2009 Honda Element Suspension Problems

The frame rusted and separated where the rear trail arm connects to the vehicle, so it cannot move.

NHTSA ID

11769951

Incident

Oct 5, 2026

The car is extremely rusty, so much so that the driver side trailing arm detached from the rest of the frame. The driver side rear suspension components are detached from the car. The car has been garage-kept since new, yet is extremely rusty. This is just like what the Canadian Honda Element recall was all about. The local dealership refused to do anything and said the car was out of warranty.

NHTSA ID

11755910

Incident

Jul 15, 2026

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). Sections of my car’s rear frame are rusty. 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 other complaints under different VINs for my other Elements with rust problems: every Honda Element that I have ever owned, even this Element for this complaint that I am submitting right now, 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.

NHTSA ID

11666868

Incident

Jun 13, 2025

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, as shown in the photographs. My car is now undriveable. I had it towed to two Honda dealerships at my expense and both refused to even look at the car's rust, when I explicitly asked them to determine if the car was safe to drive. Niether dealership would confirm. Honda corporate cited that they were unable to assess the photographs that I sent to it because it does not physically inspect the cars. Honda corporate also insisted that it could not do anything about any dealership’s behavior as they are allegedly completely independent from Honda of North America. Honda corporate also looked up the history of my Hondas that I have owned and Elements that I still own and actually asked me, if I purchased them just to try to have Honda fix them for free. 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 contemporaneous will submit less detailed 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.

NHTSA ID

11666864

Incident

Jun 13, 2025

The contact owns a 2009 Honda Element. The contact stated there was an extreme amount of rust on the vehicle. The contact stated that the trailing arm was corroded and had several holes. The TPMS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to assist with the repairs. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 274,000.

NHTSA ID

11602751

Incident

Jul 1, 2024

Mileage

274,000 mi

The driver side rear trail arm broke free from under the vehicle. Vehicle loses control much like having flat tires but more violent fish tailing. Vehicle is hard to control to pull over to shoulder. Photos were shown to local Honda dealer representative, Scott Guyette. (Gustman Honda in Appleton Wi). Scott Guyette at the dealership stated that he has seen this numerous times on the Honda Element and they are currently fixing Honda CRVs with the same issue. Email: ([email protected]) He stated, don't tow it in, just send photos, which I did.

NHTSA ID

11546349

Incident

Sep 4, 2023

The contact owns a 2009 Honda Element. The contact stated the driver's side rear trailing arm detached from the vehicle while he was reversing at an undisclosed speed, and the vehicle stopped. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated the failure occurred due to rust and corrosion. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who informed them they could not provide assistance, and then the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not provide any assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000.

NHTSA ID

11421956

Incident

Mar 15, 2021

Mileage

125,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HONDA ELEMENT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE TOOK HER VEHICLE IN FOR A ROUTINE CHECK UP BUT WAS INFORMED THAT THE COVER OF BOTH FRONT BALL JOINTS WERE MISSING AND THAT BOTH THE BALL JOINTS AND THE CONTROL ARMS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000.

NHTSA ID

10544374

Incident

Aug 29, 2013

Mileage

40,000 mi