Honda Element Complaints

1,283 consumer complaints on file.

#11500896January 9, 2023
STRUCTURE:BODY, STEERING, SUSPENSION
I have a 2005 Honda Element, undercarriage and suspension components have severe rust. I tried to get an inspection from Virginia and it failed immediately due to the rust. The mechanic lowered the vehicle as quickly as he could because of it falling off the lift. ultimately he told it is unsafe to drive. After doing some research I found out that Honda Canada has done a recall on Honda elements from 2003-2010 due to this common issue and here is what they wrote. 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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11494402November 21, 2022
SUSPENSION
Drivers side rear trailing arm separated from chassis. This occurred while backing out of a parking spot causing the left rear wheel to turn outward. When this happened I had to turn the steering wheel left to keep vehicle going straight forward and this was at an idling speed. we had just a few days prior returned from an 1800 mile trip. Had this occurred at interstate speeds it most likely would have been catastrophic resulting in serious perhaps fatal consequences. The otherwise great vehicle is not repairable according to the diagnoses from my Honda dealer.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11492053November 3, 2022
POWER TRAIN, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Element. The contact stated that after the vehicle was shifted into park(P), the vehicle would roll forward or roll backward. Additionally, the key would remain stuck in the ignition, causing the contact to have to maneuver the key to release the key from the ignition switch. The failure occurred intermittently; however, the key was still stuck in the ignition. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 167,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11491285October 28, 2022
SUSPENSION
My 2003 has severe rust around undercarriage mainly in the rear. The rear frame is corroded causing my drivers side trailing arm to come loose while driving on the highway. I almost lost control as the rear started to fishtail. Luckily I had no vehicles next to me which would have caused a major accident. I've done research and they do have the recall in Canada but not here in the USA. Honda should immediately have that recall before someone gets seriously hurt or even worse!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11489730October 18, 2022
SUSPENSION, STRUCTURE:BODY, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The car was being driven at a low speed across a school parking lot when there was a loud bang, the car dropped in the back and stopped movong. The rear trailing arm came apart from the body causing it to be inoperable. If I the car wasn't in a school zone and traveling at a high rate of speed this could have been a very serious accident. If there was a vehicle behind they would have rear ended the honda. If this happens on going down a hill it would have rolled over. If this happened on a busy highway it would have caused a multi car accident. Honda is aware of this issue in Canada but has done nothing to address it here in the United States. The vehicle is available for inspection for now. I can't have a vehicle sitting in my driveway that's inoperable due to city codes. The safety of the driver, passengers, pedestrians walking and other vehicles on the road are in danger. This is a very top heavy vehicle that could easily flip and roll over causing seriously injury even death. I had the vehicle towed from where it broke, the tow truck driver is a mechanic who looked at it. He said what broke. I had another mechanic stop and look because he is a welder and said it can't be repaired at this point. There were no warning lights or signs of this happening. Unless you live in Canada where they sent owners a recall in the mail as long as they live in areas that have high salt usage on their roads.......not sure why that just pertains to Canada because, Michigan, New York, Vermont, new hampshire, Maine all get bad winters where salt is used. A vehicle should not disintegrate and fall apart like the hondas are. They are a danger on the road right now. This is the recall for this exact same problem in Canada https://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/Saf-Sec-Sur/7/VRDB-BDRV/search-recherche/detail.aspx?lang=eng&mk=1954!4785!35936!42257!39379&mkName=HONDA&md=ELEMENT&fy=2003&ty=2003&ft=&ls=0&sy=0&syName=All%20Systems&all=0&rn=2021024&cf=SearchResult&pg=0
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11487662October 3, 2022
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
The front passenger window regulator went out. Window dropped down into the door panel.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11487665October 3, 2022
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
Driver side window regulator went out. Window dropped down on it's own.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11485834September 22, 2022
SUSPENSION
REAR SUSPENSION FAILURE DUE TO EXCESSIVE CHASSIS COROSION. FORTUNATELY FAILURE OCCURRED AT LOW SPEED. TOTAL LOSS OF CONTROL WOULD RESULT AT HIGH SPEED. INDEPENDENT BODY SHOPS CONFIRM THIS DEFECT IS NOT REAIRABLE. PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS A RECALL FOR HONDA ELEMENTS IN CANADA FOR THIS SAME DEFECT. I CALLED AMERICAN HONDA AND THEY DENY ANY KNOWLEDGE OF THIS DEFECT IN THE U.S.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11485878September 22, 2022
SUSPENSION
Rear suspension failure due to excessive corrosion. Fortunately failure occurred at low speed. Total loss of control would have happened at high speed. Independent body shops confirm this damage is not repairable. Please note that there is a recall for Honda Elements in Canada for the same defect. I called American Honda and they deny any knowledge of this defect in the U.S.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11482725September 3, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
