2003 HONDA ELEMENT — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
N/A
Safety Rating
482
Owner Complaints
12
Recalls
29
Service Bulletins
0
Investigations
Overview of the 2003 HONDA ELEMENT
The 2003 HONDA ELEMENT has received a total of 482 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). There have been 12 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE, AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE. 29 technical service bulletins have been issued by Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Visibilitywindshield (217 complaints), Air Bags (40 complaints), and Electrical System (25 complaints).
Recalls for the 2003 HONDA ELEMENT
NHTSA has recorded 12 recalls for the 2003 HONDA ELEMENT, potentially affecting up to 15,078,501 vehicles.
Recall 19V499000 — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
| 3,947 vehicles affected
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2003-2006 MDX, 2001-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot and 2006 Ridgeline vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with driver frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that...
Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are Q5A and Y58.
View full details →Recall 19V501000 — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
| 1,657,752 vehicles affected
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2005-2012 RL, 2003-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007-2008 Fit, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, and 2006-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with passenger frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that...
Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal airbag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are E5D and X5C.
View full details →Recall 19V182000 — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
| 1,101,534 vehicles affected
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling specific 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2013-2016 ILX, 2013-2014 ILX Hybrid, 2003-2006 MDX, 2007-2016 RDX, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2004-2006, and 2009-2014 TL, 2010-2013 ZDX and 2001-2007 and 2009 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2007 and 2010-2011 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007 Fit, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, and 2006-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. The...
Consequence: An explosion of an inflator within the driver frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver, front seat passenger or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began April 10, 2019. Honda owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is...
View full details →Recall 18V268000 — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
| 1,335 vehicles affected
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003-2012 Honda Accord and Pilot, 2010 Accord Crosstour, 2001-2011 Civic, 2002-2011 CR-V, 2003-2004, 2006-2008 and 2011 Element, 2007 and 2009-2013 Fit, 2010-2012 Insight, 2002-2004 Odyssey, and 2012 Ridgeline vehicles. The front passenger air bag may have been installed incorrectly during replacement.
Consequence: An incorrectly installed air bag may deploy improperly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began June 22, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this...
View full details →Recall 16V344000 — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
| 1,790,894 vehicles affected
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2005-2011 Acura RL, 2005-2006 Honda CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007-2008 Fit, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2002-2004 Odyssey, and 2006-2011 Ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or that have ever been registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan),...
Consequence: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began June 27, 2016. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KA0, KA1, KA2,...
View full details →Recall 15V320000 — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
| 6,281,043 vehicles affected
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2001-2007 Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2001-2004 Honda Civic GX, 2003-2005 Honda Civic Hybrid, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2006 Ridgeline, 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2003-2006 Acura MDX, and 2002-2003 Acura 3.2TL vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to...
Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on July 1, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Owners may contact Acura customer service at 1-800-382-2238,...
View full details →Recall 15V370000 — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
| 3,498,481 vehicles affected
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2001-2005 Honda Civic vehicles manufactured March 21, 2000, to January 20, 2005, 2001-2004 Honda Civic GX vehicles manufactured June 14, 2000, to August 19, 2004, 2003-2005 Honda Civic Hybrid vehicles manufactured February 24, 2002, to January 18, 2005, 2003-2007 Honda Accord vehicles manufactured February 21, 2002, to August 28, 2007,...
Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the passenger seat occupant or other occupants possibly causing serious injury or death.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on July 1, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are JU4, JU5, JU6,...
View full details →Recall 14V700000 — AIR BAGS
Defect: American Honda Motor Co. (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2001-2005 Honda Civic, 2003-2004 Civic CNG and Element, 2002-2005 CR-V, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2005 Accord, Pilot, Civic Hybrid, and Acura MDX, 2005 Acura RL and 2006 Honda Ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in geographic locations associated with high absolute humidity. Specifically, vehicles sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, Florida,...
Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passengers frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger side air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 26, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-800-999-1009.
View full details →Recall 14V353000 — AIR BAGS
| 133,207 vehicles affected
Defect: American Honda Motor Company, Inc.'s (Honda) is conducting a limited regional recall for certain model year 2003-2005 Accord, Civic, CR-V, Pilot and Acura MDX, model year 2003-2004 Odyssey and Element, and model year 2005 Acura RL, and 2006 Honda Ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in California, and equipped with Takata-brand air bag inflators. Upon deployment of the passenger...
Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passengers frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inflators in all affected vehicles, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during August 2014. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-800-999-1009.
View full details →Recall 10V364000 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
| 551,498 vehicles affected
Defect: HONDA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2003 HONDA ACCORD, CIVIC TWO AND FOUR DOOR, AND MODEL YEAR 2003-2004 HONDA ELEMENT VEHICLES. THE INTERLOCK LEVER OF THE IGNITION SWITCH MAY UNEXPECTEDLY DEFORM, WHICH CAN ALLOW THE INTERLOCK FUNCTION OF A VEHICLE WITH AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION TO BE DEFEATED.
Consequence: REMOVAL OF THE IGNITION KEY WHEN THE GEAR SELECTOR OF A VEHICLE WITH AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION HAS NOT BEEN SHIFTED TO THE PARK POSITION CAN ALLOW THE VEHICLE TO ROLL AWAY, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REMOVE THE ORIGINAL INTERLOCK PIN AND LEVER WITHIN THE IGNITION SWITCH, AND REPLACE THEM WITH NEW, DESIGNED COMPONENTS. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 7, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HONDA...
