Problems with 2003 Honda Element VISIBILITY

Stress crack on windshield, driver side, starting at bottom edge traveling towards the left side of the windshield. *ak

Windshield cracked under passenger side wiper while vehicle parked. less then 4000 miles on car, no rock impact caused crack.*ak

Cracked windshield, from the bottom of the dash 5 inches going upward on the driver side, while vehicle was warming up in the driveway. *la

Windshield crack of about 3-4 inches from bottom under passenger windshield wiper was "just there" in the morning after heavy snowfall and major defroster use. in two days, before i got to dealer to have it inspected, it had extended upwards about 6 more inches, in two more days, all the way across windshield to within 2 inched of windshield edge on driver's side. now extended to lower driver's side corner. there was cold weather through out. dealer pointed out miniscule pit on crack below passenger windshield wiper, said not covered under warranty because cause by rock chip, etc. there may have been a minor impact there, who is to say, but the "evidence" nearly requires magnifying glass to see&in fact i scraped ice away on windshield that very morning. in fact there are many other "pits_x001d_ on windshield, including others on crack. a piece of grit/tiny gravel may have impacted, near original area of crack, but should never have caused damage that ensued. there is a manufacturer's service bulletin for windshield cracks starting at lower corners caused by excessive stress due to design or installation of windshield/flanges, however my vehicle is outside the vin range for that bulletin. my observation or belief is that excessive stress may still a factor, making windshield unacceptably susceptible to cracking during scraping ice of windshield and/or if there are chances of extremely minor impacts that would in other circumstances not cause problems. *cb

Windshield piys and cracks. i have 2 cracks in less that 1 month of ownership. the glass is easily pitted as i have driven mine on sanded roads briefly and have several hundred small pits, this is far in excess of any car or truck i have owned in over 30 years of thriving and ownership. these windshield are sticking poor!!! *cb

Windshield cracked below both wipers. started below plastic trim, both went vertical, and finally a horizontal crack connected them. windshield has other "star" cracks that have remained static. dealer is replacing is as "goodwill," says its not the same as listed in the honda tsb. *cb

Crack windshield on honda element. dealer refused to fix. claimed impact caused, but only pointed out a subjective pinhead sized pit at start of crack, claiming it was from an impact. based on frequent similar complaints from other elemnt owners with identical cracks in identical locations, i do not believe the crack was from an impact. especially since the crack appeared while the car was parked.

Windshield defect. too many similar occurences here and honda even issued a tsb. however, took it to the dealership and they insisted that is was impact. the mark was just below the wiper blade and is about the size of the head of a pin. i called for the district service manager to have a look and he identified another small spot as the impact point. he offered to split the cost with me. do i have any other options?*ak

2003 honda element windshield cracked due to stress. there is no visible impact point. the crack began near the lower part which is black, and continues above the drivers side windshield wiper towards the drivers door. after reviewing other complaints by element owners, it is clear there is an issue with this models windshield and stress cracks.*ak

Windshield cracked at about 800 miles on odometer, starting at the bottom, in the center of the passenger side, no impact but crack spread up windshield. dealer claims tiny impact pit below wiper blade caused crack, but no star impact pattern, just a long crack starting at bottom of windshield.ak

Windshield cracked under wiper on right hand side. my dealer said they would not cover it under warrinty, said there is a small pit in crack from rock. the windshield is full of small pits. there is so many complaints on the element message boards about cracked windshields more than any thing else there must be something wrong with the design.*ak

I am in the process of requesting replacement of the windshield in my honda element (purchased at majestic/lincoln on 08/08/03). it is obvious that no impact to the windshield has occurred and the crack (lower right, passenger side_x0014_beneath the wiper) was first noticed on the morning of 12/18/03 when i got in the car. originally about five inches in length, and crawling up from the base of the windshield and then over to the right corner, the crack actually grew another three inches in the ten minutes we were in the car. i have done extensive research and discovered by way of the honda service bulletin dated may 6, 2003 ("tsb 03-028: windshield is cracked at the lower corners" found at the following url: http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2212 that this is a widespread problem affecting the element windshields and replacement would be covered by honda. it appears that my vin is not among those featured in the bulletin, but the damage is identical to that of other element owners who have registered complaints: no sign of impact, and a crack in the lower right corner of the windshield. *ak

Cracked windshield. discovered a crack in winshield, just below the wiper blade , driverside. no reason for this. except faulty product.*ak

Windshield cracked on bottom of passenger side of the vehicle with no impact. *ak

Rock hit and chipped windsheld. *ak

Spontaneous windshield crack. *ak

2003 honda element has developed a crack in the windshield. the crack starts at the base of the windshield on the passenger side, just about in the middle of the wiper blade. the crack extends upward about four inches and is now extending to the right about the same distance. this is consistent with complaints from other owners of the 2003 honda element.*ak

Problems with the windshield on a 2003 honda element. *mr cracks appeared in the windshield with no apparent trigger. (9 inch crack appeared on the lower left section of the windshield) *sc *jb

Crack on lower left side of windshield. crack on lower right side of windshield. no objects hit the windshield. nhtsa bulletin showed problems with cracks on windshields of honda elements with no apparent cause. windshields are apparently defective! *cb

Ticking in windshield as soon as drove off lot. dealer replaced within weeks. now window makes ticking noise only after driving extended distances. windshield cracked early december 2003. *ak

Cracked windshield: consistent with hundreds of other honda element owners, on one particularly cold (by ca stds. anyway) morning, i turned on my defroster and the windshield started cracking from the bottom right corner. the crack has traveled across the bottom of the glass in a pattern that mirrors that of the defroster outlets. *jb

13" windshield crack on 2003 honda element ex with only 3000 miles logged. there was a pin-head sized pit that expanded to a 13" (and growing) crack. *nlm

Windshield cracked at lower driver side corner, no impact of any kind can be found. there is a service bulletin on stress crack on corner for the one i recieved today so i will take to dealer tomorrow, hopefully they will repair under warranty. i also had another star type crack 2 months prior while driving but whatever that hit the windshield must have been a spec of sand. dealer said at time would not repair since it was a "impact" crack. there is obviously something wrong with the windshield and design for it to pit and crack so easily.*ak

Stress crack in windshield. *ak

Cracked windshield, driving on a widely divided interstate at lawful speed, in heavy rain, no automobiles in sight in front of me, heard a "pop" sound, and saw a small crack about 5 inches to left of passenger side wiper axis. doubtful it was road debris, as there were no vehicles in front of me. results of dealer contact to be resolved pending meeting tomorrow. this automobile has approximately 1800 miles on it . has been in possession approximately 6 weeks. (since oct 10 2003) . *ak

Problems with windshield, cd player, horn and alarm.*mr the windshield cracked after a small piece of debris hit it. the cd player stopped working after it had been playing for 5 hours. the right side bumper fell off. *nm

The windshield on my 2003 honda element has developed a crack that starts on the bottom part of the passenger side and grew up 6-8 inches over the last few days. we took it to the dealer we bought it from (bill gatton honda in bristol, tn) and they said there was a chip in it and it was an impact damage and they would not consider it for warranty replacement. we told the dealer that nothing had hit the windshield and we were aware on numerous people who have had the same problem but they would not listen. i was referred to this site (nhtsa) by a fellow owner who had the same problem. *la

The windshield of my honda element ex, 2003 has crack after been hit by a small object for second time. for the first time i pay $50 for repair. now i am not sure it's worth to repair or replacement in view of so many complains by others elements owners. *nlm

Cracked windshield at 3700 miles. *la

Windshield cracked while driving on highway. was not following another vehicle. no debris was seen hitting the windshield but after hearing a light "click" a star shaped crack appeared on the windshield. if the windshield was hit by debris, it was extremely small and should not have caused a crack. *la

Windshield possibly hit by a rock (although i didn't see one) and large star with cracks forming at base of windshield on driver's side. i heard this was a problem with the element before i purchased, but was assured that this was fixed for later released models. i have had this car less than a month and it has only 600 miles on it. *la

Honda element windshield cracked for no reason. *ak

Honda element windshield cracked without any impact of any type. start top of driver's side, is now about 20" long . *ak

Honda element windshield cracking. there is a crack running from the bottom of the passenger's side of the glass up 4 inches and then running out to the edge of passengers side. there appears to be a pit (like a piece of sand made it) in the middle of the crack just below the passenger windshield wiper. i agree with the comments made by others here that if there is undo stress on the windshield then it stands to reason that any impacts, no matter how slight, will cause the windshield to crack. there are plenty of other pits the same size at other spots on the windshield with no cracking. dealer will not replace. *la

I have a barely 2 month old 2003 honda element and at about 2k miles... have suffered a cracked windshield from a very small rock/pebble that should have caused a 8 inch crack. honda has even issued a service bulletin (tsp #03-028) specifically referring to stress areas within the corner of windshield which in turn would make glass vunerable to any object coming in contact while driving. the dealer blames the crack on the debris and refuses to replace via warranty. numerous other element owners throughout country are experiencing the same problem with the new element. *jb

Cracked windshield. purchased my 2003 honda element in january 2004. 4th windshield was recently installed in october 2003. i contacted honda in october and i was turned away stating that my windshielf was another case of a rock hit.*ak

2003 honda element windshield cracked in the middle. crack appeared after a loud pop with ~4,000 miles. the honda dealer examined the crack and found a small chip from the surface of the glass. the service manager informed me that honda has issued a service bulletin to its dealers, instructing them to roll a ball point pen along the crack searching for indentations. if one is found, a rock strike is deemed to have caused the crack. the service manager said honda will not warranty windshields that have evidence of a rock strike (no matter how minor). honda will fix windshields that meet tsb03-028 which addresses cracks in the lower corners. the fragility of the windshield in the honda element is unusual and abnormal. honda motor co. is in denial and is costing consumers and insurance companies. in 30 yrs of driving i have never experienced windshield failures like this. the body of this vehicle is quite flexible. warranty work has been required on the body to eliminate squeaks caused by a rubbing at a welded seam under the windshield cowling. the dealer spread the seam (between each weld point) with a screwdriver and filled the cavity with a flexible compound. the squeaks stopped, but, there appears to be a bigger problem. is this windshield going to withstand airbag deployment and keep the bag in the vehicle to cushion occupants? considering the large number of complaints seen in forums, honda motor co. needs to come out of denial and start addressing the design flaw in this vehicle that causes windshields to fracture under normal use. *jb

Honda element windshield crack starting from lower driver side across the windshield. honda has a tsb on this problem but will not resolve it - i am a member of honda suv which also has several complaints. the service representative stated this was caused by a 1 mm rock chip (which there is no implosion) - reading the honda tsb it is obvious that if one even sustains a rock chip that the pressure from the incorrect manufactured window will cause it to crack not giving the owner a chance to fix a chip. *la

The front windshield had a crack that started at the bottom /middle and reached upward. dealership said the crack was caused by road debris. *ak tsb 03-028 which pertains to faulty windshield construction. *sc

Less than a 1000 miles on the car - cracked windshield passenger side bottom corner- did not pass the "pen" test done at a dealer. no coverage so we replaced windshield at our own cost- *ak

The front windshield had a very serious crack caused by a very small stone. (nar) *ph *cb

The windshields on the 2003 honda element's are faulty, they crack with litte or no impact, many people are complaining. a pebble, and i mean "pebble" tapped my windshield on august 24th and instantly i had an eleven inch crack. i've had 6 cars do date in my life, and with all 6 i've had rocks strike the windshield at on toime or another leaving nothing, or at most a star that can be fixed by a rock chip repair facility. the windshield appears to be under undo stress and that is exactly what these cracks appear to be,.. stress fractures. honda addmits to having a "tsb" issued for the windshields claiming an "uneaven flange surface" causing the cracks, however honda claims if it is evedent that something has struck your windshield leaving a "impact point" regardless of that impacts size you are at fault. the problem with this is anything that hits this glass can cause it to break regardless of it's size because of this "uneaven flange surface" ! honda has a known issue with their vehicle and they aren't owning up to this !

