2005 Honda Element problems

“On 8.31.26, while driving my 2005 Honda Element Mileage: Approximately 125,000), the front passenger-side airbag spontaneously deployed without warning.There was absolutely no vehicle collision, physical impact, pothole, undercarriage strike, or jarring event to trigger a deployment. Approximately 10 hours prior to the spontaneous deployment, the airbag warning light illuminated on the instrument cluster and remained solid, indicating an active system fault. The car then sat parked for about 8 hours, before driving again. The light remained on.The uncommanded deployment filled the cabin with a smell and gases while the vehicle was in motion between towns. A VIN lookup shows no currently outstanding recalls for this vehicle, indicating the failure occurred within a previously remedied issue. Remedied in 2016. The vehicle is currently grounded and parked at my residence due to safety hazards. I am requesting an investigation into this uncommanded deployment and potential SRS control module or short-circuit failure, as it poses an immediate, severe risk of driver-side deployment and physical injury. A report has been filed with honda and a case opened.”

“Vtec oil pressure switch low voltage threw a code so I replaced entire mechanism, I don't know the name buy removed wire snaps and three bolts and replaced with brand new, and reattached. Unplugged battery till all reserve was gone. Plugged back up [battery] drove, but still as I hit 3000 rpm and vtec turns on shoots check engine light and vehicle jukes. I have already changed oil, made sure proper level proper weight had flushed as to clean out any debris. Made sure all connections were tight, but nothing fixes problem.”

“The contact owns a 2005 Honda Element. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, the vehicle began to tilt sideways while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle became inoperable. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled off to the shoulder of the roadway. Upon inspection of the vehicle, the contact discovered that the rear driver’s side control arm had separated from the frame of the vehicle, causing the rear wheel to tuck in underneath the wheel hub. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it remained undiagnosed. The dealer was contacted and stated that based on the pictures, the entire suspension needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 124,000.”

“THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT ROCKS BACK AND FORTH WHEN DECELERATING AT A STOP LIGHT OR AT A STOP SIGN AND/OR WHEN PERFORMING A TURN . IT ALSO HAPPENS WHEN ACCELERATING AFTER A STOP OR TURN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION WHERE THEY STATED THAT THE BUSHINGS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. A SERVICE BULLETIN (TSB 03-032) WAS ISSUED YET HONDA CLAIMS THEY DO NOT SEE THIS AS AN ISSUE EVEN THOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS REPORTS AND COMPLAINTS. A QUICK GOOGLE SEARCH INFORMALLY VERIFIES THIS HAPPENS WITH OTHER MODELS OF HONDA VEHICLES (CIVIC, CRV, ELEMENT). THIS IS A CONSTANT ISSUE FOR ME WHEN DRIVING ESPECIALLY DURING STOP AND START AND TURNING. THIS PRESENTS A DANGER WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE AND BRAKE DURING DRIVING.”

“I WAS DRIVING ON A BUSY STREET, QUITE SLOW (ABOUT 20-25 MPH) AND SMOKE STARTED TO BILLOW OUT OF MY DRIVERS SIDE DOOR. THE SMOKE WAS COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE SWITCHES WHICH CONTROL MY WINDOWS. THE SMOKE GOT PROGRESSIVELY WORSE IN A VERY SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME (30 SECONDS - 1 MINUTE). I WAS UNABLE TO OPEN MY WINDOWS TO LET THE BLACK SMOKE OUT. I OPENED MY CAR DOOR WHILE I DROVE INTO THE FIRST PARKING LOT I SAW. AS SOON AS I PARKED, I COULD SEE FLAMES UNDER THE WINDOW SWITCHES, WHICH MELTED THE PLASTIC AND CAUSED THE FLAMES TO GET LARGER. I WAS ABLE TO SMOLDER THE FIRE WITH A JACKET WHILE WAITING FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. A FIRE CLAIM WAS FILED. MY CAR WAS TOWED, SINCE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ADVISED ME NOT TO DRIVE IT. I AM NOW AWAITING WORD FROM THE MECHANIC IT WAS TOWED TO. I WORK FOR A HOME HEALTH CARE AGENCY, AND HAVE TO TRANSPORT SMALL OXYGEN TANKS ON OCCASION. I HAD ONE IN MY CAR AT THE TIME AND THIS ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION COULD HAVE BEEN DEADLY. *TR”

“The contact owns a 2005 Honda Element. The contact stated that while his vehicle was parked in a parking lot, the vehicle independently drifted backwards without warning. Due to the failure, the vehicle collided with another vehicle which resulted in the injury of the occupant inside the other vehicle. The other occupant claimed to have sought medical treatment for his injuries(injuries unknown). There was rear bumper damage to the other vehicle as a result of the failure. A police report was filed and neither vehicle was towed from the scene. The dealer was notified of the failure and stated that they were unaware of such a failure occurring with this model vehicle. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The failure had yet to reoccur and the vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 208,000.”