2017 Honda Clarity
Electric Hydrogen fuel cell Midsize car
The 2017 Honda Clarity is sold in the U.S. as a electric and hydrogen fuel cell midsize car with 2 EPA-rated configurations. Its longest-range version, the Clarity EV, is EPA-rated at 89 miles with 114 MPGe combined efficiency. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of B. Owners have filed 5 complaints, most often about electrical system.
Specs & fuel economy (EPA)
| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Range | kWh/100mi | Charge (240V) | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarity EV | Electric | FWD | 120 kW AC PMSM | 126 | 103 | 114 MPGe | 89 mi | 30 | 4 h | $700 |
| Clarity FCV | Hydrogen fuel cell | FWD | 130 kW AC PMSM | 69 | 67 | 68 | — | — | — | — |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.
Out of factory warranty soon?
The 2017 Honda Clarity is in the years where high-voltage electronics and module repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.
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Recalls (3)
Equipment
highProblem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Clarity Fuel Cell vehicles. Internal components may corrode and cause the water pump to fail.
Risk: A failure of the water pump can cause the vehicle to stall, increasing the risk of crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the water pump, free of charge. The recall began June 10, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is L4N.
Hybrid Propulsion System
highProblem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Clarity Fuel Cell vehicles previously repaired under recall 18V-068. The previous software remedy may have been incomplete. As a result, the fuel cell control unit (FC-ECU) may misinterpret a small cell voltage drop, causing the vehicle to have a partial or complete loss of power.
Risk: A loss of power can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Honda has notified owners, and dealers will update the FC-ECU software, free of charge. The recall began February 14, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is A3O.
Electrical System
minorProblem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017 Clarity Fuel Cell vehicles. The fuel cell control unit (FC-ECU) may misinterpret a small cell voltage drop, causing the vehicle to have reduced, or a complete loss of, power.
Risk: A loss of power can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will install a software update, free of charge. The recall began February 28, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is R0L.
NHTSA investigations
Electrical System:Propulsion System — Pedestrian alert sounds (closed)
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 matt
Opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · action DP22005
Owner complaints
5 complaints filed
0 involved a crash, 0 a fire, 0 injuries, 0 deaths reported by owners.
Filed by year — 2017: 1 · 2018: 2 · 2019: 2
Most-cited components
- Electrical System — 2
- Steering — 2
- Equipment — 2
- Service Brakes — 1
- Electronic Stability Control (Esc) — 1
Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.
Crash ratings
NHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.
Other Clarity model years
2021 Clarity
0 recalls · 4 complaints
A2020 Clarity
0 recalls · 10 complaints
B2019 Clarity
2 recalls · 45 complaints
C2018 Clarity
3 recalls · 160 complaints
Sources & method
Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records (ids 39191, 47526). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.