2005 Honda ELEMENT: complaints, problems and recalls

I HAVE RECENTLY PURCHASED A HONDA ELEMENT VIN# [XXX]. NOT UNTIL LAST WEEK DID I OR A PASSENGER SIT IN THE BACK SEAT. WE BECAME AWARE OF THE POTENTIAL DANGER THAT THE DOOR DESIGN PRESENTS. YOU CAN NOT OPEN THE BACK DOOR UNLESS THE FRONT DOOR IS OPENED FIRST.THE "SUICIDE DOORS" DO NOT ALLOW EXIT FROM THE BACK SEATS (NOT THE ORIGINAL "SUICIDE DOOR" DESIGN). THIS DESIGN FLAW IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN. I WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THIS DESIGN FLAW AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE. ...SCROLL DOWN....THE SYSTEM IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY... 1. HOW COULD ANYONE GET O…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10125370 at NHTSA ↗

WINDSHEILD ON 2005 ELEMENT HAS 14 IN CRACK

Owner-reported narrative. 2,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10128784 at NHTSA ↗

THERE ARE NO EVENTS LEADING TO THE FAILURE.. NO WARNING AT ALL... THE CAR, A 2004 HONDA ELEMENT STALLS WHILE DRIVING... IN ONE WEEKEND IT DID IT THREE TIMES ONCE AT 62 MPH, ONCE ON A RAMP BETWEEN TWO HIGH SPEED ROADS, AND ONCE IN THE MIDDLE OF A HEAVILY TRAFFIC AND BUSY ROAD IN THE MIDDLE LANE. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALERSHIP TWICE. IT IS THERE YET, THEY ARE TRYING TO DUPLICATE IT AND CANNOT.. IT IS DANGEROUS... TO ME AND TO PEOPLE IN MY CAR WITH ME AND TO OTHERS AROUND ME IN OTHER CARS. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. 8,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10130827 at NHTSA ↗

WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN IN MY 2005 HONDA ELEMENT, I TURNED TOO SHARPLY, CAUSING THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL TO DRIVE OVER A LARGE PIECE OF A PREVIOUSLY BROKEN STREET LAMP THAT WAS ON THE CORNER OF THE STREET. THOUGH I WAS ONLY TRAVELING AT 10-15 MPH, THE CAR OVERTURNED AND FELL ON ITS SIDE. THERE WERE NO OTHER VEHICLES INVOLVED. THERE WAS SOME BODY DAMAGE AND TWO BROKEN WINDOWS, AND SOME DAMAGE TO THE FRONT WHEELS/AXLE OF THE VEHICLE. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY BEING REPAIRED. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. 760 miles reported. Look up ODI 10133301 at NHTSA ↗

DT: THE CONSUMER BELIEVES THAT THERE IS A POSSIBILITY OF A ROLLOVER WITH THE VEHICLE. SHE IS CONCERNED BECAUSE THE CAPACITY OF THE VEHICLE IS 675 LBS. THIS INCLUDES THE PASSENGERS AND CARGO LIMIT. SHE WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THIS ISSUE WHEN SHE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. SHE FEELS THAT THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD NOT SELL A VEHICLE OF THIS SIZE, THAT HAS THE WEIGHT LIMIT AS STATED ABOVE. THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED ON 8-21-05.*AK THE VEHICLE'S MAX CAPACITY IS 25 POUNDS LESS THAN A HONDA CIVIC. *NM

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10135111 at NHTSA ↗

HAVE A 2005 HONDA ELEMENT COVERED UNDER THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN #05E035000. TRAILER HITCH WAS INSTALLED BY THE DEALER ON A NEW VEHICLE. WAS MADE AWARE OF THE RECALL THROUGH CONSUMERS REPORTS MAGAZINE. CHECKED THE NHTSA WEB SITE TO LEARN MORE. CALLED HONDA DEALER WHO DIDN'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT THE RECALL. CALLED AMERICAN HONDA NUMBER FROM THE NHTSA RECALL NOTICE, THEY SAID MY ELEMENT WAS NOT COVERED AS THE TRAILER HITCH WAS NOT FACTORY INSTALLED BUT DEALER INSTALLED. HONDA DOESN'T MENTION ANY FACTORY INSTALLED OPTIONS IN THE CATALOG, JUST DEALER IN…

Owner-reported narrative. 2 miles reported. Look up ODI 10136284 at NHTSA ↗

WINDSHIELD ON MY 2 MONTH OLD HONDA ELEMENT HAS A CRACK AND WE DO NOT THINK IT WAS HIT BY A ROCK. *NM

Owner-reported narrative. 2,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10139153 at NHTSA ↗

WE PURCHASED A NEW 2005 HONDA ELEMENT EX 4WD AND AFTER DRIVING IT FOR ONLY 200 MILES, THE SRS AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT CAME ON INDICATING THAT THE SYSTEM WAS MALFUNCTIONING. WHEN WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER, WE WERE TOLD THAT HONDA KNOWS THAT WHEN A CELL PHONE OR LAPTOP IS PLACED ON THE PASSENGER SEAT THIS TRIGGERS THE MALFUNCTION. WE WERE THEN TOLD BY THE SERVICE MANAGER AT POWAY HONDA, IN POWAY, CA THAT THIS INFORMATION WAS IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL, WHICH IT IS NOT. THEY ALSO DID NOT KNOW IF THIS LED TO AIR BAG MALFUNCTION. THEY ONLY RESET THE…

Owner-reported narrative. 220 miles reported. Look up ODI 10140341 at NHTSA ↗

Reported: 2011-08-04 (August 4, 2011)

HONDA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2010 ACCORD, 2007-2010 CR-V, AND 2005-2008 ELEMENT PASSENGER CARS MANUFACTURED FROM JULY 1, 2004, THROUGH SEPTEMBER 3, 2010. THE OUTER RACE OF THE SECONDARY SHAFT BEARING MAY BE BROKEN DURING CERTAIN DRIVING STYLES. A BROKEN OUTER RACE MAY CAUSE ABNORMAL NOISE, THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIGHT TO TURN ON, AND ALLOW CONTACT BETWEEN THE TRANSMISSION IDLE GEAR AND AN ELECTRONIC SENSOR HOUSING WITHIN THE TRANSMISSION.

