2003 HONDA ELEMENT Complaints

WINDSHIELD CRACKED WHILE VEHICLE PARKED. DEALER SAID WINDSHIELD CRACK WAS "PROBABLY" FROM ROAD HAZARD. INITIALLY, SAID IT WOULD NOT BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, BUT COULD FIND NO MARK FROM DEBRIS IMPACT AND AGREED TO REPLACE UNDER WARRANTY. *LA

LEASED THIS VEHICLE MAY 27, 2003. RATTLES, POPPING NOISES AT WINDSHIELD AREA. POPPING NOISE AT DRIVER'S SIDE PILLAR. HAD WINDSHIELD REPLACED, FRAMEWORK WELDED, DASHBOARD REMOVED TWICE, FOAM INSTALLED, AND WINDSHIELD MOLDING REPLACED. PILLAR ADJUSTED. NOISES CONTINUE. VERY FEARFUL WHEN DRIVING THIS VEHICLE KNOWING THAT FRAME HAS BEEN REPAIRED AND THERE ARE PROBLEMS WITH THE WINDSHIELD. THE NOISES ARE DISTRACTING. HONDA SERVICE TECH, SERVICE MANAGER,AND FACTORY REPRESENTATIVE HEARD ALL SOUNDS. HONDA WILLING TO ATTEMPT PILLAR REPAIR ONLY. *LA

COMPLAINT REGARDING HONDA AMERICAN MOTORS AND THE PURCHASE OF A 2003 HONDA ELEMENT.*MR CONSUMER STATED EXPERIENCE AT THE DEALERSHIP WAS LESS THAN GOOD. HIS VEHICLE WAS SPRAYED WITH "ARMOR OIL TYPE GREASE" ALL OVER THE DOOR PANEL WITH SPRAY SPRINKLES. ALL OVER THE FRONT AND BACK SEATS AND CONSOLE. THEY SPRAYED STUFF ALL OVER THE PLACE TO THE POINT WHERE HIS HAND SLIPPED OFF THE STEERING WHEEL AND THE SEATS WERE DESTROYED. DEALERSHIP PROMISED THE PERMA PLATE, LOW JACK AND KEYLESS ENTRY. CONSUMER WAS TOLD HE WOULDN'T RECEIVE HIS KEYLESS ENTRY DESPITE IT BEING PART OF THE DEAL. CONSUMER STATED THE DEALERSHIP JACKED UP HIS VEHICLE. *PH

I HAVE A BARELY 2 MONTH OLD 2003 HONDA ELEMENT AND AT ABOUT 2K MILES... HAVE SUFFERED A CRACKED WINDSHIELD FROM A VERY SMALL ROCK/PEBBLE THAT SHOULD HAVE CAUSED A 8 INCH CRACK. HONDA HAS EVEN ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN (TSP #03-028) SPECIFICALLY REFERRING TO STRESS AREAS WITHIN THE CORNER OF WINDSHIELD WHICH IN TURN WOULD MAKE GLASS VUNERABLE TO ANY OBJECT COMING IN CONTACT WHILE DRIVING. THE DEALER BLAMES THE CRACK ON THE DEBRIS AND REFUSES TO REPLACE VIA WARRANTY. NUMEROUS OTHER ELEMENT OWNERS THROUGHOUT COUNTRY ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE NEW ELEMENT. *JB

BOUGHT THE CAR WITH 264 MILES ON IT ON AUG. 15TH, 2003. ON AUG. 23RD, A NOISE BEGAN CONSISTANTLY FROM THE REAR PART OF THE VEHICLE EACH & EVERY TIME WHEN MAKING TURNS. *AK

