Honda
Element

There is corrosion on the rear trailing arm and surrounding area. Also rust is forming on rear subframe / crossmembers and the front subframe. Over time, this can result in premature structural failure and catastrophic accident. It poses a serious safety risk. It affects the structural integrity of the suspension system. There’s no recall even though multiple complaints exist for similar make/model.

Just like the same era's Honda CR-V (the Honda Element's sibling car with many of the same components), the undercarriage rust on my vehicle is excessive: as described in the same era Honda CR-V's NHTSA Recall (23V-228). Large sections of my car’s rear frame are completely missing, as shown in the photographs. My car is now undriveable. I had it towed to two Honda dealerships at my expense and both refused to even look at the car's rust, when I explicitly asked them to determine if the car was safe to drive. Niether dealership would confirm. Honda corporate cited that they were unable to assess the photographs that I sent to it because it does not physically inspect the cars. Honda corporate also insisted that it could not do anything about any dealership’s behavior as they are allegedly completely independent from Honda of North America. Honda corporate also looked up the history of my Hondas that I have owned and Elements that I still own and actually asked me, if I purchased them just to try to have Honda fix them for free. Just like with the CR-V, a recall for the rear frame corrosion first occurred in Canada and then in the US: see NHTSA Recall 23V-228’s chronology. The Honda Element's Canadian recall is as follows: "Transport Canada Recall - 2021024 – HONDA". As of today, there is no NHTSA recall for rear frame corrosion for Honda Elements. I am submitting this complaint for this car now, and also contemporaneous will submit less detailed complaints under different VINs for my other Elements with rust problems: every Honda Element that I have ever owned, even one that had spent its entire 14 year life as a New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas car has had rust problems. In other words, no matter what environment these Elements (which were made for the model years 2003-2011) are in, they corrode right away (within any factory warranties), and eventually become dangerous.

Just like the same era's Honda CR-V (the Honda Element's sibling car with many of the same components), the undercarriage rust on my vehicle is excessive: as described in the same era Honda CR-V's NHTSA Recall (23V-228). Sections of my car’s rear frame are rusty. Just like with the CR-V, a recall for the rear frame corrosion first occurred in Canada and then in the US: see NHTSA Recall 23V-228’s chronology. The Honda Element's Canadian recall is as follows: "Transport Canada Recall - 2021024 – HONDA". As of today, there is no NHTSA recall for rear frame corrosion for Honda Elements. I am submitting this complaint for this car now, and also contemporaneously am submitting other complaints under different VINs for my other Elements with rust problems: every Honda Element that I have ever owned, even this Element for this complaint that I am submitting right now, that had spent its entire 14 year life as a New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas car has had rust problems. In other words, no matter what environment these Elements (which were made for the model years 2003-2011) are in, they corrode right away (within any factory warranties), and eventually become dangerous.

The contact owns a 2009 Honda Element. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH and approaching a stop sign, the contact observed a noise coming from the rear driver's side of the vehicle. The contact stated that when the vehicle came to a stop, he opened the driver's door and observed the rear passenger’s side tire was sideways. The vehicle was towed to a body shop where the contact was informed that the frame of the vehicle near the trailing arm was rusted through and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 152,403.

The contact owns a 2009 Honda Element. The contact stated there was an extreme amount of rust on the vehicle. The contact stated that the trailing arm was corroded and had several holes. The TPMS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to assist with the repairs. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 274,000.

While driving the left rear wheel went sideway... looking underneath the Unibody had corroded to the point the left control arm separated from the car making it undrivable.... was told to not drive the car as it is not safe...

The driver side rear trail arm broke free from under the vehicle. Vehicle loses control much like having flat tires but more violent fish tailing. Vehicle is hard to control to pull over to shoulder. Photos were shown to local Honda dealer representative, Scott Guyette. (Gustman Honda in Appleton Wi). Scott Guyette at the dealership stated that he has seen this numerous times on the Honda Element and they are currently fixing Honda CRVs with the same issue. Email: (scott.guyette@gustman.com) He stated, don't tow it in, just send photos, which I did.

The contact owns a 2009 Honda Element. The contact stated the driver's side rear trailing arm detached from the vehicle while he was reversing at an undisclosed speed, and the vehicle stopped. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated the failure occurred due to rust and corrosion. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who informed them they could not provide assistance, and then the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not provide any assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000.