2008 Honda Accord Reliability

[mkaresh]

In late 2005 I started conducting reliability research. I'm reporting absolute stats like "trips to the shop" that make the differences between cars much clearer. Results are updated four times a year, so it's possible to provide reliability information on new models like the 2008 Accord very quickly--if enough owners sign up to help out. The sooner enough owners of the 2008 get involved, the sooner others considering the car will have some reliability information to factor into their decision.

With first-year designs, reliability is always a question mark. Some do start out with problems, but the manufacturer often quickly identifies and addresses these. With TrueDelta's quarterly updates, any such improvement becomes apparent within a few months.

Participants report repairs the month after they occur on a one-page survey. When there are no repairs, they simply report an approximate odometer reading four times a year, at the end of each quarter.

To encourage participation, panel members will receive full access to the results for free.

For the details, and to sign up to help out:

Vehicle reliability research (http://www.truedelta.com/reliability.php)

Note: 972 Accords signed up so far--1000 soon?

[mkaresh]

Now that these are flying off the lots, I hope people can enroll them in the panel. If I get a few dozen cars quickly, I'll be able to provide initial results in February.

[plunk10]

I hope they'll be more reliable than the early new generation toyota camrys were.

[mkaresh]

Yes, the 2007 Camry has not be faring especially well. Overall it's a bit better than average, but the V6 is quite a bit worse thanks to its transmission.

If enough owners of the 2008 Accord sign up in the next month or so, I can have initial results in February. The 500th Accord was enrolled yesterday--thanks partly to help from people here--but only a couple of these are 2008s so far.

[mkaresh]

CR recently made big news with their rating of the Camry. Many people seemed surprised.

Those of us who know better wondered--why didn't they say something sooner? TrueDelta announced that the V6 was faring badly back in August, and with sample size like CR's would have done this way back in February.

Right now I'm aiming for a February result for the 2008 Accord. But to do this I'll need a few dozen more owners signed up ASAP.

So, if you own a 2008, please sign up to participate in this research. It takes very little time, and will provide results quickly.

[HondaPOD]

I wasn't really too surprised. I like me some Honda. NOT Toyota. But i DO love the new Camrys.

[mkaresh]

Eight 2008s now enrolled. For results in February--months ahead of anyone else--dozens more are needed. So if you've bought one, please consider signing up.

Vehicle reliability research (http://www.truedelta.com/reliability.php)

February is very possible. Next week's results will include the 2008 Buick Enclave, six months after it went on sale.

[Darth Do'Urden]

I'm enrolled. 2008 Accord EX-l V-6 Coupe 6-Speed w/Navi.

[MarkAT]

Just enrolled.....2008 EX-L V6 sedan.....thanks for the invite!

Mark

[mkaresh]

You're very welcome. I'm very grateful to both of you for joining up.

The number of 2008 Accord owners who join up in the next couple of weeks will determine whether we have a result in February, or not. The Accord is a major new product, so of course having an initial result then, months ahead of anyone else, is a high priority.

If it happens, the Accord will be highlighted in the February press release, and this forum will be credited for helping make the result possible.

[adrienski]

Just signed up! Another 2008 EXL V6 Sedan w/Navi

[StudmasterSteve]

Im here as of now too 2008 Accord EXL V6 Coupe no navi,

[08accordEX]

yeah i signed up as well..

[mkaresh]

Thanks.

If you signed up, you should have received a confirmation email. Please check it for the correct model and model year.

I'm suggesting this because only three 2008 Accords were enrolled in the last 24 hours, but five of you have reported signing up today. Maybe a couple of you signed up before today?

[Darth Do'Urden]

I'm good. Even got an email from ya with my member number on it. =)

[08accordEX]

i signed up a day or two ago.

forgot to post here.

[mkaresh]

Okay, that explains it then.

18 now signed up. The more there are, the more likely we'll have a solid result in February.

