2011 Honda Element: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
11 NHTSA owner complaints · 11 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Owner complaints: 11 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 0.73
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
There are two indicator lights for air pressure that come on and stay on without cause (pressure is normal) "tpms" and a symbol. it is a documented problem among owners online in group discussions. in addition, the suspension is faulty in that an unexplainable "cracking" and slicking noise has been duly documented among owners in the front tires. several have reported this with an effective warranty but others hav…
Takata recall my complaint is that we received the letter from honda in july 2016 about the air bag recall. the letter advises us to avoid having a passenger sit in the front seat. that it's not yet repaired is just aggravating. for six months, we've had to avoid a front seat passenger, or feel guilty about them sitting there. this has curtailed our use of and enjoyment of our vehicle. the letter shifted responsib…
Takata recall: i was advised that it would possibly take longer than a 3 month wait until the repair kit even arrived at the facility due to the fact that they "don't make that vehicle any more" and was told to have my family of 4 ride in the rear seats for safety issue. it is a 4 seat vehicle. have left message with service manager an no response. this time frame is unacceptable and if in an accident, according to t…
Recalls: 11 campaigns (10 severe)
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 12V436000 | Electrical System:Wiring | 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. |
| 19V182000 | Air Bags:Frontal:Driver Side:Inflator Module | 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… |
| 18V041000 | Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator Module | Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2010-2012 Acura RL, 2010 Honda Element, and 2010-2013 Honda Ridgeline vehicles ever registered in the states of 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… |
| 17V029000 | 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,… |
| 19E068000 | Vehicle Speed Control:Accelerator Pedal | Dorman Products, Inc. (Dorman) is recalling certain Accelerator Pedal Assemblies part numbers 699-114 and 825-5029-1, sold as replacement parts for 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2004-2008 Acura TL and TSX, 2003-2007 Honda Accord, 2005-2006 Honda CR-V, 2007-2011 Honda Element, 2005-2008 Honda Pilot and 2006-2014 Honda Ridgeline vehicles. |
| 16V344000 | 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,… |
| 18V268000 | Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator Module | 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. |
| 19V501000 | Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator Module | 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… |
What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a mid-size SUV of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.
What it costs to run
EPA combined 22 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $2,800
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
What this car's problems cost to fix
Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.
- Air Bags6 complaints · typical job: Airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement (2.5 h labour + parts)$600–$1,700
- Visibility2 complaints · typical job: Glass, wiper or defogger repair (2.5 h labour + parts)$490–$1,200
- Seat Belts1 complaints · typical job: Pretensioner or retractor replacement (1.5 h labour + parts)$360–$800
- Steering1 complaints · typical job: Electric power-steering rack or column motor replacement (5.0 h labour + parts)$1,020–$2,500
- Suspension1 complaints · typical job: Struts, springs and control-arm bushings, one axle (4.0 h labour + parts)$780–$1,580
- Wheels1 complaints · typical job: Wheel bearing or hub replacement (2.5 h labour + parts)$460–$920
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2011 Honda Element?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Air Bags (6 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2011 Honda Element a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 73/100, computed from 11 NHTSA complaints and 11 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2011 Honda Element's most common problem?
6 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2011 Honda Element sit in the Air Bags group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement: about 2.5 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $600–$1,700 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.
What does a 2011 Honda Element cost to run per year?
About $5,303 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $26,518 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.
Does the 2011 Honda Element have recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 11 recall campaign(s) for the 2011 Honda Element, 10 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 05/09/2012. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Compare with
Other midsize suvs of about the same age.
What will a 2011 Honda Element really cost YOU per year?
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorData sources
Complaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-10-04.
Thin evidence — 11 complaints, 11 recalls on record
- 11 NHTSA complaints on record (0.7/yr of exposure) — in line with a typical year of this model (0.7/yr)
- 11 recall campaigns, 10 touching safety-critical systems
- Thin complaint record — this score is held close to the model's own average rather than read as evidence of quality