2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6: Rattling Deck Panel

06 Civic SI with a similarly designed rear deck - It's a constant loud buzzing if I have my rear seats down, with them up, it's an occasional but frequent noise.

I've heard some owners report a fix involving shoving an old sock into some empty space to help damp things from moving around.... :)

Joe

Thought Hondas were perfect...I guess they are if you have some old socks laying around!

No, they definitely aren't perfect. But they have a long track record of making people happy, and that goes a long way.

Old socks, duct tape, and caulk will continue to be recipes for fixing 90% of lifes problems :)

Joe

"Old socks, duct tape, and caulk"

Isn't that what they make the Smart out of?

i would use new socks, is the smell really worth saving an extra $5?

Ive noticed in the past few years that consumers of newer vehicles are compaling of rattles more than older cars. Im not sure if its a build quality issue or the fact that a lot of maunfacturers use more "earth friendly" materials. Either was a new car shouldnt rattle Honda or otherwise.

"Ive noticed in the past few years that consumers of newer vehicles are compaling of rattles more than older cars"

Or, maybe consumers just expect a lot more nowadays?

According to Toyota4life's criteria this car now qualifies as a complete piece of crap. Oh wait it isn't made by an American company so therefore the problems don't matter.

HA4, one theory I heard is that as manufacturers get better at reducing road, wind, and engine noise, the small little noises that were probably always there are now a lot more noticeable. Makes sense to me.

"Ive noticed in the past few years that consumers of newer vehicles are compaling of rattles more than older cars."

I read one theory that said that the cars are now so much quieter overall that you can hear every little rattle. What you need is some good road noise to drowned out the sound :)

Ya. you should keep your windows open and get dual 12" subs back there.

Don't drive like you have a Lexus.

No such rattle in mine (i4 EX) though the wind/road noise is still a bit excessive.

That should make the Saturn guys happy.

while the accord may have a rattle this or any other issue isnt going to take away from it's overall appeal to the staffers. We all know problems are reported for all cars here. Its just that only the domestic vehicles lose their luster after experiencing problems.

I just noticed, too, that the back decklid is cheap plastic instead of the cheap-but-slightly-nicer "fuzz" most carmakers put back there. This generation Accord seems to have had a few more corners cut than the last one- things like cloth inserts on the door panels in lower trims, hard plastics, etc. Doesn't make it a bad car, just a disappointment.

The rattle is caused by the subwoofer.In my Accord I have the sub set to 0.

I've learned my lesson from having the bass up to high in my cl-s, which use to rattle also.

"No such rattle in mine (i4 EX) though the wind/road noise is still a bit excessive".

Do you have an ex-l or just an ex. That will explain the problem because the ex doesn't have subs.

It's just the ex lilaj. The more I read about the ex-l, the luckier I feel for getting the ex (crap seats, this noise, cost, etc).

My mom got a 2008 Accord LX in mid-August, and we haven't noticed any rattles inside the car. Luckily, because we wanted leather, the dealer included it in the purchase, and we got better leather than what comes in the EX-L/EX-L V6. (:

Tim.

"According to Toyota4life's criteria this car now qualifies as a complete piece of crap. Oh wait it isn't made by an American company so therefore the problems don't matter."

The gloves, as they say, are now off.

Most every car will develop some rattles every now and then. It pays to maintain your composure, tune your ears and have a healthy stock of Window Insulation foam and denser sticky-back door sealing foam to remedy such issues.

That plastic rear decklid looks like the same stuff GM puts in the Malibu now. The Aura got (gets still, I hope) the fabric-on-cardboard sorta stuff that has been on car decklids for ages. I at first thought it was cheap too, but now that I see just how much easier it is to clean (bugs'n'crap like to get all wound up in the mouse-fur like stuff), I don't mind it at all.

That, and plastic or not, the 'bu has a manual rear sunshade that the Aura doesn't. ;D

I do think the fabric lining looks a little better than all plastic behind the rear seats. I wasnt aware the Malibu had plastic there.

It seems a bit unfair to bash the Accord for a rattle in the sub alone whereas the (starting at) $34,000 Cadillac rattles or squeaks in at least 7 different places.
http://blogs.edmunds.com/roadtests/2008/08/2008-cadillac-cts-v6-di-noisy.html

???
So that logic means starting price:
Accord $21,425, x rattles/squeaks to bash.
CTS $34,420, 7 rattles/squeaks to bash.

x = 7 x (21,425 / 34,420) = 4.3572.

So one must point out 4 rattles/squeaks to bash the Accord.

hmmmmm......

Wait I have that switched around... a cheaper car should have a higher tolerance...
That's 7 x 34 / 21 = 11 rattles/squeaks to bash.

11! So then this Accord is a very solidly build car!

My wife's '07 Accord has more rattles and squeaks than my '00 Crown Vic.

The Accord's rear window regulator mechanism is the noisiest I have ever heard in any auto.

The driver's seat has an intermittent internal squeak, but only when I'm driving. I'm about forty pounds heavier than my wife. )In truth, I heard the squeak twice while driving the car all over the South East US.)

There is an intermittent rattle from somewhere in the rear. Thanks for the hint in this thread. I'll check it out.

Nevertheless, the perfect steering wheel, perfect steering and tracking, perfect automatic tranny, superb headlights and wipers, fine visibility and
dealer service all add up to a superior car-owning experience. I'd buy one for myself in a heartbeat. I still really respect my old Crown Vic, but that's a story for another time.

Congratulations, you have found 3 squeak/rattles!
You have 8 more squeak/rattles to point to completely trash the car!
I think you might be in the lead.

