Honda Element
Owners filed 1,280 complaints across 9 model years of the Honda Element. The 2003 drew the most (423); the 2011 the fewest (11).
Model years9
Complaints1,280
Recalls100
Fires13
Deaths0
Every Honda Element model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 11 | 11 | — | 1 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2010 | 30 | 11 | — | 2 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2009 | 30 | 9 | — | 4 | Suspension | Routine | |
| 2008 | 112 | 13 | — | 5 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2007 | 112 | 12 | — | 6 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2006 | 122 | 11 | 1 | 17 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2005 | 159 | 10 | 5 | 13 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2004 | 281 | 11 | 3 | 16 | Visibility › Windshield | Above average | |
| 2003 | 423 | 12 | 4 | 28 | Visibility › Windshield | Above average |
Which Honda Element years should you avoid?
On raw complaint volume the 2003 is the weakest year on record, with 423 complaints concentrated in the visibility › windshield. It carries 12 recalls.
Read these numbers with sales volume in mind. A model year that sold in huge numbers naturally accumulates more reports than a rare one, and older cars have had more years to fail. The stronger signal is the severity columns and whether the same component keeps coming up year after year.
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, September 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.