Auto reliability research (http://www.truedelta.com/reliability.php)

[mkaresh]

Another round of emails with links to the surveys goes out this afternoon. Hopefully a few more 2008s will be enrolled by then.

Auto reliability research -- need more 2008s! (http://www.truedelta.com/reliability.php)

[trotgolfer]

I'm in.

[jang859]

I'm in

[mkaresh]

Thanks, up to 24. Odds of a solid result in February are looking good. Another 24 will do it :)

Vehicle reliability research -- help provide initial results for the 2008 Accord in February! (http://www.truedelta.com/reliability.php)

[mkaresh]

Now 26...and 599 total for all model years.

Who'll be #600?

[mkaresh]

Total now 609 for all years, and 30 for the 2008s.

Still need more, of course :)

Auto reliability research -- need more 2008s! (http://www.truedelta.com/reliability.php)

[bbrowncods]

I'm in. 10 minutes ago.

[mkaresh]

Thanks, I appreciate it.

32 so far, which ties the Accord with the 2008 Infiniti G for most 2008s for a fall intro model.

More still necessary for a non-asterisked result in February, so please keep them coming!

Auto reliability research -- need more 2008s! (http://www.truedelta.com/reliability.php)

[Trip]

I'll sign up for my 08 coupe. Will have to do it at home. Can't access my home email from work to get my member #.

[mkaresh]

You don't need to know your member number to add a vehicle. All you need to know if you're an existing member is the email address you used before.

[mkaresh]

35 so far, thanks guys. Results aren't too far off at this point, in February. The Accord will be in them, the only question whether that result will have an asterisk for insufficient sample size.

More cars would still be very helpful.

Auto reliability research--need more 2008 Accords! (http://www.truedelta.com/reliability.php)

[Road Glider]

I registered for my '08 Accord EXL V6 with Navi in your reliability survey.

[catbert430]

Just enrolled.

[mkaresh]

Thanks, guys. 44 2008s now, second best of any fall intro 2008 (top is the Infiniti G35/G37, with 47).

Data collection for the last month before the February results starts this week. More participants would still be very helpful.

Honda Accord reliability research (http://www.truedelta.com/reliability.php)

[accordnumber4]

We are up to 45 now....

[WisAccord]

Joined a few days ago.

[TheGreenMachine]

Just signed up today and also joined this great forum at the same time. :)

[mkaresh]

Thanks, guys.

51 signed up now. However, only 19 owners have responded to the survey so far, for a total of 41 months of data. I only show a result at all if there are at least 45 months of data, and asterisk this result unless there are at least 75 months of data.

At this point, there's almost certain to be a result in February, but this result is also likely to be asterisked--unless more people respond.

A follow-up email with links to the survey goes out tomorrow. (The initial email went out last Thursday.) If you've already signed up, please respond to it. If you haven't yet signed up, please consider doing so.

Details and link to the enrollment form here:

Auto reliability research (http://www.truedelta.com/reliability.php)

[plunk10]

mkaresh- where do I enter the "purchased month" part in your survey? I've only had my car since september, though its now 4 model years old.

[mkaresh]

Thank you for asking.

The reliability survey itself always only covers the previous month. It's done this way to minimize bias. This survey can only be accessed via links in an email I send out.

The first time you respond to the survey, after completing it you'll be asked to fill out a second short survey that asks about bodystyle, powertrain, and when the car was purchased.

There's a second, on-site survey for people who want to post their entire repair histories. For this one, just entere the month purchased as the first entry.

[bbrowncods]

When do we get an email for the survey?

[mkaresh]

The first round went out last Thursday. The first follow-up will go out tomorrow to new members and to old members who have not yet responded this month.

If you didn't get a confirmation email when you signed up, and don't get that one, then there's a problem with your address--usually an overzealous spam or bulk mail filter.

I don't send any spam, but with over 18,000 members I do send a lot of mail, and this can trigger some of the less intelligent filters.

[tang316]

i just signed up

[mkaresh]

As I posted earlier, thanks to this forum we'll have a result for the 2008 Accord this month. In fact, I expect to publicly release this result in two days.

So far, 79 owners of the 2008 Accord have signed up. This is just seven fewer than the most for any year of the Accord--86 2007s are enrolled.

I expect the 2008 to eventually pull ahead of the 2007--but how soon?

If you haven't already signed up, here's where you can help make it happen:

Vehicle reliability research (http://www.truedelta.com/reliability.php)

The larger the sample size, the higher the quality and quantity of the information I can provide.

[mkaresh]

Over 100 owners of the 2008 have signed up. But a larger sample size would permit us to provide more detailed results in the future.

Vehicle reliability research (http://www.truedelta.com/reliability.php)

[mkaresh]

The May results were recently posted. The 2008 Accord continues to have a very low repair rate.

That said, I've had a couple reports of noise/vibration problems with the V6 that cannot be repaired--likely due to the ACM. So I'll be paying attention to this potential problem.

For the full set of results, and to sign up (if you haven't already):

TrueDelta Vehicle Reliability Survey results (http://www.truedelta.com/latest_results.php)

[mkaresh]

Next update in August. Additional participants always helpful.

I've also recently improved the site's fuel economy survey.

Vehicle reliability research (http://www.truedelta.com/reliability.php)

[elp_jc]

Do 6MTs count? I only have a week with my car, and 200 miles, but if you still want my input (or in the future), let me know and I'd sign up. Later.
JC

[mkaresh]

Do 6MTs count? I only have a week with my car, and 200 miles, but if you still want my input (or in the future), let me know and I'd sign up. Later.
JC

6MTs certainly count. You won't be able to respond this month, but you can starting next month--the main survey always covers the previous month.

My suggestion: go ahead and sign up, so you won't forget. Then just ignore the email for the survey this month or enter -1 for the odometer reading.

[USAFRET]

I just enrolled my 08 Accord EX-L I-4, A5 w/Nav

Do I only report problems I have had the dealer correct, or issues I have but not yet taken in for repair?

[mkaresh]

The former. Or, more precisely, things you asked a service writer to write up--the shop might have come back with "they all do that."

Also be aware that there are two reliability surveys. The main one you'll receive regular emails for. The only way to access the survey is by clicking a link in these emails. This makes things quicker easier, because there's no need to sign in, or even remember to go to the site.

The second one, which is optional, is for repairs that cannot be submitted on the main survey because they occurred before joining.

[Accordlover]

The former. Or, more precisely, things you asked a service writer to write up--the shop might have come back with "they all do that."

Here's my question.

How does that make for quality reliability data?

Say I go into Honda and say "My new 2008 Honda Accord doesn't shift smoothly, especially when going from Park to Reverse or Park to Drive."

That's a common Honda trait.

So when someone is on your reliability tracking site, and mentions things like this, that really are known Honda quirks if you will, that knocks against its reliability record?:dunno:

[mkaresh]

With the current analysis, no, for the reason you bring up.

I have people report everything they reported to the dealer. But the current analysis only includes successfully completed repairs. With these, the dealer agreed there was a problem and was able to do something to make the problem go away. So we can be quite sure there was a problem.

I ask for everything in case I decide to conduct a second, broader analysis in the future, and to learn of problems that might be widespread but that the manufacturer might not have a fix for yet.

[Yury]

Here's my question.

How does that make for quality reliability data?

Say I go into Honda and say "My new 2008 Honda Accord doesn't shift smoothly, especially when going from Park to Reverse or Park to Drive."

That's a common Honda trait.

So when someone is on your reliability tracking site, and mentions things like this, that really are known Honda quirks if you will, that knocks against its reliability record?:dunno:


Rattles are a common trait too. I stopped even talking to the dealer about them because most of the rattles are interminnent and the dealer people are not exactly keen on reproducing them. I am sure a lot of ppl gave up as well, so effectively there's a quality aspect that goes underreported. There's quirks like delayed shifting and there's quality issues.

