Reliability & cost of ownership
Honda Element Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Honda Element? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars where on file — then open the year you're shopping for its AI reliability outlook where NHTSA has enough data.
Honda Element problems by model year
100 recall entries and 1,283 owner complaints on file across 9 model years, sourced from the federal NHTSA database.
| Year | Recalls | Complaints | NCAP stars | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 Element | 11 | 11 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2010 Element | 11 | 30 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2009 Element | 9 | 31 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2008 Element | 13 | 113 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2007 Element | 12 | 112 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2006 Element | 11 | 122 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2005 Element | 10 | 159 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2004 Element | 11 | 281 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2003 Element | 12 | 424 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Honda Element, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- visibility374 complaints
- air bags322 complaints
- suspension117 complaints
- electrical system111 complaints
- structure92 complaints
- seats56 complaints
- service brakes, hydraulic50 complaints
- power train49 complaints