I myself haven't had this problem but a friend of mine saw an Element flipped over in the middle of the road (i.e. no curves) and she's concerned now about the safety of this vehcile. I used to drive a Cherokee and my Element feels a lot sturdier than that one ever did. I just don't see it flipping unless the driver is being extremely careless.

I'm not good with statistics and numbers but does anyone know where I might be able to find something to show her that might out her mind (and mine now!) at ease?

Thanks so much!

Actually, a lot of people don't know this but - Hollywood stunt companies have been buying Elements in record numbers because of it's unique ability to get up on 2 tires so easily. On one hand, it's kinda cool that we'll be seeing a whole bunch of new action films with E's in them but on the other hand, the E is going to get a bad reputation rather quickly.







P.S. THIS IS A JOKE. :lol:

My E handles quite nicely and I have never heard of a tipping problem.

Not being smart here, but personally witnessing a single example doesn't exactly count as a "trend". It's more along the lines of a coincidence of time and place. Work hard enough at it (or, rather, drive stupidly enough) and you can pretty much roll any vehicle.

The E is rated by the gov't at "3 stars" out of 5 for rollover susceptibility. That's not as bad as it sounds, since most SUVs get either a 2 or 3 (there are a couple at 4). So the E is "average" in rollover rating for all vehicles, not just SUVs. If it's any additional consolation, the E scores either Excellent or Good in other tests, with a 5 in most categories. The IIHS (the people that "Dateline" has on all the time, showing them crashing cars) rates the Element as "Good" overall.

Do a Google search for "Honda Element Crash Test" and "Honda Element Rollover" and there will be plenty of links to assuage your friend's concerns.

I've seen sports cars flipped, minivans flipped, SUVs flipped, sedans flipped, pickup trucks flipped, semi trucks flipped anything can rollover given the right speed and conditions.

Direct her to: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/NCAP/Cars/2003SUVs.html

This has the NHTSA crash ratings for all 2003 SUVs. The Element rated 3 stars in the rollover rating (a brand new category), only four vehicles (Acura MDX/Honda Pilot, Pontiac Aztek, Nissan Murano) got four stars, none rated 5 stars, all the rest did the same as the E or worse. The Element fares pretty well in this comparison.

Its not the element that flips easy but the driver that drives the car who flips it. The machine is not to blame its the pilot.

I have recently witnessed a car skid out of control on a straight strech of highway travelling at 65 mph. Why or How the driver did it I don't know :?:

Keep in mind the Element has a higher center of gravity, know the car and its limits and you will be fine.

Ming

Wow, thank you all so much for the information! I'm not concerned about my own safety because I don't drive maniacally (is that a word?)

I'll give her this information... thanks.

I drive my e like a total ******* and have had no problems, 40-50 mph 90 degree turns. 35 in the rain, 4 wheel drifts, no hints of flipping. I tried to get it up on 2 weeks a few times and was unsuccessful so I'll take that as a good thing.

Was the "E" rocking on its arched roof upside down LOL


[quote:7e0e2d9062="AnnaVENIS"]I myself haven't had this problem but a friend of mine saw an Element flipped over in the middle of the road (i.e. no curves) and she's concerned now about the safety of this vehcile. I used to drive a Cherokee and my Element feels a lot sturdier than that one ever did. I just don't see it flipping unless the driver is being extremely careless.

I'm not good with statistics and numbers but does anyone know where I might be able to find something to show her that might out her mind (and mine now!) at ease?

Thanks so much![/quote:7e0e2d9062]

Hope no one was hurt. But the image of it rocking is FUNNY.

My E's handling feels great and sure footed compared to other vehicles I've had. And I recently was driving through an unfamiliar neighborhood. I got distracted looking off to the side, then saw that the street I was on was about to do a zig-zag to the left, and I was heading straight on into the curb at 30 mph.

I instinctively pulled the steering wheel hard to the left, then tto right, and was amazed by how well it handled that maneuver.

i have seen an E on its roof near syracuse, ny on the highway in the rain. it had about 20" chrome rims and low profile tires.

check out my post on hondaelement.org

http://www.hondaelement.org/showthread.php?s=8d2aac80b70f2cc917eaa36c224dc7d7&threadid=2692

not sure what caused this but i am assuming it was the driver. you dont put performance tires on a car and do the speed limit.