Honda Car Forum

Hi, just purchased 2008 accord sedan 4 cyl. auto. I notice that the lights dim dramatically for a split second when the ac kicks in and then go back to full power. This is extremely annoying and cannot be good for the electrical system (in my opinion). Of course, the dealer indicates that honda corp says this is normal. I am tempted to ask to sit in another '08 4 cly to see if it does the same thing. After all, if this is normal then they should all do it, right? Any opinions? Any one else seeing this dimming thing?

Thanks for any replies.

-JK

I also have a 2008 honda accord that was bought in november. My car headlights dim every 20-30 seconds if the fan(AC or heater) is on. They have told me this is normal also. It does it at idle and while driving. If I drive to Florida 500 miles, they will blink 2000 times on the trip alone. I am trying to return the car.

My 2008 Accord EX-L's headlights flicker too. It's most annoying and abnormal to me, although it's "normal" per Honda when looking up feedback on this topic on the Internet. It's most noticeable on the expressway when you're behind someone in the left lane and the lights flicker on the car in front of you and my fear is that they may get the impression that you are flashing your lights at them to move over.

If you turn your A/C on it should do it continuously like clock work. Try it at idle and it will do it and you can time it. Its much more often then you thank. My wife drives our car, and I too am afraid someone will think that she is flashing them. I have contacted Congressman Duncan in Tennessee and Attorney General as this is a safety issue. This is distracting to you and others around you. Your tail and brake lights are also diming or blinking. Keep in contact I am going to fight this.

Thanks for all the replies. Yeah, I am extremely frustrated with this and also fear that people think that I am flashing my lights at them. Much cheaper cars do not do this.

It is winter here so I dont use the ac all that much. Once summer comes around and more of these accords are on the road this is going to escalate and Honda is going to have to find a solution (at least that is what I am hoping will happen).

I like the idea of trying to return the car. I did once pester Ford enough about a first year Escape to the point where they gave me a brand new car after 7,000 miles. To be honest though, I just dont have that much fight in me anymore unless this behavior were unique to my car. I think I have been beaten down by the fact that everything you buy nowadays has some defect. Nobody is interested in quality anymore.

One last point - where are all the people that test drove this car for the magazines and newspapers? Didn't they notice this? Shows you that reading reviews before purchasing is pointless.

Let us know how it goes with your Congressman. Very interested.

I'd strongly urge everyone experiencing this problem to call Honda NA and complain.

Customer Relations - the Official Honda Web Site

My folks bought a 2008 Accord EX-L and they have the same problem described here. It's very annoying, especially after shelling out $31K for it. They had a 2007 as well that didn't have the problem, so I think it's obvious that the ELD is not doing it's job on the 2008.

Also, please file a complaint at the NHTSA website -> IVOQ - File a Complaint

I did a follow up with American Honda on my lights flickering. They stated this is normal for the car and my case is closed. I would love to see a class action law suit, this is what its going to take. In tennessee, Kahn and associates law firm handles the lemon law(manufacture defects) out of Nashville,TN free of charge.

What's frustrating about this is it's probably a 5 minute reprogram of the ECU to correct it. Of course, there's development, testing, validation, the cost of rolling out a tech service bulletin to the dealers, and then the logistics of getting the cars in to reprogram them. But still, if you can engineer an otherwise fine automobile, probably top of it's class, you should be able to compensate for a slight voltage drop when a fan cycles on and fix the darn thing.

I bought a 2008 Accord (Sedan) approximately four weeks ago. We noticed the same dimming of healights (when running AC). I took the car into the Dealership this weekend and they indicated they could not replicate the dimming. At no time did they indicate they knew of previous complaints. I am quite disappointed to learn this is a known problem among new Hondas. I am calling the Dealership tomorrow (they still have my car). Question: Has anyone been offered a resolution to this problem?