"How reliable is the 2006 Honda Element?"

"Based on 152 NHTSA complaints, the 2006 Honda Element has a median complaint mileage of 69786 miles. The most common issue is AIR BAGS."

"What are common problems with the 2006 Honda Element?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2006 Honda Element is AIR BAGS, accounting for a significant portion of the 152 total complaints filed."

2006 Honda Element: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 152 complaints

152

Total Complaints

69,786mi

Median Mileage

AIR BAGS

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

22,000 25th Percentile

69,786 Median Mileage

130,991 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS

AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW

SUSPENSION

SEATS

STRUCTURE:BODY

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

SEAT BELTS

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"2006 HONDA ELEMENT WINDSHIELD CRACKED WITHOUT IMPACT. DEALER REFUSES TO REPAIR STATING THAT THIS TYPE OF DAMAGE IS "USUALLY" CAUSED BY ROAD DEBRIS. *NM"

"JULY 28TH 2006 @ ABOUT 3 PM. I WAS DRIVING HOME ON THE FREEWAY @ NORMAL RATE OF SPEED (65 OR SO MPH) WITH THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC. I WAS DRIVING IN THE SECOND FROM THE FAST LANE. IT WAS A NORMAL SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA DAY, SUNNY, CLEAR AND HOT. AFTER ABOUT 40 MINUTES OF MY 1 HOUR COMMUTE THE DRIVERS SIDE..."

"DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ON THE VEHICLE WAS SET TOO FAR INTO THE DASH TO SEE THE GAUGES EFFECTIVELY DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED, AND A CASE WAS OPENED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN IN FOR SERVICE. UPDATED 10/04/06. *JB"

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