2008 Honda Element Complaint Log

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HONDA ELEMENT. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH, THE CONTACT TRIED TO STOP ABRUPTLY TO AVOID HITTING A VEHICLE IN FRONT OF HIM; HOWEVER, HE CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF THE OTHER VEHICLE WHEN THE BRAKES DID NOT ENGAGE. THE CONTACT DROVE THE VEHICLE FROM THE SCENE. THE BODY DAMAGE WAS REPAIRED BY AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. ON ANOTHER OCCASION, WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20-25 MPH, THE FAILURE RECURRED AND WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED THEY FAILED TO ENGAGE AND THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF A VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE DAMAGED BODY WAS REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE HAD PREVIOUSLY RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR RECALL 10V098000 (SERVICE BRAKES, AIR). POLICE REPORTS WERE FILED FOR EACH CRASH THAT OCCURRED. THE CONTACT DID NOT REPORT ANY INJURIES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 11,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 48,000.

0TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HONDA ELEMENT LX. THE CONTACT WAS TRAVELING AT SPEEDS OF 10 MPH DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE BRAKE PEDAL FELL CLOSER TO THE FLOORBOARD THAN USUAL. THE DEALER PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC TEST ON THE VEHICLE AND STATED THAT THE BRAKE SEAL TESTED NORMAL. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 13,000. UPDATED 05/10/10 *BF UPDATED 05/12/10.*JB

SINCE PURCHASING THIS VEHICLE NEW IN JUNE 2008, I HAVE EXPERIENCED A SOFT BRAKE PEDAL AFTER DRIVING THE VEHICLE APPROXIMATELY 2000-5000 MILES. BLEEDING THE BRAKES SEEMS TO CORRECT THE SOFT BRAKE PEDAL. HOWEVER, AFTER DRIVING FOR APPROXIMATELY ANOTHER 2000-5000 MILES THE PEDAL IS AGAIN SOFT AND CONTINUES TO GET SOFTER. I HAVE BEEN BACK TO THE DEALER REPEATEDLY AND THEY HAVE REPLACED THE MASTER CYLINDER AND MODULATOR WHICH DID NOT CORRECT MY SOFT PEDAL. I WENT THROUGH SEVERAL TRIPS TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY TOLD ME "NO PROBLEM FOUND" AND BASICALLY TOLD ME THAT IT WAS MY IMAGINATION. FINALLY, HONDA CAME OUT WITH THE RECALL FOR EXACTLY THE ISSUE I HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT. HONDA PERFORMED THE RECALL "SAFETY RECALL: BRAKE PEDAL MAY BE SOFT OR LOW" AND IT DID NOT CORRECT MY SOFT PEDAL. AFTER DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 2000-5000 MILES THE PEDAL IS ONCE AGAIN SOFT AND CONTINUING TO GET SOFTER. I HAVE OPENED A CASE ([XXX]) WITH AMERICAN HONDA COMPLAINING ABOUT MY BRAKES IN AN EFFORT TO GET THEM TO CORRECT MY BRAKE ISSUE. THE DEALER HAS RECHECKED THE BRAKES AND STATES "NO PROBLEM FOUND" SINCE THERE IS NOT A BRAKE "FAILURE". I AM STILL EXPERIENCING A VERY SOFT BRAKE PEDAL AND CANNOT GET ANYONE AT HONDA TO CORRECT THE SITUATION. I AM AFRAID THAT IF THE PEDAL CONTINUES TO GET SOFTER THAT I WILL EXPERIENCE A BRAKE FAILURE RESULTING IN A COLLISION. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

I HAVE AN 08 HONDA ELEMENT THAT I BOUGHT NEW. FROM 1ST DAY I'VE OWNED IT I THOUGHT THE BRAKES FELT SOFT/MUSHY. I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME GETTING USED TO A NEW VEHICLE, AT TIMES NOW BRAKES WHEN I'VE STOPPED HARD IT FELT LIKE ELEMENT PEDAL WAS AT THE FLOOR AND I WONDERED IF VEHICLE WAS GOING TO STOP. I NOW KNOW THAT SEVERAL OTHER ELEMENT OWNERS HAVE THIS SAME PROBLEM AND HONDA HAS ISSUED A TSB ON IT. SEVERAL THAT HAVE HAD THE TSB DONE ARE SAYING THAT THEY STILL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. I BROUGHT MINE IN AND THE DEALER HAS ORDERED THE VSA MODULATOR. I JUST WANT TO BE ON RECORD THAT THIS IS A BIG PROBLEM THAT HONDA MAY HAVE TO DO MORE THAN THEY ARE CURRENTLY DOING TO RESOLVE THIS PROBLEM. BRAKES ARE NOT A PROBLEM TO TAKE LIGHTLY. I BOUGHT MY ELEMENT NEW IN APR 08. *TR

GOT INTO THE CAR AND SAW A CRACK ON THE FRONT WINDSHIELD THAT IS COMING FROM THE MIDDLE PORTION, UNDER THE MOLDING LEFT TO RIGHT. (IF SITTING IN CAR.) CONTACTED HONDA AND STILL NO RESPONSE. ALWAYS WE WILL CALL YOU BACK. *TR

TL - THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HONDA ELEMENT. SHE STATED AFTER PARKING HER VEHICLE WHEN SHE GETS OUT OF THE VEHICLE AND REACH FOR THE DOOR SHE GETS SHOCKED. SHE STATED THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. THE VEHICLE HAS NEVER BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE CONTACT STATED THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE SHE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 12 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 18,297. VWB

THE TPMS LIGHT ON MY 2008 HONDA ELEMENT EX WILL NOT TURN OFF. IT HAS BEEN THIS WAY SINCE NOVEMBER OF 2007. AFTER FIVE VISITS, THE HONDA DEALER CONCLUDED THAT IT WAS THE TIRES AND NOTHING TO DO WITH THEIR TPMS. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS 2,000 MILES ON IT. AT 500 MILES I REPLACED THE ORIGINAL TIRES WITH BRIDGESTONE DUELER ALENZA'S OF THE SAME SIZE. IT IS THESE TIRES THAT HONDA IS SAYING IS THE PROBLEM. MY RESPONSE IS THE TPMS SHOULD WORK WITH ALL SAME SIZE TIRES! *TR

I JUST NOTICED I HAVE A CRACKED WINDSHIELD ON MY NEW 2008 HONDA ELEMENT. I DON'T RECALL ANY DEBRI OR ANYTHING HITTING MY WINDSHIELD BUT I NOTICED A CRACK? IN MY 37 YEARS OF DRIVING I HAVE HAD ONLY 1 CRACKED WINDSHIELD AND IN THAT CASE I SAW AND HEARD THE ROCK HIT MY WINDSHIELD BACK IN 1995ISH. *TR

I REPLACED THE TIRES ON MY NEW 2008 HONDA ELEMENT ON 10/21/2007 AT 869 MILES SINCE THE TIRES THAT THE CAME WITH THE VEHICLE HAD POOR TRACTION IN RAIN. A MONTH LATER, THE TPMS LIGHT CAME ON AND I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER ON 11/26/2007 AT 1056 MILES. HONDA OF SEATTLE CONCLUDED THAT THE SYSTEM JUST NEEDED A RESET AND PROCEEDED WITH DOING SO. SEVERAL DAYS LATER, THE TPMS LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN SO I TOOK IT TO HONDA OF SEATTLE ON 12/05/2007 AT 1161 MILES. THEY FOUND THAT ONE TIRE SENSOR WAS NOT SENDING OUT A SIGNAL SO IT WAS REPLACED. SEVERAL WEEKS LATER THE TPMS SENSOR CAME ON AGAIN SO IT WAS TAKEN TO HONDA OF SEATTLE ON 01/04/2008 AT 1840 MILES. THIS TIME HONDA OF SEATTLE REPLACED ANOTHER TPMS SENSOR AND THE TPMS RECEIVER UNIT, HOWEVER THE TPMS LIGHT WAS STILL ON. AT THIS TIME, HONDA OF SEATTLE CONCLUDED THAT THE NEW TIRES THAT WERE INSTALLED (ELSEWHERE) HAD TOO MUCH CARBON IN THEM THUS BLOCKING THE SIGNALS FROM TPMS SENSORS AND THEREFORE THE PROBLEM WOULD NOT RESOLVE ITSELF UNTIL THE TIRES WERE REPLACED. FIVE YEARS LATER, SINCE I WAS WANTING TO REPLACE THE TIRES AGAIN, I TOOK IT TO HONDA OF SEATTLE TO CONFIRM THEIR PREVIOUS DIAGNOSIS THAT THE TIRES WERE A PROBLEM. NOW THEY STATED THAT THE TPMS LIGHT WAS ON DUE TO THE FAILURE OF ALL FOUR SENSORS RELATED TO WATER CORROSION. THEY REPLACED ALL FOUR SENSORS ON 09/25/2012 AT 28206 MILES. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE TPMS LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AND HONDA OF SEATTLE FOUND THAT ONE OF THE NEW TPMS SENSORS HAD FAILED SO THEY REPLACED IT ON 10/03/2012 AT 28317 MILES. AFTER THAT, WITH NO LIGHT COMING FOR WEEKS, I FELT COMFORTABLE THAT THE TPMS PROBLEM WAS FINALLY CORRECTED AND REPLACED ALL FOUR TIRES ON 10/20/2012 AT 28518 MILES. HOWEVER ON 11/11/2012 THE TPMS LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AND THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO HONDA OF SEATTLE ON 11/14/2012 AT 28691 MILES. TWO OF THE NEW SENSORS HAD FAILED AGAIN AND WERE REPLACED. *TR

ALL THE TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKED OUT OF VEHICLE. VEHICLE WOULD NOT GO INTO GEAR. VEHICLE ONLY SLID BACKWARDS UNTIL PLACED IN PARK. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALER FOR REPAIR. DEALER PUT IN TRANSMISSION FLUID, CHECKED PRESSURE AND RETURNED TO OWNER. IN 5-7 DAYS VEHICLE BEGAN TO JERK BACKWARDS FORCEFULLY. RETURNED VEHICLE TO DEALER FOR REPAIR. VEHICLE HAS BEEN AT DEALER FOR 4 DAYS NOW. DEALER FIRST REPLACED SOLENOID SWITCH. HONDA WOULD NOT RELEASE TO DEALER NEW TRANSMISSION UNTIL SOLENOID WAS REPLACED. NOW DEALER HAS TO KEEP CAR LONGER TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION. *TR