Did you recently rush to buy a new vehicle before tariff-related price hikes? A reporter is looking to speak with shoppers who felt pressure to act quickly due to expected cost increases; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com for more details by 4/24.

Honda Element Transmission Problems

mud1070mud1070 Member Posts: 2
in Honda
Loud Growling Noise, El Jumped And Coasted To A Stop, Transmission?
2004 Element AWD A/T 138000mi. Regular maintenance, plus recommended services.
Was driving fine at 55 mph, came into town slowed to 30mph, went up a slight hill in town, the front of the car began to make a growling noise, then all of a sudden the car jumped upwards and lost power. I coasted to a stop, El would not move. Turned off, then restarted, put it into drive(d) and it would not move. Tried reverse, and it would not move.
Had to have it towed 200ft to the nearest garage, they can't look at it until tomorrow. I tried to put it into gear again. Car started, stalled in reverse. Restarted, shifted to neutral fine, shifted to drive, stalled in drive.
There are no lights showing on the dash. Engine has oil, transmission fluid is at normal level when running. When started engine makes a rattle that wasn't noticed before. There was no noticeable noise when shifted into gear and the engine stalled. The car did try to move just before stalling, but I did not want to rev the engine to make it any worse than it already is. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
Tagged:

Comments

  • bigfurbigfur Member Posts: 649
    So please tell us what the issue was? Could help alot of us down the road. Thanks!
  • mud1070mud1070 Member Posts: 2
    Alright, so it has been a couple months now, but here is what has happened:
    We took the El to the closest "reputable" transmission shop they offered to diagnose for $600, replaced the transmission for $2600-3000, then in the same conversation offered to buy the Elemnt for $4000. So we had it towed home, about 30 miles, to a known transmission shop. The guy started it and drove it, said he couldn't find anything wrong with it. He kept it over night, let it run for about 5 hours and tested it again. There were no lights and no codes for the transmission. He replaced the tran fluid and sent it home for no charge. So we took it for a second opinion at another known transmission shop. The guy said the same thing, no codes and wouldn't work on it until it was broken.
    It acted up a few times in march, where it would not go into gear. After restarting it and letting it run, finally it would go into gear. Since then there has been no issues. The only coincidence I have found was everytime that it had issues was right after filling up the fuel tank. I am not sure why there would be any connection between the fuel and the drivetrain.
    We were going to trade in the Element for something newer, but have had no issues since March. Not sure what to do with it at this point.
  • 0utofmyelement0utofmyelement Member Posts: 1
    Not transmission. Problem is a clog in the drain tube of the gas tank. Spiders like to get in there and clog it up. Flush it out and you won't have any more problems.
  • justme66justme66 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2006 Honda Element. It shifts into Park, Neutral, and Reverse. When I put it in Drive, it goes into 2nd. and will not shift. I had a diagnostic done and the code (0970) says it is solenoid C. Put a new one on and, it still does not work. Checked all the fuses and did not find any bad ones. Any suggestions as to what else I can try?
  • justme66justme66 Member Posts: 2
    After diligent research, :) I found that an animal had chewed up a wire harness. Lesson learned; just because the diagnostic says it is this, it still may be something else. Do more research before buying the new part. :cry:
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Durn critters did a couple of thousand dollars worth of damage to my sister's Subaru a few years ago. Luckily her insurance paid.

    Thanks for letting us know the fix. And try some pepper sauce on the wiring!
  • fer17_ptyfer17_pty Member Posts: 1
    Gents,
    Somebody could help me out. I Element is 2004 and the "D" light start blinking but when I stop the car and run again it is gone
  • cmathieucmathieu Member Posts: 1
    Same probleme need help
  • JetKioJetKio Member Posts: 3
    URGENT HELP!, my Honda Element 2005 transmission is giving me a headache. It doesn’t make any weird noises, it feels the same, it is just that runs very nice the firs couple of minutes and as soon it gets to normal temperature transmission start to slip.
    I pull over and turn it off the car. When turning back on it runs again but it just las few seconds before slips again. Any ideas?
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    How many miles on it? Have you checked transmission fluid levels? Had any service on the transmission over the time you've had it? Have you had it since new?
  • JetKioJetKio Member Posts: 3
    Hi! It's 98,000miles. Transmission fluid have always been at the level and no, I haven’t take it to service since I bought it few years ago. Am not the original buyer.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    You might try a transmission service, including a new filter. Slip usually means pressure loss internally, or worn clutches. A service is worth a try in any event. If that doesn't work, you could have a technician read the transmission codes (mostly simple code readers won't do this) and see if any clues pop up. Ultimately you might have to go to a transmission specialist for a diagnostic. They can do certain pressure tests.
  • JetKioJetKio Member Posts: 3
    Thanks
Sign In or Register to comment.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles