10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
12,902 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2003 Honda Element windows / windshield problems

windows / windshield problem

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2003 Honda Element Owner Comments (Page 1 of 11)

problem #217

Jul 122011

Element 4-cyl

  • 700,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Windshield leaked water, dealership refused to fix. Windshield cracked and was cited by police officer for not fixing, dealership refused to fix. Upon replacement the repair guys just laughed and said that that glass was seated improperly and asked who had replaced it. I responded that it was the original, they told me not to buy any more Honda. Key would no longer work in the driver side door. Replaced something at dealership for $800 as well as the driver side window as it stopped moving due to the motor dying at around 60,000 miles. Now the keys don't work in the passenger side of vehicle nor does the window. In another incident the vehicle failed to stop after fully depressing the brake when traveling about 5-10 mph and drifting into another vehicle causing moderate damage. Honda has not responded to any inquires made by consumer. Nor has dealership. I still owe 10,000 dollars on this car, have spent over 3000 in repairs and at this point want to drive it into a tree at a high speed.

- Newville, PA, USA

problem #216

Sep 012008

Element

  • 70,000 miles
Stress cracks on front windshield on 2003 Honda Element as described by other Honda owners.

- Crystal River, FL, USA

problem #215

Nov 012007

Element

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
Have already replaced the windsheild once. It currently has 3 seperate cracks at the moment that were not from anything hitting plus one that is. That is a total of 4.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #214

Aug 012004

Element 4WD 4-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 28,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I purchased my car in August 2003, and this Honda Element windshield crack occurred in August of 2004 from no obvious reasons such as something hitting my windshield. I was having other issues with the Element and I asked my Honda advisor about the crack and she told me that Honda would not replace the windshield and that it would be out of pocket for me. Now I have found a Honda service bulletin from May 6, 2003 concerning the windshield and it was to be replaced. My car is 118,000 miles now and I am so livid that my Honda advisor refused to fix this crack which has grown to more than 4 inches. Please help.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #213

May 012004

Element

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
My 2003 Element developed a crack in the lower right hand corner approximately 1 year after I bought it new (I can't remember the date exactly).

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #212

May 102006

Element 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 51,000 miles
2003 Honda Element windsheild. This will be the 3rd windshield that I have had to replace on the is vehicle. Each time it cracks in the location that Honda says there is a problem. I've had to pay for the windshield repairs.

- Blackwood, NJ, USA

problem #211

Jan 082007

Element

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Cracked windshield...driver's side...just showed up one afternoon like an unexpected visitor...

- Cathedral City, CA, USA

problem #210

Feb 202007

Element 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 27,950 miles
My 2003 Honda Element windshield cracked with no apparent reason. The crack starts below the rubber strip near the pivot of the driver windshield wiper. The crack is migrating upwards into my viewing area.

- Kaneohe, HI, USA

problem #209

Jul 302003

Element 4WD 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
We bought our 2003 Honda Element 7/03 new and since then we've had cracks from the top to the bottom of the windshield. We had to replace the windshield in 2003. Recently 8/06 we had to have another replacement and had to take it back for leaks and the repair shop tried to fix in 10/06. Windshield was still leaking so the same repair shop replaced the windshield 11/06 again and now there are more leakage. I don't see how Honda can justify this with another windshield when the real problem exists in the manufacturing of this vehicle for the 2003-2004 models. The class-action lawsuit that is going on only states the repair and reimbursement of the windshield(s) not the defect itself. So we have a vehicle that leaks, not worth the amount we still owe on it and cannot see an end to this windshield problem without fixing the original defect problem.

- Leesburg, GA, USA

problem #208

Feb 012005

Element 4WD

  • miles
Windshield on my Element 2003, developped a crack. Dealer would not replaced under warranty. No sign of hit by rock or other. Was parked at work all day then when leaving work noticed that crack?

- Ottawa On Canada, 00, USA

problem #207

Oct 162005

Element 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2003 Honda Element defective windshield. Easily cracks.

- Wadsworth, NV, USA

problem #206

Feb 142006

Element 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 37,000 miles
My Honda Element had a stress fracture in the windshield and the dealership refused to replace it.

- Tallmadge, OH, USA

problem #205

Jul 142006

Element 4WD 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 72,000 miles
Cracked windshield in my 2003 Honda Element stemming from the driver side bottom corner. Burns Honda in cherry hill, NJ says it is not their problem and will not fix it free of charge.

- Medford, NJ, USA

problem #204

Jul 102006

Element

  • miles
My 2003 Element with 30,000 miles was parked for 3 weeks in an indoor parking structure near the airport. I returned from my trip to find the same kind of crack in the windshield that others on this site have described. It started from the lower right corner of the passenger side and went up about 12 inches. I have no recollection of any stones having hit the windshield prior to leaving.

- Glendale, CA, USA

problem #203

Jan 012006

Element 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 54,000 miles
: the contact stated the windshields cracked twice. Both windshields cracked within the same spot on the lower level passenger side of the front window. The first incident occurred on thanksgiving of 2005 at 50000 miles. The windshield was replaced at the dealer in January of 2006. And at 4000 miles after the replacement in April of 2006, the replacement windshield suffered the same damage. The Colorado regional dealer manager came out on 06/21/06 and inspected the windshield. The manager determined the windshield looked like a rock crack. There were no tools or equipment utilized by the manager to determine the final decision. The final decision was the manufacturer will not be responsible for the windshield. On June 12th, the vehicle was taken into the dealership for an oil change and the windshield crack was worse. There was a class action lawsuit regarding the windshields (filed in los angeles California superior court case # BC319600, filed in 2004, no verdict yet).

- Fort Collins, CO, USA

problem #202

Jun 122006

Element

  • miles
My Honda Element 2003 has now had 3 cracked windows under a year. This seems very excessive and I have never had a similar problem with other vehicles. I found many people having the same problem online. Please advise. Thanks.

- Harrisburg, PA, USA

problem #201

Aug 152005

Element 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 28,500 miles
Hello, I purchased a 2003 Honda Element with a cracked windshield in February, 2006. I had the windshield replaced and now it is cracked once again in pretty much the same place.

- Fairmount, GA, USA

problem #200

Feb 072006

Element 4WD 4-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 26,000 miles
: the contact stated while the vehicle was pulling out, a crack formed in the corner of the front windshield. There was no debris present that caused the crack. The dealership determined the crack was caused by stress from the vehicle's structure. There were two tsb for the windshield, NHTSA item numbers 10009029 and 10001628. The vehicle is not included in either tsb because of the mileage.

- Trumbull, CT, USA

problem #199

Dec 262005

Element 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
One morning I got into car and windshield was cracked top center. The car is always garaged.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #198

Dec 022005

Element 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
2003 Honda Element...front windshield is cracked from one side to the other...will have to pay for a 2nd replacement...bought the car in September 2003...1st windshield replacement April 2004...2nd replacement December 2005.

- Lakeside, CA, USA

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