Side/window Air Bag Problems of Honda Element - part 2

The contact owns a 2005 Honda Element. While driving at 62 mph with the cruise control activated, the front driver side air bag suddenly deployed. The air bag did not inflate when it deployed. The vehicle was towed to a repair shop. The current and failure mileages were approximately 60,300.

See all problems of the 2005 Honda Element 🔎.

I was leaving work, driving about 10 miles an hour and without warning there was a huge boom in my ear, powder was in the air, the left side of my face was numb (later, red from heated air), my left side was shoved forward and my left ear was ringing. My side impact airbag went off as I was taking a left turn! I thought I had been hit by a car. . . Except there was no other cars around. I pulled over and couldn't figure out what had happened until I opened my door, stepped out and saw the airbag hanging out of the seat. Scared the crap out of me! I am glad I wasn't on the freeway at a faster speed, I probably would have crashed! very sore now though. Left side is sore, neck is very sore! I drove to the Honda dealership afterward and spoke to the manager (neff) of the maintenance department. They had a technician (tim) hook up some data machine to my 2005 Honda Element 4wd - ex. I was advised to come back on Monday and drop the car off so they could contact Honda corporate hq and get a direction to proceed. The technician (tim), and manager (neff) advised me that until it was repaired, my other airbags would not work. They also stated that they had never seen something happen like this. After a google search of 'Honda Element airbag defects' it appears that it is a pretty prevalent problem. I have temporarily parked the car at my house until Monday's maintenance appointment.

Addendum to original report 10310546. Shoulder and arm still affected from driver side airbag deploying without warning.

See all problems of the 2003 Honda Element 🔎.

While driving on rough pavement driver side airbag deployed - urban street in rush hour while raining. 2003 Honda Element.

I was driving my 2005 Honda Element on a smooth gravel road around 25mph when the drivers-side airbag in the chair deployed bruising the back of my left arm. It deployed fully and tore my seat. My vehicle is no longer under warranty, but I feel this could be a safety hazard if I was driving down the highway and something like this happened and could easily cause a serious accident. I would like to see Honda acknowledge that they have a problem with the airbag system and take responsibility in fixing it, as I stand now I have to replace my airbag, airbag ecu, and have my seat repaired.

I was driving my 2006 Honda Element down the road to get out of the neighborhood. The car only has 24,000 miles on it. It was in arrowhead Honda in peoria, az on June 30th 09 for a oil change. As I was driving the driver side airbag(seat airbag) deployed. It was an extremely load bang. I pulled over to see if it was my tire or what had happened. There was no debris road at all. The airbag deployed on its own. I took it back to arrowhead Honda, and they said they would not fix it. They said I had to file an insurance claim for this. I did some research and found out I am not the only person that this has happened to. Honda needs to fix this.

See all problems of the 2006 Honda Element 🔎.

My daughter was driving on the highway to school when suddenly the driver's air bag exploded into her side. She hadn't hit a pot hole and hadn't run over anything. She pulled off the road and checked to see if she had been shot. She said smoke or a gas released from the airbag. She took it to the closest Honda dealership the next day. The dealership did an assessment of the sensors and examined underneath the car. They said that the car must have run over an object that set the sensors off because they said there was a small gash that ran parallel to the car;s body. My daughter did not notice any debris on the road. Even if she did run over road debris, why are sensors placed in this spot under the sidestep where any little bump causes the sensors to make the airbag explode. They offered to have the sensors and seat airbag replace at a cost to us. We declined as we feel that Honda should pay for this since the sensors are placed in a dangerous accident causing position where any bump can set it off causing the airbag to explode without necessarily being in an accident. This could have caused a serious accident.

While driving on i95 northbound at approx. 60 miles per hour, my 2005 Honda Element side-driver's side airbag deployed unexpectedly; it felt like a bomb went off. My 12 month old daughter in the back car seat was completely traumatized by the severity of the event. My ears were ringing and my left rear shoulder was hit by the bag. Nothing hit my car to cause the deployment. After regaining my composure I contacted Honda USA who told me to contact my insurance company. My insurance company said they do not cover an event such as this because there was no apparent collision. Honda USA then said to take it to a Honda dealership for an inspection. The Honda dealership inspected the Element and found no problems or reason as to why the airbag deployed unexpectedly. Honda USA assigned me a case #, but has yet to contact me. The Honda dealership also refused to release my car because they now deem the car "unsafe to drive". I can get the car if I sign a waiver stating that I will not sue the Honda dealership if I get into an accident. My attorney has been contacted. Also, my extended warranty does not cover deployed airbags. The situation still remains unresolved.

The passenger air bag, in the front passenger seatback, deployed accidentally in my 2005 Honda Element. We were driving very slowly on a gravel road. We thought we had been shot at, with the loud bang and my passenger's swearing and grabbing his arm. I am going to click below to say there was an injury, but it was only bruising to the upper arm. It was painful.

My car ran over an object in the road, making a loud noise but not causing the car to go out of control. When I pulled over to assess the situation, I saw that the front passenger seat side airbag had deployed. No one was sitting in the front passenger seat at the time and there was absolutely no side impact to the car at all. There was no damage to the car, other than the malfunctioning deployment of the airbag.

