Car Model Guide/ Honda/ Accord/ CU/ 2.2 i-DTEC
Honda·Accord·CU sedan

2.2 i-DTEC N22B

Honda's own 2.2 diesel, refined and quick and carrying the one serious fault in the range. Pistons can crack on cars used for short journeys, where repeated incomplete filter regenerations dilute the oil, so how the car was driven matters more than the odometer.

Overview

The 2.2 i-DTEC is the N22B diesel version of the Honda Accord sedan (CU), sold 2008–2015 with 150 PS and manual or automatic. High risk at level 4. Pistons can crack on cars used for short journeys, where repeated incomplete filter regenerations dilute the oil, and the repair is an engine job. 4 failure modes are recorded against its engine, gearbox, chassis and shared components, one of which is a walk-away item without documented proof. Prices on this page are illustrative placeholders rather than a sourced market sample. See the methodology for how the bands are derived.

Honda Accord sedan (CU)

Honda Accord sedan (CU) · photo Honda Accord 2.2 i-DTEC Lifestyle (VIII, Facelift) – Frontansicht, 11. Februar 2013, Düsseldorf by M 93 · CC BY-SA 3.0 de · Wikimedia Commons

Power150 PS
Torque350 Nm
Years2008–2015
Fueldiesel
DriveFWD
EnginesN22B
Biggest risks

Ranked by probability × repair cost. 4 recorded in total.

33High risk
  1. Piston cracking from fuel dilution€2,500–€5,000partly checkablewalk away
  2. DPF clogging and forced regeneration€250–€1,800partly checkable
  3. EGR cooler leak€400–€1,000partly checkable

Risk level −33 · Walk-away failures −12 · Likely spend vs price −22 · all issues →

System by system9 systems reviewed · 6 with no recurring fault reported
Engine⚠ attentionPiston cracking from fuel dilution, €2,500–€5,000. Walk away without proof.
Fuel system✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.
Intake & air✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.
Cooling✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.
Emissions⚠ attentionDPF clogging and forced regeneration, €250–€1,800.+1 more in this system
Transmission✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.
Electrics✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.
Suspension & brakeswatchElectric power steering fault, €400–€900.
Body & interior✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

Known issues, ranked by expected cost

Faults recorded against this engine, its components and its chassis, ranked by likelihood × repair cost. Costs are indicative ranges with a stated labour basis.

Piston cracking from fuel dilutionN22B 2.2 i-DTEC€2,500–€5,000
Rising oil level with a diesel smell, rough running, and at worst a knock and loss of compression. Repeated incomplete particulate-filter regenerations wash unburnt fuel past the rings and dilute the oil. On short-trip cars this eventually damages a piston. Cars used for longer journeys largely escape it, so how the car was driven matters more than the mileage.
Check: Check the oil level and smell it for diesel, ask directly what journeys the car did, and read the service record for short intervals or repeated top-ups.
EngineoccasionalPartly detectablewalk away without proofevidence: documented100–200k km
DPF clogging and forced regenerationDPF€250–€1,800
Warning light, limp mode, oil level rising above the maximum mark from fuel dilution. The filter needs sustained hot running to regenerate. A car used for short urban trips never completes a regeneration cycle.
Check: Read the DPF soot load and the distance since the last regeneration on a scan tool, and check the engine oil level and smell it for diesel. Ask what the car was used for. A short-trip city diesel is the wrong car regardless of mileage.
EmissionscommonPartly detectableevidence: documented120–250k km
EGR cooler leakEGR cooler€400–€1,000
Coolant loss with no visible external leak, white smoke, sweet smell. The EGR cooler cracks internally and leaks coolant into the intake. BMW recalled affected diesels over a fire risk from glycol deposits igniting.
Check: Check coolant level and look for unexplained top-ups in the service history. Verify the recall was carried out. It's free and searchable by VIN.
EmissionsoccasionalPartly detectableevidence: manufacturer120–250k km
Electric power steering faultAccord platform€400–€900
A steering warning light, heavier or inconsistent assistance, and in some cases an intermittent fault that clears on a restart. The electric assistance motor and its control unit can fail. Causes vary between the motor, the torque sensor and the wiring, so a scan is worth more than a guess.
Check: Watch for a steering warning at start-up, turn lock to lock while stationary feeling for uneven assistance, and scan for steering fault codes.
SuspensionoccasionalDetectable at viewingevidence: documented120–220k km

Ranked by probability × repair cost, not by how loudly a failure is discussed. Inherited from the engine, gearbox, chassis and shared components, each written once.

