filed Feb 2, 2023 · Engine · WV

Coolant leaking from cylinder block. i was driving with my family in the car and the vehicle begin overheating from loosing all my coolant. There were no warnings before it happened

Filed Aug 29, 2022 · Engine · 102,000 miles · IL

The contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle started to overheat. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled into the gas station and allowed the vehicle to cool down. The contact then refilled coolant in the vehicle. The contact was able to continue driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the part of the engine block located between with the alternator and the exhaust had fractured. The contact then contacted the dealer who informed him that the engine needed to be replaced per the instructions on Honda Technical Service Bulletin Number: 10-048. However, the dealer advised the contact that the 10 year extended warranty had expired and he had to pay out-of-pocket for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

Filed Aug 2, 2022 · Engine · 114,044 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, he saw steam exiting the hood and the temperature gauge started rising. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to park at a nearby parking lot. The contact opened the hood and noticed steam coming from the front engine block. The contact also saw coolant leaking from the vehicle. The contact allowed the engine cool down before driving to his residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 114,044.

Filed Jul 20, 2022 · Engine · NJ

My car overheated last week and now has a cracked engine. Yes, my car is available for inspection but my car will be repaired in a couple days. My safety was put at risk since my car gave me no warning signs of overheating. I had absolutely no problems with this car beforehand and out of nowhere my engine cracked and my car overheated. I was lucky that my car didn't start steaming and breaking down. The problem has not been confirmed by a dealer, I am trying to work that out with them since this years model has a recall for overheating. It has been, however, confirmed by my mechanic that my mileage is extremely low for this to happen and to call Honda for reimbursement. The vehicle has been inspected by my local mechanic. There were absolutely no warning signs of my car overheating other than my air conditioning malfunctioning, that was the only sign of overheating that I had other than it showing on the temperature bar on the left side of my cars dashboard that the temperature was too high. My car overheated on Thursday (7/14) and the first sign that something was wrong was when my AC malfunctioned on Tuesday (7/12). I took my car straight to a mechanic on Thursday when I saw my car overheating.

Filed Jul 19, 2022 · Engine · VA

My temperature gauge for the coolant went to the highest mark and then my car overheated. At the time, I was driving really early in the morning and in a secluded area where it would be difficult to obtain help. Eventually I pulled over and noticed there was a coolant leak. My coolant was near empty. I took my car to a mechanic and found out that the engine block was cracked. I have had the car for approximately 3 months. My mechanic told me that this is a common occurrence with this model. I had no idea. The vehicle is available for request upon inspection.

Filed Jul 7, 2022 · Engine · CA

While driving to work, the owner noticed a smoke coming out of the hood. The owner also noticed that engine temperature shot all the way up indicating that the engine might be overheating. Upon taking to a nearest auto shop, the owner was told that the engine block has a crack which is causing leak. Honda is aware of this issue and has provided extended warranty for 10 more years from the date of purchase. Unfortunately, the owner experienced cracked engine block issue 14 years after the date of purchase - 4 years after the extended warranty had expired. Upon calling the dealership, the owner was informed to file a claim with North America Honda. If Honda was aware of cracked engine block, why did it not replace engines in all affected models and trim levels?

Filed Feb 12, 2022 · Engine · NV

Inspected Honda civic was gonna do a water pump replacement, but water pump was not the issue. Issue is a cracked engine block that leaks coolant form the defective casting , read thatbits a common issue with 2006-2008 Hondas , car can travel with out overheating.

Questions about the 2008 Honda Civic overheating

Is engine overheating a common problem on the 2008 Honda Civic?

78 of 916 owner complaints about the 2008 Honda Civic (9%) mention engine overheating. The model year with the most reports is 2006.

How much does it cost to fix engine overheating on the 2008 Honda Civic?

Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $4,400 (median of 9 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.

Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2008 Honda Civic?

There are 0 recalls and 13 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.

Other symptoms on the 2008 Honda Civic

Airbag light 27Engine failure 26Ball joint 25No deployment 21Grinding brakes 19Stalling 13Loss of power 11Check engine light 10Headlights 10Sudden acceleration 10Tire blowout 10Adaptive cruise 9Won't start 9Brake failure 8Jerking 8Premature wear 8Fire or smoke 7Pulling 7Knocking 5Power steering loss 5Steering lock-up 5Whining noise 5

All model years of the Honda Civic

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