Page 1 of 249

2005 Element Online Reference Owner's Manual
Use these links (and links throughout this manual) to navigate through\
this reference.
For a printed owner's manual, click on authorized manuals or go to www.h\
elminc.com. Contents
Introduction ........................................................................\
................................................................. i
A Few Words About Safety........................................................................\
........................................ .ii
Your Vehicle at a Glance........................................................................\
............................................ .4
Driver and Passenger Safety ........................................................................\
..................................... .7
Seat belts, SRS, and child protection
Instruments and Controls........................................................................\
........................................ .51
Indicators, gauges, dashboard, and steering column
Features ........................................................................\
...................................................................... 89
Climate, audio, steering wheel, security, cruise control, and HomeLink
Before Driving........................................................................\
..........................................................121
Fuel, vehicle break-in, and cargo loading
Driving ........................................................................\
..................................................................... .135
Engine and transmission operation
Maintenance........................................................................\
.............................................................161
Schedules, fluid checking, minor services, and vehicle storage
Taking Care of the Unexpected........................................................................\
..............................195
Flat tire, dead battery, overheating, fuses
Technical Information........................................................................\
............................................ .219
Vehicle specifications, tires, fuels, and emissions controls
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada)................................................................233
Warranty and contact information
Authorized Manuals (U.S. only)........................................................................\
..............................237
How to order
Index........................................................................\
........................................................................\
...... I
Service Information Summary
Fluid capacities and tire pressures
Owner's Identification Form
Page 197 of 249
This section covers the more
common problems that motorists
experience with their vehicles. It
gives you inf ormation about how to
safely evaluate the problem and what
to do to correct it. If the problem has
stranded you on the side of the road,
you may be able to get going again.
If not, you will also f ind instructions
on getting your vehicle towed.......................
Compact Spare Tire .196
....................
Changing a Flat Tire .197
.............
If the Engine Won’t Start . 203
................................
Jump Starting .205
..............
If the Engine Overheats . 207
.........
Low Oil Pressure Indicator . 209
..........
Charging System Indicator . 209
.......
Malf unction Indicator Lamp . 210
...............
Brake System Indicator . 211
..............................................
Fuses .212
..............................
Fuse Locations .215
......................
Emergency Towing .217
Taking Care of the Unexpected
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
195
Page 205 of 249

Diagnosing why the engine won’t
start f alls into two areas, depending
on what you hear when you turn the
key to START (III):You hear nothing, or almost
nothing. The engine’s starter
motor does not operate at all, or
operates very slowly.
You can hear the starter motor
operating normally, or the starter
motor sounds like it is spinning
f aster than normal, but the engine
does not start up and run. When you turn the ignition switch to
START (III), you do not hear the
normal noise of the engine trying to
start. You may hear a clicking sound
or series of clicks, or nothing at all.
Check these things:
Turn the ignition switch to ON (II).
Turn on the headlights, and check
their brightness. If the headlights
areverydimordonotcomeonat
all, the battery is discharged. See on page . Turn the ignition switch to START
(III). If the headlights do not dim,
check the condition of the f uses. If
thefusesareOK,thereis
probably something wrong with
the electrical circuit f or the
ignition switch or starter motor.
You will need a qualif ied
technician to determine the
problem (see
on page ).
If the headlights dim noticeably or
go out when you try to start the
engine, either the battery is dis-
charged or the connections are
corroded. Check the condition of the
battery and terminal connections
(see page ). You can then try
jump starting the vehicle from a
booster battery (see page ).
Check the transmission interlock.
If you have a manual transmission,
the clutch pedal must be pushed
all the way to the f loor or the
starter will not operate. With an
automatic transmission, the shif t
lever must be in Park or neutral.
205 217
193 205
Nothing Happens or the Starter
Motor Operates Very Slowly
Jump Starting Emergency T owing
If theEngineWon’tStart
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
203
Page 214 of 249
Turn the ignition switch to LOCK
(0). Make sure the headlights and
all other accessories are off.
Remove the cover f rom the f use
box.
If something electrical in your
vehicle stops working, check f or a
blown f use f irst. Determine f rom the
chart on pages and , or the
diagram on the f use box lid, which
f use or f uses control that device.
Check those f uses f irst, but check all
the f uses bef ore deciding that a
blown f use is the cause. Replace any
blown f uses, and check if the device
works.
The interior f use box is underneath
the steering column. To remove the
f use box lid, turn the knobs
counterclockwise and pull the lid out
of its hinges.
The vehicle’s f uses are located in
two f use boxes. The under-hood f use
box is located in the engine
compartment on the driver’s side. To
open it, push the tabs as shown. 1.
2.215 216
Checking and Replacing Fuses
Fuses
212
TAB
INTERIOR
UNDER-HOOD
Page 215 of 249

