2004 Honda Element Vehicle speed control Problems
- Complaints
- 6about this part
- Share
- 2%of 281 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 96,532miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 6 complaints about the vehicle speed control of the 2004 Honda Element, 2% of the 281 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 96,532 miles.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“My Honda Element experienced a sudden accelerator problem. When I was trying to pass another car, I stepped on to the accelerator & suddenly it went all the way down and would not release. I have a manual control so I pushed the clutch down and after 1/4 mile the pedal released. I have no floor mats, but it gave the feeling of the mat trapping the pedal down.”
NHTSA complaint #10319106, filed 2010-03, 96,532 miles“My wife was coming to a stop at a traffic light. The engine suddenly started accelerating and she pressed the brakes to try to stop it. She eventually put it in park to stop the car, but the engine continued to go to maximum RPM. The car was towed to the Honda dealer where it was still exhibiting the problem.”
NHTSA complaint #10461412, filed 2012-06, 110,000 miles“Air bags and cruise control stopped working. Air bags is a safety issue and brought to dealer. Cable reel assembly in steering column was bad. Dealer said I had to pay for new assembly and labor.”
NHTSA complaint #10217432, filed 2008-02, 64,000 miles“Sudden depression of accelerator, with a rapid RPM to 7000. Second occurrence, multiple episodic occurrence, defeating the possibility of driver error. Rapid shift to neutral setting helped to reduce the sudden acceleration. It may be a systemic problem akin to toyota. The accelerator problem may an electronic engineering problem. The car in question is a Honda Element 2004. The car should be inspected and examined in order to isolate and determine whether or not this is indeed a systemic product defect. The problem has been reported to Honda. …”
NHTSA complaint #10336921, filed 2010-06, 120,000 miles“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. …”
NHTSA complaint #11666870, filed 2025-06Vehicle speed control: other model years
Other parts of the 2004 Honda Element
107 complaintsAir bags
73 complaintsSeats
26 complaintsElectrical system
18 complaintsSuspension
16 complaintsSeat belts
15 complaintsBody and structure
13 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
10 complaintsOther or unknown
6 complaintsSteering
6 complaintsBrakes
5 complaintsTires
5 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2004 Honda Element
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology