Honda Element Complaints

1,283 consumer complaints on file.

#11691501October 5, 2025
SUSPENSION, UNKNOWN OR OTHER, STRUCTURE:BODY
The trailing arm connection that connects to the subframe has completely rusted make the car unsafe to drive. Parts will break and driver will lose control of the car. These same parts were recalled in Canada many years ago.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11687921September 17, 2025
SUSPENSION
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Element. The contact stated that while reversing out of a parking spot, the driver’s side rear trailing arm fractured. There were no warning lights illuminated. Upon researching the failure, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 08V349000 (Suspension). The vehicle was towed to the husband's place of employment. The contact called the local dealer, who confirmed there was no recall coverage on the VIN for the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11681494August 19, 2025
SUSPENSION
Rear driver side trailing arm separating from body non repairable. Needs professional inspection. Northern state purchased Michigan driven in salt conditioned roadways. Canadian recall for same issue. Recall Details Transport Canada Recall Number2021-024 Recall Date2021-01-26 Last Updated2023-07-07 Notification TypeSafety TC SystemStructure Issued byHONDA Manufacturer Recall NumberHO65 Units Affected The number of vehicles or components affected by the recall.12,641 CategorySUV Recall Description Issue: On certain vehicles, the rear frame could rust. In extreme cases, this could result in a rear trailing arm separating from the vehicle. This recall applies to vehicles originally sold or currently registered in areas of heavy road salt usage (Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland & Labrador). Safety Risk: A rear trailing arm that separates could cause a loss of control and increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: Honda will notify owners by mail. Owners will be instructed to take their vehicle to a dealer for an inspection of the rear trailing arm front mount bolts. If the vehicle passes the inspection, the dealer will apply corrosion protection and install support braces. Honda will offer to repurchase vehicles that do not pass the inspection. In the event the repurchase is declined by an owner, a secondary inspection and body shop repair method may be possible. MakeModelModel Year(s) Affected HONDAELEMENT2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Manufacturer NameContact NumberWeb Site HONDA1-888-946-6329CHECK IF THIS RECALL APPLIES TO Y
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11676962July 29, 2025
SUSPENSION
The contact owns a 2005 Honda Element. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, the vehicle began to tilt sideways while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle became inoperable. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled off to the shoulder of the roadway. Upon inspection of the vehicle, the contact discovered that the rear driver’s side control arm had separated from the frame of the vehicle, causing the rear wheel to tuck in underneath the wheel hub. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it remained undiagnosed. The dealer was contacted and stated that based on the pictures, the entire suspension needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 124,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11674826July 20, 2025
SUSPENSION
Trailing arm mount rotting out from rust
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11674450July 18, 2025
VISIBILITY/WIPER
I had arrived home on 7/17/2025 and was sitting in my parked vehicle under my carport talking on the phone when I heard a very loud bang. I was disoriented and worried that my safety may be at risk, so I asked the person I was speaking to if they would stay on the line with me until I made it inside. I stepped out of the vehicle and was walking around the back of it when I noticed the rear quarter panel window on the passenger side was completely shattered. There was glass on the outside and inside of my vehicle, and nothing around my vehicle that would have caused it (i.e. rocks, sticks, people outside, etc.). I called the Honda Service Line to report the problem after reading that others had experienced similar, but I was told there was no recall for this issue currently. I reported this to my insurance and they scheduled a repair, but the vehicle has not yet been inspected as of today, 7/18/2025. It is available for inspection upon request. There were no warning lamps, messages, or any other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11674334July 17, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING
I was driving and my odometer light and dash lights went dim on me. I changed the bulbs it didn't make a difference. I had to replace the instrument cluster. Other complaint is drivers seat keeps loosening from the floor
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11674062July 16, 2025
SUSPENSION
I live in Minnesota and my Elements rear trailing arms are badly rusted. There is a recall for the same issue in Canada but not in the US. This is my 2006 Honda Element with 96k miles. I would love to be able to get another at least 100k miles if not lots more. These cars can go to 400k if maintained well.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11673474July 14, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY, SUSPENSION, WHEELS
Rust corrosion
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11670614July 1, 2025
SUSPENSION, STRUCTURE:BODY
my control arm mount and frame of my element is rusted out, it is an ongoing problem with the honda element as i am seeing a lot of people online with similar issues. if this fails, it could put people at risk, i also see other elements on the road with a camber'd out back tire on the driver side. i believe these wheels would fall into the car causing an accident. there are no warning lights that pop on, this is hard to get a look at until you get under the vehicle. they have done recalls on this exact problem in canada already, we need it here as well in the usa. the crv has also had the same issues and was given a recall in usa. i am very concerned with the amount of these cars on the road that many do not know the danger they are in.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11667627June 18, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
There is corrosion on the rear trailing arm and surrounding area. Also rust is forming on rear subframe / crossmembers and the front subframe. Over time, this can result in premature structural failure and catastrophic accident. It poses a serious safety risk. It affects the structural integrity of the suspension system. There’s no recall even though multiple complaints exist for similar make/model.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11667334June 17, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY
There is a massive rust spot under the driver side seating position where your feet would rest while driving. Seems as there isn't significant drainage holes in this area.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11666910June 14, 2025
WHEELS, SUSPENSION
Rear Trailing Arm Rusted Out, Car Can not be repaired per two citified mechanics.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11666864June 13, 2025
