2021 Honda Clarity Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2021 Honda Clarity, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Driver assistance233.3%
- Electrical116.7%
- Engine116.7%
- Powertrain (other)116.7%
- Steering116.7%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
Received multiple warning alerts that adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, and Lane Departure/Keeping were not working while driving car. Took car to Honda dealership for repair and was told that this was a "DTC U3000-49" multipurpose camera unit failure. The component was only inspected by the Honda dealership. There were no warning indications prior to the failure warning lights.
I was reversing in order to go up a driveway at an Airbnb where my husband and I had been staying. The bottom of the car is low to the ground, and it was difficult to clear a rise at the bottom of the driveway. I was putting the car in reverse in order to try again when the car made a loud noise and in a split second veered at high speed to the other side of the cul de sac (the wheel was turned in order to go back up the driveway so it explains the trajectory but not what happened). Luckily, no cars were coming and it was a quiet residential area. The car crashed into the opposite curb and the right passenger airbag deployed. Luckily, no one was hurt. However, the car froze up and I could not steer or brake to avoid hitting the curb at high speed. The car was towed to a local collision service used by Beaverton Honda, and my husband and I flew home as we were out of town. The car sat at the collision lot for several weeks, the company saying they had no time to get to it. It was eventually declared totaled, and we were reimbursed by insurance. I never found out what went wrong with the car. We called Honda corporate and they made a report but we never heard back from them. I wish I knew what caused this to happen to a 2021 Honda Clarity with only 10,000 miles on the odometer. It would seem that scraping the bottom of the car may have jarred the electronics.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
I was reversing in order to go up a driveway at an Airbnb where my husband and I had been staying. The bottom of the car is low to the ground, and it was difficult to clear a rise at the bottom of the driveway. I was putting the car in reverse in order to try again when the car made a loud noise and in a split second veered at high speed to the other side of the cul de sac (the wheel was turned in order to go back up the driveway so it explains the trajectory but not what happened). Luckily, no cars were coming and it was a quiet residential area. The car crashed into the opposite curb and the right passenger airbag deployed. Luckily, no one was hurt. However, the car froze up and I could not steer or brake to avoid hitting the curb at high speed. The car was towed to a local collision service used by Beaverton Honda, and my husband and I flew home as we were out of town. The car sat at the collision lot for several weeks, the company saying they had no time to get to it. It was eventually declared totaled, and we were reimbursed by insurance. I never found out what went wrong with the car. We called Honda corporate and they made a report but we never heard back from them. I wish I knew what caused this to happen to a 2021 Honda Clarity with only 10,000 miles on the odometer. It would seem that scraping the bottom of the car may have jarred the electronics.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE ENGINE REVS A LOT WHEN BATTERY CHARGE IS LOW THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISION GETS VERY LOUD CAR HAS ONLY 500 MILES AND IS DOING IT CONSTANT
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE ENGINE REVS A LOT WHEN BATTERY CHARGE IS LOW THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISION GETS VERY LOUD CAR HAS ONLY 500 MILES AND IS DOING IT CONSTANT
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
I was reversing in order to go up a driveway at an Airbnb where my husband and I had been staying. The bottom of the car is low to the ground, and it was difficult to clear a rise at the bottom of the driveway. I was putting the car in reverse in order to try again when the car made a loud noise and in a split second veered at high speed to the other side of the cul de sac (the wheel was turned in order to go back up the driveway so it explains the trajectory but not what happened). Luckily, no cars were coming and it was a quiet residential area. The car crashed into the opposite curb and the right passenger airbag deployed. Luckily, no one was hurt. However, the car froze up and I could not steer or brake to avoid hitting the curb at high speed. The car was towed to a local collision service used by Beaverton Honda, and my husband and I flew home as we were out of town. The car sat at the collision lot for several weeks, the company saying they had no time to get to it. It was eventually declared totaled, and we were reimbursed by insurance. I never found out what went wrong with the car. We called Honda corporate and they made a report but we never heard back from them. I wish I knew what caused this to happen to a 2021 Honda Clarity with only 10,000 miles on the odometer. It would seem that scraping the bottom of the car may have jarred the electronics.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .