Problems with 2008 Honda Accord ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 honda accord. the contact stated that the electrical components of the vehicle failed. the battery was replaced and the electrical system was reset. the navigation system appeared quickly and asked for a code to operate. the contact was never asked for a code before and was unaware of any existing code. the vin was unable to be accepted in the system. the current and failure mileages were less than 27,046.

I purchased an accord exl on 2/8/09. while driving with the defroster or air conditioning on, the exterior and interior lights flash approximately every 30 seconds. we took it to the dealership and were told this is a normal characteristic caused by eld system. they are not able or not willing to fix the problem. this a serious safely hazard, as i drive highly congested roads daily and do not feel safe driving a car that flashes its headlights constantly. other cars do not know this is a normal characteristic. they will think i am an aggressive driver flashing them, and this could cause serious problems. i do not understand why this cannot be resolved, and why honda does not consider this a major problem. there seem to be many complaints about this issue, and i am not aware of any other cars that have this problem. please help us with this issue, as someone may end up seriously hurt due to this issue. you may contact me for my vin but i do not wish to post this information online. *tr

Headlights, cabin lights, back lights all dim/flicker every 20-30 seconds. seems to happen with defogger or a/c is running but has also happened when air is off. other drivers think i am flashing them or hitting brakes. was told car is functioning as designed to help fuel economy. i wish i had test drove car at night, would have never bought the car. *tr

2008 honda accord headlights dimming while driving. consumer states that the headlights dim every 30 seconds. noticeable when driving at night time. oncoming traffic flashes lights thinking that his high beams are on. *kb the consumer learned the source of the problem involved the electrical load detector. the consumer stated the interior and exterior lights would routinely dim.*jb

2008 honda ex-l accord coupe - during low light conditions (late evening/night) the headlights flicker every 10 -13 seconds. i constantly see other drivers gesturing at me as if i'm flicking my hi-beams at them. honda says that this is normal and says there is no fix . this is the first new car i've owned that has this problem. the battery is a little bigger than a motorcycle battery. this condition i believe is dangerous to on-coming traffic. this could also lead to failures of various other electronic control systems due to the fluctuating power spikes which could lead to devastating consequences while on the highway or freeway. *tr

Events - normal driving. how often - every time driving the automobile. what was done? nothing. dealer stated this is normal performance of the vehicle. description - headlights dim while driving the automobile. i stated to the dealer that i am concerned about, the vehicle will be poorly illuminated, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash. however, the dealer stated that this is a normal performance for the honda accord. i am fearful of driving this car at night due to the amount that the headlights dim. *tr

I have a 2008 honda accord ex that the head lights dim considerably when the you have the heat or air condition on. i have been back to the dealer and they say this is normal for honda's. the problem is driving at night when you see this occur and think something wrong electrically and you are distracted. it's so noticeable that i have had cars in the opposite direction blink their lights at me. i have spoken with other owners and they have the same issue. i feel this is a very serious distraction when driving. is there any thing that can be done about this. *tr

2008 accord i4 automatic transmission lx problem, lights dim and blower for heater/defrost slows. it occurs every 20 to 25 seconds. the change in the blower for the heater/defrost is such that it sounds as if you turned the blower speed down significantly and then turned it back up. at the same time the lights dim significantly. i have read many posts here of lights dimming with the a/c running and that honda says this is normal. this is dangerous because of the eye strain caused by the lights dimming and then brightening over and over again. *tr

Some sort of electrical problem is occurring and causes the headlights to dim and fluctuate erratically. the sound in the stereo also gets lower often times and i wonder if this ties into the headlights problem. i feel unsafe driving the vehicle because it is a distraction and causes me to check my instrument panel and i really expect a vehicle to operate properly after spending so much money on it. *kb

