2004 HONDA ELEMENT Complaints

DRIVER SEAT ROCKS BACK AND FORTH WHEN BRAKING AND ACCELERATING. THIS SEEMS VERY UNSAFE.

TAKATA RECALL: I HAVE BEEN ON A WAITING LIST FOR A RECALLED AIRBAG REPLACEMENT FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. NEITHER THE HONDA SERVICE DEPARTMENT NOR THE HONDA GENERAL MANAGMENT WILL RETURN MY CALLS. HONDA'S "RECALL RESOLUTION TEAM" HAS BEEN ATTEMPTING UNSUCCESSFULLY TO GET THE HONDA DEALER TO RESPOND TO ME. THE DEALERSHIP IS: PROCTOR HONDA, 2373 W TENNESSEE ST, TALLAHASSEE, FL 32304. TEL: (850) 576-5165. AS A RESULT OF BEING PLACED ON A WAITING LIST, AND THEN IGNORED, I HAVE BEEN DRIVING A VEHICLE THAT COULD POTENTIALLY INJURE ME. IT HAS BEEN MORE THAN 2 MONTHS. I DON'T RECALL THE ORIGINAL DATE I WAS PLACED ON THE WAITING LIST, BUT IT COULD BE 6 MONTHS OR MORE.

BRAKE PEDAL WAS SOFT, COULD BE PUSHED TO THE FLOOR DESPITE BLEEDING OF THE BRAKE LINES. REPLACING THE MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM WHETHER DRIVING OR STATIONARY. BLEEDING THE ABS MODULATOR WOULD TEMPORARILY IMPROVE BRAKING, BUT TURNING THE IGNITION ON AND OFF 6 TIMES WOULD INTRODUCE AIR INTO THE ABS MODULATOR. REPLACING THE ABS MODULATOR SEEMED TO FIX THE PROBLEM.

THE DRIVER'S SEAT IN MY 2004 ELEMENT ROCKS NOTICEABLY. THE DEALER RECOMMENDED REPLACING THE SEAT FRAME. COST WAS $2300. SEARCHING THE INTERNET, I FOUND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM, AND THAT HONDA ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN #03-032 (ATTACHED). THE WORK INVOLVES REPLACING SEAT BUSHINGS. I TOOK THE SB TO THE DEALER, AND THE MECHANIC SAID THAT THE DAMAGE TO THE FRAME WAS TOO BAD, AND THAT THE WORK WOULD NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. LOOKING AT THE SERVICE BULLETIN, THE BUSHINGS THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPLACED PROTECT THE FRAME. THEY RECOGNIZED THAT THE DESIGN FLAW REQUIRED THEM TO BE REPLACED. I AM NOT THE ORIGINAL OWNER, AND CANNOT SAY IF THE WORK WAS EVER DONE. IN EITHER CASE, THE FAILURE OF THE BUSHINGS RESULTED IN DAMAGE TO THE FRAME. PRESENTLY, THERE IS SIGNIFICANT MOVEMENT AND THE SEAT IS LOOSE. IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT, IT IS MY CONCERN THAT THE MOVEMENT OF THE SEAT COULD RESULT IN SHEARING OF THE BOLTS, CAUSING THE SEAT TO COME APART. SINCE THE ORIGINAL PROBLEM WAS NOT A RECALL, BUT A SERVICE BULLETIN, IT IS MY BELIEF THAT THERE MAY BE MANY OF THESE VEHICLES WITH LOOSE SEATS. AS A SAFETY CONCERN THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL TO INSPECT THE FRAME FOR DAMAGE AND REPLACE IF DAMAGED. I AM PUTTING TODAY'S DATE IN THE DATE FIELD BELOW, BUT THIS IS A CHRONIC ISSUE THAT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR SOME TIME.

DRIVER'S SEAT ROCKS FORWARD AND BACKWARD WHILE DRIVING - BRAKING ROCKS FORWARD - ACCELERATING ROCKS BACKWARD. WAS REAR-ENDED TWO DAYS AGO AND REALIZED THAT THE SEAT OR HEAD RESTRANT WOULD NOT PROVIDE SUPPORT TO PREVENT INJURY.

