Honda Element
Reliability, NHTSA Complaints & Recall History
9 model years analyzed (2003–2011). All data sourced directly from the NHTSA public complaints and recall database — the same data used by federal regulators.
Checking a specific Honda Element? Run a VIN check for its exact history.
⭐ NHTSA NCAP Crash Test Ratings
New Car Assessment ProgramNCAP crash tests measure how well a vehicle protects occupants in controlled frontal crash, side crash, and rollover scenarios. Stars are awarded per category (5 = safest). These laboratory results are independent of owner complaints and are performed by NHTSA engineers on new production vehicles.
AI Reliability Analysis
Below AverageThe Honda Element has a high number of complaints, particularly for visibility and air bags, which are unusual for a Honda model. Crash-related complaints are relatively low, but the overall complaint volume suggests potential reliability issues.
Inspect the windshield and air bag system thoroughly before purchase, and check for any open recalls related to these components.
- Visibility issues (windshield cracks, defroster problems)
- Air bag system malfunctions
- Suspension wear
🔔 NHTSA Safety Recalls
100 recalls foundSafety recalls are mandatory repair campaigns ordered by NHTSA when a vehicle defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety. Manufacturers are required to fix recalled vehicles free of charge. Always verify open recalls before buying a used car.
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Source: NHTSA Recalls Database. Data covers model years 2003–2011. Always run a VIN-specific check below for the most up-to-date open recall status.
🔧 Most-Reported Problem Areas
Based on component keywords extracted from all 1,300 NHTSA complaints.
📋 NHTSA Complaint Reports
1,300 totalThese are consumer-submitted safety complaints filed directly with NHTSA. Each complaint describes a real owner's experience. Complaints flagged as crash-related or fire-related are highlighted.
Rear Trailing Arm Rusted Out, Car Can not be repaired per two citified mechanics.
The contact owns a 2007 Honda Element. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V436000 (Electrical System, Trailer Hitches) and would like to be removed from the recall distribution list. The contact was advised by the local dealer that the vehicle was not eligible for recall repairs due to the title being salvaged and that the part was not an attachment for the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the issues.
While driving up my driveway on the way home the left swing arm seperated from the unibody allowing the left rear wheel to move aft jamming the left rear tire into the rear inside fender effectively locking that wheel at about a 20 degree angle.
The rest frame has rusted from the inside out, frame actually broke when going in for repairs. Was raised on lift for basic brake repair and the frame separated on the rear driver side. Same exact issue that was recalled in crvs of same year.
Left rear trailing arm completely broke off while I was on the highway. Very unsafe. This Element needs to be recalled, like the CRV. It was recalled in Canada. This is absolutely dangerous and I could have died.
Brought vehicle (2007 Honda Element) to have new brakes and tires put on vehicle. Discovered rusted through rear frame. Declined to finish work of vehicle upgrades due to being unsafe to further drive vehicle. Mechanic said he didn't feel comfortable working on vehicle in the condition. Suggested taking to body shop to attempt replacing but would cost more than vehicle was worth. Suggested taking to dealer and seeing if they would offer recall since one was issued in Canada a couple years ago. He wouldn't recommend driving vehicle due to potential break and loss of control of vehicle rear control arms.
The contact owns a 2007 Honda Element. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the rear end of the vehicle became unstable and the rear driver's side wheel failed rendering the vehicle undrivable. The vehicle was towed to a friend's home and later examined by a local mechanic who diagnosed that the rear driver's side suspension swing arm had fractured due to severe rusting and corrosion of the vehicle's subframe. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 169,000.
I was driving with my family to the local fair a few miles from home. When the steering got loose around a sharp bend at 35-40 mph. I was able to keep control and slow to where I could safely look at issues. Thankfully I was going slow. The mount for the rear trailing arm pulled out of the mounting location on the driver side.