WE HAVE A DEFECT IN THE DRIVER'S FIELD OF VISION WHICH OCCURRED OVER NIGHT. MY HUSBAND WAS THE LAST TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE AND DID NOT NOTICE ANY PIT OR STAR AT THE TIME HE PARKED THE VEHICLE. WE HAVE LESS THAN 1,000 MILES ON OUR NEW 2003 HONDA ELEMENT AND PURCHASED IT ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO. WE CHECKED THE HONDA ELEMENT OWNER'S WEBSITE AND FOUND OTHERS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. I AM A FORMER AUTO AND HOME DAMAGE INSURANCE ADJUSTER AND HAVE SOME EXPERTISE. NEW GLASS SHOULD NOT BE BRITTLE AND SHOULD WITHSTAND MOST HAIL DAMAGE I.E. GREENHOUSE GLASS AND WINDSHIELD GLASS. I HAVE NEVER HAD A NEW WINDSHIELD WITH SUCH PROBLEMS BEFORE. I'VE OWNED AND DRIVEN VEHICLES IN EXCESS OF 150,000 MILES WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS TO THE WINDSHIELD.*AK

FRONT WINDSHIELD CRACKED IN LOWER DRIVER SIDE CORNER AND CURVED UP AND OVER TOWARDS CENTER OF DRIVERS VIEW. DEALER SAYS ROCK IMPACT CAUSED COLLISION AND WILL NOT HONOR TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN 03-028 EVEN THOUGH MY VEHICLE'S IDENTIFICATION NUMBER IS WITHIN THE TSB CALL OUT. *AK

HONDA ELEMENT, MODEL 2003, PURCHASED APRIL 2003, HAS SEVERE WINDSHIELD ISSUES. IT CREEKS, POPS AND TAPS. MANY HONDA ELEMENT OWNERS REPORT CRACKED WINDSHIELDS DUE TO A DESIGN PROBLEM. I CANNOT GO ON ANY LONG TRIPS FOR FEAR OUR FAMILY WILL BE STRANDED. I HAVE CALLED HONDA'S DEALERS AND THEY PLAY AS IF THEY DON'T KNOW. I'VE CALLED HONDA'S CUSTOMER SERVICE HOTLINE AND, AT FIRST, THEY SAID THEY HADN'T EVER HEARD OF THE PROBLEM, THEN AFTER DIGGING IN MY HEALS WITH THEM, THEY FOUND A HONDA TSB ABOUT THE PROBLEM. THEY WANT ME TO BRING MY CAR INTO THE DEALERSHIP, BUT ADMIT THE DEALER MAY JUST TAKE IT APART AND CHARGE ME FOR IT. I WROTE HONDA CORPORATE A MONTH AGO AND HAVE NOT RECEIVED EVEN A FORM LETTER REPLY.*AK

VERY SMALL ROCK CHIP CAUSED THE WINDOW TO CRACK ALL THE WAY UP. I DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING HIT THE WINDSHIELD BUT THE DEALER SAID THAT IT WAS A ROCK CHIP AND WOULDN'T FIX IT UNDER WARRANTY. THE WINDOW CRACKED IMMEDIATELY - DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TIME TO SEE ABOUT GETTING THE CHIP FIXED. IF THE WINDOW CRACKS THIS EASILY I'M AFRAID TO SEE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IN A CRASH!!! SEE HONDAELEMENT.ORG - LOTS AND LOTS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE WINDSHIELD. HONDA NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM!!!! THIS IS THE FIRST HONDA I'VE OWNED. WOULD THINK TWICE ABOUT BUYING ANOTHER ONE.*AK

A SIX-INCH CRACK SEEMED TO SPONTANEOUISLY APPEAR ONE MORNING IN THE WINDSHIELD OF OUR 2003 ELEMENT DX. WE MADE AN APPOINTMENT AND SPECIFIED THAT WE DIDN'T WANT IT FIXED UNLESS IT WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, WE SOON RECEIVED A CALL INFORMING US THAT THERE WAS A PEBBLE THAT HIT THE WINDSHIELD UNDER THE HOOD, AND SINCE THERE WAS AN IMPACT, IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER OUR WARRANTY. THE POINT OF IMPACT IS SO MINISCULE IT IS RIDICULOUS. WE STILL HAVEN'T HAD IT FIXED, IT'S NOT GROWING VERY MUCH, AND WE WON'T FIX IT UNTIL HONDA OWNS UP TO THE DEFECT AND REPLACES THE WINDSHIELD AT THEIR EXPENSE. *AK