FEMALE SEAT BELT CONNECTION DOES NOT LOCK PROPERLY ON A CONSISTENT BASIS. THERE IS A NATIONAL BACK ORDER FOR THIS WARRANTIED PART SUGGESTING THERE IS A LARGE PROBLEM WITH THIS PART THAT HONDA IS NOT RESOLVING.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 HONDA ELEMENT. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V32000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 HONDA ELEMENT. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V320000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

WITH REFERENCE TO RECALL 14V-700, THE FOLLOWING WAS SENT TO HONDA IN MAY. THEY DID CALL A MONTH LATER STATING THAT THE PARTS WOULD BE IN SOON AND THAT HONDA OF BOWIE WOULD CONTACT ME FOR THE REPAIR. NOTHING HAS HAPPENED SINCE, IT HAS BEEN SEVEN MONTHS SINCE THE RECALL. 3 MAY 2015 [XXX] AMERICAN HONDA MOROR COMPANY. INC. HONDA AUTOMOBILE CUSTOMER SERVICE 1919 TORRANCE BLVD TORRANCE, CA 90501 310 783 3023 (F) REFERENCE: NHTSA RECALL 14V-700 DEAR SIR/MADAM: IN JANUARY OF THIS YEAR I RECEIVED THE AFOREMENTIONED RECALL NOTICE. AS A RESULT, I CALLED HONDA OF BOWIE, MD ASKING IF THEY COULD ACCOMPLISH THE REPAIR AND ASKED IF THEY HAD THE REQUIRED PARTS IN STOCK. THEY REPLIED AFFIRMATIVE, SO AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE SERVICE CENTER WAS SCHEDULED FOR 6 FEBRUARY. MY 2004 ELEMENT WAS DELIVERED TO THE SERVICE CENTER FOR THE AIR BAG (DRIVER AND PASSENGER) REPLACEMENT. THEY WERE ONLY ABLE TO REPLACE THE DRIVERS AIRBAG - TURNS OUT THAT THE PASSENGER COMPONENTS WERE NOT IN STOCK. I WAS ASSURED THAT HONDA OF BOWIE WOULD CALL WHEN THEY ARRIVED. THE SERVICE MANAGER INFORMED ME THAT PARTS WERE ON BACK ORDER AND EXPECTED SHORTLY. BEGINNING IN MARCH I HAVE MADE AT LEAST FOUR TELEPHONE CALLS TO THE PARTS DEPARTMENT ASKING ABOUT THE BACK ORDER AND ALWAYS RECEIVE THE SAME RESPONSE - SHOULD BE HERE SHORTLY. IT IS NOW MAY, FIVE MONTHS SINCE THE RECALL WAS PUBLISHED AND STILL NO ACTION ON THE REPAIR. WHAT DO YOU THINK? SINCERELY, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

RE: DOT CASE # 804204 ON OR ABOUT JUNE 5, 2015 I FILED THE ABOVE CASE NUMBER ADVISING YOUR REPRESENTATIVE THAT I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR A REPLACEMENT OF THE RECALLED AIRBAG. I HHAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH HOEHN HONDA OF CARLSBAD WHO ADVISED THE PART WAS ON BACK ORDER. AFTER FILING A COMPLAINT I RECEIVED A CALL FROM PATRICIA WITH AMERICA HONDA ON JUNE 9,2015 APPROVING A LOANER UNTIL THE REPLACEMENT PART WAS AVAILABLE, CASE # N032015-06-0500291. ON JUNE 9, 2015 I RECEIVED A MESSAGE FROM STACEY AT HOEHN HONDA REGARDING AN APPT. I RETURNED HER CALL LEAVING A MESSAGE ADVISING I WOULD RETURN IN TWO WEEKS. ON JUNE 15, 2015 I RECEIVED A MESSAGE FROM HOEHN HONDA ADVISING THE PART WAS AVAILABLE AND TO CALL AND SCHEDULE AN APPT. I RETURNED THE CALL ON THE SAME DAY AND REQUESTED AN APPT FOR JUNE 22, 2015. ON JUNE 16, 2015 I CALLED HOEHN AGAIN REQUESTED AN APPT. I SPOKE WITH ANNA WHO ADVISED THE EARLIEST APPT WOULD BE JUNE 29, 2015. I WAS.INFORMED THE REPAIR WOULD TAKE TWO HOURS. I AM SCHEDULED FOR AN APPT JUNE 29, 2015 FOR 7:15 AM.