2019 Honda CLARITY ELECTRIC: complaints, problems and recalls
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
3 owner complaints analyzed
1 distinct recall campaigns
1,600 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2019 model year. Data updated: . 1 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.
This selection has limited data. It remains available for lookup but is excluded from search indexing.
Owner-reported patterns
Most common problems
Electrical System is the most frequently named component, appearing in 2 of 3 complaints (66.7%). A complaint can name multiple components.
Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic
Matching reports
Share of complaints
Electrical and battery issues
2
66.7%
Braking behavior
1
33.3%
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
Electrical System
2
Engine And Engine Cooling
1
Fuel System, Gasoline
1
Service Brakes
1
Component breakdown data
Category
Count
Electrical System
2
Engine And Engine Cooling
1
Fuel System, Gasoline
1
Service Brakes
1
Electrical System: 2; Engine And Engine Cooling: 1; Fuel System, Gasoline: 1; Service Brakes: 1
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
Under 25,000
1
25,000 to 49,999
0
50,000 to 74,999
0
75,000 to 99,999
0
100,000 to 149,999
0
150,000 and above
0
Reported problems by failure mileage data
Category
Count
Under 25,000
1
25,000 to 49,999
0
50,000 to 74,999
0
75,000 to 99,999
0
100,000 to 149,999
0
150,000 and above
0
Under 25,000: 1; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0
Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (1). 2 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
2019
1
2022
1
2023
1
Complaints over time data
Category
Count
2019
1
2022
1
2023
1
2019: 1; 2022: 1; 2023: 1
Pattern summary
Electrical System leads the component reports. Electrical and battery issues appears in 2 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 1 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Examples from the source records
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
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. THER…
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.
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 aga…
1 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
20V326000 · Seat Belts:Rear/Other
Reported: 2020-06-04 (June 4, 2020)
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019 Clarity Fuel Cell, Clarity Electric, and Clarity Plug-in Hybrid vehicles with rear seat belt assemblies with a dual-mode locking mechanism. The seat belt webbing sensor locking mechanism may not lock as intended.
Consequence: In the event of a crash, the seat belt may not properly restrain the occupant, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear seat belt assembly production dates, and replace the assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began July 24, 2020. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is Z7L.
Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.
Data completeness
3 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.
33.3%Usable mileage1 / 3 records
100.0%Valid incident date3 / 3 records
100.0%Valid filing date3 / 3 records
100.0%Ordered incident and filing dates3 / 3 records
Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.
Problems by model year
Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.
Component complaint heatmap
Component
2017
2018
2019
2020
Electrical System
1100.0%ODI 11052444 · 111 mi
AFTER CAR WAS CHARGED OVERNIGHT, WHILE DRIVING ON FREEWAY YELLOW WARNING LIGHT AND MESSAGE INDICATED CAR SHOULD BE TAKEN IN FOR SERVICE, AND A WARNING LIGHT THAT BATTERY WAS LOW AND WOULD TRANSITION TO LOW POWER MODE. THIS INFORMATION WAS IN CONFLICT WITH THE CHARGE INDICATOR WHICH ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD A DRIVABLE RANGE OF APPROXIMATELY 75 MILES. WHILE MANEUVERING OFF THE FREEWAY ALL POWER SYSTEMS ON THE VEHICLE FAILED. THIS WAS ON A DOWNWARD-SLOPING OFFRAMP WHERE THE FAILURE OF THE POWER ASSIST BRAKES AND STEERING MADE IT DIFFICULT …
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 HONDA CLARITY. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH, THE RPM'S REVVED UP ABNORMALLY. THE CONTACT ASSOCIATED THE FAILURE WITH THE VEHICLE RUNNING OUT OF ELECTRICAL VEHICLE RANGE. THE CONTACT STATED NO WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO CHARLIE'S HONDA (448 WESTERN AVE, AUGUSTA, ME 04330) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH NO FAILURE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT HE HAD THE TRANSMISSION FLUID CHANGED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILE…
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.
WHILE PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY I RECEIVED A NUMBER OF ERROR MESSAGES WHEN I STARTED THE CAR. CAR IS NOW AT HONDA DEALER SINCE 4/5/2018. I WAS TOLD THE LARGE BATTERY NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AND IT IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE THE CAR. DEALER UNABLE TO GIVE ME AN ETA ON THE BATTERY. MANY OTHER OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING THESE SIMILAR ERROR CODES.
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.
