RoadVitals

2017 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
1
Latest Jul 5, 2018
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
1
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 1 NHTSA owner-reported complaint for the 2017 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid, most frequently naming the powertrain (other) category. 1 NHTSA investigation names it; and 1 manufacturer communication is on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Powertrain (other)1100.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Safety investigations

NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.

DP22005ClosedDefect Petition

Pedestrian alert sounds

Opened Jan 27, 2023
Closed Aug 7, 2023

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEMLed to recall 22V063000

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Powertrain (other)
Filed Jul 5, 2018

FIRST TIME CAR FAILED AROUND APRIL 201. IT DISPLAYED ENGINE FAILURE, EMISSIONS SYSTEM PROBLEM, ROAD DEPARTURE MITIGATION PROBLEM, ADAPTIVE CRUSE CONTROL PROBLEM. THE HYBRID SYSTEM WAS DISABLED AND I HAD TO CALL A TOW TRUCK TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER WAS NOT ABLE TO GIVE ME A SATISFACTORY EXPLANATION OF WHAT FAILED AND HOW IT WAS FIXED. SECOND TIME IT FAILED IN LATE JUNE, THE SAME WAY IT FAILED IN APRIL. THIS TIME THE BATTERY HAD ENOUGH CHARGE TO DRIVE TO DEALER BUT THE HYBRID WAS DISABLED AS WELL. THIS TIME I WAS TOLD THE COMPUTER IS READING A FALSE WATER PUMP FAILURE AND THERE IS NO SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR THIS PROBLEM. THEY CLEARED THE FAULT AND RETURNED THE CAR TO ME. SECOND TIME THERE WAS AN ADDITIONAL FAILURE WHERE THE RANGE DISPLAYED 999 MILES RANGE AFTER I REFILLED THE GAS. THERE WAS A SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR THIS PROBLEM. EACH TIME THE FAILURES OCCURRED THE CARE WAS IN MOTION, FIRST TIME WAS LOCAL TRAFFIC SECOND TIME WAS HIGHWAY DRIVING. BOTH TIMES THE CAR WAS RUNNING IN ELECTRIC MODE.

NHTSA ID
11109727
Incident
Jun 26, 2018
Mileage
5,500 mi

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

A15060D

STEERING; STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR

Service news article - To prevent damage during shipping, leather-wrapped steering wheels come with a protective plastic covering. The easiest way to remove it during PDI is to grab the covering with both hands near the top of the steering wheel and pull it toward you, like you see here. The covering comes right off.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2021101—
2020601—
2019422155.4
20181321149.1
2017Viewing101—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.