We are trying to sell our 2007 Honda Element and have found there is extensive rust under the car, likely due to the NY road salt. We have older cars in the family / area without this problem. We found out Canada has issued a recall over this matter. I have lost confidence that our car is safe to drive, well before the expected end of serviceable life. Can you have Honda remedy this situation
Rusted detached rear trailing arm. This is the same part involved in the Honda CR-V recall. This recall should be extended to the Honda Element which is on the same platform.
The left rear trailing arm mount is very rusty as is the inner rocker. This is a problem with both the CRV and Element ,it's a safety issue because the mount can detach and cause a accident. This vehicle has had a yearly inspection in my state and has passed I am concerned it won't in the future because of trailing arm rust. The element are built on the same platform as the CRV witch is being recalled for this problem. The elements are being recalled in Canada for this problem.
REAR SUSPENSION FAILURE DUE TO EXCESSIVE CHASSIS COROSION. FORTUNATELY FAILURE OCCURRED AT LOW SPEED. TOTAL LOSS OF CONTROL WOULD RESULT AT HIGH SPEED. INDEPENDENT BODY SHOPS CONFIRM THIS DEFECT IS NOT REAIRABLE. PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS A RECALL FOR HONDA ELEMENTS IN CANADA FOR THIS SAME DEFECT. I CALLED AMERICAN HONDA AND THEY DENY ANY KNOWLEDGE OF THIS DEFECT IN THE U.S.
Rear suspension failure due to excessive corrosion. Fortunately failure occurred at low speed. Total loss of control would have happened at high speed. Independent body shops confirm this damage is not repairable. Please note that there is a recall for Honda Elements in Canada for the same defect. I called American Honda and they deny any knowledge of this defect in the U.S.
The frame of the vehicle has rusted out at the bolt where the rear trailing arm connects to the frame. The rust has caused the vehicle to fail Maine State Inspection. This vehicle defect has led to a recall in Canada: “On certain vehicles, the rear frame could rust. In extreme cases, this could result in a rear trailing arm separating from the vehicle. This recall applies to vehicles originally sold or currently registered in areas of heavy road salt usage (Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland & Labrador).” https://recallmonitor.ca/recall/2021024 Maine and New Hampshire, where this vehicle has been registered for its entire life, are areas of heavy road salt usage. According to Honda Canada, “ A rear trailing arm that separates could cause a loss of control and increase the risk of a crash.” The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. It was inspected by a garage certified to provide Maine State Inspections. The manufacturer has acknowledged the defect in Canada. There were no warning lamps related to this issue.
While driving, without notice at all, the drivers side rear suspension ,wheel, and all the holds it together became dislocated/disassembled from the car while going about 40mph. Upon further investigation, I found the whole frame mount for the rear suspension had completely rotted away and caused this whole issue. NO PRIOR WARNING AT ALL!! This is a potentiality deadly issue.. I had just come off the highway doin 70 mph... if this would of happened there...it would of been a completely different outcome. The year/make/model of my vehicle has already been recalled for this issue.. BUT my vin # wasn't included?.?.?. THIS IS WRONG!! THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE THAT NO AMOUNT OF MAINTENANCE WILL STOP!!
The contact owns a 2007 Honda Element. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the contact drove over a pothole and noticed that the driver’s side control arm on the rear axle fractured and detached from the vehicle, causing the rear driver’s side tire to stick out from underneath the vehicle. The contact pulled over to the side of the roadway and had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was inspected and diagnosed. The contact was informed that rust and corrosion on the rear axle had caused the failure and that the axle needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.