On 3/31/09, I rolled my Honda Element four times (according to fhp report) on I-95, to avoid a construction ladder. No other vehicles were involved. Among other injuries, I suffered two full-width rotator cuff tears to my left shoulder. This was a direct result of the drivers side airbag only partially deploying. I have documented with several pictures or the bag still folded inside the seat fabric panel. The passenger side deployed fully, and you can clearly see the difference in deployment size difference of drivers side vs. Passengers side. Honda was notified, and denied any responsibility.

I rolled my 2005 Honda Element (2x drive) on I-95 at least four times according to fhp. My front airbag did not deploy, although my windshield was crushed in. And my drivers' side airbag deployed only partially (1/4). I was extracted from the vehicle and life-flighted to shand's emergency room in jacksonville, florida. I suffered multiple contusions; internal bleeding and severely fractured sternum. Had my drivers side airbag deployed, I probably would have been spared much of this trauma. I have thoroughly documented with pictures to support my claim, and my insurance adjuster also confirms this. I am awaiting the florida highway patrol's report.

Driver side airbag deployed with for no reason.

Driver's side airbag deployed while driving under normal conditions, no impact, accident or visible sign of damage that would trigger airbag deployment.

See all problems of the 2004 Honda Element 🔎.

Driver side airbag exploded suddenly for no reason while driving on a freeway. Airbag was ripped & deflated in the explosion.

Sat. 11/1/08 -Honda Element was parked, but running, in front of our home. My kids were in the back, my husband was in the driver's seat. After strapping my child into the carseat, I closed the back door and the passenger side air bag deployed! no one was hurt, just scared. I contacted Honda dealer & took it in on mon 11/3/08 & was told that Honda rep would have to inspect. Service men at dealership were very nice & felt it would be taken care of. I waited for call for appt w/ Honda rep. I wasn't given an appt until wed. 12/17. Honda rep refuses to pay saying it is not Honda's fault. Said it was out of warranty & not a manufacturer's defect. Rep said it might be the sensor but that I could have hit a pothole or something causing the air bag to deploy. The car was parked in front of my home. We hit nothing! the air bag just deployed! Honda rep told me to file with my insurance. State farm denies claim and says it will not pay because this is "clearly a manufacturing defect. " the Honda rep also said he had never heard of anything like this ever happening before. So did the Honda customer relations headqtrs in CA that I called today. But I have googled this issue and found other Element owners who have had their side air bags deploy for no reason. At least one while he was driving! please investigate and let me know if others have reported this to you. I would like Honda to fix the problem and hopefully correct it so no one will get hurt. This is obviously a defect! closing the backdoor should not deploy the airbag!!.

My wife, mother in-law, and 8 month old son were driving on a gravel driveway to someones house when suddenly the drivers side airbag in my 2005 Honda Element deployed. There was no collision, no reckless driving, nothing to provoke an airbag to suddenly deploy. It only happened once, however, due to fighting w/ dealerships and Honda's customer service center over the repairs; my wife is still driving the vehicle, as it is her only means of transportation. My 8 month old son also rides in this vehicle and I am very thankful that he and my wife were not hurt in the incident; my mother in-law however, received a severely bruised elbow as she was the one driving the vehicle. I took it to the dealership to have it repaired and was told that only the faulty sensor is covered under my warranty. They will not pay for replacement of the physical airbag, they will not pay to have the seat stitched back together were the airbag deployed from, and they will not pay to reset all of the other airbag sensors that apparently no longer work. It has been over a month since this occurred and the best advice Honda has given me is to have my insurance company inspect the vehicle-pay for the repairs-and then contact Honda for reimbursement. This is an outrage-my insurance company should have nothing to do with this-as there was no collision. My warranty should pay for this repair in full. I am so very thankful that my family was on a gravel road traveling under 10mph. It horrifies me to think of what would have happened if this occurred on the freeway-at freeway speeds. I feel that if something is not done to correct this problem-that someone will be seriously hurt or killed. Honda needs to take responsibility for this and take the proper steps now to fix it before it's too late.

My parked vehicle deployed passenger side air bag without collision to vehicle, according to insurance company there was no sign of forced entry to the vehicle (which Honda claims "could" be the cause of the deployment).

Air bag went off while driving down the freeway. . . Air bag went off for no reason just driving drivers side air bag burned and bruised arm. . Car at the Honda dealer they are deciding to fix or not to fix the car. Don't know if Honda will fix the car.

Accidental side airbag deployment: the side air bad has deployed twice (~12 months apart) without any side impact.

Unprompted airbag deployment on my 2004 Honda Element. Slammed car door shut when it was parked and off. Heard loud pop sound. Didn't know what it was. When I restarted the car, the srs light was on. Opened front/rear door and saw that the stitching on the driver's seat was all torn and the airbag was semi-exposed. When I took it to the dealer, they said it was my fault. I had done something to cause the srs sensor to be defective. They told me to claim it via insurance. I have since investigated and found many many other people with the same issue-- and having been told the same excuse. Seems to me that Honda is trying to cover something up. I will be contacting the press if no one responds to this submission ASAP.