AFTER CAR WAS CHARGED OVERNIGHT, WHILE DRIVING ON FREEWAY YELLOW WARNING LIGHT AND MESSAGE INDICATED CAR SHOULD BE TAKEN IN FOR SERVICE, AND A WARNING LIGHT THAT BATTERY WAS LOW AND WOULD TRANSITION TO LOW POWER MODE. THIS INFORMATION WAS IN CONFLICT WITH THE CHARGE INDICATOR WHICH ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD A DRIVABLE RANGE OF APPROXIMATELY 75 MILES. WHILE MANEUVERING OFF THE FREEWAY ALL POWER SYSTEMS ON THE VEHICLE FAILED. THIS WAS ON A DOWNWARD-SLOPING OFFRAMP WHERE THE FAILURE OF THE POWER ASSIST BRAKES AND STEERING MADE IT DIFFICULT …
NO SPARE TIRE PROVIDED. ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE PROMISED BY HONDA WAITING TIME HAPPENED MORE THAN 4 HOURS. THIS IS POTENTIALLY DANGER WHILE WAITING FOR ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE FROM HONDA AND IT DOESN'T HAVE SPARE TIRE. SINCE ITS NEW CAR PURCHASE, HONDA PROMISED THEY FREELY PROVIDE FIRST THREE YEARS ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. MY RECENT TRAVEL GOT TIRE FLATTENED FRONT ONE PASSENGER SIDE. TOWING TO HONDA DEALER LATER FOUND TIRE WAS NOT REPAIRABLE ( MIEAGE AT THAT TIME 3000, 3 MONTHS OLD) . MY SUSPECT TIRE STRENGTH VS VEHICLE WEIGHT. 2) THE PEDALING SPACE FOR…
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 aga…
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 HONDA CLARITY. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH, THE RPM'S REVVED UP ABNORMALLY. THE CONTACT ASSOCIATED THE FAILURE WITH THE VEHICLE RUNNING OUT OF ELECTRICAL VEHICLE RANGE. THE CONTACT STATED NO WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO CHARLIE'S HONDA (448 WESTERN AVE, AUGUSTA, ME 04330) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH NO FAILURE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT HE HAD THE TRANSMISSION FLUID CHANGED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILE…
A/C system has gone out for the third time on the Honda Clarity. This is a safety issue in Minnesota due to windshield fogging during the winter. The A/C system is used to dry the cabin air and prevent fogging. Honda had an extended warranty on the A/C condenser, however, now the A/C evaporator is failing under the same conditions. Dealer wants $2832 to repair.
The car suddenly suspends LCAS, ACC (all related with camera located on the windshield) emergency breaking system on the road without any warning causing dangerous situation for me. I had couple of times a probability of severe accidents.
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 …
While driving home at night I exited the 60 Freeway and turned right to go up a hill. The car would not move forward and I had to pull over. I noticed the battery indicator had 1 bar on it and the engine revved but the car would not go. After waiting the battery got recharged and we were able to complete our trip. I believe we were at risk due to the car slowing so suddenly it could have resulted in being rear ended. The car has not been taken yet to a dealer for this issue or been inspected by anyone. There were no warning lights or sounds f…
While driving home at night I exited the 60 Freeway and turned right to go up a hill. The car would not move forward and I had to pull over. I noticed the battery indicator had 1 bar on it and the engine revved but the car would not go. After waiting the battery got recharged and we were able to complete our trip. I believe we were at risk due to the car slowing so suddenly it could have resulted in being rear ended. The car has not been taken yet to a dealer for this issue or been inspected by anyone. There were no warning lights or sounds f…
Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.
Failure mileage by component
Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.
Component failure mileage distribution
Component
Mileage range (25th–75th percentile)
Median
Usable records
Examples
Engine And Engine Cooling
Too few reports for a range
1,600 mi
1 (sparse)
ODI 11269630 · 1,600 mi
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. THER…
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. THER…
Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.
Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.
Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples
Monthly complaint and recall timeline
Month
Complaints
Campaigns announced
Examples
2024-11
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2024-12
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-01
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-02
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-03
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-04
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-05
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-06
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-07
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-08
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-09
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-10
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-11
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-12
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-01
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-02
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-03
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-04
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-05
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-06
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-07
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-08
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-09
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-10 (partial)
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
Emerging complaint spikes
Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.
This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.
No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.
Equal-age model-year comparison
Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.
2019: 2 complaints · 2020: 1 complaints
Equal observation windows
Model year
Through age 0
Through age 1
Through age 2
2019
1
1
2
2020
1
1
1
Date coverage across each selected cohort
Date basis for all complaints in selected model years
Year
Incident dates used
Filing date fallbacks
Excluded dates
2019
3
0
0
2020
3
0
0
Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.
Components reported together
Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.
Component co-occurrence matrix
Component
Electrical System
Engine And Engine Cooling
Fuel System, Gasoline
Service Brakes
Electrical System
—
0
0
1ODI 11541968
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 aga…
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. THER…
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. THER…
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 aga…
Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.
Recurring narrative patterns
Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.
1 patterns with matching reports.
Brake response concerns
1 mentions · 33.3% of complaints
Median mileage: Unavailable (0 usable records).
ODI 11541968
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 aga…