HONDA CLARITY · model year

2021 HONDA CLARITY

8 NHTSA complaints, 3 crash reports for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2021HONDACLARITY carries 8 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 3 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2021 CLARITY is engine with 1 filings, followed by power train (1) and electrical system (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 77 investigation files overlapping the 2021 CLARITY, and 9 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

8
Complaints
3
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

8 filings

Crashes Reported

3 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ENGINE1
POWER TRAIN1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1
STEERING1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS1

Recent Complaints

20240919FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

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.

20240919FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

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.

20240919FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

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.

20230725CrashELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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 eventu

20230725CrashSTEERING

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 eventu

20230725CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

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 eventu

20201229ENGINE

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

Mileage: 400

20201229POWER TRAIN

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

Mileage: 400

Compare 2021HONDACLARITY to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 9 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2021 HONDA CLARITY have?
The 2021 HONDA CLARITY has 8 NHTSA complaints, 3 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2021 HONDA CLARITY?
The most-complained component for the 2021 HONDA CLARITY is ENGINE with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN and ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Is the 2021 HONDA CLARITY safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.