[USAFRET]

Rattles are a common trait too. I stopped even talking to the dealer about them because most of the rattles are interminnent and the dealer people are not exactly keen on reproducing them. I am sure a lot of ppl gave up as well, so effectively there's a quality aspect that goes underreported. There's quirks like delayed shifting and there's quality issues.

I agree, I have a dash and rear parcel rattle/buzz (call it what you will) and so far the dealer has told me "they don't want to tear into the dash as they usualy only make matters worse". So I guess I need to learn to love and enjoy this Honda "trait" since it's not a defect until my dealer attempts to repair it.

Maybe there should be another category that identifes "issues" the dealer won't or can't fix. I'm sure future Honda buyers would like to know this as well.

[Yury]

I agree, I have a dash and rear parcel rattle/buzz (call it what you will) and so far the dealer has told me "they don't want to tear into the dash as they usualy only make matters worse". So I guess I need to learn to love and enjoy this Honda "trait" since it's not a defect until my dealer attempts to repair it.

Maybe there should be another category that identifes "issues" the dealer won't or can't fix. I'm sure future Honda buyers would like to know this as well.

oh gee....they don't seem to trust their techs to remove plastic panels and put them back carefully :) i took various trim pieces and placed them back with no ill effect :) i took the radio out, replaced the parcel shelf, all that and no new rattles. Well, except the radio mounts needed to be lubed after that because of the chirping sound they started making. Fixed that with no disasembly at all.
I replaced an inner door handle and the steering column trim and proabably few other things that I can't recall...no new rattles.

The sad part is that porbably 9 out of 10 of my DYI items didn't fix anything at all. However I did managed to nail a couple of nasty ones.

All the trouble and not a ding in the Accord rating, cause I am not supposed to submit these. If we started collectig the DIY jobs for issues like this Accord would sink down in the list for sure.

[mkaresh]

The sad part is that porbably 9 out of 10 of my DYI items didn't fix anything at all. However I did managed to nail a couple of nasty ones.

All the trouble and not a ding in the Accord rating, cause I am not supposed to submit these. If we started collectig the DIY jobs for issues like this Accord would sink down in the list for sure.

Actually, DIY jobs are supposed to be reported. One of the questions on the survey asks who performed the repair, and one of the options is "self."

The current analysis would only include those that successfully fixed something. I doubt there'd actually be enough to have a major impact on the result.

If anyone needs to make corrections/additions, please send me an email by replying to any email you've gotten from me or clicking on the "contact us" link at the bottom of every page of the site.

[mkaresh]

Maybe there should be another category that identifes "issues" the dealer won't or can't fix. I'm sure future Honda buyers would like to know this as well.

I do collect this data, I just don't use it in the current analysis. I agree that it would be helpful to provide some measure of hard to solve problems and/or dealer competence, but that will require a larger sample size, maybe even a much larger sample size, than the current analysis, because all dealers aren't the same.

[Yury]

Actually, DIY jobs are supposed to be reported. One of the questions on the survey asks who performed the repair, and one of the options is "self."

The current analysis would only include those that successfully fixed something. I doubt there'd actually be enough to have a major impact on the result.

If anyone needs to make corrections/additions, please send me an email by replying to any email you've gotten from me or clicking on the "contact us" link at the bottom of every page of the site.

Hm...ok. The problem with that is in my case most of these don't fix anything. But point taken, I will track the succesfull ones from now on.

As to whether it would affect the result...I seem to recall in some cars (can't remember G35 or maybe a 3 series BMW) where you commented that detached trim is a common problem...But if the dealer wasn't fixing those people would eventually learn with it maybe not bother? In Accords case, i can think of several people on this forum who bailed our their accords and rattling was at least a major contributon. Ask stevencrosbie :)

[mkaresh]

I'd like to get previous successfull DIYs recorded if they occurred after you started participating. The unsuccessful ones are not really necessary.

