115 of the
1,533 complaints filed about the Honda Element
are about the suspension —
8% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2003.
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 complaint #11755910 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Rear trailing arm attachment point to frame is rusting out and will cause the trailing arm to detatch from the frame. Vert little rust anywhere else on the car. This is a wide spread issue and very common with this model. Why is honda not taking this serious?
NHTSA complaint #11710344 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Honda Canada recognized the safety risks from salt damage to the frames and rear suspension of Honda Elements and recalled all years of the Element for warranty repairs, or if the damage was too severe, buy back of the vehicles. Yet they have not in the USA in rust belt states where salt damage is prevalent. As you will note from the attached photos, severe injury or death could occur in a major collision, which falls into the scope of your agency. All Elements in areas where corrosive salty and liquid brine is used are at risk, posing a significant safety hazard. Contacting local Honda dealers confirm the absence of a recall for this issue which puts motorists in this country at risk.
NHTSA complaint #11706003 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
left rear rear trailing arm rusted out. had car checked due to rough ride & was informed said part so rusted it was dangerous to drive. damage so severe repair not feasible. appears this is a problem with elements & some crvs. canada apparently has a recall for this, & US should, too.
NHTSA complaint #11704944 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The trailing arm mounts are severely rotted due to rust and my mechanic has claimed that it is unsafe to drive. The element has been recalled in Canada for this same issue. It is a huge safety concern for a vehicle that is otherwise in great condition.
NHTSA complaint #11694785 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Rusting rear suspension is safety issue. Elements were already recalled in Canada but not yet in USA since not enough complaints were issued. The Element is based on the CRV which already does have a recall in USA for this issue
NHTSA complaint #11691611 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The trailing arm connection that connects to the subframe has completely rusted make the car unsafe to drive. Parts will break and driver will lose control of the car. These same parts were recalled in Canada many years ago.
NHTSA complaint #11691501 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Element. The contact stated that while reversing out of a parking spot, the driver’s side rear trailing arm fractured. There were no warning lights illuminated. Upon researching the failure, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 08V349000 (Suspension). The vehicle was towed to the husband's place of employment. The contact called the local dealer, who confirmed there was no recall coverage on the VIN for the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.
NHTSA complaint #11687921 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Rear driver side trailing arm separating from body non repairable. Needs professional inspection. Northern state purchased Michigan driven in salt conditioned roadways. Canadian recall for same issue. Recall Details Transport Canada Recall Number2021-024 Recall Date2021-01-26 Last Updated2023-07-07 Notification TypeSafety TC SystemStructure Issued byHONDA Manufacturer Recall NumberHO65 Units Affected The number of vehicles or components affected by the recall.12,641 CategorySUV Recall Description Issue: 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). Safety Risk: A rear trailing arm that separates could cause a loss of control and increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: Honda will notify owners by mail. Owners will be instructed to take their vehicle to a dealer for an inspection of the rear trailing arm front mount bolts. If the vehicle passes the inspection, the dealer will apply corrosion protection and install support braces. Honda will offer to repurchase vehicles that do not pass the inspection. In the event the repurchase is declined by an owner, a secondary inspection and body shop repair method may be possible. MakeModelModel Year(s) Affected HONDAELEMENT2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Manufacturer NameContact NumberWeb Site HONDA1-888-946-6329CHECK IF THIS RECALL APPLIES TO Y
NHTSA complaint #11681494 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2005 Honda Element. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, the vehicle began to tilt sideways while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle became inoperable. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled off to the shoulder of the roadway. Upon inspection of the vehicle, the contact discovered that the rear driver’s side control arm had separated from the frame of the vehicle, causing the rear wheel to tuck in underneath the wheel hub. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it remained undiagnosed. The dealer was contacted and stated that based on the pictures, the entire suspension needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 124,000.
NHTSA complaint #11676962 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I live in Minnesota and my Elements rear trailing arms are badly rusted. There is a recall for the same issue in Canada but not in the US. This is my 2006 Honda Element with 96k miles. I would love to be able to get another at least 100k miles if not lots more. These cars can go to 400k if maintained well.
NHTSA complaint #11674062 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11670614 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11666870 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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 complaint #11666864 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.