Not sure how long it will last. But, took the E in for it's 10,000. Again complained about the brakes clunking, again they say it's normal (whatever, my neighbor with the '02 CR-V had the exact same problem and HE got a TSB for it). They fixed the rattle by adjusting the upper striker on the door. So far, so good!

Thought I'd pass this along!

-Scott

I have had my new E for two months. It's been great, hauling lot's of stuff, and turning heads. Shortly after receiving it, a soft, dull thumping sound was heard from the top leading edge of the rear door on the driver side. Recently it has become loud and frequent. I'll be calling the dealer tomorrow.

Have just returned from dealer,"checked for rattles, removed b piller mldg to insulate, lubed suround seals, lubed strikers as well". It seems improved, hope it lasts. No other sounds or problems to report.

Coming from the driver's side door. It sounds like the door does not seal properly. Is anyone else having this problem? What is the Fix? I 'm going to stop by my dealer on Monday to see waht they have to say.

I had the same problem. The dealer had my car for 10 days and they just replaced the rubber seals. EWverything been fine since late April.

It goes in Friday... I will let you know what they find.

I'm taking her in on Monday to fix my loose seat, and they BETTER fix the door rattles, I have it bad on BOTH sides...I'll let you guys know.

Well, have the dealers been able to solve the problem?

My problem was solved fianly after 6 times at the dealer...
they replaced the rubber seals for the door and the noise finally stopped

It's been a month now without the annoying noise from the "B piller" The dealer, Lundgren Honda, has been fantastic. They ordered the following parts and had them available by next day air from CA. ( 2 of 72637-SCV- A01 spacer-striker, 1 of 06993-SA5-000 felt -wool, 1 of 06992-SA5-000 EPT sealer 1OT and 1 of 6990-SA5-000 EPT sealer 3T) .I had a 2003 Hybred Civic for a loaner. I was very glad to get in my Element and return the loaner!
1986 Honda Elite 250
1990 Honda Pacific Coast
1989 Honda Trans Alp
1976 Honda TL 125

I have heard this ANNOYING buzz/rattle coming from the B pillar on the rear door. It's on the drivers' side, so it's right in your ear while driving. It happens only when I have the stereo (SUB) turned up, so the old fix "just turn up the stereo so you don't hear the rattle" doesn't work. By the way the "B" pillar on the rear door where the seat belt height adjuster is anchored. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks....

i had some rattling going on there. i sprayed some silicon inside the locking mechanism of the b-pillar and the rattle has been gone ever since (which was about 2-3 weeks ago). i was going to have the dealiership try take a look at it, but i figure the less they touch the car the less likely they are to break something else.

I have had a similar annoying rattle/vibration in the same area. The source of my noise is the seat belt tensioner attached to the drivers rear door. When it makes the noise, I can hold the tensioner and it goes away. It has been there since the begining, but I have never done anything about it. Although, lately, it is getting a little bit annoying again. Maybe I should investigate further.

I have been to my dealer/service center umpteen times to get the door thump fixed, and over winter was told that it will go away when it is warm even though I told them it was making the noise last summer/fall when it was warm. Had it when going over minor bumps on the road, but it would be real bad on washboard or bumpier roads or on icey/bumpy roads.

So I waited and the noise got worse despite them cramming foam under the plastic cover on the B pillar.

Last couple times a new mechanic looked at the problem and he said he fixed the problem but it was still there.

So I got out and compared to the doors, I grabbed the front edge of the back door on the driver's side (while closed) and pushed it in and out and noted a movement of about 1/8". The passenger side (which does not make a thump) did not budge, it was solid.

I showed this to the mechanic and service reps and they tried adjusting the striker plate and adjusting the latch, but could not, parts are on order and tomorrow they will be replacing the latch and striker plate.

If this doesn't fix the noise (if the door is not solid) I will ask them to drill the holes on the striker plate to make the door close solid. And if this doesn't work then I will ask them to change the rubber door seals. These two other fixes were found on this forum (THANKS folks!!!!).

Having a loose door sort of concerns me, as the B pillar is what protects you if you roll. And if you roll, you want to have as much protection as possible, if something is already loose a bit, it might mean you are missing the bit of protection that might have saved you.

Will update on this issue.

Rage

I just recently bought a used 2003 Element and I love it. I did a lot of research I knew about some of the issue thanks to this board. I have the b-pillar rattle. Luckily my father is a mechanic and he can fix it. Do any of you have a detailed description of how to adjust the striker plates? Thanks for the help and all of the info already provided.

When I had it done at the dealer I thought it was the parts on the door, but as it turned out, it was repaired by removing the plastic cladding and they worked on the side on the car, not the door. Not sure is that's a help or not.
My rattle came back twice until the last repair but we'll wait and see.
Oh yeah, there was a service bulletin on the pillars.
jurn

I Didn't Find This Service Bulletin "b-pillair", Does Anybody Have The Link To It. I'm Going In This Weekend To See If They Can Fix It. Every Time I Enter My Driveway Or Go Over A Small Bumb In The Road, My Door Sounds Like Metal To Metal 'clink' Sound.

Thanks For The Help
Francisco

There was a TSB (A03-056) on the A pillar trim making noise, but none that I know of for the "B pillar," as we refer to the place where the B pillar would be if the Element had one.

jurneez i know the striker plates are on the top and bottom of the door frame not actually on the door. But they don't seem to adjust when you loosen the screws. Can anyone tell me how, I heard something about drilling out the holes , but that is scary.

I'm so sorry I didn't get back to you in time for your visit to the dealer.
How did you make out? My rattles have not come back and it's been 2 months and I live on a very bumpy road. However, after replacemnet of my windshield, I now have a new clicking - tapping noise under the new windshield on the drivers side. One thing after another. I broke my own rule about buying a new car in the first year. I shall not do that again.
Drop me a note.
Thanks,
jurn

Hi BillMac,
I found this info, probably too late for you though, eh?

quote from another forum:

"It's been a month now without the annoying noise from the "B piller" The dealer, Lundgren Honda, has been fantastic. They ordered the following parts and had them available by next day air from CA. ( 2 of 72637-SCV- A01 spacer-striker, 1 of 06993-SA5-000 felt -wool, 1 of 06992-SA5-000 EPT sealer 1OT and 1 of 6990-SA5-000 EPT sealer 3T) .I had a 2003 Hybred Civic for a loaner. I was very glad to get in my Element and return the loaner!"

I also use the same dealer and love them.
jurn