2003 HONDA ELEMENT Complaints

MY CAR WAS PARKED AT WORK DURING A SNOW STORM AND AT THE END OF THE DAY I CAME OUT TO THE CAR BRUSHED THE SNOW AWAY AND MY WINDSHIELD WAS CRACKED IN THE LOWER PASSENGER SIDE CORNER THE CAR HAD 7300 MILES ON IT. IT WAS FINE WHEN I LEFT IN THE MORNING . 2 DAYS LATER I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT IT WAS DUE TO A SMALL PIT IN THE WINDSHIELD THE SIZE OF A GRAIN OF SAND AND THEREFORE HONDA WOULD NOT THE REPAIR. I HAVE HAD CARS (HONDAS) WITH LARGE STONE CHIPS 1/4 INCH IN SIZE NOT CRACK THE WINDSHIELD - THE SIZE OF THIS PIT IS BARELY VISIBLE. I TOLD MY DEALER THAT I FELT THIS WAS A DEFECT IN THE WINDSHIELD OR INSTALLATION AND HE SAID THAT HONDA WOULD NOT ADDRESS IT SINCE THERE WAS A PIT IN THE WINDSHIELD. HE SAID MY INSURANCE WOULD COVER IT. AFTER CHECKING ON THE WEB AND THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS MY SUSPICIONS WERE VERFIIED. I HAVE OWNED 6 HONDAS AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT I HAVE ANY PROBLEM WITH HONDA - TO ME THIS IS DANGEROUS, AN OBVIOUS DEFECT AND THEY NEED TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM!!! A MEMBER ON THE HONDA ELEMENTS OWNERS WEB SITE STATED THAT HE HAD HIS WINDSHIELD REPLACED BY ANOTHER FIRM AND THEY COULD NOT BELIEVE HOW THIN THE ORIGINAL WINDSHIELD WAS. *AK

MY 2003 HONDA ELEMENT HAS DEVELOPED A STRESS CRACK IN THE LOWER RIGHT CORNER IN THAT IS SIMILAR THAT REPORTED BY HUNDREDS OF ELEMENT OWNERS. THIS OCCURED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND IS CONSISTENT WITH THE DESCRIPTION OF A HONDA TSB ADDRESSING CRACKED WINDSHEILDS DUE TO A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. TWO HONDA DEALERSHIPS ARROGANTLY DISMISSED IT AS BEING CAUSED BY A PEBBLE CHIP; HOWEVER THE ALLEGED "CHIP" WAS A SMALL PIT THE SIZE OF A GRAIN OF SAND. THE FIRST DEALER INDICATED HE LOCATED A SMALL DICONTINUITY IN THE PATH OF THE CRACK THAT WAS PIN SIZED. THE SECOND DEALERSHIP ALLEGED THAT HE LOCATED SIX PINHOLES, NONE OF WHICH WERE VISABLE TO ME OR DETECTED BY THE FIRST DEALERHIP! THE INSPECTION TECHNIQUE AND RESULTING DISMISSAL OF THE CLAIM APPEARED TO BE COACHED FROM SOME HONDA FACTORY ISSUED DIRECTIVE TO AVOID DOCUMENTATION OF THIS WIDESPREAD DEFECT. DOZENS OF WEBSITE POSTINGS ARE AVAILABLE WHICH DOCUMENTS SIMILAR EXPERIENCES WITH MANY ALSO DESCRIBING THE ALLEGED DETECTION OF A PINHEAD SIZE PIT ON THE SURFACE OF THE CRACK DIRECTLY UNDER THE WINDSHIELD WIPER ARM. IT IS OBVIOUS THAT HONDA IS ATTEMPTING TO COVER UP THIS DEFECT TO AVOID A RECALL OR A"SECRET WARRANTY" SITUATION.*AK

THE CONSUMER STATED THE WINDSHIELD WAS BEGINING TO CRACK. THE CAUSE HAD NOT BEEN DETERMINED. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *JB WINDSHIELD CRACKED FOR NO APPARENT REASON WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED. *EH *JB

MY 2003 HONDA ELEMENT WINDSHIELD CRACKED. I HAVE HERD SOME ABOUT THAT IN PAST. WHEN I WENT TO A HONDA DEALER THEY DECLINED REPLACEMENT OF THE WINDSHIELD. STATING THERE IS NO RECALLS ON IT. HOWEVER I DID FOUND OUT SOME INFORMATION ON WWW.HONDAELEMENTSCRACK.COM THERE WAS A SERVICE BULLETIN ON THIS PROBLEM.

A WINDSHIELD PROBLEM. THERE WAS A CRACK ON THE LEFT SIDE JUST 5" ABOVE THE LOWER CORNER OF THE WINDSHIELD. THERE WAS NO IMPACT MARK AT THE CRACK ON THE WINDSHIELD. HOWEVER, DEALER CLAIMED THERE WAS AN IMPACT MARK, AND REFUSED TO REPAIR IT! THERE ARE SEVERAL BIGGER DEBRIS CHIPS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WINDSHIELD WHICH DID NOT CAUSE CRACK! I HAVE ON THE CAR JUST 13 000 MILES AND THIS IS UNHEARD OFF. I HAVE OVER 10 YEARS OF DRIVING AND NOTHING LIKE THIS EVER HAPPENED TO ME WITH ANY OF MY CARS BEFORE. I WILL CONTINUE TO DRIVE MY CAR WITH THE CRACK ON UNTIL THE DEALER OR AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO. DECIDES TO REPLACE AT THEIR OWN COST. THEY HAVE TO ADMIT IT IS A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT AND DO A NATIONAL RECALL. I AM READY TO SUE AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR COMPANY IF MY SAFETY IS JEOPARDIZED DUE TO THAT PARTICULAR DEFECT !!! *AK

THE FIRST CRACK CAME ON THE DRIVERS SIDE LOWER PART OF W/SHIELD STARTING BY THE COWL VENT PANEL AND THE CRACK WENT TO THE LT. THE SECOND CRACK CAME WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD, I HEARD SOME CRACKING NOISES AND THEN THE CRACK APPEARED AND DID THE SAME THING BUT THE CRACK WENT TO THE RIGHT SIDE. *AK

CRACKED WINDSHIELD INITIATING IN THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CAR WITH NO CAUSE SUCH AS ROCK CHIP DAMAGE, ETC. CRACK CONTINUES ACROSS WINDSHIELD JUST ABOVE DASHBOARD LEVEL.*AK

THE INFAMOUS WINDOW CRACK APPEARED ON MY HONDA ELEMENT. JUST WOKE UP ONE MORNING AND FOUND A 3 INCH CRACK. IT HAS SINCE EXPANDED.*AK

THE CONSUMER HAS HAD CONSISTENT PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE'S FACTORY INSTALLED HORN AND ALARM. *NM THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO REMEDY THE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM. OTHER PROBLEMS WERE; THE BUMPER COVER WOULD POP OUT INTERMITTENTLY, THE RIGHT SIDE CORNER PIECE WAS LOOSE, THE HORN SOUND WAS ABNORMAL AND ANTI-FREEZE WAS LEAKING. *SC

STRESS FRACTURE IN WINDSHIELD THAT STARTED FROM THE LOWER DRIVER SIDE AND STRETCHES ACROSS ABOUT 24" TO 36". *NM