SUSPENSION, STEERING, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Just like the same era's Honda CR-V (the Honda Element's sibling car with many of the same components), the undercarriage rust on my vehicle is excessive: as described in the same era Honda CR-V's NHTSA Recall (23V-228). Large sections of my car’s rear frame are completely missing, as shown in the photographs. My car is now undriveable. I had it towed to two Honda dealerships at my expense and both refused to even look at the car's rust, when I explicitly asked them to determine if the car was safe to drive. Niether dealership would confirm. Honda corporate cited that they were unable to assess the photographs that I sent to it because it does not physically inspect the cars. Honda corporate also insisted that it could not do anything about any dealership’s behavior as they are allegedly completely independent from Honda of North America. Honda corporate also looked up the history of my Hondas that I have owned and Elements that I still own and actually asked me, if I purchased them just to try to have Honda fix them for free. Just like with the CR-V, a recall for the rear frame corrosion first occurred in Canada and then in the US: see NHTSA Recall 23V-228’s chronology. The Honda Element's Canadian recall is as follows: "Transport Canada Recall - 2021024 – HONDA". As of today, there is no NHTSA recall for rear frame corrosion for Honda Elements. I am submitting this complaint for this car now, and also contemporaneous will submit less detailed complaints under different VINs for my other Elements with rust problems: every Honda Element that I have ever owned, even one that had spent its entire 14 year life as a New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas car has had rust problems. In other words, no matter what environment these Elements (which were made for the model years 2003-2011) are in, they corrode right away (within any factory warranties), and eventually become dangerous.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11666868June 13, 2025
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, STEERING, SUSPENSION
Just like the same era's Honda CR-V (the Honda Element's sibling car with many of the same components), the undercarriage rust on my vehicle is excessive: as described in the same era Honda CR-V's NHTSA Recall (23V-228). Sections of my car’s rear frame are rusty. Just like with the CR-V, a recall for the rear frame corrosion first occurred in Canada and then in the US: see NHTSA Recall 23V-228’s chronology. The Honda Element's Canadian recall is as follows: "Transport Canada Recall - 2021024 – HONDA". As of today, there is no NHTSA recall for rear frame corrosion for Honda Elements. I am submitting this complaint for this car now, and also contemporaneously am submitting other complaints under different VINs for my other Elements with rust problems: every Honda Element that I have ever owned, even this Element for this complaint that I am submitting right now, that had spent its entire 14 year life as a New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas car has had rust problems. In other words, no matter what environment these Elements (which were made for the model years 2003-2011) are in, they corrode right away (within any factory warranties), and eventually become dangerous.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11666870June 13, 2025
STEERING, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, SUSPENSION
Just like the same era's Honda CR-V (the Honda Element's sibling car with many of the same components), the undercarriage rust on my vehicle is excessive: as described in the same era Honda CR-V's NHTSA Recall (23V-228). Large sections of my car’s rear frame are completely missing, and as shown in the photographs even the rear bumper fell off because of all of the rust. Just like with the CR-V, a recall for the rear frame corrosion first occurred in Canada and then in the US: see NHTSA Recall 23V-228’s chronology. The Honda Element's Canadian recall is as follows: "Transport Canada Recall - 2021024 – HONDA". As of today, there is no NHTSA recall for rear frame corrosion for Honda Elements. I am submitting this complaint for this car now, and also contemporaneously am submitting complaints under different VINs for my other Elements with rust problems: every Honda Element that I have ever owned, even one that had spent its entire 14 year life as a New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas car has had rust problems. In other words, no matter what environment these Elements (which were made for the model years 2003-2011) are in, they corrode right away (within any factory warranties), and eventually become dangerous.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11663602May 29, 2025
SUSPENSION
Left rear trailing arm rusted right out of the mount while driving. I was driving about 10 mph off of a two-way stop, crossing the intersection of [XXX] (straight, no turn) As I got through the intersection the back left end dropped, something metal scraped and halted my vehicle. I did not run over any bumps or potholes. It just happened with no external cause. It was my rear tailing arm dragging on the road (see pictures). Which had detached from the arm mount above. Luckily, I was no longer on the highway when it happened. Had I been driving at 55 or 60mph it would have caused a serious accident, which is very scary. The vehicle is in great condition otherwise. It recently had new tires put on and an oil change, so I know folks were under there less than 3 months prior. After research, I now know that this issue is a regular complaint of those who own Honda Elements in northern climates, so much so that in Canada there was a recall on the models 2003-2010. I don't know why there hasn't been a recall or lawsuit in the United States, as this was a very rapid, dangerous on-the-road failure. There were no visible warning signs or statements issued by Honda to be on the lookout for this, and the most troubling aspect is that it was likely rusting from the top of the mount down, which is why it doesn't spark alarm by repair shops and tire changes. I am calling my insurance today to talk it over. I'm grateful for my safety and others in this situation, but fear that it has not worked out that way for someone else. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11650488March 25, 2025
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2006 Honda Element. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the passenger's side door air bag deployed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact and her mother heard a loud explosion, and the passenger's side door air bag deployed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed. There was no impact GTC system scanned -1 completed troubleshooting found no damage while SRS and air bag unit need to be replaced. The vehicle had previously been repaired, a year and a half prior to the failure under an unknown recall associated with the air bags. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 155,500.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11637053January 20, 2025
AIR BAGS
Air bag in drivers seat deployed when I shut rear door. Car was running at the time.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11633928January 3, 2025
SUSPENSION
in 2023 while driving my 2003 Honda Element the control arm ripped out of the frame I had it fixed to the tune of $1800. Fast forward to this week when servicing my Element I found a major rust spot on the other trailing arm bracket. After more research there is a recall in Canada to fix this but not in US. how can this be? It is a major flaw and concern that at high speeds the arm can rip out. Honda has a fix, but it is not offered in the US. please help!
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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