2003 Honda Element Reviews from North America

Engine mount at 80,000 miles.

Driver's side door lock at 80,000 miles.

Right power window motor at 84,000 miles.

Gas gauge at 124,000 miles.

Windshield cracked at 132,500 miles.

Left power window motor at 134,000 miles.

Still though, the engine and drivetrain have been very reliable. Still on the original clutch at 146,630 miles.

Original front brake pads lasted until 127,000 miles; the original rear brake pads lasted until 138,000 miles.

Other than these few issues above, I have been very happy with this vehicle. No car is perfect. I have owned it 10 years as of today.

It is roomy, useful (lots of cargo space), easy to park, and not that bad on gas (about 20 MPG city, 27 MPG highway). Fun to drive with the manual transmission.

Dealer service wasn't that great. I found an independent mechanic I trust. That is a better way to go. Given the problems with the windshields with this model and year, I am lucky my windshield lasted to 132,500 miles before cracking. The replacement windshield is doing well so far (knock on wood).

All in all, I love this vehicle and plan on keeping it until it dies.

I love my Honda, but the locks stopped working. I have to open the back door and crawl in to open the locks. This is dangerous for a woman and so uncomfortable. I don't go out at night, because I can't be crawling thru the back door. A locksmith told me only the dealership can fix it. After reading all the reviews, and others having the same problem, why hasn't Honda issued a recall?

Also, the passenger window got stuck after letting it down, costing me over $200 for Honda to fix it.

I too have had issues with the driver's side lock. I have been looking online, and could see many complaints about this issue, so I called Honda America 1800-999-1099, and was told to have it fixed at my expense, and that they do not have a lot of complaints.

So anyone who has this issue, needs to go to this website www.nhtsa.gov and leave a complaint to get them on a recall. The more complaints, the better chance of a recall.

My windshield also cracked; the car was parked for a week in a parking garage while on vacation. We came back and picked up the car, and it had a crack on the right side corner; it spread about 7 inches up. We left the windows cracked a bit just in case it was too hot or pressure. That is amazing other people have had the same crack. I wish they would recall them for the windshield.

The driver side door will not allow the key to open the door. Consequently, I have to use the passenger door to get in when I lock all doors.

On August 10th, 2010, I notice my key into the ignition was getting stuck. Thought a little WD 40 would help. It did not. After turning off the car, I went into a store. When I came back, I couldn't get the key to turn the ignition on, and my steering wheel and Parking/drive shifts were totally locked up. Nothing could get the car out of the locked up position. I spent an entire day people trying to help. Eventually I had to get the Element towed. The problem was the ignition... the cable and interlock were worn out. There is a recall to fix the ignition, and Honda will be sending out recall letters in September to fix the problem. They do not want any accidents to occur.

Other than the driver door lock not working and the ignition problem, I have had no other complaints about my 2003 Honda Element. I really like my Element. Hopefully, Honda will honor the recall for all us enduring the lock problems with the driver door and the faulty ignition. Whether it be the cable and/or interlock problem. Please report your problems regarding this to Honda so they are aware.

The 2003 Honda Element needs to have the driver door lock fixed. It is a massive problem... tons of owners have this problem.

The ignition needs to be replaced no matter what. It is faulty in many ways. From locking up the entire car to having the key move in and out while the car is not in the park position. Both are scary and need to be fix ASAP! Honda does not want a Toyota experience.