2003 HONDA ELEMENT Complaints

DUE TO DEFECTIVE MANUFACTURER(HONDA) SAFETY RELATED PRODUCT, THIS NEW HONDA ELEMENT HAS HAD TWO WINDSHIELD FAILURES IN JUST 750 MILES ON THE ODOMETER DUE TO CRACKS BECAUSE OF DEFECTIVE HONDA WINDSHIELD MATERIALS AND BASIC DEFECTIVE HONDA DESIGN & ENGINEERING OF THE WINDSHIELD MOUNTING AND INSTALLATION. THE WINDSHIELD FAILURES ON MY ELEMENT HAPPENED ON JUNE, 3, 2003, AT 140 ODOMETER MILEAGE, AND JULY 9, 2003 AT 748 ODOMETER READING. HONDA WILL NOT PAY FOR THE REPAIRS. TOTAL COST FOR BOTH ADDED UP TO $1047.00. HONDA IS BEING ALLOWED TO CONTINUE TO PRODUCE AND SELL A VEHICLE, FOR WHICH THEY ARE AWARE CONTAINS A BASIC SAFETY RELATED DESIGN AND ENGINEERING FLAW, AND FOR WHICH THEY ARE MAKING CUSTOMERS PAY FOR ALL REPAIRS AND RELATED EXPENSES, IE, RENTAL CARS, BECAUSE THE HONDA WINDSHIELDS ARE IN SUCH DEMAND AND ARE BACKORDERED BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF FAILURES. IF ALL THE HONDA ELEMENT OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD DEFECTIVE WINDSHIELD FAILURES HAD FILED COMPLAINT FORMS WITH THE NHTSA, THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS WOULD BE OVERWHELMING, SURELY IN THE THOUSANDS. THERE ARE MANY POSTS ON WEB SITES, IE, EDMUNDS.COM , ELEMENTOWNERSCLUB.COM, PLUS OTHERS. THE NHTSA HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO STOP HONDA FROM FURTHUR SALES OF THE HONDA ELEMENT TO UNSUSPECTING BUYERS, BECAUSE SUCH A SALE IS A VIOLATION OF FEDERAL LAWS GOVERNING SALE OF A PRODUCT WITH A DESIGNED-IN SAFETY DEFECT AND NOT INFORMING THE CUSTOMER OF THE DEFECT. SUCH A SALE ALSO CONSTITUTES FRAUD, FOR MISREPRESENTING A PRODUCT AS SAFE AND WITHOUT DEFECTS, WHEN THE MANUFACTURER AND SELLER ARE COMPLETELY AWARE OF THE DEFECTS. ADDITIONALLY, HONDA MUST BE MADE TO REIMBURSE ELEMENT OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD TO PAY FOR WINDSHIELD REPLACEMENTS. HONDA IS PROFITING IN THE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS AT CUSTOMER EXPENSE AND UNAWARENESS OF THE EXISTENSE OF THE WINDSHIELD DEFECTS. HONDA IS PROFITING NOT ONLY ON THE SALES OF THE ELEMENT, BUT ON THE SALES OF WINDSHIELDS, WINDSHIELD MOUNTING PARTS, WINDSHIELD INSTALLATIONS LABOR AND RENTAL CARS. *AK

WINDSHIELD CRACKS EXTREMELY EASILY. I'VE REPLACED MINE TWICE IN THREE MONTHS, AND THE LATEST ONE HAS THREE CRACKS ON IT ALREADY.*AK

FOUR WHEEL DRIVE DOES NOT ENGAGE WHEN FRONT WHEELS SLIP OR SPIN. THE LEFT REAR WHEEL TURNED ONE ROTATION ON ONE INCIDENT. THAT IS THE ONLY MOVEMENT I'VE SEEN FROM THE REAR WHEELS. *NLM

THE WINDSHIELDS ON THE 2003 HONDA ELEMENT'S ARE FAULTY, THEY CRACK WITH LITTE OR NO IMPACT, MANY PEOPLE ARE COMPLAINING. A PEBBLE, AND I MEAN "PEBBLE" TAPPED MY WINDSHIELD ON AUGUST 24TH AND INSTANTLY I HAD AN ELEVEN INCH CRACK. I'VE HAD 6 CARS DO DATE IN MY LIFE, AND WITH ALL 6 I'VE HAD ROCKS STRIKE THE WINDSHIELD AT ON TOIME OR ANOTHER LEAVING NOTHING, OR AT MOST A STAR THAT CAN BE FIXED BY A ROCK CHIP REPAIR FACILITY. THE WINDSHIELD APPEARS TO BE UNDER UNDO STRESS AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT THESE CRACKS APPEAR TO BE,.. STRESS FRACTURES. HONDA ADDMITS TO HAVING A "TSB" ISSUED FOR THE WINDSHIELDS CLAIMING AN "UNEAVEN FLANGE SURFACE" CAUSING THE CRACKS, HOWEVER HONDA CLAIMS IF IT IS EVEDENT THAT SOMETHING HAS STRUCK YOUR WINDSHIELD LEAVING A "IMPACT POINT" REGARDLESS OF THAT IMPACTS SIZE YOU ARE AT FAULT. THE PROBLEM WITH THIS IS ANYTHING THAT HITS THIS GLASS CAN CAUSE IT TO BREAK REGARDLESS OF IT'S SIZE BECAUSE OF THIS "UNEAVEN FLANGE SURFACE" ! HONDA HAS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THEIR VEHICLE AND THEY AREN'T OWNING UP TO THIS !

CRACKED WINDSHIELD: I BOUGHT 6 DAYS AGO A BRAND NEW 2003 HONDA ELEMENT EX 2WD SUV. IT STILL HS LESS THAN 400 MILES ON IT. TODAY IT DEVELOPED A SPONTANESOUS 5 INCH CRACK ON THE WINDSHIELD. THE CRACK STARTS AT THE WINDOSHIELD EDGE ON THE DRIVER SIDE AND EXTENDS TOWARDS THE CENTER AT ABOUT EYE LEVEL. TTHIS IS A PERSISTENT ONGOING PROBLEM WITH THE 2003 HONDA ELEMENT WINDSHIELDS. THERE ARE MANY POSTS WITH SIMILAR COMPLAINT TO MINE ESPECIALLY AT THE HTTP://WWW.ELEMENTOWNERSCLUB.COM/FORUMS/INDEX.PHP "EXTERIOR" WEBSITE. A CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST HONDA IS BEIMG CONSIDERED.

LESS THAN 100 MILES A BANGING SOUND BEGAN INTERMITENTLY COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. I GOT UNDER THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE AND THE NUT WHICH HOLDS THE REAR TORSION BAR ON WAS ABOUT TO FALL OFF. LOOKS LIKE IT MIGHT BE A SELF LOCKING NUT BUT COULD EASILY TURN WITH MY FINGERS. PAINT OVERSPRAY CAN BE FOUND ON THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW INDICATING AN AFTER FACTORY PAINT JOB ON AT LEAST THIS SECTION OF THE VEHICLE. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.*AK

MY WINDSHIELD HAS A TINY 1MM SPOT WHERE A TINY PEBBLE MUST HAVE HIT IT AND FROM THAT I NOW HAVE A 18" CRACK STRETCHING FROM THE LOWER LEFT HAND CORNER TO THE CENTER OF THE WINDSHIELD. I'M CERTAIN THAT THE TINY SPOT WOULD NOT HAVE SPREAD INTO THAT SIZE OF A CRACK IF THERE WASN'T SO MUCH STRESS PLACED ON THE WINDSHIELD BY THE "UNEVEN WINDSHIELD FLANGE SURFACE" THAT HONDA ITSELF ADMITS TO ON THEIR SERVICE BULLETIN 03-028. MY ELEMENT VIN #FALLS INTO THE RANGE ON THE SERVICE BULLETIN BUT HONDA WILL NOT COVER IT BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT THAT STARTED THE CRACK. I'VE HAD ROCKS HIT OTHER VEHICLES I'VE OWNED AND THEY HAVE NEVER SPREAD INTO A CRACK, MUCH LESS ONE THIS SIZE. IF HONDA ELEMENT OWNERS HAVE TO REPLACE THEIR WINDSHIELD EVERYTIME A PEBBLE HITS IT, OUR INSURANCE COMPANIES WILL END UP RAISING OUR RATES. HONDA NEEDS TO COME TO A RESOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM. *AK

THIS IS A 2003 HONDA ELEMENT, PURCHASED MAY 22ND, 2003. THE MILEAGE IS NOW 752 MILES.I AM CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF HAVING THE WINDSHIELD REPLACED FOR THE SECOND TIME. THE FIRST REPLACEMENT WAS AT 150 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. BOTH WERE BECAUSE OF DAMAGE FROM SMALL STONE CHIPS THAT WOULD NOT NORMALLY DAMAGE THE GLASS ON MOST OTHER VEHICLES. THE 733 MILES I HAVE DRIVEN THIS CAR WAS ON PAVED URBAN LOCAL ROADS AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 35 AND 50 MPH. IT APPEARS TO ME THAT ONE OF, OR BOTH OF, THE FOLLOWING, COULD BE RESPONSIBLE FACTORS: A) THE WINDSHIELD GLASS IS POSSIBLY THINNER AND MOR FRAGILE THAN OTHERS. B) THE AERODYNAMICS OF THIS VEHICLE POSSIBLY CAUSES A HIGHER RATE OF DEBRIS HITS TO THE WINDSHIELD AREA THAN OTHER VEHICLES. WHATEVER THE CAUSE, I WOULD CONSIDER IT A SAFETY ISSUE WARRANTING INVESTIGATION. ADDITIONALLY, IF THE TREND WERE TO CONTINUE, REQUIRING WINDSHIELD REPLACEMENTS, WHO COULD AFFORD THE MAINTENANCE ON THIS VEHICLE? *AK

DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR HAS ABOUT A HALF AN INCH OPENING BETWEEN THE RUBBER AND THE DOOR. THIS LETS AIR AND DEBRIS IN.*AK

CONSUMER IS UNABLE TO UNLOCK AND OPEN THE BACK DOORS, UNLESS THE FRONT DOORS ARE UNLOCKED AND OPENED WHICH COULD CAUSE A SAFETY ISSUE IF VEHICLE IS IN AN ACCIDENT.*AK