Honda Element Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 1,282 consumer complaints across the 9 model years of the Honda Element (2003–2011) that have at least 5 complaints. 2003 has the most, with 423. Across all years, the part named most often is visibility (378 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
Best and worst Element years →
All Element model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 11 | 60,200 | 10 | 45 | — | Not enough data |
| 2010 | 30 | 45,429 | 10 | 52 | 29 · Fewer | Rising |
| 2009 | 31 | 40,000 | 8 | 49 | 50 · Typical | Rising |
| 2008 | 113 | 26,500 | 12 | 47 | 100 · More | Rising |
| 2007 | 112 | 71,400 | 10 | 50 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 2006 | 122 | 69,786 | 9 | 47 | Not compared (before 2008) | Rising |
| 2005 | 159 | 70,000 | 7 | 70 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 2004 | 281 | 47,000 | 9 | 116 | Not compared (before 2008) | Rising |
| 2003 | 423 | 24,000 | 10 | 118 | Not compared (before 2008) | Rising |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)378 31%
- Air bags322 27%
- Suspension117 9.6%
- Electrical system111 9.1%
- Body and structure91 7.5%
- Brakes89 7.3%
- Seats56 4.6%
- Other or unknown51 4.2%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2003: “Going along highway i90 at 65mph and I decided to engage the cruise control setting on my 2003 Honda Element . When traffic became too congested I decided to shut off the cruise control , only to find out that now I couldn't accelerate. It seems this issue has something to do with a faulty throttle cable . Either way this needs to be fixed immediately .”
NHTSA complaint #11216980, filed 2019-05, 110,000 miles2004: “Purchased vehicle from a dealer about a year ago+. Driver and passenger front seat always rocked slightly and today I was driving came to a traffic light and driver seat unlocked and pushed forward! If there have been a vehicle in front there would have been an accident! Major safety issue! Please help...what would these cost me to repair? How do I proceed?”
NHTSA complaint #10991420, filed 2017-05, 176,694 miles2005: “While driving down the county road at 60 MPH at night the headlights turned off. I turned the headlight switch off and then back on and everything was fine for a couple days. This happened 5 or 6 more times and now the headlights will not turn back on unless I switch to high beams. High beam works fine, this is an electrical issue not bulb failure. This could have been deadly .”
NHTSA complaint #11093729, filed 2018-05, 118,000 milesOther Honda models
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About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology