"How reliable is the 2009 Honda Element?"

"Based on 37 NHTSA complaints, the 2009 Honda Element has a median complaint mileage of 55000 miles. The most common issue is SUSPENSION."

"What are common problems with the 2009 Honda Element?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2009 Honda Element is SUSPENSION, accounting for a significant portion of the 37 total complaints filed."

2009 Honda Element: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 37 complaints

Total Complaints

55,000mi

Median Mileage

SUSPENSION

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

22,000 25th Percentile

55,000 Median Mileage

131,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SUSPENSION

AIR BAGS

SERVICE BRAKES

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

STEERING

STRUCTURE:BODY

STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"SINCE NEW (DAY ONE) HAVE HAD SOFT BRAKE PEDDLE. DEALER SAYS NORMAL, BUT I DON'T THINK SO AS I HAVE DRIVEN 100S OF VEHICLES IN MY 50 YEARS OF DRIVING AND ONLY FELT THIS MUSHY BRAKE PEDAL WHEN EXPERIENCING A MASTER CYLINDER INTERNAL LEAK. *TR"

"TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HONDA ELEMENT. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH ON SMOOTH ROAD SURFACE. THE STEERING WHEEL BEGAN TO SHAKE EXCESSIVELY. ALSO, TRAVELING ON ROUGH ROAD SURFACES THE VEHICLE EXHIBITED LESS SHAKING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN RECOMMEN..."

"STRESS CRACK APPEARED ON WINDSHIELD DIRECTLY OPPOSITE REAR VIEW MIRROR. CRACK BEGINS ABOVE AREA OF WINDSHIELD EXPOSED TO OUTSIDE AIR, EXTENDS STRAIGHT DOWN FOR SEVERAL INCHES, THEN VEERS LEFT SEVERAL INCHES AND STOPS. NOTHING HIT THE WINDSHIELD AND THERE IS NO IMPACT POINT ALONG THE CRACK. IPHONE..."

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