Owners/service Manual Problems of Honda Element

The driver side lock stopped working from the outside. First the alarm and automatic door lock stopped working. It would arm and unarm the alarm and unlock the back and side door but not the driver side door. That was annoying but I have the key and would then just unlock the driver side door but the lock would stick and not allow the key to turn. I would then have to take the key out and try again. Over a few weeks it got worse and worse eventually not allowing the key to even completely enter. It would also get stuck in the locked position and I would have to manually unlock it to get out. Eventually it stopped working all together. To get in I would have to unarm the alarm and from the passenger side use an umbrella to reach access the seats to manually unlock the door. I would then have to walk around the car to get in. I would also have to manually lock the door before driving as it would not lock on its own. To get out I would have to do the whole process again but in reverse order. If I locked the door with the door open it would not shut completely. It progressively got worse over about a year. I had it repaired almost two years ago and have not had issues since. I did not have to change keys, electronic locks, or alarms. This was some time ago so I do not remember what they had to do to fix it but I remember it not being cheep and taking much of the day as they had to take the door apart. I am not sure if the dealer or my regular repair place fixed it but more information can be requested from them if needed. The repair guys had not mentioned this being an issue with 2003 Honda Elements but after seeing multiple reports on here I decided to add my information for more context and details in how the problem started and advanced.

See all problems of the 2003 Honda Element 🔎.

Keyless remote will not work for any doors. Key will not allow you to manually turn without getting stuck or jammed on the driver's side (from the outside). The door will only lock if you crawl through from the passenger side and lock it manually. This is inconvenient, unacceptable and a common problem among Honda Element owners. This issue should cause a recall for Honda to fix.