2004 HONDA ELEMENT Complaints

I OWN A 2004 HONDA ELEMENT. AS WITH THOUSANDS OF OTHERS, I HAVE A STRESS CRACK IN THE WINDSHIELD WITH NO DISCERNIBLE CAUSE. HONDA REFUSES TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT IN ACCIDENT NOR IS THERE A ROAD STONE INCIDENT. THE CRACK GOES FROM JUST UNDER THE LEFT SIDE WINDSHIELD WIPER, UP AND TO THE LEFT TO THE SIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD. IT HAS A VERTICAL COMPONENT OF APPROX. 6 INCHES AND THEN A HORIZONTAL COMPONENT OF 3 INCHES. THE CRACK CANNOT BE FELT ON THE INSIDE OR OUTSIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD. *JB

I AM AN OWNER OF A 2004 HONDA ELEMENT. LIKE MANY OTHER ELEMENT OWNERS, I'VE JUST HAD MY FIRST CRACKED WINDSHIELD, 3 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE. I'VE ALSO HAD MY FIRST EXPERIENCE TRYING TO GET HONDA TO ADMIT THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE WINDSHIELD IN THIS VEHICLE. THERE IS NO IMPACT MARK, BUT A CRACK RUNNING FROM UNDER THE RUBBER SEAL , UP AND ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD ON THE DRIVERS SIDE. THE SERVICE MANAGER WAS VERY SURE THAT AN IMPACT MUST HAVE CAUSED THIS, EVEN THOUGH HE COULD NOT FIND A SPECIFIC MARK USING THE IMFAMOUS "PEN TEST". I'VE READ NUMEROUS OTHER COMPLAINTS ON THIS SITE AND OTHERS ABOUT THIS ISSUE. WHEN IS THE NHTSA GOING TO FORCE HONDA TO ADMIT THEY HAVE A DESIGN PROBLEM?!? *NM

THE WINDSHIELD IS EXPERIENCING MAJOR CRACKS WITHOUT ANY CAUSE, WHICH CAN AT ANYTIME BREAK. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN CONTACTED BY CONSUMER. *NM

I HAVE A 2004 HONDA ELEMENT. IT HAS LESS THAN 5000 MILES ON IT. THE WINDSHIELD IS CRACKED BUT NOTHING EVER HIT THE WINDSHIELD. THE CRACK STARTS UNDER THE PASSENGER SIDE WIPER GOES UP ABOUT 6-8 INCHES AND THEN SPREADS TOWARD THE DRIVER'S SIDE ABOUT 12 INCHES. THIS IS A DEFECT AND HONDA SHOULD STEP UP AND TAKE CARE OF IT. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD AS THIS CRACK WAS NOT THERE LAST NIGHT WHEN I PARKED MY CAR, BUT WAS THERE THIS MORNING WHEN I GOT BACK IN MY CAR. *NM

WEEKS AFTER PURCHASING THIS VEHICLE NEW FROM THE DEALER. IT BEGAN TO LEAK TRANSMISSION FLUID. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER WITH THE COMPLAINT. THEY SAID THEY'D TAKE A LOOK AT IT, BUT IT WAS A WASTE OF TIME. THEY CLAIMED IT COULD NOT POSSIBLY BE LEAKING AND ANY FLUID I SAW WAS CONDENSATION FROM THE AC. THE GAVE IT BACK TO ME IN A FEW HOURS CLAIMING IT WAS FINE AND AGAIN SAID THE FLUID WAS CONDENSATION. I ARGUED AND SAID IT WAS OILY. THEY CLAIMED THIS WAS BECAUSE MY GARAGE FLOOR WAS OILY. THE RESPONSE TO ME WAS: "I'M SO CONFIDENT IT IS WATER I'LL COME OVER AND LICK OF THE GARAGE FLOOR. NEW CARS DON'T LEAK." WELL, IT DID LEAK AND LOADS OF TRANSMISSION FLUID. I HAD TO MOP UP THE FLUID AND RETURN WITH THE SOAKED RAG AND THE VEHICLE TO GET THEM TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK. I HAD TO HAVE AN ENTIRELY NEW TRANSMISSION INSTALLED. THIS IS MY 4TH HONDA. I'VE NEVER HAD SO MANY PROBLEMS WITH A VEHICLE AS I'VE HAD WITH THIS ELEMENT. I'VE ONLY HAD IT 3 MONTHS NOW. VERY DISAPPOINTING. *NM

