Major Problems with Honda Element Derived from Complaints & Recalls

Learn about the common problems with a used Honda Element to avoid purchasing a bad year of the model.

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Best and Worst Years for Honda Element

Explore the chart showing how many complaints have been filed for each year of Honda Element.

Model Year	Complaints
2011 Element	10
2010 Element	21
2009 Element	20
2008 Element	76
2007 Element	90
2006 Element	102
2005 Element	136
2004 Element	253
2003 Element	391

Worst 3 Honda Element complaints

2003 Honda Element HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM Victims: 3

2010 Honda Element AIR BAGS Victims: 3 Mileage: 70 miles

2004 Honda Element SEAT BELTS Victims: 2 Mileage: 108000 miles

Browse Honda Element complaints by category

Problems with WINDSHIELD, AIR BAGS and ELECTRICAL SYSTEM are the most frequent issues recorded by the NHTSA from Honda Element owners.

Problem Category	Number of Problems
WINDSHIELD > VISIBILITY stress crack appeared on windshield directly opposite rear view mirror. crack begins above area of windshield exposed to outside air...	335 ~ 10950 miles
AIR BAGS tl* the contact owns a 2011 honda element. the contact received a notification for nhtsa campaign number: 14v351000 (air bags)....	236 ~ 54153 miles
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM when using my directionals the high beams flash on then off by themselves. progressively getting worse. unsafe for other vehicles	71 ~ 96383 miles
SEATS after the rear driver's side seat has been disconnected from the floor latch it will not reconnect so the seat...	55 ~ 65363 miles
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC i purchase a honda element 2010 from ray honda on strasbourg on april test drive it and the brake went...	46 ~ 32760 miles
SIDE/WINDOW > AIR BAGS july 28th 2006 @ about 3 pm. i was driving home on the freeway @ normal rate of speed (65...	39 ~ 60447 miles
UNKNOWN OR OTHER the driver side front window spontaneously exploded in on me while driving on the highway. there was no evidence that	30 ~ 55188 miles
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES i noticed that the side doors latch along the running board on the driver's side of my 2006 honda element...	27 ~ 73301 miles
SEAT BELTS i believe that the front passenger seat belt on my car is a safety hazard. this belt cinches so tightly...	26 ~ 63370 miles
ENGINE my husband and i have both independently experienced our honda element revving its engine and surging forward when we apply...	25 ~ 120028 miles
SERVICE BRAKES my husband and i have both independently experienced our honda element revving its engine and surging forward when we apply...	25 ~ 58206 miles
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL my husband and i have both independently experienced our honda element revving its engine and surging forward when we apply...	21 ~ 72382 miles
POWER TRAIN repeatedly since i have owned the vehicle the traction control and check engine icons will come on and the vehicle...	21 ~ 80195 miles
BODY > STRUCTURE i was driving my honda element 2009 on a hwy in sc. the car was in motion and i had...	19 ~ 67911 miles
FRONTAL > AIR BAGS driver ran into stopped car in front of him. speed was sufficient to flatten the car up to the front...	18 ~ 44182 miles
VISIBILITY sun visor will not stay up and is blocking visibility of the road ahead. after looking online i see that...	17 ~ 41607 miles
EXTERIOR LIGHTING when using my directionals the high beams flash on then off by themselves. progressively getting worse. unsafe for other vehicles	16 ~ 78994 miles
STEERING aluminum steering wheel 'hub support mounting bracket' has cracked and is broken in two places. this has happened over a...	14 ~ 72427 miles
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING air conditioning condenser - cut on air conditioning after winter would not cool. taken to local dealer bill gatton honda...	13 ~ 45332 miles
SUSPENSION there are two indicator lights for air pressure that come on and stay on without cause (pressure is normal) "tpms"...	12 ~ 35496 miles
STRUCTURE while standing next to our 2008 honda element which was parked beside our house under the carport the rear side...	11 ~ 18609 miles
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION > POWER TRAIN all the transmission fluid leaked out of vehicle. vehicle would not go into gear. vehicle only slid backwards until placed...	11 ~ 46166 miles
DOOR > BODY > STRUCTURE tl*the contact owns a 2007 honda element. the contact observed when the vehicle was parked the rear passenger door failed...	10 ~ 143930 miles
POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS > VISIBILITY for no reason at all the driver side window just fell to the bottom of the driver side door housing.	9 ~ 57040 miles
INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM tachometer indicator needle fell off. *tr...	9 ~ 66389 miles
EQUIPMENT i purchased a used honda certified 2008 honda element from honda dealership in december 2009. attempted to use air conditioner...	9 ~ 20275 miles
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL the car accelerates incorrectly making it unsafe to drive. no matter how much gas you give it the car will...	8 ~ 86918 miles
GLASS, SIDE/REAR > VISIBILITY the driver side front window spontaneously exploded in on me while driving on the highway. there was no evidence that	8 ~ 14110 miles
HORN > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM tl*the contact owns a 2005 honda element. while driving 55 mph the contact discovered that her horn was no longer...	8 ~ 26808 miles
TIRES complaint on a 2010 honda element wrangler stock tires this is a brand new car. at 11 000 miles the...	7 ~ 38435 miles
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR i am an owner of a 2008 honda element which recently came out with a media release from honda that...	7 ~ 19326 miles
WHEELS there are two indicator lights for air pressure that come on and stay on without cause (pressure is normal) "tpms"...	6 ~ 44141 miles
IGNITION > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM ignition switch seized locking all controls. *tr...	5 ~ 21400 miles
ENGINE > ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING car unexpectedly accelerated after pulling out of parking space. i was able to control the car with brake stop and	5 ~ 49160 miles
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 2006 honda element had a gas leak only after being five months old. honda said that they have not seen...	5 ~ 71495 miles
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM intermitant shuddering and loss of power under acceleration. trouble code p2646...	4 ~ 98818 miles
SIDEWALL > TIRES i purchase four yokohama ascend tires at town fair tire in salem nh on 07-10-12 . on 5/09/13 my tire...	4 ~ 22625 miles
REAR > SUSPENSION the bushing that holds the left rear axel to the frame of my 2005 honda element fell apart and dropped...	4 ~ 37869 miles
LATCH > DOORS > LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES tl* - the contact has a 2007 honda element with an odometer reading of 1 473 miles. the contact realized...	4 ~ 44433 miles
SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE > FRONTAL > AIR BAGS we purchased a new 2005 honda element ex 4wd and after driving it for only 200 miles the srs airbag...	4 ~ 27906 miles
SWITCH > IGNITION > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM tl* the contact owns a 2005 honda element. the contact stated that the key did not fit into the ignition...	3 ~ 52614 miles
VISIBILITY/WIPER the sun visor mount has loosened up over the last year or so. today i pulled down the sun visor...	3 ~ 41667 miles
FRONT > SUSPENSION 2004 honda element: (i have 2 and both have the following exact problems)1. airbags warning lights indicating problems 2. drivers...	3 ~ 72333 miles
CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM) > AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION > POWER TRAIN 2007 honda element. consumer states several problems with vehicle to include transmission failure *tgw the consumer stated the transmission first...	3 ~ 5000 miles
PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS > TIRES the tpms light on my 2008 honda element ex will not turn off. it has been this way since november...	3 ~ 3204 miles
FRONT > SEAT BELTS driver ran into stopped car in front of him. speed was sufficient to flatten the car up to the front...	3 ~ 1767 miles
BUMPERS > BODY > STRUCTURE on a resent trip to colder climates where there was still some snow on the ground while parking in a...	3 ~ 10071 miles
COLUMN > STEERING ltr fwd fm re 2005 honda element steering column defect reply to birmingham al ofc. *tgw the consumer stated she...	3 ~ 26667 miles
TREAD/BELT > TIRES tl* the contact owns a 2007 honda element equipped with kumho solus kr 21 tires size: p215/70r16 99t (na). the...	2 ~ 49250 miles
12V/24V/48V BATTERY > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM letter from senator schumer on behalf of constituent re takata airbags being replaced and battery drainage problem in honda element.	2 ~ 3735 miles
HEADLIGHTS > EXTERIOR LIGHTING tl* the contact owns a 2006 honda element. the contact stated that the low beam headlights failed while driving at...	2 ~ 60000 miles
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC bought 2008 honda element new in dec. 2009. at about 5000mi. (8mo.) brakes became increasingly mushy and pedal soft. eventually...	2 ~ 13500 miles
COOLING SYSTEM > ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING in march of 2007 we had a cold spell. i turned on the heat but it didn't work. i forgot...	2 ~ 44700 miles
RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC. > ELECTRICAL > EQUIPMENT poor radio performance on am stations only when car is moving. not static. sounds like loose wire to antenna. dealer	2 ~ 2825 miles
PARKING BRAKE on the morning of october 22 2005 i started my 2003 honda element which was parked in my driveway. i...	2 ~ 50000 miles
WIRING > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM have a 2005 honda element covered under the nhtsa campaign #05e035000. trailer hitch was installed by the dealer on a...	2 ~ 7001 miles
CRUISE CONTROL > VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL cruise control stopped working. *ak...	2 ~ 34000 miles
HEATER CORE > DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM > VISIBILITY heater core is defective. needs to be replaced @ $1100. did not notice trouble until weather turned cold so it...	2 ~ 40000 miles
TRANSFER CASE (4-WHEEL DRIVE) > POWER TRAIN four wheel drive does not engage when front wheels slip or spin. the left rear wheel turned one rotation on	2
FRAME AND MEMBERS > STRUCTURE leased this vehicle may 27 2003. rattles popping noises at windshield area. popping noise at driver's side pillar. had windshield...	2 ~ 1050 miles
HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM > STEERING traveling west on residential road at aprox. 15 mph. was struck in rear passenger panel by a 4 door sedan...	2 ~ 4900 miles
PARK/NEUTRAL START INTERLOCK SWITCH > AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION > POWER TRAIN could not get the car to go in gear. turned off the car and then restarted it.still could not get	2
