Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full
Data refreshed
Our database holds 281 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2004 Honda Element. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Showing 1–25 of 281 · page 1 of 12
On 722 2024 dealer try to replace a defective seatbelt buckle could not do the repair could not get a replacement from Honda SRS light stays on so that if the vehicle is in an accident, the airbags will not deploy. Have been waiting on this partfor a very long time. Have no information from Honda when this will be available.
Trailing arm mount rotting out from rust
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.
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.
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Element. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under an unknown recall related to the seat belts; however, the seat belt retractor was repaired incorrectly and was installed backward. The local dealer was not contacted due to new ownership. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 166,000.
The trailer arm rusted at the mount. I was told it was not safe to drive. I have learned that this is a common problem with this vehicle and Honda has issued a recall in Canada, but not the USA. I also learned that there is a similar issue with I believe the Honda CRV and that has been in recall from Honda in I believe both Canada and the US. I found a place to do the repair and he said he has seen a lot worse than mine and has done many of these repairs.. The total repair cost is $1500. I also learned that due to its design water gets trapped in the mount and causes the rust, which sounds definitely like a design flaw. The repair entails fabrication a whole new mount for the trailer arm. I discovered it on June 7th when I was doing some under body clean up.
The rear left trailing arm mounting point is completely corroded through, making the car unsafe to drive. If it were to fall off during driving the chances of it creating an accident are high. There are many other Elements with this specific spot rusting through.
● The area of the body that serves as the forward mounting point for the rear driver-side trailing arm has completely rusted though. At this mounting point, the trailing arm mounting bracket has become entirely separated from the body leaving only one bolt securing the trailing arm to the body. This is the same issue for which these vehicles have been recalled in Canada. Yes, the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. ● Continuing to operate the vehicle in this condition presents the possibility of catastrophic failure of the trailing arm mount, resulting in loss of control of the vehicle, endangering the lives of those in and outside of the vehicle. ● No, I have not taken the vehicle to a dealer or service center. ● No the vehicle/component has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representative. ● No warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms prior to the appearance of the problem on [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I'm am told the component that failed is the "lower control arm." The vehicle is available for inspection. At the onset of this problem was a loss of control of my steering. At first I felt a play in the steering wheel when I made a small adjustment in my turn and felt the car move more than what it would normally do. I thought it was the waves in the road due to frost heaves. Then within about 3/4s of a mile the left "lower control arm" separated from where it was being held and fell to the ground. I heard a dragging noise in the back left area of my vehicle and was fortunate to be in front of a parking lot and was able to immediately pull in out of traffic. The car was towed to our auto repair shop where I was told it was unfixable. I also called the Honda dealership and explained the issue, and was confirmed that the car is unfixable, and was told that presently the part causing this issue is being recalled in Canada, but not yet in the USA. I wanted you to know that this happened here in the USA as well. I did not receive any warnings that there was an issue until it happened.
There is a corrosion recall on 2003-2014 Honda elements in Canada because, from salted roads, the frame rusts and extremely important safety parts can break and cause death to the driver. Seeing as these elements are made in the same factories and are in the same region (mine is in Detroit Michigan, only 10 minutes from Canada) this recall NEEDS to be extended to the USA or at least the regions where salted roads and snow are prevalent. My Honda element suffers from this exact problem but I can do nothing about it.
Drivers side rear control arm mount is almost none distant from rust. The subframe is almost gone and there is tons of rust on the drivers side frame as well. I have seen this with a lot of people laments. Canada even had a recall on this exact problem.
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Element. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced intermittent vibrations. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the rear control arm mounting joint. The contact was informed that the joint was almost completely rusted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 182,000.
The fuel filler neck has rusted through. If pumping gas into the vehicle, gasoline runs onto the ground by the rear tire. The rear trailing arm of the suspension has significant rust. I am concerned this suspension part could fail and become unattached to the vehicle frame/body. The Canadian transportation board has ordered a recall to repairs these issues. from Transport Canada: Toronto, Ontario — Honda is recalling all 2003-2011 Element SUVs, warning of rusting rear frames that could result in the complete separation of the rear trailing arm.
the left rear trailing arm separated from the body causing the wheel to turn outward and stop moving.
The rear driver’s side trailing arm, which connects to the frame and body of the car, is rusted out to the point where it can no longer be driven safely. If the arm detaches from the body, it will cause an extremely dangerous situation which can even result in death. I can no longer drive this vehicle, even though the engine and transmission are strong. There is no repair for this without spending thousands of dollars to cut and repair the rusted area. This is an extremely common issue with the Honda Elements in areas that get snow. It needs to be addressed because it may cause serious harm to those are are not as familiar with the underside of their vehicle.
While driving down a city street, heard a very loud crack/bang, and lost control of the vehicle. Fortunately I was going slow, 20-30mph and was able to safely stop. Upon exiting the vehicle, the rear driver side wheel was hanging at a weird angle. Looking under the car, the entire trailing arm and wheel assembly has broken off of the frame. If I was going faster, or had been on the highway, this would have caused an accident/rollover and injury for sure. Looking online for more information, I see that this is a known issue, and Honda has already issued a recall, but only for Canada. Vehicle was towed to and inspected by a AAA certified auto shop; they have written it off as a total loss, and suggest to sell the vehicle for parts. I contacted Honda, and they have told me to take it to a dealership for additional inspection by them.
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Element. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the rear trailing arm detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to her residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 201,000. The VIN was not available.
My air conditioner went out and I was going to put car in reverse to see if the fans were working. When I put the key in I didn't start the car because my key wouldn't go forward or backwards it was just stuck and the steering column locked up. When I first purchased the vehicle in October 2022 I had to have to front end suspension joints replaced the bar in the middle was cracked. It sounded and felt like the motor was going to fall out. I need to replace the back suspension due to very loud noises when driving like something is going to fall apart.
I drive a 2004 Honda Element and on Friday 2/3/23 I was in a car accident where I t-boned a car going 25 mph and my airbags did NOT deploy.
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.
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.
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.
The contact owns a Kids Embrace Buzz Lightyear 2-in-1 Harness Booster Car Seat. Neither the model number nor the manufactured date was available. The contact stated that after cleaning her car, the contact attempted to install the car seat and discovered that the buckle latch was jammed open and could not latch securely. The car seat was not replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure.
air bag light stays on
While driving in the freeway; the low beam lights went out and would no longer work. For visibility purposes, I was forced to use high beam lights to make it home while impairing the driving ability of others. The low beams and high beams run on the same light bulb. While using the high beams, the bulbs work as intended. The light bulbs and relays were promptly replaced and the issue is not fixed. It is often caused the a malfunctioning multiswitch that controls lighting and blinkers. The issue is well known within Honda elements and a previous recall have been issued for other Honda models including the Honda civic. Oftentimes the wiring goes back due to the switch malfunctioning. This is extremely unsafe toward everyone on the road as we lack visibility and by using high beams, we unwantingly blind other drivers which could result in injury by other drivers, passengers, and even pedestrians.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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