This car was recalled in the past for a faulty ignition switch. I had the recall done, then paid for one from the dealer a second time as it happened again, and now I am having the issue a third.time. I believe the replacements are also faulty.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11480151August 19, 2022
SUSPENSION
Excessive corrosion rear suspension near control arm. Honda has already issued a recall in Canada. I was unaware of this problem until a big piece of rusty metal fell off the bottom of my car when I closed the rear driver’s door. My control arm is ready to fall out which could have led to a fatal accident. There are Honda forums all over the internet with thousands of posts in the USA with the same issue as the Canada recall.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11479122August 13, 2022
AIR BAGS
Airbag warning light stays on. Dealer indicates that the problem is a weight sensor. Dealer stated that seat belt issues and airbag issues were warranted by Honda. Dealer indicated that the weight sensor issue, which is used to deploy the airbag is not warranted. If seatbelts and airbags are warranted, why would the weight sensors that are an integral part of the SRS not be warranted? Dealer has estimated the cost of repairs at $1,240.47. Part to complete the repair is not available at this time. Per the dealer, it has been ordered with shipping date TBD.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11476345July 28, 2022
SUSPENSION
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Element. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in for an inspection, it was discovered that the rear suspension front bushing bracket trailing arm was rusted. The vehicle failed the inspection due to the failure. The contact was informed by the mechanic that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was informed that the same failure had been recalled in Canada but not in the United States. No further information was available. The local dealer was not notified. The failure mileage was 200,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11466643May 30, 2022
SUSPENSION, STRUCTURE:BODY
The rear trailing arm mounts rust right off the car and the entire piece falls off out of nowhere. I was lucky to be going about 10 mph when this happened to me and it slide the car sideways .I have no doubt I would have flipped at highway speeds. I’ve seen hundreds of other elements with the same issues on forums it’s bad enough that in Canada they have a buyback. The police where there quickly and saw it and said the same but. Insurance won’t do anything cause it’s a part that broke. Away from the body and I was going slow enough. No warning even had tires installed a few days prior and they didn’t see anything that was scary.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11456698March 14, 2022
SUSPENSION, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Having rust issue with my 2005 Honda Element causing steering and handling issues Unsafe to drive per my mechanic This model has been recalled in Canada to address this issue Is there anything investigating ongoing in the USA as this problem is affecting many elements in the USA as well
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11455411March 6, 2022
STRUCTURE:BODY
The frame of the vehicle has rusted out at the bolt where the rear trailing arm connects to the frame. The rust has caused the vehicle to fail Maine State Inspection. This vehicle defect has led to a recall in Canada: “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).” https://recallmonitor.ca/recall/2021024 Maine and New Hampshire, where this vehicle has been registered for its entire life, are areas of heavy road salt usage. According to Honda Canada, “ A rear trailing arm that separates could cause a loss of control and increase the risk of a crash.” The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. It was inspected by a garage certified to provide Maine State Inspections. The manufacturer has acknowledged the defect in Canada. There were no warning lamps related to this issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11454926March 2, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES
No incident, Soft Brake Pedal all the time
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11454584February 28, 2022
SUSPENSION
Rear trailing arm mounts rusted out and the arms dropped out from under the car I had almost 3 thousand dollars worth of repair done to it this summer And I really don’t feel the car is safe It has 92k on it and it hasn’t been driven on the road in years since this happened I finally found someone who would even attempt to fix it Why are the cars being replaced and repaired in Canada but not here??
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11446665January 7, 2022
AIR BAGS
while driving 65 mph on the freeway my side passenger curtain airbag and the airbag in the from passenger seat deployed. We did not hit anything nor is there any visible damage to the exterior or underside of the car
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11441631November 24, 2021
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Element. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer to repair under the Takata recall. Several few months after the air bag repair, the driver’s side curtain air bag deployed without incident and without warning while driving at 65 MPH. The contact pulled off the highway and found no visible damage or reason for the deployment. The contact had taken the vehicle back to the dealer on two separate occasions for an inspection; however, the contact was never given a cause for the failure. The contact then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who refused to service the vehicle since the cause of the deployment had not been determined. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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