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#BS-2010-HONELE-B4A5

2010 Honda Element

Based on reports from 39 owners and 11 recalls for this exact model.

Complaints
39
Crashes
2
Fires
0
Recalls
11
TSBs
51

Preliminary Verdict

Green Light

Based on 39 complaints, 2 crashes, 0 fires, and 11 recalls.

Top reported problems

1

tpms light on

2 complaints • Severity 6/10

$X,XXX
2

poor workmanship-seats dont line up

1 complaints • Severity 6/10

$X,XXX

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Mechanic Inspection Checklist

!Check the AirbagsHIGH

7 owners reported airbags issues — failures commonly reported around 46K miles.

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

Failure Timeline by Mileage

7
0–30K
5
30–60K
6
60–90K
1
90–120K
120–150K
150K+

Peak failure range: 0–30K miles (7 reports) • Median: 46K 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: Airbags (7 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

Airbags7 (18%)
Suspension6 (15%)
Brakes5 (13%)
Engine3 (8%)
Visibility3 (8%)
Lights2 (5%)
Drivetrain2 (5%)
Electrical2 (5%)

2010 Honda Element: Known Issues & Problem Areas

Airbags Issues

Airbags complaints account for 18% of all reports filed for the 2010 Honda Element, with 7 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. The median mileage at time of complaint is 46,400 miles, suggesting issues tend to surface around the 46K-mile mark.

Suspension Issues

Suspension complaints account for 15% of all reports filed for the 2010 Honda Element, with 6 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to suspension-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Brakes Issues

Brakes complaints account for 13% of all reports filed for the 2010 Honda Element, with 5 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to brakes-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Engine Issues

Engine complaints account for 8% of all reports filed for the 2010 Honda Element, with 3 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to engine-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

4
11
7
14
3
15
1
16
8
17
4
18
1
21
1
22
3
23
4
24
2
25
1
26

Complaints filed with NHTSA by year for the 2010 Honda Element. Recent trend: decreasing.

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 (11 recalls)

10V361000Aug 2010

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)

HONDA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010 ELEMENT AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM APRIL 1, 2010 THROUGH JUNE 25, 2010. DURING ASSEMBLY PROCESS, THE CABLE THAT CONNECTS THE SHIFT LEVER TO THE TRANSMISSION WAS NOT SET CORRECTLY AT THE SHIFT LEVER BRACKET. AS A RESULT THE DRIVER MAY MOVE THE GEAR SHIFT LEVER BUT THE TRANSMISSION MAY NOT BE PLACED IN THE SELECTED GEAR.

12V436000Sep 2012

TRAILER HITCHES

Honda is recalling certain model year 2007 through 2011 Element passenger vehicles equipped with an accessory trailer hitch wiring harness. The wire that supplies power to the trailer turn signal lights was inadvertently switched with the stop lamp wire. As a result the turn signals only illuminate when the brake lamps are illuminated. This does not comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

15V320000Jul 2015

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2001-2007 Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2001-2004 Honda Civic GX, 2003-2005 Honda Civic Hybrid, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2006 Ridgeline, 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2003-2006 Acura MDX, and 2002-2003 Acura 3.2TL vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion and other factors, including manufacturing variability that, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.

16V344000Jun 2016

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2005-2011 Acura RL, 2005-2006 Honda CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007-2008 Fit, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2002-2004 Odyssey, and 2006-2011 Ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or that have ever been registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Honda is recalling certain model year 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2005-2008 Acura RL, 2005-2006 Honda CR-V, 2003-2008 Element, 2007-2008 Fit, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2002-2004 Odyssey, and 2006-2008 Ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or that have ever been registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Lastly, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Honda is recalling model year 2002-2004 Odyssey and model year 2003-2004 Acura MDX, Honda Element, and Honda Pilot vehicles originally sold, or registered, in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

17V029000Feb 2017

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2005-2006 Acura MDX and Honda CR-V vehicles, 2005-2011 Honda Element vehicles, 2005-2012 Acura RL vehicles, 2006-2012 Honda Ridgeline vehicles, 2007-2008 Honda Fit vehicles and 2005-2008 Honda Pilot vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, if not included in "Zone A" above, Honda is recalling certain 2005-2006 Acura MDX and Honda CR-V vehicles, 2005-2009 Acura RL and Honda Element vehicles, 2007-2008 Honda Fit vehicles, 2005-2008 Honda Pilot vehicles and 2006-2009 Honda Ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, if not included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Honda is recalling certain 2005-2006 Acura MDX and Honda CR-V vehicles, 2005-2008 Acura RL, Honda Element and Honda Pilot vehicles, 2007-2008 Honda Fit vehicles and 2006-2008 Honda Ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

+ 6 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.

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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.

2010 Honda Element vs. Class Average (Sport Utility Vehicle - 2WD)

This vehicle

39

Class avg

278

Below the class average — fewer complaints than typical sport utility vehicle - 2wd vehicles. A good sign.

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. 39 records for this vehicle.

NHTSA Recalls

Manufacturer-issued safety recalls. 11 recalls found for this vehicle.

Repair Cost Data

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

2010 Honda Element: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common problem with the 2010 Honda Element?
The most commonly reported issue with the 2010 Honda Element is related to the airbags, with 7 complaints filed with NHTSA.
Is the 2010 Honda Element reliable?
The 2010 Honda Element has 39 complaints, 2 crash reports, and 0 fire reports filed with NHTSA. This is below the class average — a positive sign for reliability.
How much does it cost to fix 2010 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 2010 Honda Element have any recalls?
Yes, the 2010 Honda Element has 11 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 19 complaints with mileage data, the median mileage at time of complaint is 46,400 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 39 owner reports. Know before you buy.

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