I to have a 08 accord exl 4 cyl and so far i have a list of things wrong with the car. *tr 1. the famous vibration 2. terrible fuel mileage 3.lights flashing to the extent that people are high beaming me [that's fun] 4. drivers seat jerks and moves real slow 5. wind noise on r/h front of car 6. hard starting in cold weather 7. gear shift rattles 8. r/h front door rattles 9. a banging in the trunk over moderate bumps or railroad tracks [there is nothing in there] 10. squeaking and sometimes grinding brakes 11. right front shock bangs at times 12. when you push the accelerator about one third of the way the car bogs until about 3 thousand rpm's then doubles and triples in power. *tr

I drive a 2008 honda accord that has an electrical issue when the compressor runs. whether it is with the a/c or the heater, when the compressor kicks on, my headlights and taillights flicker/dim. it happens everytime the compressor kicks on. i asked my dealer about it at a regular service interval and was told that was normal for accords. it is very distracting when you are driving at night and your headlights are constantly dimming/flickering. i have resorted to not using my air conditioning or heater at night so i won't have the lights flickering/dimming. *tr

We bought a new 2008 honda accord, while driving at night with the defroster or the ac on the head lights will dime, at first almost to dark, the dealer has replace the alternator and the fuse box this did help a little, but now its nothing the know to do the resolve this problem. i have call the 800 # for honda and they say this is normal, i do not agree with this answer at all. help with this would be great thanks. *tr

I only have about 1,500 miles on my new accord and i've noticed that the headlights and interior lights blink each time the air conditioning compressor kicks in, about every 20-30 seconds. i've been in contact with the dealer several times, they said "its normal". this is a safety issue, because it is distracting to both myself and other drivers. also, other drivers think that i am flashing my lights at them. *tr

Ii have a 2008 honda accord 4cyl. my headlights keep dimming when my ac is on. the dealer said it was normal. i have owned several hondas and none of them have done this. with the advanced electronics on this car drive by wire etc. i don't think this can be good for it. *tr

1) headlight projection very poor. difficult to see100 feet ahead. this is exacerbated by a draw on the electrical system that makes the headlights dim while car is in motion. i will not drive the car at night or at night while it is raining. i feel that the car is dangerous and on several occasions i almost hit pedestrians walking or on a bicycle. this occurs on a daily basis and is constant. the honda dealer inspected the issue once and stated that there was no defect, but that the car operates to normal specification and id comparable to all 2008 honda accord 4 cylinder models. this issue was prevalent since i took delivery of the new car in july, 2008. 2.) since taking delivery of this vehicle and to the present date, there is a wobble/wheel shimmy in the suspension at various speeds and different degrees of severity on a daily basis. on the first repair attempt the dealer replaced several tires and performed a high tech wheel balance using a hunter 9700 road force balancing machine. the problem was not corrected. on the second visit the dealer test drove the car and stated that the issue is a characteristic of the vehicle and other honda accord 4 cylinder models with the same engine, transmission and suspension. conclusion: this car is dangerous, exhibits very poor steering and ride as it wanders and shimmies all over the road. this problem combined with poor headlight projection and dimming headlights make this vehicle a major hazard on wheels. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 honda accord. whenever the contact is driving at any speed, the air conditioner activates and the headlights flash on and off and then dim. the dealer stated that there were no failures listed regarding the headlights. the current mileage was 5,200 and failure mileage was 5,000. update 09/10/08 *cw the consumer stated the headlights go dim when the air condition comes on. updated 09/17/08. *jb

In the last two weeks, the car would not start on four separate occasions. have had to have the car jump started. i've taken it to the honda dealership and they say that nothing is showing wrong with it on the diagnostic reading. they first indicated that an interior light could have been left on but then the problem repeated itself. took the car back and was told that nothing was wrong. for that reason they say they cannot fix something that is not wrong. however, the car has not started on even after it has had two new batteries put in it. something continues to kill the battery when it sits for a while or over night and they have no clue what it is and will not fix it because "nothing is wrong" with the car. sometimes the car will start but the problem is getting worse. i have a car that i'm terrified to drive for fear that i might be stranded. i've also purchased a jumper cables with battery to keep in the trunk of the car because i am using my auto club too much in a short period of time and now they must charge me if they come out to start it. the honda dealership does not know what is wrong with it and will not fix it. *tr

