2021 Honda Clarity

Component/System that Failed: The air conditioning system in my 2021 Honda Clarity Touring Plug-in Hybrid has failed — specifically, the AC evaporator, which no longer allows the car to blow out cool air. The part is still in the vehicle and is available for inspection upon request. How Safety Was Put at Risk: What began as an inconvenience has turned into a real concern for the safety of my family and me. Without functioning air conditioning, my visibility becomes dangerously impaired when trying to defog the windshield, especially in humid or cool conditions. More alarmingly, we live in an area where summer temperatures can soar, and driving without AC quickly turns our vehicle into an unsafe environment — especially for children, elderly passengers, or anyone prone to heat-related issues. It’s frustrating and disappointing to face this kind of failure in a relatively new vehicle. A basic function like air conditioning should not carry a $2,800 repair bill just to keep your family safe and comfortable — yet here we are. Reproduction/Confirmation of the Issue: The issue has been confirmed by an authorized Honda dealership, which diagnosed the failed evaporator and quoted nearly $2,800 for repair, the majority of which is due to labor involved in reaching the part. Inspection History: The vehicle has been inspected by the dealership, and I also contacted American Honda to request assistance. They offered to cover only part of the repair, but to me, this feels insufficient given the scope of the issue and how many other owners have experienced the same thing. It feels less like a maintenance issue and more like a manufacturing flaw. Warning Signs or Symptoms: There were no warning lights or system alerts prior to failure. The AC simply began losing effectiveness and then completely stopped blowing cool air. There were no obvious indicators that the evaporator was failing until the system had already become unusable.

Reported

May 2025

Incident date

May 2025

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

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.

Reported

Sep 2024

Incident date

Sep 2024

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

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.

Reported

Jul 2023

Incident date

Apr 2023

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

Crash

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

Reported

Dec 2020

Incident date

Dec 2020

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported