Owner-reported complaints naming the driver-assistance system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2007 Honda Element submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 10 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
VSA LIGHT COMES ON AND TURNS OFF INTERMITTENTLY..AND AT TIMES IT HAPPENS ON THE HIGHWAY WHICH CAUSES THE CAR TO JERK AND NOT RUN RIGHT WHEN GOING ABOVE 2500RPM..THEN THE LIGHT WILL GO AWAY BUT THE CEL INDICATOR WILL STAY ON ...AT MY WITS END AND DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO
THE INDICATORS ON MY ODOMETER AND SPEEDOMETER FELL OFF INTO MY DASH, EMITTING THE BACKGROUND LIGHT. I WAS DRIVING THE CAR HOME AND PARKED IT .WHEN I STOPPED BOTH INDICATORS FELL. I DID NOT HIT ANY POT HOLES OR BUMPS. I HAVE READ IN YOUR COMPLAINTS THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE, THE LIGHT IS VERY BRIGHT AND I HAD TO PLACE TAPE OVER IT TO AVOID THE GLARE VERY DANGEROUS OTHERWISE.. I CAN NO LONGER TELL MY SPEED. MY GAS INDICATOR DOES NOT SEEM TO BE ACCURATE EITHER AS IT FALLS BELOW THE EMPTY LINE.
WHILE THE VEHICLE MOVING SLOWLY, SUDDENLY THE ABS, VSA (VEHICLE STABILITY ASSIST) AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHTS ALL CAME ON AT THE SAME TIME AND STAYED ON. A HONDA DEALERSHIP LATER DIAGNOSED THE ISSUE AS A FAULTY VSA MODULATOR, AN EXPENSIVE PART WHICH CONTROLS THE ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEMS. THE FAULT OUR VEHICLE EXPERIENCED PREVENTS ALL THESE SYSTEMS FROM FUNCTIONING. I CONTACTED OTHER HONDA ELEMENT OWNERS AND FOUND SEVERAL WHO HAD THE EXACT SAME ISSUE WITH 2007 AND 2008 ELEMENTS - ALL THREE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED WITH NO APPARENT CAUSE AND THEN DEALER DIAGNOSIS TURNED UP A FAULTY VSA MODULATOR. IN SEVERAL CASES, THESE PEOPLE CONTACTED HONDA OF AMERICA AND HONDA OFFERED TO PAY FOR THE VSA MODULATOR REPLACEMENT (EVEN OUTSIDE OF WARRANTY), PRESUMABLY DUE TO THE SAFETY ISSUE OF HAVING THIS CRITICAL PART FAIL THAT DISABLES THE ABS AND VEHICLE STABILITY SYSTEMS. I CONTACTED HONDA OF AMERICA AND THEY WOULD NOT REPLACE PROVIDE ASSISTANCE IN THE REPLACEMENT OF THE PART ON MY VEHICLE. BEFORE THIS INCIDENT, I HAD NOT EXPERIENCED ANY ISSUES WITH THE VSA MODULATOR AND HAD VERY RARELY BEEN IN A LOW-TRACTION ENVIRONMENT WHERE EITHER THE VSA OR ABS SYSTEMS WOULD ENGAGE. INTERESTINGLY, A FEW MONTHS BEFORE THIS INCIDENT A HONDA DEALERSHIP PERFORMED A VSA MODULATOR-RELATED RECALL TO REMOVE AIR THAT COULD ACCUMULATE IN THE MODULATOR (RECALL #10V098000); THE DEALERSHIP INSISTED THAT WORK AND THIS FAILURE WERE UNRELATED. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE FOR BRAKING AND VEHICLE STABILITY ON A SEALED PART WITH OTHER OPEN RECALLS AGAINST IT. THIS PART SHOULD LAST THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE, AND YET IT IS FAILING SPONTANEOUSLY WITHOUT ANY EXTERNAL MECHANISM OF FAILURE. HONDA SHOULD REPLACE FAULTY VSA MODULATORS AT NO CHARGE.
