2003 Honda Element complaints

WINDSHIELD CRACKED BELOW BOTH WIPERS. STARTED BELOW PLASTIC TRIM, BOTH WENT VERTICAL, AND FINALLY A HORIZONTAL CRACK CONNECTED THEM. WINDSHIELD HAS OTHER "STAR" CRACKS THAT HAVE REMAINED STATIC. DEALER IS REPLACING IS AS "GOODWILL," SAYS ITS NOT THE SAME AS LISTED IN THE HONDA TSB. *CB

WINDSHIELD PIYS AND CRACKS. I HAVE 2 CRACKS IN LESS THAT 1 MONTH OF OWNERSHIP. THE GLASS IS EASILY PITTED AS I HAVE DRIVEN MINE ON SANDED ROADS BRIEFLY AND HAVE SEVERAL HUNDRED SMALL PITS, THIS IS FAR IN EXCESS OF ANY CAR OR TRUCK I HAVE OWNED IN OVER 30 YEARS OF THRIVING AND OWNERSHIP. THESE WINDSHIELD ARE STICKING POOR!!! *CB

THE FRONT WINDSHIELD HAD A CRACK THAT STARTED AT THE BOTTOM /MIDDLE AND REACHED UPWARD. DEALERSHIP SAID THE CRACK WAS CAUSED BY ROAD DEBRIS. *AK TSB 03-028 WHICH PERTAINS TO FAULTY WINDSHIELD CONSTRUCTION. *SC

CRACK ON LOWER LEFT SIDE OF WINDSHIELD. CRACK ON LOWER RIGHT SIDE OF WINDSHIELD. NO OBJECTS HIT THE WINDSHIELD. NHTSA BULLETIN SHOWED PROBLEMS WITH CRACKS ON WINDSHIELDS OF HONDA ELEMENTS WITH NO APPARENT CAUSE. WINDSHIELDS ARE APPARENTLY DEFECTIVE! *CB

THE PROBLEM IS WITH THE WINDSHIELD. I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE IT TWICE SINCE JANUARY AND IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AGAIN DUE TO CRACKS. I CHECKED AROUND AND I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM. IT SEEMS THAT THE WINDSHIELD IN THE ELEMENT IS VERY SUSCEPTABLE TO CRACKS DUE TO THE FLANGE CREATING TOO MUCH STRESS WHICH RENDERS THE GLASS VERY PRONE TO CRACKING BY ROAD DEBRIS. I GOT HIT BY A TINY PEBBLE WHICH SHOULD NEVER HAVE CRACKED THE GLASS. AND IN MY 18 YEARS OF DRIVING VARIOUS VEHICLES, I HAVE NEVER, EVER HAD THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM, SO I KNOW IT IS NOT JUST "BAD LUCK" AS THE DEALER HAS TOLD ME.

VEHICLE'S RADIATOR IS EXPOSED IN THE FRONT END OF THE CAR.*MR THE VEHICLE'S RADIATOR HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE DUE TO ROAD DEBRIS FLYING INTO IT AND PENETRATING IT. THE CONSUMER BELIEVES THE DESIGN OF THE VEHICLE IS FLAWED IN SOME WAY AND THAT THE RADIATOR AND A/C CONDENSER NEED SOME PROTECTION. *NM

CRACKED WINDSHIELD TWICE IN 6 MONTHS TIME

I JUST BOUGHT A HONDA ELEMENT 2003 IN OCTOBER '03. THE WINDSHIELD HAS CRACKED TWICE. THE CRACK GOES FROM THE BOTTOM AND SPREADS IN THE LINE OF MY DRIVING VISION. THERE IS A FLAW IN THE MANUFACTURING; HOWEVER, THE DEALER AND HONDA SAYS THAT ONLY THE EARLY MODELS HAS THIS PROBLEM AND MINE DOESN'T. I DISAGREE. I SUGGEST NO ONE BUY A HONDA ELEMENT 'CAUSE THEY ARE NOT FIXING THIS PROBLEM.

WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH AND MAKING A LEFT TURN IN THE SNOW 4-WHEEL DRIVE MECHANISM KICKED IN AUTOMATICALLY, VEHICLE SPUN OUT AND HIT A VENDER YARD POST.*AK

PROBLEMS WITH THE WINDSHIELD ON A 2003 HONDA ELEMENT. *MR CRACKS APPEARED IN THE WINDSHIELD WITH NO APPARENT TRIGGER. (9 INCH CRACK APPEARED ON THE LOWER LEFT SECTION OF THE WINDSHIELD) *SC *JB

UNEXPLAINED PASSENGER SIDE WINDSHIELD CRACKED, NO IMPACT APPARENT. WAS ABOUT 8" THE FIRST DAY, CONTINUES TO GROW.*AK

WINDSHIELD CRACKED AT ABOUT 800 MILES ON ODOMETER, STARTING AT THE BOTTOM, IN THE CENTER OF THE PASSENGER SIDE, NO IMPACT BUT CRACK SPREAD UP WINDSHIELD. DEALER CLAIMS TINY IMPACT PIT BELOW WIPER BLADE CAUSED CRACK, BUT NO STAR IMPACT PATTERN, JUST A LONG CRACK STARTING AT BOTTOM OF WINDSHIELD.AK

WINDSHIELD DEFECT. TOO MANY SIMILAR OCCURENCES HERE AND HONDA EVEN ISSUED A TSB. HOWEVER, TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY INSISTED THAT IS WAS IMPACT. THE MARK WAS JUST BELOW THE WIPER BLADE AND IS ABOUT THE SIZE OF THE HEAD OF A PIN. I CALLED FOR THE DISTRICT SERVICE MANAGER TO HAVE A LOOK AND HE IDENTIFIED ANOTHER SMALL SPOT AS THE IMPACT POINT. HE OFFERED TO SPLIT THE COST WITH ME. DO I HAVE ANY OTHER OPTIONS?*AK

CONSUMER STATED IN LAST PAST THREE MONTHS DEALER HAD REPLACED WINDSHIELD TWICE. *AK CONSUMER TELEPHONED ODI AND REPORTED THAT THE LOWER-RIGHT CORNER OF THE WINDSHIELD ON THE VEHICLE HAS A CRACK IN IT. THIRD TIME THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED. *MJJ (04-20-2005)

WINDSHIELD CRACKED IN LOWER RIGHT CORNER. *LA

WINDSHIELD CRACKED UNDER PASSENGER SIDE WIPER WHILE VEHICLE PARKED. LESS THEN 4000 MILES ON CAR, NO ROCK IMPACT CAUSED CRACK.*AK

WINDSHIELD CRACKED, ACCORDING TO A SERVICE RELEASE FROM HONDA CAUSE IS STRESS RELATED, BUT SERVICE REP AT DEALERSHIP SAYS IT IS FROM IMPACT...NO CHIP...NO STAR.*AK

STRESS CRACK ON WINDSHIELD, DRIVER SIDE, STARTING AT BOTTOM EDGE TRAVELING TOWARDS THE LEFT SIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD. *AK

CRACKED WINDSHIELD, FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE DASH 5 INCHES GOING UPWARD ON THE DRIVER SIDE, WHILE VEHICLE WAS WARMING UP IN THE DRIVEWAY. *LA

2003 HONDA ELEMENT WINDSHIELD CRACKED DUE TO STRESS. THERE IS NO VISIBLE IMPACT POINT. THE CRACK BEGAN NEAR THE LOWER PART WHICH IS BLACK, AND CONTINUES ABOVE THE DRIVERS SIDE WINDSHIELD WIPER TOWARDS THE DRIVERS DOOR. AFTER REVIEWING OTHER COMPLAINTS BY ELEMENT OWNERS, IT IS CLEAR THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THIS MODELS WINDSHIELD AND STRESS CRACKS.*AK

CRACKED WINDSHIELD AT 3700 MILES. *LA

CRACK WINDSHIELD ON HONDA ELEMENT. DEALER REFUSED TO FIX. CLAIMED IMPACT CAUSED, BUT ONLY POINTED OUT A SUBJECTIVE PINHEAD SIZED PIT AT START OF CRACK, CLAIMING IT WAS FROM AN IMPACT. BASED ON FREQUENT SIMILAR COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER ELEMNT OWNERS WITH IDENTICAL CRACKS IN IDENTICAL LOCATIONS, I DO NOT BELIEVE THE CRACK WAS FROM AN IMPACT. ESPECIALLY SINCE THE CRACK APPEARED WHILE THE CAR WAS PARKED.

CRACKED WINDSHIELD LOWER PASSENGER SIDE. *AK

I AM IN THE PROCESS OF REQUESTING REPLACEMENT OF THE WINDSHIELD IN MY HONDA ELEMENT (PURCHASED AT MAJESTIC/LINCOLN ON 08/08/03). IT IS OBVIOUS THAT NO IMPACT TO THE WINDSHIELD HAS OCCURRED AND THE CRACK (LOWER RIGHT, PASSENGER SIDEBENEATH THE WIPER) WAS FIRST NOTICED ON THE MORNING OF 12/18/03 WHEN I GOT IN THE CAR. ORIGINALLY ABOUT FIVE INCHES IN LENGTH, AND CRAWLING UP FROM THE BASE OF THE WINDSHIELD AND THEN OVER TO THE RIGHT CORNER, THE CRACK ACTUALLY GREW ANOTHER THREE INCHES IN THE TEN MINUTES WE WERE IN THE CAR. I HAVE DONE EXTENSIVE RESEARCH AND DISCOVERED BY WAY OF THE HONDA SERVICE BULLETIN DATED MAY 6, 2003 ("TSB 03-028: WINDSHIELD IS CRACKED AT THE LOWER CORNERS" FOUND AT THE FOLLOWING URL: HTTP://WWW.ELEMENTOWNERSCLUB.COM/FORUMS/VIEWTOPIC.PHP?T=2212 THAT THIS IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM AFFECTING THE ELEMENT WINDSHIELDS AND REPLACEMENT WOULD BE COVERED BY HONDA. IT APPEARS THAT MY VIN IS NOT AMONG THOSE FEATURED IN THE BULLETIN, BUT THE DAMAGE IS IDENTICAL TO THAT OF OTHER ELEMENT OWNERS WHO HAVE REGISTERED COMPLAINTS: NO SIGN OF IMPACT, AND A CRACK IN THE LOWER RIGHT CORNER OF THE WINDSHIELD. *AK

CRACKED WINDSHIELD. PURCHASED MY 2003 HONDA ELEMENT IN JANUARY 2004. 4TH WINDSHIELD WAS RECENTLY INSTALLED IN OCTOBER 2003. I CONTACTED HONDA IN OCTOBER AND I WAS TURNED AWAY STATING THAT MY WINDSHIELF WAS ANOTHER CASE OF A ROCK HIT.*AK

CRACKED WINDSHIELD. DISCOVERED A CRACK IN WINSHIELD, JUST BELOW THE WIPER BLADE , DRIVERSIDE. NO REASON FOR THIS. EXCEPT FAULTY PRODUCT.*AK

ROCK HIT AND CHIPPED WINDSHELD. *AK

WINDSHIELD CRACKED ON BOTTOM OF PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE WITH NO IMPACT. *AK

2003 HONDA ELEMENT HAS DEVELOPED A CRACK IN THE WINDSHIELD. THE CRACK STARTS AT THE BASE OF THE WINDSHIELD ON THE PASSENGER SIDE, JUST ABOUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WIPER BLADE. THE CRACK EXTENDS UPWARD ABOUT FOUR INCHES AND IS NOW EXTENDING TO THE RIGHT ABOUT THE SAME DISTANCE. THIS IS CONSISTENT WITH COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER OWNERS OF THE 2003 HONDA ELEMENT.*AK

WHILE DRIVING WINDSHIELD CRACKED. WAS NOT FOLLOWING ANY TRAFFIC AT THE TIME. CRACK ORIGINATED FROM UNDER DRIVER'S SIDE WINDSHIELD WIPER AND RUNS VERTICALLY EIGHT INCHES AND THEN TURNS HORIZONTAL FOR ANOTHER EIGHT TO TEN INCHES. *AK

I WANT TO REPORT A SUDDEN CRACK IN MY WINDSHIELD OF MY HONDA ELEMENT. IT IS IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT HAND CORNER. *LA

TICKING IN WINDSHIELD AS SOON AS DROVE OFF LOT. DEALER REPLACED WITHIN WEEKS. NOW WINDOW MAKES TICKING NOISE ONLY AFTER DRIVING EXTENDED DISTANCES. WINDSHIELD CRACKED EARLY DECEMBER 2003. *AK

WHILE TRAVELING 65 MPH WINDSHIELD CRACKED ON THE PASSENGER'S SIDE UNDERNEATH THE WINDSHIELD WIPER. *AK

THE WINDSHIELD OF MY HONDA ELEMENT EX, 2003 HAS CRACK AFTER BEEN HIT BY A SMALL OBJECT FOR SECOND TIME. FOR THE FIRST TIME I PAY $50 FOR REPAIR. NOW I AM NOT SURE IT'S WORTH TO REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT IN VIEW OF SO MANY COMPLAINS BY OTHERS ELEMENTS OWNERS. *NLM

13" WINDSHIELD CRACK ON 2003 HONDA ELEMENT EX WITH ONLY 3000 MILES LOGGED. THERE WAS A PIN-HEAD SIZED PIT THAT EXPANDED TO A 13" (AND GROWING) CRACK. *NLM

WINDSHIELD CRACKED AT LOWER DRIVER SIDE CORNER, NO IMPACT OF ANY KIND CAN BE FOUND. THERE IS A SERVICE BULLETIN ON STRESS CRACK ON CORNER FOR THE ONE I RECIEVED TODAY SO I WILL TAKE TO DEALER TOMORROW, HOPEFULLY THEY WILL REPAIR UNDER WARRANTY. I ALSO HAD ANOTHER STAR TYPE CRACK 2 MONTHS PRIOR WHILE DRIVING BUT WHATEVER THAT HIT THE WINDSHIELD MUST HAVE BEEN A SPEC OF SAND. DEALER SAID AT TIME WOULD NOT REPAIR SINCE IT WAS A "IMPACT" CRACK. THERE IS OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE WINDSHIELD AND DESIGN FOR IT TO PIT AND CRACK SO EASILY.*AK

HONDA ELEMENT WINDSHIELD CRACKED FOR NO REASON. *AK

CRACKED WINDSHIELD, DRIVING ON A WIDELY DIVIDED INTERSTATE AT LAWFUL SPEED, IN HEAVY RAIN, NO AUTOMOBILES IN SIGHT IN FRONT OF ME, HEARD A "POP" SOUND, AND SAW A SMALL CRACK ABOUT 5 INCHES TO LEFT OF PASSENGER SIDE WIPER AXIS. DOUBTFUL IT WAS ROAD DEBRIS, AS THERE WERE NO VEHICLES IN FRONT OF ME. RESULTS OF DEALER CONTACT TO BE RESOLVED PENDING MEETING TOMORROW. THIS AUTOMOBILE HAS APPROXIMATELY 1800 MILES ON IT . HAS BEEN IN POSSESSION APPROXIMATELY 6 WEEKS. (SINCE OCT 10 2003) . *AK

