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severe Owners of the 2011 Honda Element have filed 6 NHTSA complaints about the airbags at roughly $1,100 to repair (U.S. federal records, as of August 2026). Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. See airbags across all vehicles →
| Model year | airbags complaints |
|---|---|
| 2007 Element | 23 |
| 2008 Element | 23 |
| 2009 Element | 5 |
| 2010 Element | 6 |
| 2011 Element (this page) | 6 |
Of the 6 airbags complaints filed for the 2011 Honda Element, here's the actual mileage breakdown — failures cluster heaviest at 75,000-100,000 mi.
Each bar shows the share of total complaints filed at that mileage range. Peak failure window highlighted. Some owners report problems earlier; some make it well past 150,000 miles symptom-free. Maintenance habits and driving conditions shift the curve as much as mileage alone.
All 9 active airbags recalls on this vehicle land at critical or severe — none classified moderate.
No new NHTSA airbags complaint has been filed on this vehicle in over 9 years — the issue may be aging out of the active population.
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
An explosion of an inflator within the driver frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver, front seat passenger or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
An incorrectly installed air bag may deploy improperly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
The manufacturer has issued service bulletins covering airbags on this vehicle — documented repair instructions, service campaigns, or warranty extensions sent to dealers. A TSB isn't a recall (it's not a free safety remedy), but it's the manufacturer acknowledging the issue and how to fix it.
Service Bulletin - Warranty Extension: Customer Support Program For Front Passenger's Airbag Inflator.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗Service bulletin - This bulletin is a notification of a class action settlement relating to airbag inflators. American Honda is offering a Customer Support Program (Warranty Extension) to cover any manufacturing defects in the replacement front passenger's airbag inflator only.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗Service Bulletin - This bulletin is a notification of a class action settlement relating to airbag inflators. American Honda is offering a Customer Support Program (Warranty Extension) to cover any manufacturing defects in the replacement driver's airbag inflator only.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗Service Bulletin - This bulletin is a notification of a class action settlement relating to airbag inflators. American Honda is offering a Customer Support Program (Warranty Extension) to cover any manufacturing defects in the replacement front passenger's airbag inflator only.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗Warranty Extension: Customer Support Program For Front Passenger's Airbag Inflator for 2010-11 element and 2010-14 Ridgeline (Expires September30, 2028)
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications. Bring the bulletin number to your dealer or shop.
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…
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Honda element. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, she had noticed that an extension ladder and debris had landed in the middle of the road. In order to avoid the objects, the contact and the driver behind her attempted to make the same turn at the same time into the right lane which caused a collision. The driver and passenger air bags failed to deploy…
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Honda element. The contact received a notification for NHTSA campaign number: 14v351000 (air bags). However, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
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…
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Honda element. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16v344000 (air bags); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Takata recall: replaced driver side airbag 2 yrs ago when news broke. Dealer would not replace passenger side as Honda america refused to pay for it. Now Honda issues recall on passenger side airbag, stating no one should sit in passenger seat until repair. Called dealer, Honda america has not stocked parts. So essentially they ignored danger two years ago, and by saying don't sit there, are…
It's a meaningful issue. 6 complaints have been filed and the failure mode causes operational problems for owners. Repairs average $1,100.
Based on the 6 complaints filed, airbags issues most often appear around 122,500 miles. Some report problems earlier; some make it well past 150,000 with no symptoms. Maintenance habits matter — vehicles that received timely fluid services and were not regularly overworked tend to last longer.
Independent shops typically charge around $1,100 for airbags repairs on this vehicle. Dealer pricing tends to run 20-40% higher. The exact figure depends on the specific failure mode, parts availability, and your local labor rates. If you're outside factory warranty, an extended service contract often covers this category.
Yes — 9 active recall(s) cover airbags issues on this vehicle. Recall fixes are always free regardless of mileage or warranty status. Use the VIN decoder at the top of the page to check if your specific vehicle is affected.