What breaks most · 2003 to 2011 model years
Honda Element problems by year
Owners have filed 1,082 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Honda Element across model years 2003 to 2011. Three years stand out: 2003 for visibility complaints, 2004 for visibility complaints and 2005 for air bags complaints. The quietest years are 2009, 2008 and 2007.
- Years to check closely: 2003, 2004, 2005
- Fewest complaints: 2009, 2008, 2007
- Complaints on file
- 10822003 to 2011, all trims
- Worst year
- 2003390 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 8013 fires · 84 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 40kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 100Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 390 | 25 | 12 | Visibility (226) | |
| 248 | 15 | 11 | Visibility (106) | |
| 134 | 12 | 10 | Air bags (67) | |
| 99 | 15 | 11 | Air bags (51) | |
| 88 | 3 | 12 | Air bags (23) | |
| 75 | 4 | 13 | Brakes (hydraulic) (23) | |
| 17 | 4 | 9 | Air bags (5) | |
| 21 | 2 | 11 | Air bags (7) | |
| 10 | 0 | 11 | Air bags (5) |
What fails on the 2003 Honda Element
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 58% |
226 | 3 | Shop visibility parts for the 2003 Honda Element |
| Air bags | 11% |
44 | 9 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 8% |
32 | 2 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2003 Honda Element |
| Latches and locksDoor latches and actuators | 7% |
27 | 0 | Shop latches and locks parts for the 2003 Honda Element |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 5% |
20 | 3 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2003 Honda Element |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 3% |
11 | 5 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 2003 Honda Element |
| Unknown or other | 3% |
10 | 0 | — |
| Seats | 2% |
6 | 0 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Drivers side window regulator fails with loud bang and window falls into door while driving. This has happened to my vehicle twice, once in april 2008 and again february 2010. On-line research with "element owners club" indicates this has happened to many others.
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My HONDA element has had two windshields replaced and now a crack again at the base moving up. Stress cracks not foreign material hitting the car. I simply cannot afford a 500 deductible to get another windshield.....
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Driver seat belt buckle switch for SRS air bag system shuts off SRS system - red warning light comes on. This has happened several times after resetting, system may work okay for several weeks. Repair shop says common problem seen may times . Cost to fix $350+.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Honda Element years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2003, 2004, 2005 carry the most filings on the Honda Element. The 2003 alone has 390 complaints, led by visibility.
What is the most common Honda Element problem?
On the 2003 model year, the most-reported component is visibility with 226 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Honda Element problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Honda Element complaints that include mileage is about 40,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.