CRACKED WINDSHIELD. SAME COMPLAINT AS EVERYONE ELSE. THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY IN THE GARAGE AND THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED FROM THE SEAM HALF WAY UP ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. THE DEALER INSISTED THIS WAS NOT A FLAW OF THE VEHICLE AND WAS DUE TO A ROCK HITTING THE SEAM THOUGH THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO EVIDENCE OF THIS. IN THE MEANTIME, THE LEFT SIDE HAS DONE THE EXACT SAME THING. THE WINDSHIELD IS ON BACK ORDER FOR OVER A MONTH. AFTER SEEING ALL OF THE LISTINGS HERE I CAN SEE WHY THERE AREN'T ANY LEFT. THIS IS CLEARLY A SIGNIFICANT ISSUE FOR MANY OWNERS. SPOKE TO HONDA CUSTOMER SERVICE AGAIN TODAY AND THEY STILL DENY THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW AND CLAIMED THEY'VE NOT HEARD OF THIS BEING A COMMON PROBLEM. VERY DISAPPOINTING. THIS IS MY 4TH HONDA AND AS A RESULT OF ALL THE PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE (THIS IS MINOR IN COMPARISON) I WON'T BE BUYING ANOTHER HONDA AGAIN AND WILL BE GETTING RID OF THIS ONE. *NM

I OWN A 2004 HONDA ELEMENT. IT WAS SUBJECT A CRACKED WINDSHIELD DUE TO THE FACT THAT HONDA HAS A DESIGN FLAW WITH ITS WINDSHIELD INSTALLATION. THERE ARE STRESS POINTS WHICH CAUSE CRACKS IN THE BOTTOM CORNERS OF THE GLASS. THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON OCCURRENCE FOR THE ELEMENT AS HONDA HAS RELEASED A SERVICE REPORT FOR ITS DEALERS, BUT HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL.*AK

2ND OCCURRENCE OF WINDSHIELD CRACK. 1ST EVENT ON 12-05-04. OCCURRED WHILE VEHICLE PARKED-VERTICAL CRACK FROM UNDER TRIM BELOW DRIVER SIDE WIPER; TEE'D AT 6" AND WENT SIDE TO SIDE HORIZONTALLY. DEALER REFUSED TO EVEN LOOK AT CRACK. WINDSHIELD REPLACED ON 12-10-04. 2ND OCCURRENCE ON 02-15-05 WHILE VEHICLE PARKED IN GARAGE. VERTICAL CRACK FROM UNDER TRIM BELOW DRIVER SIDE WIPER FOR 3" THEN TEE'D AND WENT FROM SIDE TO SIDE HORIZONTALLY. CONTACTED DEALER BY PHONE - AGAIN TOTAL LACK OF INTEREST. BOTH EVENTS SHOWED PINHEAD SIZED PIT JUST BELOW WIPER. JB

THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED TWICE, DRIVER DROVE TO THE DEALER ON THE LAST INCIDENT, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DETERMINED AT THIS TIME. *AK

2004 HONDA ELEMENT. WE HAVE OWNED THE CAR LESS THAN 1 YEAR AND ALREADY THERE ARE 2 IMPACT CRACKS AND ONE IN-EXPLICABLE CRACK WHICH COMES FROM THE LOWER PASSENGER SIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD AND CURVES UP ABOUT 12 INCHES. DEALERSHIP STATES THAT THERE IS AN IMPACT ON THE CRACK RUNNING FROM LOWER PASSENGER SIDE (SAID THAT RAN A RAZOR OVER CRACK WHICH TELLS THEM THERE IS AN IMPACT). AM WRITING A LETTER TO HONDA AND COPYING NHTSA.*AK