Honda Element Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy
Every Honda Element model year from 2003 to 2011, benchmarked against each other with 1,533 federal complaints, 24 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.
Avoid: 2003–2004. These years top the Element's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
Safer bets: 2009–2010 — the quietest years with at least four years on the road.
The method in one line: every NHTSA complaint for this model is counted, weighted for crashes, fires, injuries, and deaths, and each year is measured against the Element's own worst year — full methodology.
Under investigation. Federal regulators currently have 2 open defect investigations on the Honda Element.
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade,…
Model years named: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their…
Model years named: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
The trouble strip
One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.
The defining problem
Visibility & wipers tops the Honda Element file with 377 complaints, concentrated in the 2003 model years, most often reported around 21,250 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.
Every year, ranked
| Year | Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | Top problem | Trouble index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Few reports | 15 | 11 | — | 3 |
| 2010 | Better year | 39 | 11 | — | 8 |
| 2009 | Better year | 40 | 9 | — | 9 |
| 2008 | Typical | 129 | 13 | Brakes & stability | 22 |
| 2007 | Typical | 142 | 12 | Airbags | 28 |
| 2006 | Below average | 154 | 11 | Airbags | 40 |
| 2005 | Below average | 203 | 10 | Airbags | 51 |
| 2004 | Avoid | 329 | 11 | Visibility & wipers | 68 |
| 2003 | Avoid | 482 | 12 | Visibility & wipers | 100 |
Technical service bulletins
Beyond complaints and recalls, 670 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, service campaigns, warranty extensions — are on file for the Honda Element. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Browse the Honda Element TSB list by year →
Questions buyers ask
What Honda Element years should I avoid?
Federal complaint records point to 2003–2004 as the Honda Element years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.
What is the most common Honda Element problem?
Visibility & wipers tops the Honda Element file with 377 complaints, concentrated in the 2003 model years, most often reported around 21,250 miles.
What are the best Honda Element years to buy used?
The quietest Honda Element years in federal records are 2009–2010 — each with at least four years on the road and well-below-average complaint volume for this model.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Counts cover the Honda Element only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.