Check the smaller f uses in the
under-hood f use box and all the
fuses in the interior fuse box by
pulling out each one with the f use
puller provided in the under-hood
fuse box.
Check each of the large f uses in
the under-hood f use box by
looking through the top at the wire
inside. Remove the screws with a
Phillips-head screwdriver. If you cannot drive the vehicle
without f ixing the problem, and you
do not have a spare fuse, take a fuse
of the same rating or a lower rating
f rom one of the other circuits. Make
sureyoucandowithoutthatcircuit
temporarily (such as the accessory
power socket or radio).
If you replace the blown f use with a
spare f use that has a lower rating, it
might blow out again. This does not
indicate anything wrong. Replace the
f use with one of the correct rating as
soon as you can.
Look f or a blown wire inside the
f use. If it is blown, replace it with
oneof thesparefusesof thesame
rating or lower.
3.
4.
5.
CONT INUED
Fuses
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
213
FUSE
BLOWN BLOWN
Page 216 of 249
If the replacement fuse of the
same rating blows in a short time,
there is probably a serious
electrical problem in your vehicle.
Leave the blown fuse in that
circuit and have your vehicle
checked by a qualif ied mechanic.
If the radio f use is removed, the
audio system will disable itself . The
nexttimeyouturnontheradioyou
will see ‘‘CODE’’ in the f requency
display. Use the preset buttons to
enter the f ive-digit code (see page ).
6.
116
On EX models
Fuses
214
Replacing a f use with one that has a
higher rating greatly increases the
chances of damaging the electrical
system. If you do not have a
replacement f use with the proper rating
f or the circuit, install one with a lower
rating.
Page 217 of 249
µµ
µ
µ
µ
Î
Î Î
Î Î
No. Amps. Circuits Protected
No. Amps. Circuits Protected
CONT INUED
1
2
3
4
5
15 A
15 A
10 A
10 A
Ignition Coil
Rear Accessory Power
Socket
Daytime running lights
ACG
Not Used 6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25 7.5 A
20 A
7.5 A 10 A
7.5 A
7.5 A
7.5 A 10 A
10 A
20 A
15 A
15 A
7.5 A 20 A
20 A
20 A Power Window Relay
AMP
Accessory, Radio
Rear Wiper
Meter
ABS
Daytime running lights
SRS
Remote Control Mirrors
LAF Heater
Not Used
Fuel Pump
Front Accessory Power
Socket
Turn Signal Lights
Front Wiper
Not Used
Passenger’s Power Window
Driver’s Power Window
Not Used
Not Used
2: 1 : If equipped Canadian models
1
2 2
Fuse Locations
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
215
INTERIOR FUSE BOX
Page 218 of 249
µ
µ
µ
No.Circuits Protected
Amps.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20 Condenser Fan
Small Light
Interior Light
Cooling Fan Motor
Hazard
IGP
Horn, Stop
Not Used
Back Up
ABS Motor
Rear Defroster
Heater Motor
Power Window
Option
Lef t Headlight
Door Lock
Right Headlight
ABS F/S
Battery
Ignition 1
Spare Fuses
30 A
15 A
7.5 A 20 A
15 A
15 A
15 A
10 A
30 A
20 A
40 A
40 A
40 A
15 A
15 A
15 A
30 A
100 A 50 A
21 257.5A 30A
Fuse Locations
216
UNDER-HOOD FUSE BOX