I have a separate problem category for rattles, in case I want to perform the analysis without them. They are the problem type that concerns me most, for many reasons.

The challenge to manufacturers is that, as they make car interiors quieter, rattles become more evident and annoying.

[Yury]

I'd like to get previous successfull DIYs recorded if they occurred after you started participating. The unsuccessful ones are not really necessary.

I have a separate problem category for rattles, in case I want to perform the analysis without them. They are the problem type that concerns me most, for many reasons.

The challenge to manufacturers is that, as they make car interiors quieter, rattles become more evident and annoying.

ok, I am reporting these now. The mileage/date will be my best guess though.

Should I report a DIY fix for a problem reported earlier that the dealer failed to fix?

PS Gen 7 Accords are not that quiet :)

[mkaresh]

Best guess will be fine on the mileage/date.

I would like you to email me, just so I can check for loose ends.

The successful DIY follow-up to an unsuccessful dealer repair should certainly be reported, so that the dealer repair gets "closed out" and doesn't keep showing up as an "open issue."

[Yury]

Best guess will be fine on the mileage/date.

I would like you to email me, just so I can check for loose ends.

The successful DIY follow-up to an unsuccessful dealer repair should certainly be reported, so that the dealer repair gets "closed out" and doesn't keep showing up as an "open issue."

done.

[mkaresh]

Total number of Accords signed up now 899.

Who'll be #900?

Vehicle reliability research (http://www.truedelta.com/reliability.php)

[kopimon]

I signed up just now

[mkaresh]

Seems we have our answer!

Thanks, I appreciate it. Time to thank this forum on my homepage.

Really looking forward to #1,000...

[kopimon]

Seems we have our answer!

Thanks, I appreciate it. Time to thank this forum on my homepage.

Really looking forward to #1,000...

NP, I look forward to checking out previous results when I get home later tonight. I have a possible repair coming up tomorrow that I can report in the survey next month.

[xxDaJackalxx]

Just signed up! Entered all fuel economy numbers to date, but didn't see where to do reliability and odo.

3400 and no repairs, hums like it should.

[mkaresh]

I send out a monthly email with a link directly to the reliability survey.

I'll probably next add new vehicles when a follow-up goes out in two weeks.

[mkaresh]

Those emails went out, and 95 owners of the 2008 Accord responded. Great participation, thanks guys.

Of course, with sample sizes more is always better. And I'm really looking forward to having the 1000th Accord in the panel--probably in the next two months.

To help:

Vehicle reliability research (http://www.truedelta.com/reliability.php)

[ksills]

Just registered Mine

[mkaresh]

Thanks, I appreciate it.

That result has been posted, and the new Accord continues to have a low repair rate: about 34 successful repair trips per 100 cars per year. This is especially good for a design in its first year.

On a side note, 972 Accord owners have signed up so far, including 159 2008s. Yeah, you guys are awesome. Even more awesome: becoming the first model with 1,000 owners signed up. Soon?

The full set of results:

TrueDelta Vehicle Reliability Survey results (http://www.truedelta.com/latest_results.php)

[Coolcrush]

Just signed up

[mkaresh]

Just wanted to thank everyone here who has been participating - this morning the Accord became the first model with 1,000 cars signed up.

The next closest model, the BMW 3-Series, is at 784. And the Camry? 570. As in not close.

The more we have, the better the information we can provide.

Vehicle reliability research (http://www.truedelta.com/reliability.php)

[mkaresh]

Next update coming in a couple of weeks.

As always, the more the merrier...or at least the better informed. We're going to start performing additional analyses for models with large sample sizes, and the 2008 Accord certainly qualifies.

Vehicle reliability research (http://www.truedelta.com/reliability.php)

[Honda Funatic]

Just signed up all 3 of my Hondas !!

[robsarj]

I'm In!

[hondaracer4vtec]

I Just signed up all 4 of my accords