Pre-purchase inspection

The same issue records, reordered into the sequence you can actually check them in: cold start, static, drive, paperwork.

4 checks · saved in this browser ·

1Cold startYou get one. If the engine is warm when you arrive, come back another day.

2PaperworkOn these cars the folder is most of the value.

3OBD scanMandatory. A seller who refuses a scan has answered the question.

Mileage and servicing

What the odometer does and doesn't tell you here, plus the service items whose neglect causes the expensive failures above.

Journey type is the purchase. A motorway car with a full history is a different proposition from a town car with the same odometer reading.

Service itemIntervalCost
Oil level and condition
Fuel dilution from failed regenerations is the warning sign
check before you buyfree
DPF regeneration
Short-trip use is what causes the damage here
regular longer runs€500–1,300 if blocked
Engine oil
The single most important item on this engine
on time, correct spec€90–140

What to pay

What this engine sells for, against the median of every engine in the chassis. All figures are illustrative placeholders. See the basis chips.

Enter an asking price to get a verdict against this variant's band: cheap, fair, good buy or overpriced.

United States vs Europe

1 EUR = 1.08 USD ·
🇪🇺 Europe · EUR€2,600band €1,850–€5,450
🇺🇸 United StatesNot sold2.2 i-DTEC N22B was never a US-market car
What that meansNo US band exists to compare. Any car you find there's a private import, parts and specialist knowledge are thinner, and the price says more about import cost than about the market.

US figures are the EU band converted at a stated rate. No US market differential is modelled: we hold no sourced US asking prices, and inventing one would be worse than saying so. What the comparison does show for real is availability. Most of this range was never sold in the US.

  • ModelHonda Accord 2.2 i-DTEC
  • ChassisCU
  • EngineN22B
  • Years2008–2015
  • MarketCentral EU
  • Windowrolling 12 months to 2026-07
€2k€4kCU median, all 3 engines €3,450Pre-faceliftPre-facelift: low €1,850, good buy €2,600, average €3,300, high €5,450€3,300€1,850€5,450€2,600
Good buy at or under the marker · Median asking price · bar spans the 10th to 90th percentile · dashed line is the cu median, all 3 engines

Good buy isn't the same as cheapest. Any car without documentation for piston cracking from fuel dilution should be priced as if the repair is still owed. Full breakdown by facelift phase →

Buyer notes

Our judgement, kept separate from the records it's built on.

Our read, not a record
The 2.2 i-DTEC is a genuinely good diesel to drive, quiet and strong and better than most European rivals of its day. It carries the one serious fault in the Accord range. On cars used for short trips, incomplete particulate-filter regenerations dilute the engine oil with fuel, and the consequence at its worst is a cracked piston and an engine repair. So ask what journeys it did and read the oil-change record carefully. A long-distance car with evidence is fine; a town car without is the gamble.

Everything above this line comes from the issue and specification records. This paragraph is our judgement on top of them. See how we reach it.

Full specification

Manufacturer figures for this engine and body, as recorded in the variant and engine data.

Engine codeN22B 2.2 i-DTEC
ConfigurationI4, turbocharged · 2199 cc
Fuel / injectiondiesel · common rail
Model years2008–2015
Facelift phasePre-facelift only, to -1
Power / torque150 PS · 350 Nm
Transmissions6-speed manual · 5-speed automatic
Gearbox families
DrivetrainFWD
Economy (real-world)5–6.5 l/100 km mixed
MarketsEU