Honda Clarity Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data

While driving on freeway traffic in front of Clarity began to slow down. In reaction to this brakes were mildly applied, nothing aggressive, and the car was driven towards an open off-ramp to avoid the issue in front. At this moment the car, on its own slammed on the brakes. This created a very unsafe condition and caused following drivers to swerve off the surface of the freeway to avoid a collision with rear end of Clarity. So in short a fairly routing accident avoidance maneuver was turned into a serious and dangerous situation. We are actually concerned this will happen again and lead to an accident. We know the difference between a reasonable application of the brake assist system and what happened here.

AC condenser has leak, covered by an extended warranty up to 10 years from purchase of car due issue with factory installed condenser. However, at 3 years old and 37356 miles the evaporator also has a leak. Honda will not fix condenser under warranty unless we pay $2,000 to fix the evaporator.

THIS NEW CAR, AT RELATIVELY LOW SPEEDS, LOSES POWER AS IF IT HAS STALLED OUT FOR A SHORT TIME. WHEN OCCURRING AS ONE IS MAKING A LEFT TURN, IT CAN BE QUITE DANGEROUS DUE TO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I MIGHT DESCRIBE IT AS A HESITATION OF ACCELERATION BECAUSE, AS THE GAS PEDAL IS DEPRESSED, THERE IS NO RESPONSE FROM THE ENGINE. IT APPEARS TO OCCUR MORE FREQUENTLY AS THE CAR IS TURNING.

We have a Clarity EV. It has been great for 4 years. But recently, all of the sudden, we started getting system failure messages on the dash. Different systems, including brakes. And the brake pedal went to the floor. I have read about similar failures online at “clarity forum”. Some who posted believe it is a 12-volt battery problem. And Triple A came out and tested it and said the battery is due for replacement Here’s the thing: my mechanic cleared the codes and the car ran perfectly for 24 hours. Before the failures happened again. I took it to Honda, and they insist that the brake system is the problem. And that it’s dangerous to drive the way it is. They say a “brake fuel sensor code” recommended replacing a (brake) “cylinder set” for $2495 I decided to have them install a new battery first. And wanted them to “clear the codes”. i am not sure they cleared them, cuz the brakes still go to the floorboard. So: It’s either a battery issue (or something else) causing the error codes. And we are then being told an expensive brake repair has to be done. Or The brake system failed at 37,000 miles. Which should be a recall item Or. it is both Because of other postings with problems similar to mine, i think the car should be recalled because of the brakes

The contact owns a 2019 Honda Clarity Electric. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start up as needed. The contact mentioned the vehicle had to be jump-started. The contact stated that the failure occurred multiple times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure was undetermined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

PHEV BURNING SMELL ECON (EV) DRIVING. IT HAPPENED 2 TIMES AFTER THE BATTERY DROPS TO TWO BARS, WHICH MEANS MODE WAS CHANGED TO HYBRID FROM ECON. THERE WERE BIG VROOM SOUNDS FROM ENGINE ROOM WHEN EV MODE CONVERTED HYBRID MODE AT THE SPEED OF 60-70 MPH. EVEN AT THE SPEED OF 5-10 MPH, THE ENGINE SOUND WAS REALLY BIG (IT SOUNDED LIKE REALLY HIGH RPM AT THE LOW SPEED). AROUND 2-3 MIN DRIVING AS HYBRID MODE FROM ECON, I FELT VERY STRONG BURNING SMELL FROM THE ENGINE AREA. I GOOGLED AND FOUND I'M NOT THE ONLY PERSON WHO EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM. THERE WOULD BE PROBLEMS WITH EV, ICE, HYBRID SYSTEM. ALSO IT COULD BE FIRE HAZARD WHEN BEING CHARGED.

My 2019 Honda Clarity has had a hybrid battery failure that triggers “Check Engine” and “Power System” warnings, making the vehicle unsafe and unreliable to drive. I brought the car to Norm Reeves Honda Cerritos on 12/29/2025, and the battery—still under warranty—has been on backorder for over 6 months with no repair completed. The dealer repeatedly requested new diagnostic readings but has not fixed the issue. I have asked for a loaner due to safety concerns, but none has been provided. The ongoing delay leaves me with a vehicle that cannot operate safely, and Honda has not offered a timely resolution. Despite ongoing communication with American Honda Automobile Customer Service and Norm Reeves Honda Superstore Cerritos, the issue has remained unresolved.

Currently the high voltage inverter is squealing, it is currently at the dealership. They have verified it is the inverter that is malfunctioning but they will not warrenty the repair because they are saying it needs to completely fail and throw a code. This is the right time to fix it prior to catastrophic failure, can you please help.

I am writing to report an unresolved high-voltage safety defect involving the Motor Power Inverter Module on my 2019 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid. The vehicle's high-voltage hybrid propulsion inverter is emitting a severe, high-pitched mechanical squealing noise during acceleration and regenerative braking.The high-voltage inverter serves as the foundational link regulating current between the lithium-ion battery and the electric drive motor. A failing inverter module presents an immediate, unreasonable safety hazard. Internal failure, thermal runaway, or component degradation within the inverter stack creates an imminent risk of sudden high-voltage isolation fault. This will result in an immediate vehicle stall and a total loss of propulsion while driving at highway speeds, leaving the vehicle stranded in traffic with no power to accelerate out of harm's way, creating a severe crash hazard.Furthermore, an authorized Honda dealership—Visalia Honda (Groppetti Automotive) in California—has failed to properly diagnose, isolate, or resolve this high-voltage drivetrain defect despite the vehicle being brought in specifically for this issue. Despite the component being legally covered under California’s mandated 15-year/150,000-mile extended emissions and hybrid warranty, the dealership has taken no constructive corrective action, allowing a known, physically degraded high-voltage component to remain active on public roadways.Federal intervention and a formal technical investigation into Honda's clarity hybrid propulsion inverter systems are required to address this vehicle stalling hazard before an electrical failure results in a highway collision.

The contact owns a 2019 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The contact stated that the BRAKE Hold system, hill start assist, collision mitigation system, VSA, and the electric parking brake warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was driven to a safe location and turned off. The vehicle was restarted. Additionally, the warning lights were no longer illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while it was cold, and the temperature was below zero degrees. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with an electric servo brake control unit/pedal seal simulator failure. The contact was informed that the electric servo brake control unit/pedal seal simulator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that parts were not in-stock and that the parts needed to be ordered. The contact researched the failure using an online chat group and was advised to take the vehicle back to the dealer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact informed the dealer that the failure could be because of a failing battery. The dealer replaced the battery. A month later, the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that while sitting in the vehicle with the engine idling and the foot on the brake pedal, the vehicle rolled backwards. The vehicle almost crashed into the vehicle that was parked behind it. The contact immediately turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted. The vehicle was driven to the residence without the failure recurring. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 44,000.

Took my car in due to the AC not working. We were told that AC Condenser and AC evaporator was broken. The AC condenser was replaced due to a recall and was placed under warranty a few years ago. Honda, indicated that AC Condenser was still under Warrenty, but the AC Evaporator is not. When it was explained to us at Honda Dealership in Dublin, CA. That the two parts go hand in hand, and that they would not be able to replace the AC Condenser until the AC Evaporator was replaced. As Honda requires a “pass” reading. The repair man at Honda also indicated that with AC Evaporator being broken imposes health risks such as breathing issues, dizziness, exposure to mildew and bacteria, as we were breathing in the gas from refrigerant that was leaking and burning then going in to the cabin of our vehicle when the AC was running. We have contacted Honda of USA and filed a case they indicated that due to our cars mileage, age and out of warranty that they have decided to decline assistance. This will be an ongoing issue as the two parts should be under warranty to get both of them fixed accordingly and to reduce health exposures.

The contact owns a 2019 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts for the recall repair were not yet available. The contact called several other dealers, including Lake Elsinore Honda (18450 Collier Ave, Lake Elsinore, CA 92530), Diamond Valley Honda (300 Carriage Cir, Hemet, CA 92545), and DCH Honda of Temecula (26755 Ynez Rd, Temecula, CA 92591); and all confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

I was entering the highway on ramp with a car in front of me going slow, when saw it was clear switched lanes and attempted to speed up to highway speed and the car's automatic braking system activated, flashed "BRAKE" on the dash with nothing in front of me, lane was clear, and then it applied the brakes hard. Came to an almost complete stop with my foot on the gas, had to remove foot to be able to accelerate again, luckily there was no near car behind me or it would have rear ended my car.