2009 Honda Accord Engine Problems

The engine is burning oil, about 2 quarts a month. The oil level consistently runs low when checked and I have to top it off with 1 qt every 2 weeks. There is no leaking under the car so the mechanic said the engine is burning the oil and I would need to replace the whole engine!. The cost of replacing the engine is more than the car is worth. I just bought it a year ago and thought Hondas were more reliable than this. The mechanic said Honda had some issues with the "rings" and tp check this website for a recall. I do not see a recall but if many other similar cars have the same problem there should be a recall that Honda should fix.

The contact owns a 2009 Honda Accord. The contact stated that the engine was previously rebuilt. The contact stated that the engine was misfiring while driving and coming into a stop. The check engine warning light and an unknown warning light were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the spark plugs were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where cylinder #1 spark plug was replaced. Additionally, the dealer informed the contact that the engine might need to be rebuilt to completely correct the failure. The vehicle was temporarily repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Action Number: RQ24013 (Engine). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 173,643.

Burns oil due to bad piston rings. They are notorious for it and everyone that has a 8th generation Honda Accord (2008-2012) knows this is one of the biggest problems with the vehicle.

The bolt that secures the Serpentine Belt tensioner broke off at the engine block. This disables the power steering and the alternator. This is the third time this has happened. Fortunately for me it has happened when I could stop the car without wrecking it. Without power steering it is all most impossible to steer. I have learned that this is a problem with several Honda models. The tensioner is hydraulic and is secured with one bolt. Honda has issued service bulletins about the problem, but they still break. If mine had gone out at road speed or in traffic I may have been seriously hurt or killed. Some other Honda models come with a spring tensioner, and apparently work OK. I have found a lot of information about this problem on Honda forums. Arlington Car Care, in Upper Arlington, Ohio has been great to me in researching the problem and fixing mine 3 times at their expense. I feel Honda should recall cars with this tensioner and replace it with a spring tensioner that is safe. I wonder if the hydraulic unit is affected by cold weather, making the tension too strong and overpowering the single bolt. The shop has been able to get the broken bolt out of the block so far but it has been problem getting it out. Honda recommends bleeding the tensioner 3 times at installation and oiling the bolt and using a washer between the tensioner and the block. In my opinion tensioner was under designed and needs a fix.

I took my Honda in regarding a rattling noise coming from the engine while driving. It has become more noticeable in the cold and during acceleration. After taking it to the dealer I was told the engine is burning oil. Keep in mind my 2009 Honda Accord has 42k miles on it and is regularly maintained. I was told there is a large amount of carbon build up and it would require a number of this needing repair. Piston Rings, Actuator, Timing Chain, gaskets, seals and the list goes on. The alternative was bring the car in every 3k miles for oil changes because of this issue and monitor the oil consumption. Baffled by how this is possible with carbon build up and using premium fuel. Now I come home and search the internet and find out Honda has an issue with the 2.4 liter Engines in 2009 Honda accords. Apparently a service bulletin was issued but I was never made aware of this issue. Clearly this is a manufacture defect and there should have been a recall. The technician heard the issue and explained the engine would require this major repair or I would be forced to bring the car in for oil changes every 3k miles. The alternative was $6k in repairs total, $2k in parts to replace what they have identified as the issue. There was never any indication that the oil levels were low. And when the vehicle was brought in for oil changes they would note they would change the oil and top it off it was low but never checked why and what the underlying issue was for any lower oil levels. It's really disappointing when you follow all the maintenance protocols to find out they are hiding behind a bigger mechanical issue that can/will have escalating impact on the engine life of my vehicle.

The contact owns a 2009 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering inadvertently and the oil warning light, the tire warning light, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled. The contact was unable to veer to the side of the road and she was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the engine had thrown two pistons and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 94,000.

Component/System: Engine – piston ring failure; oil control issue related to VCM system. Available for inspection: Yes. My 2009 Honda Accord EX-L V6 (J35Z2 engine with VCM) has developed repeated misfires due to oil entering the combustion chamber, consistent with Honda TSB 13-078. It began around 96,000 miles with cylinder #3 fouling. At 121,000 miles, cylinder #2 also misfired. A Honda dealer confirmed the issue as piston ring failure, and oil loss was measured at ~1.5 quarts per 1,000 miles. The issue causes sudden power loss, rough running, and hesitation, especially during highway driving or acceleration. This creates a serious risk of rear-end collisions or inability to safely merge. The misfire occurs without warning; no warning lamps were active beforehand. Brandfon Honda confirmed the diagnosis in May 2025. Honda acknowledges the defect in TSBs and prior class action litigation (Soto v. Honda), but refuses to assist because my car is outside the 8-year extended warranty window—even though I was never notified of that warranty. I’ve maintained the car carefully and reported the issue to Honda through multiple channels. This is a known defect affecting many 2008–2012 Accords. It compromises driveability, increases oil consumption, and creates safety concerns due to unpredictable engine performance. I’m submitting this to ensure it is recorded as part of a broader pattern that may warrant further investigation.

Continuing “ignition coils failure”, leading to lost acceleration, putting car in dangerous situations, stalling, back firing. Coil failure high, expensive.

