Problems · NHTSA complaints

2008 Honda Civic Hybrid problems

Owners filed 980 complaints about the 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid with NHTSA between Nov 2007 and Jul 2026. The most-cited component is air bags (188).

Complaints
980
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
67
Reported by owners
Fires
6
Reported by owners
Injuries
53
People reported injured
Deaths
1
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Air bags188
  2. Engine160
  3. Visibility113
  4. Suspension100
  5. Structure87
  6. Electrical system70
  7. Engine and engine cooling64
  8. Power train55
  9. Vehicle speed control35
  10. Tires32
  11. Wheels26
  12. Steering25
  13. Visibility/wiper23
  14. Service brakes, hydraulic22

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 9, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20072
200837
200987
2010120
2011116
201282
201345
201466
201552
2016116
201781
201850
201940
202022
202114
202223
202316
20241
20256
20264

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Air bags

188 reports46 crashes1 fire4 related recalls
“The contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated that the vehicle was serviced by a dealer under an unknown NHTSA Campaign Number related to the airbags. After the recall repair, the passenger airbag warning light illuminated and remained illuminated. A dealer was contacted regarding the failure but informed the contact that no assistance could be provided. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 127,517.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 9, 2026Air bagsODI 11749407

Engine

160 reports2 crashes2 fires
“What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Engine, steering. Purchased the car from a certified dealership in January 2026. After 3 months of driving, the car began exhibiting performance issues. During a normal acceleration pattern, the car would go into a ‘limp mode’ where all dashboard lights would turn on and the car’s performance became severely limited. Acceleration is barely possible when this happens and the car must be turned off and restarted in order to get the car out of ‘limp mode,’ which is a MAJOR safety concern communicated to Honda. It is also of major concern that every time there is a performance issue, every light illuminates, not allowing the driver to diagnose and safely operate the vehicle without Honda assistance with diagnosis. Honda scans revealed P3004 engines misfire code- recommendations included replacing a spark plug. I replaced all four spark plugs and performance returned to normal. Steering recall (Recall Campaign SJS- 2022-25 Civic EPS Grbx Safe ) was also repaired on 6/24/2026- the car was exhibiting steering tightness and locking behaviors which were resolved after this…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 17, 2026Steering, Vehicle speed control, EngineODI 11751178

Visibility

113 reports
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HONDA CIVIC. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE COATING ON THE FRONT WINDSHIELD CREATED A GLARE ON THE WINDOW DURING NIGHT WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS OF OTHER VEHICLES REFLECTED OFF THE WINDSHIELD. THE CONTACT STATED THE FAILURE MADE IT DIFFICULT TO SEE AND DRIVE THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A BODY SHOP THAT SPECIFIED IN THE WINDOWS ON THE VEHICLE AND THEY INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE WINDSHIELD HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE WINDSHIELD WAS NOT REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 72,000. UPDATED 07/12/16*LJ”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 1, 2016VisibilityODI 10871850

Suspension

100 reports2 crashes
“BOUGHT THE CAR 2 DAYS AGO. DID TEST DRIVE IT WITH NO NOTABLE ISSUES. I DID NOT TAKE IT ON THE HIGHWAY BECAUSE I WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA AND THE SALESMAN INSISTED NOT TO GO ON THE HIGHWAY DUE TO ROAD CONSTRUCTION OUTSIDE THE DEALERSHIP. SO ON THE WAY HOME I DID TAKE THE HIGHWAY FROM THE DEALERSHIP FOLLOWING MY HUSBAND OUT OF THE AREA UNTIL I GOT TO FAMILIAR TERRITORY. THEN HE GOT BEHIND ME. WELL WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY I FELT THE CAR SWAYING SIDE TO SIDE HAVING TROUBLE STAYING BETWEEN THE LINES. DIDN'T FEEL RIGHT AND WHEN I WOULD HIT A BUMP THE BACK END OF THE CAR MOVED ALL OVER THE PLACE. WELL WHEN MY HUSBAND AND I GOT HOME I MENTIONED IT TO HIM AND HE SAID WHEN HE WAS BEHIND ME HE NOTICED THE RIGHT BACK OF THE CAR WAS BOUNCING UP AND DOWN. WITH THAT SAID I HAVE A 16 MONTH OLD GRANDSON THAT I INTEND TO HAVE IN MY CAR ON OCCASION AND IT'S SCARY TO THINK THAT MY CAR MAY NOT BE SAFE FOR THE ROAD AND/OR PUT MYSELF OR SOMEONE ELSE IN DANGER. THE SALESMAN SHOWED ME THE CARFAX REPORT AND SERVICES THAT WERE DONE ON THE CAR. BUT DID NOT DISCLOSED ANYTHING OF WHAT I AM EXPERIENCING WITH THE VEHICLE”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 15, 2016SuspensionODI 10906978

Structure

87 reports6 crashes
“The paint is peeling off from the vehicle, exposing the body to rust and reduce the vehicle lifetime and durability significantly. When I contacted Honda about the issue, they told me it is a Paint defect from the manufacturing plant. They asked me to get a quote from the dealer to fix the issue, after getting the quote they denied the request saying it is outside the warranty period even when they agreed it is an issue occurred at the plant level. Please look into this and issue a recall.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 12, 2023StructureODI 11526654

Electrical system

70 reports5 crashes
“This one happend to my 18yrs brother in law . He using my car to get to his school i dont know what happend he said brake didnt went through . No injury got a car crash thats all . But the sad thing is my insurance went up and the car history gonna be under my safety driver record . Dmv said im a good driver thats why they email me a safety driver number to renew my license no waiting in line . Maybe next renewal im not gonna get that treatment again”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 17, 2021Electrical system, Exterior lighting, EngineODI 11437072
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 9, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.