Headlights flicker making it hard to see at night. *tr

My 2008 honda accord ex-l lights flicker or dim at night when all equip. or ac is on very distracting for me must be for the other drivers that meet me on the road have been to dealer twice for this problem and they say it is normal i have an 2007 accord that dose not have this problem also have a 2003 acura tls that does not or have i ever had this problem in the 50 years i have been owning cars. what to do next?? *tr

Car idles high and eratic since a new alternator was put on due to light(in and out) flickering along with fan and radio cutting out when a/c unit is used and cooling fans kick on and off.since then car idles high, surges went fron tacking 1100 cold to 1500. went from warm idle at 600 and is now 8-900rpms.lights still do the same thing but they agree there was a voltage drop after two dealers said it was acharcteristic.after two month the cars going back in for a second seat track and a syl plate that was damaged.now along with a list of problems the front bumper is pealing in same spot on left and right side near headlights.i alreadt complained about the bumpers not fitting.dealer did idle relearn procedeure that did nothing.check fuel cap message comes on and check engine light was on.they claim after 20 years of driving and 4 hondas,i don't know how to put a gas cap on.worst car i ever had.the worst part is the attitude of the dealers and honda.i have been waiting for over two months for a rep,las time dealer snuck a note in that i refused to see the rep.i faxed them a demand letter to see the rep and another dealer was also supposed to set a meeting up.they claim he is out with a bad back(philadelphia area rep,)i am suing honda under the lemon law.i had enough.the suit was filed and my court date is in october,contact me with any questions or comments.car alo smell like a rotten egg. *tr

Car idles rough and stalls,check fuel cap message comes on.this was after they replaced alternator due to lights flickering and radio and fans going in and out.alternator did not help and now the idles is high and eratic, system that detects missing fuel cap is inop. when car comes to a stop the idle stops real hgigh and comes down as you sit at the light.the dealer says the owners maual is wrong about the way system works.i drove two identical ones and while the cars were still of poor quality,the idle was the same as before they messed with car.other issues include bad seat tracks, bad upulstry, paint on bumpers improperly finished. honda refuses to fix these issues. i am taking it under the lemon law and urge all others to do the same. *tr

Lights go dim and then brighten back up very often like every few seconds, other drivers think i'm flashing them this action seems to be very un safe for drivers. also when raining the wipers pull the rain water back down the windshield about half way down the drivers side from the a frame. *tr

Lights (electrical system) dim/flicker annoyingly while driving,when the radiator fan cycles on/off. *tr

All lights dim really bad when drive down the road at night every 15 seconds when the a/c is on. honda says this is normal.... i have owned over 15 different cars and never had this problem. *tr

Ongoing isuues with electircal system, lights flickering, accessories going in and out,seat uhpulstry and paint and seat frame. had into another dealer and they said bad paint ,bad fabric and flickering lights are chacteristics of the 2008 honda accords.service manager varified all problems and then i get a call later to pick up car because they tried to fix the seat and couldnt so they ordered another seat frame.i picked the car up next day with fraudulent paperwork,wrong dates and mialege.i was wondering why seatbelt did not feal tight.i get home and see that when they took seat out to try and fix,mechanic did not install seat belt back on the frame and he distryed the syl plate taking seat in and out and now the bolt cover is also missing.dealer picked up car from and brought it back.did not send car back with paperwork or even an apolagy.they claim they ordered replacement parts to fix what they damaged.please email me and i will let you know anything youd like.honda was no help. fourth time honda owner and last! hondas quality and attitude is so poor, i am going back to american cars. *tr

My 2008 honda accord ex coupe is a nightmare. trying to use the defroster while warming up car,blower motor kept losing power. lights in and out of car are still flickering when you have the lights on and cooling fan comes on. honda says all hondas do it. this is my fourth and this is the only one with this electrical issue. honda is rude , and doesn't care. besides pealing paint, bad drivers upholstry,the passenger seat will not stay still and hass a bead creaking sound. my selling dealer that told me not to come backs service manager told me i weigh too much. i am 245 lbs now. when we had our 04 and 06 i was 300 and it was fine. when you accelerate and decelerations seat moves. i have a spinal cord injury and today this caused it to hurt even more. if anyone would like to email me about what we should do with our expensive nightmares. we should all get a rally of our junkers together and block honda headquarters and we will call the news to televise it. *tr

Vehicle passenger seat creaks and is not stable, lights on car continue to flicker and dim in and out when a/c and headlights are on. very dangerous. someone will think you are brightening them or stopping suddenly and will either cause a crash or road rage incident. today eddie milan,general manager of sloane honda called me (can verify by cell phone bill) and "told me not to come back to sloane honda anymore" great attitude after multiple purchases and sending multiple customers. honda refuses to admit they have problems>i will complain everyday that it gives me problems. i urge all consumers who have these problems to keep complaining until honda fixes this issue. cars have problems. but flickering headlights and taillights are a danger. *tr

Headlights, taillights, interior lights, radio fan motor all fade in and out when cooling fan comes on. this was in the shop for this today along with pealing paint, bad seat track, bad upholstery and damage that sloane honda did to my car in philadelphia, pa. someone is going to get killed in these new 08 accords. honda doesn't care. murry cohen service manager at sloane threw me out of the service department,threatened to call the police and refused to give paperwork showing the car was there, but i have the rental agreement they signed for the day. they say all hondas lights go in and out,this is my 4th and this is the only one that does it. honda customer service is no help. don't waste your breath calling. my email is if you have similar problems. i will complain to this site every day and you all should too. 24590 + tax and tags down the drain. i am getting a lemon lawyer and hope you all do to. *tr

4-cyl engine shutdown at traffic light while idling. car would not restart, windows and moonroof would open but not close, shift lever would not go out of "park". by some miracle driver and car survived rush hour traffic at dusk with assistance from police officer. car towed to honda dealer who replaced 50 amp fuse (actually a multiple fuse) labeled "ig". dealer advised by honda to giggle wires to try to duplicate problem. problem did not reoccur and dealer returned car after 4 days. old part not available. i doubt that the fuse was defective and suspect problem will reoccur. 4300 miles on car, an ex. *tr

There is a large voltage drop that can be seen in the lights at night ... the lights really dim as the alternator cycles .. it occurs every night when driving and happens at steady rpms and when decelerating .. i know this is not a major complaint but the car is new and it may turn into something down the "road" , time wise for owners ..what worries me that in a few months that the voltage drop may cause a problem and stall engine or lights dimming may pull excessively on battery and charging system and cause failures in other areas .. thank you very much in advance for your help and the forum to pass on concerns that maybe safety concerns. *tr

Cars lights dim and blink everytime the cooling fan kicks on and off,this includes headlights,brake lights,all interior lights,a/c fan dims,radio gets softer. this is dangerous to drive at night. people think you are flashing them and jamming on my brakes. i also have problems with upholstry,side air bags,right seat track, out of line bumper and pealing paint. honda has to do something with my 2008 honda accord ex coupe before someone gets killed. please someone help me. *tr

The 2008 honda accord ex-l nav 4 cylinder suffers from poor headlight performance. while driving at night, the headlight intensity frequently fluctuates causing distraction and reducing nighttime visibility. *tr my interpretation of the local honda dealership diagnosis is provided below. poor headlight performance is 'normal' due to the operation of the electrical load detector (eld). the function of the eld is to provide electrical system demand information to the onboard computer module. the onboard computer then uses the provided information to adjust alternator output which ultimately results in fuel savings. honda is assuming that customers are willing to sacrifice normal headlight performance for the possibility of increasing fuel mileage. the operational design of one system produces a side affect in another system that results in a safety risk. risks of operating a vehicle with poor headlight performance are provided below. 1. reduced visibility and driving concentration could result in a collision. 2. other drivers could mistake a headlight intensity fluctuation as aggressive driving behavior resulting in driver confrontation. *tr

