To our way of thinking, the most important update for the 2007 Honda Element is improved side-impact protection in the form of standard side-curtain airbags and what the company says is a re-engineered side structure. This is important because, though the Element is regarded to be a generally safe vehicle, the NHTSA listed a safety concern regarding the original’s side-impact protection for rear seat occupants. The concern related to how the crash dummy’s head impacted the Element’s rear pillar during side-impact testing. Honda says that the structural modifications and inclusion of standard side-curtain airbags will eliminate that NHTSA concern.