"How reliable is the 2005 Honda Element?"

"Based on 202 NHTSA complaints, the 2005 Honda Element has a median complaint mileage of 80000 miles. The most common issue is Air Bags."

"What are common problems with the 2005 Honda Element?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2005 Honda Element is Air Bags, accounting for a significant portion of the 202 total complaints filed."

2005 Honda Element: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 202 complaints

202

Total Complaints

80,000mi

Median Mileage

Air Bags

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

33,500 25th Percentile

80,000 Median Mileage

130,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Air Bags

Side/Window

Seats

Electrical System

Suspension

Seat Belts

Power Train

Windshield

Unknown Or Other

Steering

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"I HAVE RECENTLY PURCHASED A HONDA ELEMENT VIN# [XXX]. NOT UNTIL LAST WEEK DID I OR A PASSENGER SIT IN THE BACK SEAT. WE BECAME AWARE OF THE POTENTIAL DANGER THAT THE DOOR DESIGN PRESENTS. YOU CAN NOT OPEN THE BACK DOOR UNLESS THE FRONT DOOR IS OPENED FIRST.THE "SUICIDE DOORS" DO NOT ALLOW EXIT FROM ..."

"WINDSHEILD ON 2005 ELEMENT HAS 14 IN CRACK"

"THERE ARE NO EVENTS LEADING TO THE FAILURE.. NO WARNING AT ALL... THE CAR, A 2004 HONDA ELEMENT STALLS WHILE DRIVING... IN ONE WEEKEND IT DID IT THREE TIMES ONCE AT 62 MPH, ONCE ON A RAMP BETWEEN TWO HIGH SPEED ROADS, AND ONCE IN THE MIDDLE OF A HEAVILY TRAFFIC AND BUSY ROAD IN THE MIDDLE LANE. I H..."

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Air Bags 54 complaints

25th: 80,000 mi Median: 120,000 mi 75th: 169,737 mi

Side/Window 14 complaints

25th: 50,000 mi Median: 64,000 mi 75th: 77,500 mi

Seats 12 complaints

25th: 28,100 mi Median: 73,750 mi 75th: 101,207 mi

Electrical System 12 complaints

25th: 80,240 mi Median: 105,500 mi 75th: 123,875 mi

Suspension 11 complaints

25th: 14,000 mi Median: 124,000 mi 75th: 153,600 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 32 FL: 15 NY: 15 GA: 12 VA: 11 PA: 11 TX: 8 AL: 7 CT: 7 IL: 6

Who Files Complaints?

13.9%

Original Owners

86.1%

Second+ Owners

Honda Element — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
2003	482	26,712	Windshield	37
2004	329	60,000	Windshield	20
2006	152	69,786	Air Bags	26
2007	142	70,500	Air Bags	10
2008	127	26,500	Air Bags	4
2009	37	55,000	Suspension	5
2010	39	46,400	Air Bags	2

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