ODOMETER ROLLED BACK IN RE-SALE; RESULT OF RETURN DUE TO NATURAL DISASTER. (2000MILES)
HO 11851603 LAST KNOWN MILES FROM HO (AIRBAG RECALL SERVICE)
DURING NORMAL DRIVING, NO HARD BRAKING INVOLVED, THE PASSENGER SEATBELT CONSISTENTLY LOCKS UP - CAUSING MY PASSENGERS TO BE LOCKED IN PLACE. IT LOCKS IF A PASSENGER LEANS FORWARD TO REMOVE SOMETHING FROM THE DASH CUBBIES (WHICH ARE JUST OUTSIDE OF ARMS REACH BUT WELL WITHIN NORMAL RANGE REACH). IT LOCKS IF THE PASSENGER LEANS TO REACH BEHIND THE DRIVER'S SEAT. IT SEEMS AS IF THE BELT HAS BEEN DESIGNED TOO SHORT OR THE LOCKING MECHANISM OVERLY SENSITIVE. SHOULD A COLLISION HAPPEN WHILE LOCKED, THERE WOULD BE ABSOLUTELY NO GIVE AND COULD CAUSE THEM SIGNIFICANT HARM.
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
Showing 20 of 1,300 total NHTSA complaints. Source: NHTSA Complaints Database
Check a Specific Honda Element
This page shows fleet averages across all 9 model years. Enter a VIN to see the exact accident history, odometer records, title brands, and open recall status for a specific car.
📖 Understanding This Data
What is an NHTSA Complaint?
An NHTSA safety complaint is a report filed directly by a vehicle owner or driver describing a safety-related issue. Anyone can submit a complaint at NHTSA.gov. The number of complaints is a signal of how common a problem is — but complaints per model-year matter more than raw totals, since popular vehicles naturally receive more reports. The Honda Element has 1,300 complaints on record across 9 model years.
What is a Safety Recall?
A safety recall is a mandatory campaign issued by NHTSA when a vehicle component poses an unreasonable risk to safety or does not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards. Unlike complaints (which are owner-reported), recalls are formally investigated and confirmed by regulators. Manufacturers must fix recalled vehicles free of charge. The Honda Element has 100 recall campaigns in the NHTSA database.
What Are Crash Complaints?
Crash complaints are NHTSA filings where the owner indicates a crash occurred as part of the incident. 96 of the Honda Element's 1,300 complaints involved a crash. This metric is particularly important because it indicates how often defects resulted in actual collisions — a key safety signal beyond general reliability.
How Is the AI Rating Calculated?
The AI reliability rating (Below Average) is generated by analyzing the vehicle's total complaints, recall history, crash complaint ratio, fire complaint ratio, and top component failures relative to class averages. The rating provides a plain-English summary for buyers who want a quick verdict without parsing raw numbers. It is one input in your buying decision — always verify with a VIN-specific report.
Why Do Newer Years Have Fewer Complaints?
Newer model years appear to have fewer complaints because there has been less time for owners to file them. Complaints accumulate over years of ownership. A 2020 model year vehicle will typically show fewer complaints than a 2015 model year even if it is less reliable — simply because fewer owners have had time to report issues. Focus on complaints per year of market presence when comparing across model years.
Fleet Data vs. Individual VIN
Everything on this page reflects aggregated data across all Honda Element vehicles on the road — not any specific car. Two Honda Element vehicles of the same year can have very different histories: one may have been in three accidents and have an open recall; another may be clean. A VIN check gives you the individual car's history: accidents, title brands, odometer records, service history, and real-time recall status.
What Are NHTSA Investigations?
When NHTSA receives a pattern of related safety complaints, it opens a formal investigation. A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first stage — NHTSA determines if a safety defect may exist. If evidence is strong, it escalates to an Engineering Analysis (EA), which can result in a mandatory recall. The Honda Element has 0 investigations on record (0 active). Investigations listed above may have already led to the recalls shown on this page.
Is This Data Saved in Firebase & Indexed by Google?
Yes — intentionally. When you first visit this page, our server fetches live data directly from the NHTSA public API (no key required), processes it, and caches it in Google Firebase Firestore for 24 hours. The fully rendered HTML — with all NHTSA complaints, recalls, NCAP ratings, and investigations — is then indexed by Google Search. This is by design: caching real government data in Firebase lets us serve comprehensive vehicle safety pages instantly, while giving Google Bots rich structured content to rank for searches like "Honda Element reliability" or "NHTSA recalls." No personal data is stored — only public NHTSA records are cached. You can always verify everything directly at nhtsa.gov.