VSA COME ON WHEN TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ALSO COMES ON AT THE SAME TIME. DOES NOT HAPPEN AT SLOW SPEEDS AND WHEN DRIVING SLOW AFTER IT HAS COME ON, IT WILL GO OFF BY ITSELF AS WELL AS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. THE CODE IS NOT STORED.
VSA LIGHT HAS BEEN ON INDICATING VSA SAFETY SYSTEM IS INOPERATIVE. HONDA SERVICE UNABLE TO FIX IT RECOMENDING REPLACEMENT OF THE ENTIRE SYSTEM COSTING OVER $1,000. TOOK THE CAR TO HONDA SERVICE OVER THE LIFE BUT GOT NO WHERE. I PAID THE CAR AND ALL SAFETY SYSTEMS INSTALLED. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM IN INTERNET OBSERVED THAT THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF SAME VSA PROBLEMS FROM HONDA OWNERS AND HONDA SEEMS TO IGNORE THIS SAFETY PROBLEM.
WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE THE SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE, AND THE TACHOMETER NEEDLE FELL OFF OF THEIR GAUGES. IN ADDITION THE GAS GAUGE NOW NO LONGER PROPERLY REGISTERS THE AMOUNT OF FUEL IN THE TANK SO I AM LEFT TO ESTIMATE. ALL THREE POSE A SAFETY RISK TO ME AS A DRIVER INCREASING THE POSSIBILITY OF MY SPEEDING INADVERTENTLY, RUNNING OUT OF GAS IN ISOLATED LOCATIONS, OR DRIVING THE CAR AT HIGH RPM. ALL 3 ITEMS OCCURRED WITH NO OTHER UNUSUAL INCIDENT IN THE CAR, NO BUMP, NO ACCIDENT OR ANY OTHER EVENT THAT ONE WOULD EXPECT IS REQUIRED TO DISLODGE A NEEDLE FROM ITS GAUGE.
I WAS DRIVING DOWN A GRAVEL ROAD AND THE GAUGE NEEDLES ON BOTH THE SPEEDOMETER AND TACHOMETER FELL OFF. WE WERE USING THE VEHICLE IN ACCORDANCE WITH HOW IT WAS DESIGNED TO BE USED. WE WERE FORCED TO FINISH OUR TRIP WITHOUT KNOWING OUR SPEED OR RPMS (A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD). THE HONDA DEALER SAYS THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER MUST BE REPLACED IN ORDER FOR THE GAUGES TO DISPLAY ACCURATE INFORMATION AGAIN. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A MAJOR DESIGN FLAW BY HONDA WHICH HAS SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERNS. *TR
I WAS DRIVING MY ELEMENT DOWN A BACK ROAD IN INDIANAPOLIS WHEN AFTER HITTING A POTHOLE I NOTICED 4 BRIGHT LIGHTS SHINING DIRECTLY AT ME. ALL THE NEEDLES IN MY DASH FELL RIGHT OUT AND ARE CURRENTLY NESTLED IN PLAIN VIEW BEHIND THE CLEAR PLASTIC FACE. *JS
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 HONDA ELEMENT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE JERKED AND LUNGED FORWARD AFTER THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO HAVE A DIAGNOSTIC PERFORMED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 88,708.
THE HONDA ELEMENT HAS A RECALL FOR A SOFT, SPONGY BRAKE PEDAL THAT HAS TO BE PUSHED TO THE FLOOR TO GET THE BRAKES TO ENGAGE. THERE IS A RECALL FOR THIS SYMPTOM, RELATED TO THE VEHICLE STABILITY ASSIST MODULE. THE RECALL WORK WAS DONE, AND THE PEDAL FEEL IMPROVED, BUT AFTER TIME, THE ISSUE RETURNS. MY BRAKES ARE SOFT AND SPONGY AND I GET NO BRAKES UNLESS THE PEDAL GOES MOST OF THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. IT FEELS AS IF THE CAR IS NOT GOING TO STOP EACH TIME I BRAKE. *TR
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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