Consequence: THIS COULD RESULT IN A SHORT CIRCUIT CAUSING THE ENGINE TO STALL. ADDITIONALLY, BROKEN PIECES OF THE OUTER RACE OR BALL BEARING FROM THE SECONDARY SHAFT MAY BECOME LODGED IN THE PARKING PAWL RESULTING IN THE VEHICLE ROLLING AFTER THE DRIVER HAS PLACED THE GEAR SELECTOR IN THE PARK POSITION. ENGINE STALL AND UNEXPECTED VEHICLE MOVEMENT INCREASES THE RISK OF A CRASH OR PERSONAL INJURY TO PERSONS WITHIN THE PATH OF A ROLLING VEHICLE.

Remedy: HONDA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL UPDATE THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE SOFTWARE FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 27, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HONDA AUTOMOBILE CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-800-999-1009.

Reported: 2015-05-28 (May 28, 2015)

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2001-2007 Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2001-2004 Honda Civic GX, 2003-2005 Honda Civic Hybrid, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2006 Ridgeline, 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2003-2006 Acura MDX, and 2002-2003 Acura 3.2TL vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion and other factors, including manufacturing variability that, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.

Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on July 1, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Owners may contact Acura customer service at 1-800-382-2238, select option 4. Note: Vehicles that have had their driver frontal air bag replaced previously as part of a recall remedy prior to September 12, 2014 need to have their air bag replaced under this recall as well. Vehicles that, on or after September 12, 2014, received a remedy for a prior driver frontal air bag inflator recall already received an inflator of a different design, and therefore are not included in this recall and do not require additional servicing. Note: This recall fully supersedes recalls 08V-593, 09V-259, 10V-041, 11V-260, 14V-351 and 15V-153. Honda's numbers for this recall are JQ9, JR0, JR1, JR2, JR3, JR4, JR5, JR6, JR7, and JR8.

Reported: 2016-05-23 (May 23, 2016)

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2005-2011 Acura RL, 2005-2006 Honda CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007-2008 Fit, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2002-2004 Odyssey, and 2006-2011 Ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or that have ever been registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Honda is recalling certain model year 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2005-2008 Acura RL, 2005-2006 Honda CR-V, 2003-2008 Element, 2007-2008 Fit, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2002-2004 Odyssey, and 2006-2008 Ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or that have ever been registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Lastly, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Honda is recalling model year 2002-2004 Odyssey and model year 2003-2004 Acura MDX, Honda Element, and Honda Pilot vehicles originally sold, or registered, in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Consequence: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began June 27, 2016. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KA0, KA1, KA2, and KA3.

Reported: 2017-01-10 (January 10, 2017)

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2005-2006 Acura MDX and Honda CR-V vehicles, 2005-2011 Honda Element vehicles, 2005-2012 Acura RL vehicles, 2006-2012 Honda Ridgeline vehicles, 2007-2008 Honda Fit vehicles and 2005-2008 Honda Pilot vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, if not included in "Zone A" above, Honda is recalling certain 2005-2006 Acura MDX and Honda CR-V vehicles, 2005-2009 Acura RL and Honda Element vehicles, 2007-2008 Honda Fit vehicles, 2005-2008 Honda Pilot vehicles and 2006-2009 Honda Ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, if not included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Honda is recalling certain 2005-2006 Acura MDX and Honda CR-V vehicles, 2005-2008 Acura RL, Honda Element and Honda Pilot vehicles, 2007-2008 Honda Fit vehicles and 2006-2008 Honda Ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Consequence: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall bagan March 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KD9 and KE0.

Reported: 2019-03-06 (March 6, 2019)

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling specific 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2013-2016 ILX, 2013-2014 ILX Hybrid, 2003-2006 MDX, 2007-2016 RDX, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2004-2006, and 2009-2014 TL, 2010-2013 ZDX and 2001-2007 and 2009 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2007 and 2010-2011 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007 Fit, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, and 2006-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. The affected vehicles received a replacement driver air bag inflator as part of a previous Takata inflator recall remedy or a replacement driver air bag module containing the same inflator type as a service part. Due to a manufacturing error, in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver frontal air bag, these inflators may explode.

Consequence: An explosion of an inflator within the driver frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver, front seat passenger or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began April 10, 2019. Honda owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is O41. Acura owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is U40.

Reported: 2019-06-27 (June 27, 2019)

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2003-2006 MDX, 2001-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot and 2006 Ridgeline vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with driver frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are Q5A and Y58.

Reported: 2019-06-27 (June 27, 2019)

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2005-2012 RL, 2003-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007-2008 Fit, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, and 2006-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with passenger frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal airbag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are E5D and X5C.