STRESS CRACK IN WINDSHIELD. *AK

WINDSHIELD CRACKED WITH 900 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. LOCATION OF CRACK: LEFT SIDE, MID-HEIGHT. SMALL PEBBLE STRUCK WINDSHEID WITH NO CHIP OR INDENTATION NOTED.*AK

HONDA ELEMENT WINDSHIELD CRACKED WITHOUT ANY IMPACT OF ANY TYPE. START TOP OF DRIVER'S SIDE, IS NOW ABOUT 20" LONG . *AK

HONDA ELEMENT WINDSHIELD CRACK STARTING FROM LOWER DRIVER SIDE ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD. HONDA HAS A TSB ON THIS PROBLEM BUT WILL NOT RESOLVE IT - I AM A MEMBER OF HONDA SUV WHICH ALSO HAS SEVERAL COMPLAINTS. THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE STATED THIS WAS CAUSED BY A 1 MM ROCK CHIP (WHICH THERE IS NO IMPLOSION) - READING THE HONDA TSB IT IS OBVIOUS THAT IF ONE EVEN SUSTAINS A ROCK CHIP THAT THE PRESSURE FROM THE INCORRECT MANUFACTURED WINDOW WILL CAUSE IT TO CRACK NOT GIVING THE OWNER A CHANCE TO FIX A CHIP. *LA

THE WINDSHIELD ON MY 2003 HONDA ELEMENT HAS DEVELOPED A CRACK THAT STARTS ON THE BOTTOM PART OF THE PASSENGER SIDE AND GREW UP 6-8 INCHES OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS. WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALER WE BOUGHT IT FROM (BILL GATTON HONDA IN BRISTOL, TN) AND THEY SAID THERE WAS A CHIP IN IT AND IT WAS AN IMPACT DAMAGE AND THEY WOULD NOT CONSIDER IT FOR WARRANTY REPLACEMENT. WE TOLD THE DEALER THAT NOTHING HAD HIT THE WINDSHIELD AND WE WERE AWARE ON NUMEROUS PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM BUT THEY WOULD NOT LISTEN. I WAS REFERRED TO THIS SITE (NHTSA) BY A FELLOW OWNER WHO HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. *LA

LARGE CRACK IN LOWER-RIGHT CORNER OF WINDSHIELD 6 DAYS AFTER PURCHASING VEHICLE. NUMEROUS ACCOUNTS OF SIMILAR CRACKING ISSUES AMONG OWNERS OF SAME VEHICLE (2003 HONDA ELEMENT). *LA

WINDSHIELD POSSIBLY HIT BY A ROCK (ALTHOUGH I DIDN'T SEE ONE) AND LARGE STAR WITH CRACKS FORMING AT BASE OF WINDSHIELD ON DRIVER'S SIDE. I HEARD THIS WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE ELEMENT BEFORE I PURCHASED, BUT WAS ASSURED THAT THIS WAS FIXED FOR LATER RELEASED MODELS. I HAVE HAD THIS CAR LESS THAN A MONTH AND IT HAS ONLY 600 MILES ON IT. *LA

