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#BS-2003-HONELE-B4A5

2003 Honda Element

Based on reports from 482 owners and 12 recalls for this exact model.

Complaints
482
Crashes
37
Fires
4
Recalls
12
TSBs
171
🛑

Preliminary Verdict

Red Flag

Based on 482 complaints, 37 crashes, 4 fires, and 12 recalls.

See full verdict with buy/skip conditions

Top reported problems

1

key does not go into door locks

12 complaints • Severity 6.8/10

$X,XXX
2

key wont go into ignition

6 complaints • Severity 9.3/10

$X,XXX
3

rear differential had a slow leak and seized

1 complaints • Severity 8/10

$X,XXX

Preview: What's in your full report

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Mechanic Inspection Checklist

!Check the Visibility:windshieldHIGH

217 owners reported visibility:windshield issues — failures commonly reported around 28K miles.

!Inspect the AirbagsMED
Look for symptoms of wear and premature failure
+ 6 more items in full checklistUnlock

Failure Timeline by Mileage

158
0–30K
41
30–60K
29
60–90K
26
90–120K
16
120–150K
37
150K+

Peak failure range: 0–30K miles (158 reports) • Median: 28K miles

Full report: which components fail at each mileageUnlock

30,000-Mile Cost Projection

Best Case

$X,XXX

Most Likely

$X,XXX

Worst Case

$X,XXX

Top cost driver: Visibility:windshield (217 reports).

Includes fuel costs, common repairs, and recall riskUnlock

Also in your report

Owner Intelligence

AI-synthesized themes from real complaints

Buyer Lot Checklist

Questions, test drive checks, walk-away triggers

Negotiation Talking Points

Data-backed dollar deductions

Buy / Skip Verdict

Final recommendation with conditions

10 sections total in the full reportUnlock all

Where the complaints fall

Visibility:windshield217 (45%)
Airbags40 (8%)
Electrical25 (5%)
Latches & Locks24 (5%)
Suspension23 (5%)
Other18 (4%)
Structure:body14 (3%)
Engine9 (2%)

2003 Honda Element: Known Issues & Problem Areas

Visibility:windshield Issues

Visibility:windshield complaints account for 45% of all reports filed for the 2003 Honda Element, with 217 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. The median mileage at time of complaint is 27,500 miles, suggesting issues tend to surface around the 28K-mile mark.

Airbags Issues

Airbags complaints account for 8% of all reports filed for the 2003 Honda Element, with 40 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to airbags-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Electrical Issues

Electrical complaints account for 5% of all reports filed for the 2003 Honda Element, with 25 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to electrical-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Latches & Locks Issues

Latches & Locks complaints account for 5% of all reports filed for the 2003 Honda Element, with 24 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to latches & locks-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Data sourced from NHTSA owner complaints and community reports. The full report analyzes severity, repair costs, and failure patterns for each category.

Complaint trend by year

55
03
127
04
67
05
17
06
9
07
11
08
5
09
17
10
14
11
16
12
8
13
23
14
23
15
24
16
4
17
5
18
5
19
2
20
10
21
6
22
14
23
8
24
12
25

Complaints filed with NHTSA by year for the 2003 Honda Element. Recent trend: increasing.

Don't negotiate blind — know what this car costs to own

Repair costs • Negotiation scripts • Mechanic checklist • Buy/skip verdict

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Recall History (12 recalls)

09E012000May 2009

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.

09E025000Jul 2009

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.

10V364000Oct 2010

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

HONDA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2003 HONDA ACCORD, CIVIC TWO AND FOUR DOOR, AND MODEL YEAR 2003-2004 HONDA ELEMENT VEHICLES. THE INTERLOCK LEVER OF THE IGNITION SWITCH MAY UNEXPECTEDLY DEFORM, WHICH CAN ALLOW THE INTERLOCK FUNCTION OF A VEHICLE WITH AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION TO BE DEFEATED.

14V353000Sep 2014

AIR BAGS

American Honda Motor Company, Inc.'s (Honda) is conducting a limited regional recall for certain model year 2003-2005 Accord, Civic, CR-V, Pilot and Acura MDX, model year 2003-2004 Odyssey and Element, and model year 2005 Acura RL, and 2006 Honda Ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in California, and equipped with Takata-brand air bag inflators. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.

14V700000Jan 2015

AIR BAGS

American Honda Motor Co. (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2001-2005 Honda Civic, 2003-2004 Civic CNG and Element, 2002-2005 CR-V, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2005 Accord, Pilot, Civic Hybrid, and Acura MDX, 2005 Acura RL and 2006 Honda Ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in geographic locations associated with high absolute humidity. Specifically, vehicles sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Saipan, Guam, and American Samoa are addressed by this recall. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.

+ 7 more recalls in the full report

Recall severity analysis & seller scripts

The full report rates each recall's severity and gives you scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.

Unlock

The worst model year for the Honda Element is the 2007 — worth knowing if you're cross-shopping years. The biggest problem area is accessories - interior.

2003 Honda Element vs. Class Average (Sport Utility Vehicle - 2WD)

This vehicle

482

Class avg

343

Complaint volume is roughly in line with other sport utility vehicle - 2wd vehicles from 2003.

Complaint counts correlate with sales volume — popular vehicles naturally generate more reports. The full report normalizes for this.

About this data

NHTSA Complaints

Federal database of owner-filed safety complaints. 482 records for this vehicle.

NHTSA Recalls

Manufacturer-issued safety recalls. 12 recalls found for this vehicle.

Repair Cost Data

Real-world repair costs from owner reports and independent databases.

Other Honda Element Model Years

201120102009200820072006200520042003
View all Honda Element years →

2003 Honda Element: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common problem with the 2003 Honda Element?
The most commonly reported issue with the 2003 Honda Element is related to the visibility:windshield, with 217 complaints filed with NHTSA.
Is the 2003 Honda Element reliable?
The 2003 Honda Element has 482 complaints, 37 crash reports, and 4 fire reports filed with NHTSA. The full report analyzes whether these numbers indicate real risk or are proportional to the vehicle’s popularity.
How much does it cost to fix 2003 Honda Element problems?
Repair costs vary by issue. The full BumperScan report includes detailed repair cost estimates (low/median/high) for every major issue, plus a 30,000-mile total cost of ownership projection.
Does the 2003 Honda Element have any recalls?
Yes, the 2003 Honda Element has 12 recalls on record. The full report includes recall severity analysis and scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.
What mileage do Honda Element problems start?
Based on 307 complaints with mileage data, the median mileage at time of complaint is 27,500 miles. The highest concentration of reported issues occurs in the 0–30K mile range. The full report breaks down exactly which components fail at each mileage bracket.
What’s in the full report?
10 sections of AI analysis: severity-ranked issues, component scores (0-100), 30K-mile cost projection, failure timeline by mileage, recall details with seller scripts, owner sentiment analysis, mechanic checklist, buyer lot checklist, negotiation ammo with dollar figures, and a buy/skip verdict.
How is this different from free NHTSA data?
NHTSA gives you raw complaint text. BumperScan cross-references 2.1M+ complaints with community repair cost data, EPA fuel data, and recall records — then uses AI to synthesize it into actionable advice with dollar figures.
How is this different from Carfax?
Carfax is VIN-specific history ($45/report). BumperScan is model-level reliability intelligence — what problems this car is known for, what they cost, and whether you should buy it. Complementary, not competing.
What if the report isn’t useful?
100% money-back guarantee. If the report doesn’t help you make a more informed decision, we’ll refund you — no questions asked.
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10 sections of AI analysis based on 482 owner reports. Know before you buy.

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