View full details →Recall 09E025000 — EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
| 42,540 vehicles affected
Defect: DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.
Consequence: DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy: DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.
View full details →Recall 09E012000 — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
| 16,270 vehicles affected
Defect: SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.
Consequence: DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy: SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
View full details →Owner Complaints for the 2003 HONDA ELEMENT
482 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2003 HONDA ELEMENT. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
Most Recent Complaints
The contact owns a 2003 Honda Element. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact discovered that the rear trailing arm was severely corroded. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the rear trailing arm had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.
Please see attachment:
The trailing arm connection that connects to the subframe has completely rusted make the car unsafe to drive. Parts will break and driver will lose control of the car. These same parts were recalled in Canada many years ago.
The trailing arm connection that connects to the subframe has completely rusted make the car unsafe to drive. Parts will break and driver will lose control of the car. These same parts were recalled in Canada many years ago.
The trailing arm connection that connects to the subframe has completely rusted make the car unsafe to drive. Parts will break and driver will lose control of the car. These same parts were recalled in Canada many years ago.
Safety Rating for the 2003 HONDA ELEMENT
NHTSA has not yet tested the 2003 HONDA ELEMENT in its New Car Assessment Program.
Technical Service Bulletins for the 2003 HONDA ELEMENT
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) has issued 29 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2003 HONDA ELEMENT. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
A15-067 — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
"SERVICE BULLETIN - AMERICAN HONDA CONSOLIDATED SOME MODELS FROM THE PREVIOUS AIRBAG INFLATOR CAMPAIGNS INTO THIS CURRENT BULLETIN BASED ON INFORMATION FROM NHTSA. DO AN IN VIN STATUS INQUIRY AND, IF INDICATED, REPAIR THE VEHICLE. IN CERTAIN VEHICLES, THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG INFLATOR COULD PRODUCE EXCESSIVE INTERNAL PRESSURE DURING AIRBAG...
AIRBAG INFLATOR — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
DEALER MESSAGE - ON OCTOBER 1, 2015, AMERICAN HONDA, IN COMPLIANCE WITH A REQUEST FROM THE NHTSA, WILL CONSOLIDATE THE FOLLOWING THREE NATIONAL PASSENGER'S AIRBAG INFLATOR SAFETY RECALL SERVICE BULLETINS. THE BULLETINS WILL BE CONSOLIDATED INTO A NEW DOCUMENT, SERVICE BULLETIN 15-067: SAFETY RECALL: FRONT PASSENGERS AIRBAG INFLATOR CAN BE...
A13-034 — AIR BAGS
"SERVICE BULLETIN - AS THE RESULT OF TAKATA DEFECT DETERMINATIONS AND NHTSA DIRECTIVES, AMERICAN HONDA HAS MOVED THE 200103 CIVIC, 200102 CIVIC GX, AND 2003 CIVIC HYBRID FROM THIS AIRBAG INFLATOR CAMPAIGN INTO SB 15-041, SAFETY RECALL: FRONT PASSENGERS AIRBAG INFLATOR CAN BE OVER-PRESSURIZED. IF AN RO WAS OPENED ON...
06-084 — VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD
HONDA SERVICE CAMPAIGN: SEE DOCUMENT SEARCH BUTTON FOR OWNER LETTER. WARRANTY EXTENSION: 2003-04 ELEMENT WINDSHIELD. CSC WAS RECEIVED. *NJ
08012005 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
TROUBLESHOOTING A STALLING ENGINE? TAKE A SNAPSHOT WITH THE HDS. HONDA SERVICENEWS. *TT
11162004 — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
HARSH 3-2- AND OR 2-1 DOWNSHIFT. *EH
08012004 — PARKING BRAKE
NOISE FROM THE REAR WHEN BACKING UP. *SC
07012004 — EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL
S/M FIX DTC P0420 TROUBLESHOOTING. *EH
04022 — INTERIOR LIGHTING
HATCH OPEN INDICATOR ON REAR INTERIOR LIGHT ON OR TAILGATE RATTLES. *EH
04012004 — VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD
WHAT CAUSED THAT WINDSHIELD CRACK. HONDA. SERVICENEWS. APRIL 2004. *TT
Showing 10 of 29 technical service bulletins.
NHTSA Investigations for the 2003 HONDA ELEMENT
There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.
Other Model Years of the HONDA ELEMENT
- 2003 HONDA ELEMENT (current)
- 2004 HONDA ELEMENT — 329 complaints
- 2005 HONDA ELEMENT — 199 complaints
- 2006 HONDA ELEMENT — 152 complaints
- 2007 HONDA ELEMENT — 142 complaints
- 2008 HONDA ELEMENT — 127 complaints
Other HONDA Models
- HONDA ACCORD — 30,831 total complaints
- HONDA CR-V — 20,109 total complaints
- HONDA CIVIC — 19,776 total complaints
- HONDA ODYSSEY — 15,588 total complaints
- HONDA PILOT — 12,071 total complaints
- HONDA FIT — 2,686 total complaints
- HONDA RIDGELINE — 2,527 total complaints
- HONDA HR-V — 2,201 total complaints