"It seems a bit unfair to bash the Accord for a rattle in the sub alone whereas the (starting at) $34,000 Cadillac rattles or squeaks in at least 7 different places. "

How many rattles have been mentioned on the Aura or other vehicles in the Accord's price range? Rattles are annoying regardless of price point.

had same problems on 2008 EX- rear deck plastic rattles were only stopped by shims between the rear deck and the rear window. also had a rattle from the seat belt attachment point at passenger's door and now that have my car to replace the metal stuff below the rear deck as a click click/knock occurs on turns and at start or stop.

they now had to keep it overnight to fix this

except for these annoying rattles etc love the car!!!

I have the same problems (2) on 2008 honda EX. I hear a rattle anytime the car is moving gets worse on rough pavement. In addition there is sometimes a loud click/metal like sound when I turn (right/left). This has been going on for a few months and is driving me crazy. I know it's coming from the back area of the car but not sure what it is and how to fix it. One of my problems sound like J to the K posted Sep-10 and my other problem sounds like melgottlieb posted on October-29. Can you help me out did you have this problems fixed and what was is?

2008 Accord EX door panel rattle. I have a new driver door panel rattle that can be heard frequently when light vibration occurs. I took the car to a Honda dealer in Frisco, Texas they said rattles are normal. This is not my 1st Accord and definitely not my first car! I have been driving for over 20 years and I know what is normal. I believe since my 2008 Accord is a new desing there are some flaws. Don't get me wrong this car is powerful and reliable, but there are many rattles coming from many areas of the vehicle. No I am not a Chevy or Ford fan, I would actually never buy an American car, but all these rattles in my 2008 Accord EX are driving me nuts and different Honda dealers in the Dallas Metroplex have not been able to help me. Thanks for reading my comments. I will keep you posted of any additional rattles, Sincerely The Snack-crackle&pop 2008 Honda Accord.

I have this exact problem in my 2008 EX-L 4cyl. At 10,000 miles the car was taken to the dealer where they tightened something (now I wish that I would have watched them). To my annoyance, the sound returned at 15,000 miles and is again annoying. However, in reflection - the reason I haven't gone back to have it fixed is because I have 20,000 miles on the car and haven't even needed my 3rd oil change. I wish it wasn't happening, but overall the car is great and this issue represents my only complaint.

I live in Canada and have the 4 cylinder with leather interior and the same stereo (with subwoofer) as the the 6 cylinder model. I too have been plagued by intermittent but frequent rattles which started a few months after I bought the car. The rattles usually only occur on bumpy pavement. My rattles, however, are primarily in the dashboard. The loudest is from the glovebox. If you press the glovebox door forward the rattles stop. There is also a buzz, almost like a small loose screw, that can be heard on the far left and right side of the dash. On the left side there is an cavity immediately adjacent to the VSA button. If I put my fingers in and pull down, the buzz stops. No luck getting any of these fixed because the one time I scheduled an appointment with the dealer they magically went away. Anyone else have these problems? Anyone got a solution?

In addition to the rattles in different areas in my 2008 Honda Accord EX I now have a constant rattle on the drivers side window and also I have difficulty opening the drivers side door both from inside and outside (it gets stuck). The Honda dealer has not been succesful in finding out what most of these rattles and problems are. I was told by them today that the rattles are normal!!!

Yes normal for a KIA SPECTRA!

By the way I also have minor rattles in the radio control panel. Consider this when shopping for a new Honda Accord Shoppers!

2008 Honda Accord driver side Door Handle is difficult to open both from inside and outside!

I found very useful information for the 2008 Honda Accord Sticky Door Handle in driveaccord.net

http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/showthread.php?t=20214&highlight=door+handle+problem

There is a service bulletin (TSB)already x this problem:

Date of Bulletin: June 27, 2008
NHTSA #10025483
Service Bulletin #08-047
Summary: Driver's door intermittently won't open on Accord L4 and V6.

http://www.allworldauto.com/tsbs/NHTSA_2008_honda_accord_technical_service_bulletin_268189.html

I have an 08 Accord V6 with leather. For the last few weeks my drivers door has had a little rattle in it and the rear deck is driving me crazy with noise. It sounds like a screw may be loose and I only hear it on bumpy roads. I thought it was my sub but I hear the noise when my radio is off. My friend pressed down on one of the speakers one night and the noise stopped but I still cant find the problem. I paid around $30,000 for the car, if I wanted rattling I would have purchased an American car!

ATTENTION!!!
Had the same problem with the rear deck rattle. Was driving me crazy!
Took it to my dealer. They fixed it in 5 minutes. Turns out it was a service bulletin.

Simply open the trunk, remove the trunk light. There is a clip in there for the deck. Take a 1/4in thick x 1 inch long piece of window stripping and put it between the clip and the steel. This pulls the deck down enough so that it doesn't vibrate against the window.

Easy!

Ahhhh, nice quite accord again.

Thanks! I have a 2009 Accord EX which I bought about 3 weeks ago. I have also noticed a rattling from the rear deck. It is a bit disappointing because this is a brand new car! I'll have the dealer fix it.

Hello Jason Kavanagh,
Really a good post. I have been experiencing this noice in my Accord 08 v4 (approx miles @ 17,000) since a long time. I have taken this problem to the dealer more than trice. They fix it this for you with no cost but then again after a week of repair i get this rattle again. Till date i have been dealing with this issue with my dealer. This problem is not just with my Accord but also with other Accords & Acura TL 09 which i know. I just spoke to American Honda and they told me that a case has been opened on this issue and a regional manager will be in touch with me. This is really annoying, And also for people who are complaining about the noice from front passenger door, this might be a noice from your glove box.(i spoke to a lady @ dealership , she had some loose contact in her honda glove box which she came to fix and this seems to be a common problem). Appart form this rattle noice i see everything to be perfect with the car. I definately recommand this car and rate it as one if the best in its class.
Hope this info is useful.
---Anil