We have a defect in the driver's field of vision which occurred over night. my husband was the last to drive the vehicle and did not notice any pit or star at the time he parked the vehicle. we have less than 1,000 miles on our new 2003 honda element and purchased it about two weeks ago. we checked the honda element owner's website and found others having the same problem. i am a former auto and home damage insurance adjuster and have some expertise. new glass should not be brittle and should withstand most hail damage i.e. greenhouse glass and windshield glass. i have never had a new windshield with such problems before. i've owned and driven vehicles in excess of 150,000 miles without any problems to the windshield.*ak

Within the first few weeks of getting my brand new 2003 honda element, i had a crack and star chip in the vehicle's windshield. within the next month, it acquired yet another chip. as a result of the element's windshield's unprecedented vulnerability, i question its safety. at the very least, it represents inferior quality of materials and/or design, which is costing drivers and insurance companies significant amounts of money for repair costs. so far, american honda and the dealership insist that there is no inherent flaw in materials, design, or installation, and want to attribute the chips and crack to bad luck. however, honda owners are documenting this problem in droves on www.hondaelement.org, and on www.epinions. com. honda must acknowledge the problem, replace the defective windshields at their cost, and re-spec the element's windshield.*ak

Windshield on 2003 honda element cracked on its own. *ak

Cracked windshield: i bought 6 days ago a brand new 2003 honda element ex 2wd suv. it still hs less than 400 miles on it. today it developed a spontanesous 5 inch crack on the windshield. the crack starts at the windoshield edge on the driver side and extends towards the center at about eye level. tthis is a persistent ongoing problem with the 2003 honda element windshields. there are many posts with similar complaint to mine especially at the http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/index.php "exterior" website. a class-action lawsuit against honda is beimg considered.

Windshield cracked on its own while parked.*ak

My 2003 honda element windshield cracked after 4000 miles, the crack started below the driver side windshield wiper and expanded upward, most likely the result of a small rock impact but never heard any noise. talked to honda america and the csr said i should contact local dealership and see. took the car to the honda of lisle (illinois) dealership where i purchased the element from, and several service managers looked at it and said it can not be covered by warranty because it was a rock chip. at least two service managers claimed they have no knowledge of any windshield problem with element. paying $100 insurance deductible is a small price to pay, but this seems to be an obvious manufacturer defect and can haunt the consumers by replacing windshield on a very frequent basis. does honda america stands by its product and warranty rather than repeated denials? does honda want to see hundreds and hundreds of consumer complaints before accepting responsibilities and taking concrete actions? this is not the honda i know. i had a 84 honda civic dx and put 100+k on it with no major problem whatsoever. *la

We bought our 2003 honda element 7/03 new and since then we've had cracks from the top to the bottom of the windshield. we had to replace the windshield in 2003. recently 8/06 we had to have another replacement and had to take it back for leaks and the repair shop tried to fix in 10/06. windshield was still leaking so the same repair shop replaced the windshield 11/06 again and now there are more leakage. i don't see how honda can justify this with another windshield when the real problem exists in the manufacturing of this vehicle for the 2003-2004 models. the class-action lawsuit that is going on only states the repair and reimbursement of the windshield(s) not the defect itself. so we have a vehicle that leaks, not worth the amount we still owe on it and cannot see an end to this windshield problem without fixing the original defect problem. *nm

I've had multiple windshield cracks on my honda element. these cracks start around the left corner and bottom perimeter. i took the element in to two dealers and the claim were from a rock impact. the points of impacts are barely visible from the naked eye. that's why the service rep at the dealer will run a pen down the crack and find the tiny point of impact. these windshields are defective. 3 cracks and two stars in less than 10,000 miles. this is not the normal. the cracks are right in the line of site and are a slight safety concern. honda needs to fix this problem on the honda elements and not give a person the run around at the dealer claiming a rock hit it. *la