KnownCarProblems2006 Honda Element Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 122 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006 Honda Element, most often about the air bags (45% of complaints, typically around 76,500 miles). It is 4th of 9 Element model years by number of complaints and has 9 recalls.
Most common 2006 Honda Element problems
Air bags
55 complaints · 45%Half of these problems showed up before 76,500 miles. Parts named most often: side/window, frontal.
I was driving on a curvy road where it had recently rained - only driver was in vehicle. The Element SUV skid and possibly hydroplaned a little. The SUV jumped the curb and crashed into a concrete column of a freeway overpass. The front end was smashed in and the radiator was destroyed. The passenger side airbag…
The contact owns a 2006 Honda Element. While driving approximately 35 MPH, the driver side air bag deployed without warning or impact. There were no injuries. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the cause of the deployment could not be diagnosed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the…
Visibility and wipers
13 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 23,000 miles. Parts named most often: windshield, power window devices and controls.
Power window regulator on front left window had to be replaced 11/2009. Power window failed to go up, diagnosed as broken window regulator cable. 5/2010 front right window failed to lift. Seems to be same problem with power window mechanism.
On november 12, 2007, I noticed a horizontal crack in my Honda Element's windshield, about 7 inches in length on the driver's side, about halfway up starting at the left side pillar. I bought the vehicle new and it has not been in any kind of accident. I drove in to work and did not notice the crack. I did notice it…
Body and structure
11 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 109,500 miles. Parts named most often: body.
I hit a deer last december and the only reason the insurance company did not total it was because the air bags did not deploy. There was just about $10,000 worth of damage to my car. After waiting a month and a half, traveling 18 hours & spending an extra $200 for travel to go get my car I finally got it back. Also…
The contact owns a 2006 Honda Element. The contact stated that while his son was driving approximately 55 MPH, the driver heard a loud clunking sound, and the rear of the vehicle suddenly became unstable. The driver stopped and inspected the vehicle, and it was discovered that the driverâs side rear wheel was turned…
Electrical
11 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 96,000 miles. Parts named most often: instrument cluster/panel, wiring.
I hit a deer last december and the only reason the insurance company did not total it was because the air bags did not deploy. There was just about $10,000 worth of damage to my car. After waiting a month and a half, traveling 18 hours & spending an extra $200 for travel to go get my car I finally got it back. Also…
There's an electrical problem. The car sometimes will not start right away. We have to give it several tries and usually after 5 minutes it will start. We've already replaced the starter and problem still persists. We thought last recall would have fixed the problem, because this issue was mentioned. But, the same…
Suspension
10 complaints · 8%Our car, traveling at 40 MPH was hit from the side at the left front, airbags deployed, significant damage to the left front. The tire and part of the axle were detached and about 10 feet from the car. The sheriff told US that he has seen this type of car in similar accidents where the tire and axel have detached from…
I am located in ohio and the rear trailing arm has rusted out to the point that it is on the verge of breaking off on the passenger side. This was found out because I was driving and the car would sway back and forth in the rear every time I hit a bump in the road. I went to my nearest tire shop thinking it could be a…
Seats
9 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 150,000 miles.
I was driving down my own driveway, when there was a very loud explosion to my right. After a moment, I realized the passenger seat side airbag deployed. There was nothing on the seat at the time. My right ear rang for quite some time after. Luckily, my dog was crated behind me. I rolled down the windows to dissipate…
Driver's seat is rocking back and forth. This creates a dangerous condition during driving as it may affect control of the vehicle. Safety inspector also says that the seat may come loose -- therefore that virginia state inspector failed my vehicle during its annual safety inspection. All of these common complaints…
Other or unspecified
6 complaints · 5%Drove car on a 6 hr trip with one stop for gas during daylight hours therefore there was no need to turn headlights on. When reaching destination, headlights had turned on by themselves although the headlight switch on the steering column remained in the 'off' position and was never turned on by the driver that day.…
See Honda safety recall no. R44. Pub NHTSA 2010-08-05 same issue as described. 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. Removal of the ignition key when the gear selector of a vehicle with an…
Lights
5 complaints · 4%Parts named most often: headlights.
