2003 HONDA ELEMENT Complaints

2003 ELEMENT ROLLED BACKWARDS WHILE VEHICLE WAS IN REVERSE AND KEYS IN HIS HANDS. *TS ***NO ANSWER REQUIRED*** *JB

DT: THE CONTACT STATES THERE IS A CRACK IN THE WINDSHIELD. THE CRACK CAME UP FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE WINDOW BEAD. IT FIRST BEGAN AS A TINY CRACK AND IS NOW ABOUT TWO AND HALF FEET LONG. THE DEALERSHIP AND THE MANUFACTURER EXPLAINED TO HIM THERE WERE NO OTHER RELATED PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE. *NM UPDATED 12/7/2005. IN LATE NOVEMBER THE CONSUMER FOUND A HONDA SERVICE BULLETIN REFERENCING A WINDSHIELD DEFECT. ALTHOUGH THE CONSUMER'S VEHICLE FALLS WITH THE RANGE OF VINS THE DEALER REFUSED TO REPLACE THE WINDSHIELD. *NM

MY 2003 HONDA ELEMENT DEVELOPED A CRACK BELOW THE DRIVER SIDE WIPER THAT GOES UP THREE INCHES THEN DOES A 90 DEGREE RIGHT TURN THEN TRAVELS APPROXIAMATELY TWO FEET HORIZONTALLY THEN DOES ANOTHER 90 DEGREE TURN DOWN INTO WINDOW BEAD. THERE IS A VERY VERY SLIGHT "DINK" IN THE WINDSHIELD ALONG THE CRACK BUT YOUR FINGERNAIL BARELY CATCHES IN IT. I BELIEVE AS DO MANY OTHER 2003 ELEMENT OWNERS THAT THERE IS UNDUE STRESS ON THE CORNERS OF THE WINDSHIELD AND THIS IS WHAT CAUSED THE DAMAGE. I BELIEVE THIS IS A DESIGN FLKAW THAT SHOULD BE COVERED BY HONDA. *NM

ON THE MORNING OF OCTOBER 22, 2005 I STARTED MY 2003 HONDA ELEMENT WHICH WAS PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY. I QUICKLY REMEMBERED THAT I WANTED AN ITEM OUT OF THE GARAGE AND STEPPED OUT OF THE VEHICLE. I HAD NOT TOUCHED THE AUTOMATIC GEAR SHIFT AND THE E/R BRAKE WAS ON. THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY WENT INTO REVERSE, DOWN THE DRIVEWAY, ACROSS THE STREET, THE OPEN DOOR STRUCK THE NEIGHBORS MAIL BOX, VEHICLE PROCEEDED UP THE NEIGHBORS DRIVE WAY STRIKING THEIR PARKED VEHICLE, PUSHING IT 2 FEE UP THEIR DRIVEWAY. THEN THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY WENT INTO DRIVE, CAME BACK DOWN THE NEIGHBORS DRIVEWAY, ACROSS THE STREET, UP MY DRIVEWAY, INTO MY GARAGE STRIKING ITEMS IN THE REAR OF THE GARAGE BEFORE STOPPING. I REACHED IN TO SHUT THE CAR OFF THEN RAN INTO THE HOUSE. WHEN MY HUSBAND CAME OUT TO THE GARAGE AND GOT INTO THE VEHICLE HE SAID THAT THE CAR WAS IN PARK AND THE E/R BREAK WAS ON. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE NEIGHBORS VEHICLE AND APPROX $3500 DAMAGE TO THE HONDA ELEMENT. I BELIEVE THE TRANSMISSION/GEAR BOX FAILED AND THE E/B FAILED RESULTING IN INJURY AND DAMAGE. VEHICLE IS BEING REPAIRED AT BODY SHOP AND I HAVE NOTIFIED HONDA AND WILL HAVE THEM CHECK OUT WHEN REPAIRS COMPLETED. *NM

CAR WAS PARKED, ENGINE TURNED OFF, AND KEY REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION. AS I STEPPED OUT THE CAR BEGAN TO ROLL, MY RIGHT LEG BECAME CAUGHT IN THE CAR, I WAS DRAGGED ABOUT 80 FEET DOWN MY DRIVEWAY UNTIL I FINALLY MANAGED TO FREE MY FOOT AND ROLL AWAY. I FRACTURED A FINGER, TORE LIGAMENTS IN THAT AND ANOTHER, INJURED MY RIGHT KNEE AND ANKLE, SCRAPED MY RIGHT ARM, AND BRUISED MY UPPER THIGH. THE CAR CONTINUED TO ROLL OVER SOME LARGE ROCKS, ACROSS THE ROAD, AND INTO THE CORN FIELD. THE KEY SHOULD NOT HAVE COME OUT OF THE IGNITION WHEN THE CAR WAS NOT IN PARK. AFTER GETTING NO SATISFACTION FROM HONDA AMERICA, MY LOCAL DEALER FINALLY AGREED TO FIX THE PROBLEM BY REPLACING THE ENTIRE KEY INTERLOCK SYSTEM. *NM

CRACKED WINDSHIELD ON HONDA ELEMENT, IT STARTED LAST SUMMER AT EDGE OF WINDSHIELD AND HAS PROGRESSIVELY GONE STRAIGHT ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD TO POINT WHERE IT NOW NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THERE IS A RECALL BUT BECAUSE MY VIN # DOES NOT MATCH THE RECALL HONDA WILL NOT NECESSARILY COVER. THE DEALERSHIP IS CHARGING $85.00 JUST CHECK TO SEE IF THEY WILL COVER. THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS OF HONDA ELEMENT WINDSHIELDS CRACKING. I HAVE LIVED IN AK FOR OVER 20 YEARS AND HAVE NEVER HAD TO REPLACE A WINDSHIELD BEFORE. *NM

CONSUMER HAD WINDSHIELD REPLACED ON FOUR OCCASIONS, BECAUSE IT MADE A HOWLING NOISE. *TS THE COMPANY THAT REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD BLAMED THE MANUFACTURER FOR NOT FIXING A BAD WELD. THE MANUFACTURER CLAIMED THE CONSUMERS MODEL WAS PRONE TO BREAKAGE BECAUSE OF THE VERTICAL POSITION WHEN STRUCK BY EVEN THE SLIGHTEST IMPACT WITHIN THE BLACK AREA ON THE OUTSIDE EDGE OF THE GLASS, HOWEVER THE CONSUMER DISAGREED WITH THAT THEORY, STATING THERE HAD BEEN OTHER VEHICLE DOWN THROUGH THE YEARS THAT HAD THIS TYPE OF WINDSHIELD POSITIONING WITHOUT EXCESSIVE WINDSHIELD BREAKAGE. *JB

I OWN A 2003 HONDA ELEMENT AND WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WHERE I HIT A PICKUP TRUCK AND BOTH VEHICLES WERE TOTAL LOSSES. THE DRIVERS SIDE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY EVEN THOUGH IT WAS A FRONTAL IMPACT WHICH PUSHED THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE IN BY 24 INCHES AND BENT THE FRAME - THE PASSENGER AIRBAG DID DEPLOY EVEN THOUGH NO OTHER PASSENGERS WERE IN THE VEHICLE. I REPORTED THE PROBLEM TWICE TO HONDA AMERICA BUT THEY ARE REFUSING TO ACKNOWLEDGE A PROBLEM EXISTS. *NM

MY SON WAS INVOLVED IN A SERIOUS MULTIPLE ROLLOVER ACCIDENT IN OUR 2003 HONDA ELEMENT TWO DAYS AGO. THERE WAS NOT ONE PORTION OF THE VEHICLE (INCLUDING THE FRONT) THAT WAS NOT SEVERELY IMPACTED AND YET BOTH THE SHERIFF AND TOW TRUCK DRIVER WERE VERY CONCERNED BECAUSE NONE OF THE AIRBAGS EVER DEPLOYED. *NM

THE WINDSHIELD ON MY 2003 HONDA ELEMENT CRACKED IN THE CENTER RISING UP FROM THE BOTTOM EDGE. THE CRASH IS 18" LONG APPROX. THE DEALER SAID IT WAS FROM A ROCK AND NOT COVERED. THE "ROCK" CHIP IS BARELY VISIBLE. IT'S MORE LIKE A TINY PIT FROM A PIECE OF SAND. I BELIEVE THE ELEMENT HAS A DESIGN FLAW WHICH CAUSES CRACKS FROM THE FLEXING OF THE FRAME OR CHEAP GLASS. *JB