2008 accord 4cyl. headlights flash about every 20 seconds. have reported this and was told that they couldn't find anything. *tr

08 honda accord headlights dim while driving. when ever the car shifts up or down as well as randomly and while driving at a constant speed. *tr

Exterior lights flicker noticeably when the a/c engages and disengages. this happens every 10-15 seconds. i have taken to my honda dealership, and they did not want to admit that this was an issue. *tr

Headlights flicker often (every 20-30 seconds) when using air conditioning. *tr

Inside and outside (all) lights flicker when a/c is operating. very noticeable to on coming traffic. consider safety issue. *tr

My headlights and taillights flicker dim to bright approximately every 30 seconds when the a/c is on. this is a new 2008 honda accord ex 4cyl. honda has checked the vehicle and says this is normal. this is a safety issure to the driver and others. *cn

2008 4 cyl honda accord - headlights brighten and dim continuously while driving at night when heating/air is on - the "flickering" has been viewed as aggressive driving by some people not to mention the effect the flickering has on my night time vision - honda says the flickering is normal function of eld - the frequency cannot possibly be normal - my 01 honda had the occasional dimming of the lights but not to this severity. *tr

Lights dim constantly while driving the car. cars have moved out of my lane because the dim is sometimes very strong. dealership looked at several times and found nothing wrong except that the charging system has some new component part that is to create more "juice" when needed and it isn't switch fast enough, but no repair was completed. *tr

While at highway speeds and with the temp control on, my headlights dim / flicker about every 20-30 seconds. the dealer said this is a normal characteristic of the car and there is currently nothing they can do about it. i have since heard of other people having a similar problem. the vehicle is an 08 honda accord 4cyl ex-l. honda is not giving me any information on this and not addressing the issue to my satisfaction. the number of failures is over 40 as this is a constant problem. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 honda accord. the contact stated that the driver's side headlight did not work. also, the vehicle's battery died and was replaced ten times under warranty since it was purchased brand new. also, the driver's side electric window stopped working. gwinnett place honda (3325 satellite blvd, duluth, ga 30096, (678) 274-6206) diagnosed that an uncovered fuse caused the failures. in addition, the sun roof malfunctioned and the remote casing failed. the contact stated that the extended 75,000 mile warranty expired by five miles; therefore, the dealer would not repair the vehicle for free. the contact replaced the fuse on her own, but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was not contacted. the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign numbers: 16v346000 (air bags), 16v056000 (air bags), and 09e063000 (equipment); although, the dealer stated otherwise. the failure mileage was 5,000.

Headlights, taillights, brake lights as well as interior lights, all lights dim as compressor and cooling fan engage. causing brake lights to appear as being applied, also causing high / low beam headlights to have been activated. *tr

Headlights / all lights flicker about every 10 seconds when a/c compressor cycles while using defroster or air conditioning. *tr

Motor shuts down regardless of speed and can sometimes be restarted by applying pressure to the ignition switch key forward to restart if possible while on roadway. otherwise, must execute a quick response to losing power braking, steering and etc. and drive to safety at off road location. upon removing the ignition key from switch module, the metal key was extremely hot, starting engine back up often was not possible until ignition switch and key cooled down. this occurrence put an unreasonable risk on occupants due possible accidents. the nhtsa campaign id number 02v120000 addressed this issue. however, rejection of applying recall to my vehicle, even though the situation was exactly identical to recall by honda dealer, who replaced switch at my expense and refused to consider that recall applied to the ignition unit as not on recall list. i questioned sensibility of this as my car's ignition switch was malfunctioning exactly as the ignition switch under recall. due to dealer's disposal and inability to retrieve replaced item, unable to compare part number to honda's list of bad switch components. i have placed a complaint with honda motors u.s.a., case #[xxx] which was rejected due that they don't show vin# is included in the recall. i questioned this with them as recall and actual events occurring with my auto were identical. they advised that refund of the $184.74 for replacing the ignition switch would not be possible even though problem was identical with recall as my vehicle wasn't included. *tr