Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Honda Element owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2003 Honda Element. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact discovered that the rear trailing arm was severely corroded. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the rear trailing arm had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.
Seems Honda is hiding specific vin needing recal replacement of airbag fue to fact it's deployed. Attempt to cover up recall regarding this specific vin possibly aware that damage is done and if airbag deployed, vin check results "no current recalls" for vehicle. 2003 Honda Element had first recall replacement done. At that time Honda had person come to house to notify. This time, second recall, too late. It deployed and air bag is on recall list. Please provide honest facts. Correct me please if I misunderstood.
The contact owns a 2003 Honda Element. The contact stated that while the contact's wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the trailing arm fractured. In addition, the rear of the vehicle dropped to the ground and the driver's rear side of the vehicle was dragging on the ground. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.
The contact owns a 2003 Honda Element. The contact stated that upon inspecting the vehicle, the independent mechanic informed him that the trailing arm mount was corroded, and that the subframe needed to be replaced. The mechanic advised the contact that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
The car was being driven at a low speed across a school parking lot when there was a loud bang, the car dropped in the back and stopped movong. The rear trailing arm came apart from the body causing it to be inoperable. If I the car wasn't in a school zone and traveling at a high rate of speed this could have been a very serious accident. If there was a vehicle behind they would have rear ended the honda. If this happens on going down a hill it would have rolled over. If this happened on a busy highway it would have caused a multi car accident. Honda is aware of this issue in Canada but has done nothing to address it here in the United States. The vehicle is available for inspection for now. I can't have a vehicle sitting in my driveway that's inoperable due to city codes. The safety of the driver, passengers, pedestrians walking and other vehicles on the road are in danger. …
Same as the recalls for Honda ELEMENT of Canada and American Honda CRV of America In Honda's words: SUMMARY: American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (Honda) is recalling certain 2007-2011 model year CR-V vehicles. In salt-belt states where de-icing agents are used to maintain the roadway, the de-icing agents, along with mud and water, could enter the rear frame through drainage/positioning holes when the vehicle is driven through flooded areas or puddles at high speeds. Over time, the accumulated de-icing agents/mud/water mixture could cause corrosion to the frame's internal structure. If this occurs, the rear trailing arm can fall off. SAFETY RISK: The corrosion to the frame's internal structure can cause the rear trailing arm to fall off, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
Vehicle has extreme corrosion of the frame near the rear trailing arm which is nearing catastrophic failure. Trailing arm is in danger of separating from the frame. This is similar to NTSB Campaign # 23V-22800 for the CR-V which shares suspension parts with the Element on these model years. If the trailing arm separates at highway speeds it could be fatal. This is a pre-emptive report of failure/loss, as I just attempted to jack up my vehicle on the drivers' side in the rear and had a great deal of the rusted frame detach near the point of the trailing arm attachment. I fear that it won't be long before the rest of the frame rusts through and if this occurs, that it may occur at highway speed and cause injury or death.
Inspection of the underbody revealed complete rusting away of the frame mount point for the passenger side lower control arm. The mounting has not failed yet, but the metal surrounding the bolt point is no longer providing any structure. I would not ordinarily have thought inform the NHTSA of this failure, but Internet searching has turned up many other owners of Elements experiencing this same failure and Honda has issued a recall in Canada for Elements for this problem. CR-Vs in the US that use the same chassis have had a recall for the same problem. Why has the recall not been extended to US Elements that are exposed to road salt? I have not yet contacted Honda regarding this issue.
The trailing arm connection that connects to the subframe has completely rusted make the car unsafe to drive. Parts will break and driver will lose control of the car. These same parts were recalled in Canada many years ago.
I'm concerned with the amount of rust under the vehicle. My Element is from pennsylvania and they do use salt on the streets in the winter. Took car to mechanic and was told the car was very rusted underneath. Changing parts under the car is a difficult task due to the rest. Mechanic said it was cause car was driven in pennsylvania the cause is to how the roads are salted. I did read this is a serious problem in Canada and other places and very dangerous but in America not as much. I'm wondering how I get this looked at by Honda and the problem be fixed like other elements are being fixed or to see if it passes to have the unforced bracket put on.
Body complaints in other Element years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2003 Honda Element?
NHTSA has 32 complaints about the body & structure of the 2003 Honda Element, 8% of the model year's 423 complaints. The component named most often is body (14 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Honda Element body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2003 Honda Element, though it has 10 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2003 Honda Element body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 119,000 miles, and 22% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 0 fires and 3 injuries to body & structure problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.