MY 2003 HONDA ELEMENT WINDSHIELD CRACKED AFTER 4000 MILES, THE CRACK STARTED BELOW THE DRIVER SIDE WINDSHIELD WIPER AND EXPANDED UPWARD, MOST LIKELY THE RESULT OF A SMALL ROCK IMPACT BUT NEVER HEARD ANY NOISE. TALKED TO HONDA AMERICA AND THE CSR SAID I SHOULD CONTACT LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND SEE. TOOK THE CAR TO THE HONDA OF LISLE (ILLINOIS) DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED THE ELEMENT FROM, AND SEVERAL SERVICE MANAGERS LOOKED AT IT AND SAID IT CAN NOT BE COVERED BY WARRANTY BECAUSE IT WAS A ROCK CHIP. AT LEAST TWO SERVICE MANAGERS CLAIMED THEY HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF ANY WINDSHIELD PROBLEM WITH ELEMENT. PAYING $100 INSURANCE DEDUCTIBLE IS A SMALL PRICE TO PAY, BUT THIS SEEMS TO BE AN OBVIOUS MANUFACTURER DEFECT AND CAN HAUNT THE CONSUMERS BY REPLACING WINDSHIELD ON A VERY FREQUENT BASIS. DOES HONDA AMERICA STANDS BY ITS PRODUCT AND WARRANTY RATHER THAN REPEATED DENIALS? DOES HONDA WANT TO SEE HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF CONSUMER COMPLAINTS BEFORE ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITIES AND TAKING CONCRETE ACTIONS? THIS IS NOT THE HONDA I KNOW. I HAD A 84 HONDA CIVIC DX AND PUT 100+K ON IT WITH NO MAJOR PROBLEM WHATSOEVER. *LA

I'VE HAD MULTIPLE WINDSHIELD CRACKS ON MY HONDA ELEMENT. THESE CRACKS START AROUND THE LEFT CORNER AND BOTTOM PERIMETER. I TOOK THE ELEMENT IN TO TWO DEALERS AND THE CLAIM WERE FROM A ROCK IMPACT. THE POINTS OF IMPACTS ARE BARELY VISIBLE FROM THE NAKED EYE. THAT'S WHY THE SERVICE REP AT THE DEALER WILL RUN A PEN DOWN THE CRACK AND FIND THE TINY POINT OF IMPACT. THESE WINDSHIELDS ARE DEFECTIVE. 3 CRACKS AND TWO STARS IN LESS THAN 10,000 MILES. THIS IS NOT THE NORMAL. THE CRACKS ARE RIGHT IN THE LINE OF SITE AND ARE A SLIGHT SAFETY CONCERN. HONDA NEEDS TO FIX THIS PROBLEM ON THE HONDA ELEMENTS AND NOT GIVE A PERSON THE RUN AROUND AT THE DEALER CLAIMING A ROCK HIT IT. *LA

WINDSHIELD CRACKED WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY. WAS NOT FOLLOWING ANOTHER VEHICLE. NO DEBRIS WAS SEEN HITTING THE WINDSHIELD BUT AFTER HEARING A LIGHT "CLICK" A STAR SHAPED CRACK APPEARED ON THE WINDSHIELD. IF THE WINDSHIELD WAS HIT BY DEBRIS, IT WAS EXTREMELY SMALL AND SHOULD NOT HAVE CAUSED A CRACK. *LA

HONDA ELEMENT WINDSHIELD CRACKING. THERE IS A CRACK RUNNING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE PASSENGER'S SIDE OF THE GLASS UP 4 INCHES AND THEN RUNNING OUT TO THE EDGE OF PASSENGERS SIDE. THERE APPEARS TO BE A PIT (LIKE A PIECE OF SAND MADE IT) IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CRACK JUST BELOW THE PASSENGER WINDSHIELD WIPER. I AGREE WITH THE COMMENTS MADE BY OTHERS HERE THAT IF THERE IS UNDO STRESS ON THE WINDSHIELD THEN IT STANDS TO REASON THAT ANY IMPACTS, NO MATTER HOW SLIGHT, WILL CAUSE THE WINDSHIELD TO CRACK. THERE ARE PLENTY OF OTHER PITS THE SAME SIZE AT OTHER SPOTS ON THE WINDSHIELD WITH NO CRACKING. DEALER WILL NOT REPLACE. *LA

WINDSHIELD CRACKED WHILE VEHICLE PARKED. DEALER SAID WINDSHIELD CRACK WAS "PROBABLY" FROM ROAD HAZARD. INITIALLY, SAID IT WOULD NOT BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, BUT COULD FIND NO MARK FROM DEBRIS IMPACT AND AGREED TO REPLACE UNDER WARRANTY. *LA