Low beam headlight failure - the headlights on this 2006 Honda Element failed in much the same manner as described in the 2007 Honda fit recall and the 2002-2003 Honda civic recall. The headlight wiring harness connector is burnt on the second pin from the left-hand side, on the top of the connector, if one looked at…
The contact owns a 2006 Honda Element. The contact stated that the low beam headlights failed while driving at an unknown speed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. The failure was located at the low bean assembly. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer advised that the vehicle was not included…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2006 Honda Element recalls
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began august 12, 2019. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are q5a and y58.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain 2003 acura 3.2cl, 2002-2003 3.2tl, 2003-2006 mdx, 2001-2007 honda accord, 2001-2005 civic, 2003-2005 civic hybrid, 2001-2005 civic gx ngv, 2002-2006 cr-v, 2003-2011 element, 2002-2004 odyssey, 2003-2008 pilot and 2006 ridgeline vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with driver frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal airbag inflator, free of charge. The recall began august 12, 2019. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are e5d and x5c.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain 2003-2006 acura mdx, 2005-2012 rl, 2003-2007 honda accord, 2001-2005 civic, 2003-2005 civic hybrid, 2001-2005 civic gx ngv, 2002-2006 cr-v, 2003-2011 element, 2007-2008 fit, 2002-2004 odyssey, 2003-2008 pilot, and 2006-2014 ridgeline vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with passenger frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An explosion of an inflator within the driver frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver, front seat passenger or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began april 10, 2019. Honda owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is o41. Acura owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is u40.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling specific 2003 acura 3.2cl, 2013-2016 ilx, 2013-2014 ilx hybrid, 2003-2006 mdx, 2007-2016 rdx, 2002-2003 3.2tl, 2004-2006, and 2009-2014 tl, 2010-2013 zdx and 2001-2007 and 2009 honda accord, 2001-2005 civic, 2003-2005 civic hybrid, 2001-2005 civic gx ngv, 2002-2007 and 2010-2011 cr-v, 2003-2011 element, 2007 fit, 2002-2004 odyssey, 2003-2008 pilot, and 2006-2014 ridgeline vehicles. The affected vehicles received a replacement driver air bag inflator as part of a previous takata inflator recall remedy or a replacement driver air bag module containing the same inflator type as a service part. Due to a manufacturing error, in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver frontal air bag, these inflators may explode.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An incorrectly installed air bag may deploy improperly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began june 22, 2018. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are k1p, and m1o.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain 2003-2012 honda accord and pilot, 2010 accord crosstour, 2001-2011 civic, 2002-2011 cr-v, 2003-2004, 2006-2008 and 2011 element, 2007 and 2009-2013 fit, 2010-2012 insight, 2002-2004 odyssey, and 2012 ridgeline vehicles. The front passenger air bag may have been installed incorrectly during replacement.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall bagan march 2017. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are kd9 and ke0.
Full defect summary
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, ke
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began june 27, 2016. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are ka0, ka1, ka2, and ka3.
Full defect summary
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
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on july 1, 2015. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Owners may contact acura customer service at 1-800-382-2238, select option 4. Note: vehicles that have had their driver frontal air bag replaced previously as part of a recall remedy prior to september 12, 2014 need to have their air bag replaced under this recall as well. Vehicles that, on or after september 12, 2014, received a remedy for a prior driver frontal air bag inflator recall already rec
Full defect summary
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.
Transmission: control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)
Risk: This could result in a short circuit causing the engine to stall. Additionally, broken pieces of the outer race or ball bearing from the secondary shaft may become lodged in the parking pawl resulting in the vehicle rolling after the driver has placed the gear selector in the park position. Engine stall and unexpected vehicle movement increases the risk of a crash or personal injury to persons within the path of a rolling vehicle.
Fix: Honda will notify owners and dealers will update the automatic transmission control module software free of charge. The safety recall began on august 27, 2011. Owners may contact honda automobile customer service at 1-800-999-1009.
Full defect summary
Honda is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 accord, 2007-2010 cr-v, and 2005-2008 element passenger cars manufactured from july 1, 2004, through september 3, 2010. The outer race of the secondary shaft bearing may be broken during certain driving styles. A broken outer race may cause abnormal noise, the malfunction indicator light to turn on, and allow contact between the transmission idle gear and an electronic sensor housing within the transmission.
Equipment: owners/service/other manual
Risk: The language in the owner's manuals is not in accordance with the current mandatory requirements.
Fix: Honda will send a postcard to dealers and owners with the correct NHTSA vehicle safety hotline information and with instructions to insert the card into the "reporting safety defects" section of the owner's manual. The recall began on august 2, 2006. Owners may contact honda at 1-800-999-1009, acura at 1-800-382-2238 or honda motorcycles at 1-866-784-1870.
Full defect summary
On certain passenger vehicles and motorcycles, the owner's manuals contain incorrect contact information for the national highway traffic safety administration's (NHTSA) vehicle safety hotline.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Desiccated air bag inflator rupture
Summary
From 2000 through 2017, takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("psan") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004l. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 blomquist report at www.NHTSA.gov/sites/NHTSA.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substa
Air bag inflator rupture
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe14-016 in june 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.all six vehicles were operated in florida or puerto rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag systems.during the course of pe14-016, odi determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by takata. No evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.nonetheless, at odi's in
Air bag inflator rupture
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe14-016 in june 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.all six vehicles were operated in florida or puerto rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag systems.during the course of pe14-016, odi determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by takata. No evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.nonetheless, at odi's in
Questions about the 2006 Honda Element
- What are the most common problems with the 2006 Honda Element?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (55 complaints, typically around 76,500 miles); visibility and wipers (13 complaints, typically around 23,000 miles); body and structure (11 complaints, typically around 109,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2006 Honda Element have?
- 9 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from June 27, 2019 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2006 a bad year for the Honda Element?
- It is 4th of 9 Element model years by number of complaints, with 122 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.