The Honda Element production started in December 2002, but the first model was not released until 2003. Unfortunately for fans of the lineup, the vehicle would only see models until 2011, after which it was discontinued.
The discontinuation of the Honda Element led many people to believe that the car was not worth the purchase, and many people went on to ask about the most alarming years for the Honda Element.
If that is the question you wanted to know, then you have come to the right place, as here I will be listing the years that I think are worst for the Honda Element.
I will be going over all these models in great detail to aid you in getting the best model possible, so read the article till the end to learn everything about the Honda Element and its lineup of models. The first few years of the Honda Element contained one of the worst models in the lineup, which hurt the lineup’s perception in the eyes of the public.
Here are those models that you should try your best to avoid!
2003 Honda Element
As is to be expected with most cars on launch, the first model of the Honda Element, the 2003 version, was off to a very rocky start, suffering from 12 different recalls, which hurt the model’s reputation right out of the gate.
Many units of the Honda Element were recalled due to the airbag alone, which had a massive threat of exploding upon activation.
Additionally, this explosion would fling metal fragments toward the users, increasing the liability of injuries. There was also an issue with the vehicle, which would cause the Honda Element to roll away due to an ignition interlock. All of this was accompanied by major issues in the transmission, the engine, and the electrical systems, combining to make the vehicle very unenjoyable.
2004 Honda Element
One year later, the people behind the Honda Element got a grip on the other problems that plagued the vehicle but still failed to identify the main problem with the airbags, resulting in the same number of recalls and bad publicity.
The airbags were still a major threat to the people inside the vehicle, as they were liable to explode and rupture during deployment.
The danger of having small metal chunks flung at you by your vehicle is not something many people want, and it was a major complaint in the 2003 Honda Element and unfortunately carried over to this 2004 model as well.
2008 Honda Element
While generally being an okay vehicle, the 2008 Honda Element gets on this list for having more complaints. While these complaints are less than those of the above models, they are still high enough to have me place the model in this spot.
One major grievance about the 2008 Honda Element model year was that its paint was constantly chipping. No one wants to have a bad-looking car, but due to the cheap or low-quality paint used by the company, that is what most people got.
Additionally, the NHTSA received several complaints against the Honda Element, citing various issues with the brakes, which had a problem of premature brake wear.
2006 Honda Element
The final model on this list is the 2006 Honda Element. Even though it came before the 2008 Honda Element, it had much fewer complaints and was able to reduce a lot of issues that past models had, but this was still not enough to save the model.
While not having any major issues aside from the airbags that almost every Honda Element had, the 2006 Honda Element had small issues scattered almost everywhere, from the body to the engine to even the electrical systems. These small and spread-out issues made the car very annoying to deal with.
How Reliable Is A Honda Element?
Regarding reliability, the Honda Element does a very serviceable job, being a mostly dependable vehicle that can get you through most of your daily driving needs.
While it is nowhere near the best in this regard, it is able to be better than more than half of other similar cars in its segment and manages to get a good score overall in this regard. While it won’t make any waves when it comes to reliability, you can be sure that it will get the job done.
How Long Do Honda Elements Last?
Given that you are taking exceptional care of your Honda Element, you will find that the vehicle can last anywhere between 15 and 20 years, reaching mileages of up to 300,000 miles.
At a minimum, you should expect at least 200,000 miles from your Honda Element, assuming you are giving it a decent amount of maintenance and have taken measures to increase the life of your car.
What to Do to Lengthen the Life of Your Honda Element
There are a lot of different ways that you can increase the life of your car, and here, I will be highlighting the best ways you can take care of your Honda Element so that it can last for a long time. Here are some practices that you should develop to keep your car operating at maximum capacity:
- Regular changing of car fluids (engine fluid, coolants, brake fluid).
- Storing a car in a sheltered place keeps it safe from bad weather.
- Frequent cleaning.
- repeated servicing and maintenance every 2-3 months.
- Slow and steady driving
- Adopting these habits should help you get a major boost in the health and life of your car, making it last for many more years than it would have otherwise.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Honda Element a good car?
When it comes down to it, the Honda Element is a decent vehicle that should provide you with serviceable driving and few problems, assuming that you get a good model.
Even if you get an issue with the Honda Element, as long as it is not a major repair, it should be relatively easy and cheap to fix, so overall, the Honda Element is pretty good in my book.
Do Honda Elements Hold Their Value?
Being a very old and discontinued vehicle, it is very unlikely that the Honda Element will hold its value.
In fact, given the depreciation rate of 20%, you should see that the Honda Element will lose its value and drop in price significantly. If you were looking for a valuable car that can hold its value, then, unfortunately, the Honda Element is not for you.
Conclusion
Even though it got off to a rocky start, the Honda Element was able to improve a lot about itself over the years.
And despite suffering from a lot of recalls, it was able to amass a good reputation for itself but had the downside of having people ask for the best and worst years for the Honda Element.
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