ACCESSORY SCISSOR/SCREW/BOTTLE JACK/LIFT > MECHANICAL > EQUIPMENT original equipment vehicle scissor-style jack had to be almost fully extended to have enough clearance for front left tire to...	1 ~ 145000 miles
SWITCH > HEADLIGHTS > EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2006 honda element. consumer writes in regards to defective low beam headlight combination switch wire harness connector recall notice. *smd...	1
INTERIOR/UNDER DASH > WIRING > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2006 honda element. consumer writes in regards to defective low beam headlight combination switch wire harness connector recall notice. *smd...	1
HIGH/LOW BEAM DIMMER SWITCH > HEADLIGHTS > EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2006 honda element. consumer writes in regards to defective low beam headlight combination switch wire harness connector recall notice. *smd...	1
HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS > HOOD > BODY i pulled the hood release latch and it broke. it almost hit me in the left eye. *tr...	1 ~ 137400 miles
TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM repeatedly since i have owned the vehicle the traction control and check engine icons will come on and the vehicle...	1 ~ 10000 miles
MANUAL TRANSMISSION > POWER TRAIN tl* the contact owns a 2005 honda element. the contact stated that the vehicle was coasting in traffic when he...	1 ~ 123000 miles
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER needle on gas gauge popped out and is now resting at the bottom of the plastic enclosure - at the...	1 ~ 55000 miles
CONTROL UNIT/MODULE > ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP > SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC tl* the contact owns a 2008 honda element. while driving between 35-40 mph he applied pressure to the brake pedal...	1 ~ 4000 miles
INFLATOR MODULE > DRIVER SIDE > FRONTAL on february 2 2008 my husband and i were driving from milwaukee wi to madison wi which is about 80...	1
LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS > WHEELS 2007 honda element ex got flat tire put on temporary spare. tightened lugs: nuts properly and drove to tire store...	1 ~ 12000 miles
RECLINER > FRONT ASSEMBLY > SEATS i bought a honda element 2007 in july 2007. since the purchase i have learned that the front seats do...	1 ~ 7553 miles
PADS > DISC > FOUNDATION COMPONENTS brakes on 2003 honda element. when having my car serviced recently they said my brake pads needed to be replaced...	1 ~ 51000 miles
DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM > VISIBILITY tl* the contact owns a 2004 honda element. the contact stated that the heating system failed. the contact made repairs...	1 ~ 124000 miles
HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS > DOOR > BODY tl*the contact owns a 2006 honda element. the contact stated that there is a hole in the vehicle's driver side	1 ~ 1500 miles
INTERIOR LIGHTING dt*: the contact stated the instrument panel was not bright enough to see clearly during daylight hours. the service dealer...	1 ~ 3 miles
DRIVELINE > POWER TRAIN honda issued a service bulletin on the crv model honda. the element has the same running gear but no bulletin...	1 ~ 40000 miles
FOUNDATION COMPONENTS > SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 2003 honda element rear brakes are totally shot needing new pads rotors etc. and honda is blaming "rust buildup "...	1 ~ 19000 miles
ROTOR > DISC > FOUNDATION COMPONENTS dt*: the contact stated a screeching noise was heard from the rear brakes while depressing the brake pedal at speeds...	1 ~ 32500 miles
LOCK > HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE > LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES i have had my honda element into my dealer for the same creaking issue in the rear of my vehicle...	1
EXTERNAL > WARNINGS > BACK OVER PREVENTION the consumer has had consistent problems with the vehicle's factory installed horn and alarm. *nm the dealer was unable to...	1
FUEL GAUGE SYSTEM > STORAGE > FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER just as my warranty expired (37 000 miles) while out of town i noticed that the fuel gauge was not...	1 ~ 37000 miles
VALVE > TIRES while driving the vehicle's steering locked. the vehicle's tire valve was faulty and resulted in a flat tire. *nm when...	1 ~ 6846 miles
AIR CONDITIONER > APPLIANCE > EQUIPMENT there is a defect in both the workmanship (design) and material (prone to malfunction in normal driving conditions) of the...	1 ~ 80 miles
RETRACTOR > FRONT > SEAT BELTS rattles coming from the right side of the windshield/dashboard when hitting small pot holes. creaking noises coming the right rear...	1 ~ 300 miles
ANTI-THEFT DEVICES > ELECTRICAL > EQUIPMENT the horn and the alarm system failed to operate properly. the dealer made repairs back in dec. 15 2003 and...	1 ~ 9000 miles
EXHAUST SYSTEM > ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING my 2003 honda element has a sulphur smell that is beyond annoyance. the smell is so intense that it takes...	1 ~ 1 miles

FAQ

What year Honda Element is the most reliable?

Speaking of the models produced in the last 9 years, Honda Element models of 2011, 2009, 2010 year of manufacture have had the least number of complaints.

What year was a bad year for Honda Element?

Honda Element models of 2003 and 2004 are probably the years to be avoided like the plague due to a higher than an average number of issues reported.

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