MY NAME IS [XXX]. BETWEEN MY MOTHER AND I WE OWN 4 HONDA VEHICLES. 2 ACCORDS AND 2 CIVICS. THE TWO ACCORDS ARE MODEL YEARS 2009 AND 2016. 2009 HONDA ACCORD LX-S 242K MILES 2016 HONDA ACCORD SPORT 47K MILES I HAVE NOTICED BOTH OF THESE CARS TO HAVE A ISSUE WITH OIL AT STARTUP. THE 2009 MAKES MORE NOISE THAN THE 2016. IT SEEMS TO BE AN ISSUE WITH THE VCT ACTUATOR ON THE CAR. THIS IS JUST AN ISSUE AT STATIONARY STARTUP. WHEN THE CAR IS IN MOTION THERE IS NO ISSUES. I DID A QUICK GOOGLE SEARCH TO SEE AND I PULLED PAGES AND PAGES OF INFO ABOUT PEOPLE HAVING THIS SAME ISSUE. IT EVEN SHOWS THAT HONDA IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AND THEY SENT OUT SERVICE BULLETINS REGARDING THIS BUT AS TO WHY THE OWNERS ARE STILL HAVING TO PAY FOR THIS IS NOT RIGHT. THIS IS A VIDEO OF THE ISSUE: HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=8GMJAS9CUWG THIS IS OBVIOUSLY NOT A ONE TIME DEAL WITH THIS ISSUE ON THE ACCORDS. MY CIVICS DO NOT HAVE ANY NOISE AT START UP, THEY ARE 2009 AND 2014 YEAR MODELS. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

LOUD ENGINE RATTLING NOISE WITH COLD START UP. HAPPENS EVERY TIME NOW

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2009 HONDA ACCORD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE VEHICLE SHUDDERED WITH THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS AN ENGINE MISFIRE. ADDITIONALLY, THE PISTON RINGS AND THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATELY FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.

CAR HAS BEEN WITH MECHANICS FOR DAY 3 NOW THEY THOUGHT THE PROBLEM WAS AT 1ST TIMING BELT WENT TO REPLACED IT FOUND OUT IT WAS NOT THAT ISSUE THOUGHT IT WAS A SENSOR WAS NOT THAT AS WELL NOW TOLD BY HONDA THAT IT IS CAMSHAFT, I'VE ALWAYS MAINTAINED MY VEHICLES AND OIL CHANGES ONLY A 150000 MILES ON MY VEHICLE. THIS IS EXTREMELY STRESSFUL I JUST BOUGHT THE CAR FROM DEAN HONDA IN 2017

OIL IS ENTERING COMBUSTION CHAMBER CAUSE BLUE SMOKE TO COME OUT OF EXHAUST AT TIMES. SEEING OIL CONSUMPTION UNDER 1000 MILES OF TRAVEL AT LEAST 1QT OF OIL CONSUMPTION.

MY CAR HAS A HIGH OIL CONSUMPTION PROBLEM, WHICH IS CAUSING RATTLING SOUND TO COME FROM THE ENGINE. I'M AFRAID THAT MY ENGINE MIGHT CATCH FILE BECAUSE OF EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION. IT LOOKS LIKE THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM, AND THERE HAS BEEN A RECALL AS WELL. I'VE BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM TO THE HONDA DEALER FROM PAST TWO YEARS, BUT THEY NEVER TOLD ME ABOUT THE RECALL AND WERE ASKING ME MONEY IN THE RANGE OF $3000-$4000 TO FIX IT. NOW WHEN I KNOW THAT IT WAS PART OF THE RECALL, THEY ARE SAYING THAT THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND I'VE TO PAY EVERYTHING FROM MY POCKET. HTTPS://STATIC.NHTSA.GOV/ODI/TSBS/2016/SB-10083874-2280.PDF I FEEL THE HONDA DEALERS ARE CHEATING THEIR CUSTOMERS, NOT INFORMING THEM ABOUT THE POTENTIAL ISSUES, AND TRYING TO GOUGE THEM THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR FIXING THEIR CARS. WE, AS A CONSUMER, DO NOT KNOW MUCH ABOUT THE VEHICLE INTERNAL WORKINGS, SO HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO AGREE TO WHATEVER THEY ASK TO CHARGE.

THE VEHICLE STATIONARY WHEN STARTING MAKES LOUD NOISE CAUSED BY THE VTC ACTUATOR IS THE DEFAULTED PART WHICH CAN CAUSE THE ENGINE TO MALFUNCTION.

ENGINE OIL CONSUMPTION IS MORE AND CAUSING BURNING OF ENGINE OIL VERY FREQUENTLY. THIS IS CAUSING RATTLING NOISE WHEN ACCELARATING AND WOULD CAUSE MORE DAMAGE TO ENGINE AND CAN BE HAZARDOUS IF DRIVING ON HIGHWAY.

VTC ACTUATOR IS BAD AND REQUIRES REPLACING ALONG WITH PISTON RINGS, ACCORDING TO THE DEALER. THE COST IS $2400.00. WHILE I KNOW THERE WILL BE THINGS THAT HAPPEN TO AGING VEHICLES, THIS IS AN ISSUE FOR A VERY LARGE NUMBER OF 2008-2013 HONDAS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HONDA ACCORD. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE MISFIRED AND THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO INVER GROVE HONDA (4605 S ROBERT TRAIL, INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, MN 55077, (651) 306-8600) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THERE WAS AN OIL FOULED SPARK PLUG FAILURE AND THE SPARK PLUGS NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER, BUT THE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE AND NO FAILURE CODE WAS FOUND. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 56,232.

The contact owns a 2009 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, noticed the vehicle loosing motive power. The contact stated the check engine and ABS warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, however, it was no diagnosed since the contact refused to pay for it. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, however no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 146,000.

OIL CONSUMPTION IN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT.