"How reliable is the 2003 Honda Element?"

"Based on 482 NHTSA complaints, the 2003 Honda Element has a median complaint mileage of 26712 miles. The most common issue is VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD."

"What are common problems with the 2003 Honda Element?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2003 Honda Element is VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD, accounting for a significant portion of the 482 total complaints filed."

2003 Honda Element: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 482 complaints

482

Total Complaints

26,712mi

Median Mileage

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

7,425 25th Percentile

26,712 Median Mileage

89,519 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD

217

AIR BAGS

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

SUSPENSION

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

STRUCTURE:BODY

STRUCTURE

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"DEFECTIVE WINDSHIELD IS NOW CRACKING. THE DEALER, CLASSIC HONDA, REFUSES TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM, STATING THAT THE MANUFACTURER, HONDA, DOES NOT WARRANTY GLASS. I HAVE FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE MANUFACTURER, AMERICAN HONDA, CASE # N01200-06-0401190. THE VEHICLE IS A NEW 2003 HONDA ELEMENT. T..."

"WE PURCHASED A HONDA ELEMENT AND WITHIN 6 HOURS I FOOLISHLY REAR-ENDED A VECHICLE FROM A COMPLETE STOP AT A TRAFFIC SIGNAL WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN. IT WAS A VERY LOW SPEED (3-5 MPH MAXIMUM) COLLISION HOWEVER THE SUBSEQUENT DAMAGE WAS ASTOUNDING, MY ELEMENT BASICALLY DOES NOT SEEM TO HAVE ANY F..."

"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"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28