The driver's side airbag in 2005 Honda Element deployed while driving on driveway. No accident, nothing hit, no traveling through water, just deployed without cause and the dealer wants $2100 to repair.

Driver's side airbag deployed after minor non-damaging bottom impact. The car was driven over a pile of asphalt at a very low rate of speed (>5mph) and when it came down it bottomed out on the pile. The side (passenger seat) air bag deployed. There is no external body damage to the vehicle other than some shallow scratches on the bottom frame at the point of impact. I don't deny impact, but complain that a $1000 repair and the potential for passenger injury (no one in seat at time) resulted from a non-damaging, non-severe, non-injury threatening bottom impact. An airbag should not deploy with such minor impact. My bag system is now inoperative and my side bag is blown out of the passenger seat back. Airbags are there to protect flesh from crushing metal and shattering glass. Why did a bag go off when no protection was necessary? the only protection needed at that time was protection from a needlessly exploding air bag! now my entire system is inoperable in the event it is needed for a valid impact.

Driving down smooth road and driver's side airbag deployed for no reason . . . . Dealer inspected the vehicle and refused to fix. Car under warranty. Car is a 2003 Honda Element.

I was driving down the road, and for no reason at all, my passenger side airbag deployed!!!!! scared me to death, glad I wasn't going very fast or I might have gotten into an accident! I am also lucky that it wasn't the drivers side airbag, or it could have broken my arm!.

I was driving my 2006 Honda Element on a dirt road at 25 mph when the side airbag in the drivers side seat spontaneously deployed. I took it to the dealer and they said that it was not covered under the bumper to bumper warranty because the airbag did what it was supposed to do. The side airbag on a Honda Element deploys as the result of a single sensor being activated. The front airbags deploy when 2 out of 3 sensors are activated. I was told by the dealer that this has happened on other Honda Elements, not as the result of an accident but because of the sensor indicating a need for deployment.

I swerved to avoid hitting a car and hit an embankment. My car lifted off the ground and rolled 3 times. I got the Element because it had very high safety ratings. It also had side airbags which I found especially important for an SUV however none of them deployed.

My passenger side airbag deployed while the car was not moving. This is the airbag that located on the side of the seat.

The contact owns a 2006 Honda Element. While driving 65 mph, the vehicle was involved in a crash. The air bags failed to deploy. The dealer was unable to determine the cause of failure and advised the contact to call the manufacturer and NHTSA. The contact sustained an injury to her collar bone. A police report was filed. The engine size and # of cylinders were unknown. Updated 08/16/07.

- the contact owns a 2003 Honda Element with an odometer reading of 40000 miles. While driving under dry conditions at 20 mph the driver's side air bag deployed unexpectedly. The contact was able to pull to side of the road without incident. The contact called the manufacturer, and they stated that she had to have done something to make the air bag deploy. The contact then took the vehicle to browns Honda ,and they were unable to find the reason why the air bag deployed. Updated 04/05/07.

The passenger side airbag in my 2005 Honda Element deployed, but I was not in an accident.

I was driving at low speed along a gravel road at approximately 10 mph in a 2004 Honda Element ex when the side airbag deployed on the driver's side of the vehicle. I did not hit anything and I can find no reason why this airbag would deploy without any impact.

July 28th 2006 @ about 3 pm. I was driving home on the freeway @ normal rate of speed (65 or so mph) with the flow of traffic. I was driving in the second from the fast lane. It was a normal southern California day, sunny, clear and hot. After about 40 minutes of my 1 hour commute the drivers side airbag suddenly and without any warning deployed with a extremely loud and disorienting bang! I was quite startled by the deployment but was able to maintain control of the vehicle. When the bag went off my left arm was resting on the window ledge. I received a nasty welt on my upper forearm as a result of the bags sudden deployment. I then pulled off the freeway to inspect my vehicle. I found no signs of damage on the exterior and none on the interior except for the rather large rip in my drivers side seat and the now deployed airbag hanging off the side of my seat. I took the car to the dealer on Saturday left it for the tech to evaluate. I was called that afternoon and informed that I would need to bring it back and leave it during the week so they could consult the corporate advisors/specialist in the matter. I returned the car on Tuesday Aug 1 2006 for the evaluation. I received a call later in the day informing me that Honda would not be repairing the vehicle as I had hit or run over something causing the deployment. As I said earlier there was no impact and nothing was run over prior to the deployment. I have owned the car since mile 7 on the odometer and have been the only driver for it's 18000 miles. I want to make it clear this was a very dangerous occurrence. I was able to control the vehicle and avoid an accident. Maybe the next person this happens to wont. I don't want this to go undocumented for future victims. Also, I don't think a sensor should be placed anywhere under the vehicle where it could be struck and cause an accidental deployment anyway!.

While driving, the side impact airbag deployed for no reason. The vehicle was 6 months old at the time and still under warranty. I contacted the dealer and they have refused to replace the airbag because of the possibility that something may have hit the underside of the vehicle causing the side impact airbag to deploy.

While driving approximately 35 mph driver's side air bag inadvertently deployed. The cause of why this happened is undetermined.