HONDA CLARITY ELECTRIC · model year

2017 HONDA CLARITY ELECTRIC

3 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2017HONDACLARITY ELECTRIC carries 3 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall Not Rated/5 rating, with Not Rated/5 front crash, Not Rated/5 side crash, and Not Rated/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2017 CLARITY ELECTRIC is service brakes with 1 filings, followed by electrical system (1) and steering (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 2017 CLARITY ELECTRIC, 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.

3
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

3 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

NHTSA NCAP overall: Not Rated/5 — Not rated · Front: Not Rated/5 · Side: Not Rated/5 · Rollover: Not Rated/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
SERVICE BRAKES1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1
STEERING1

Recent Complaints

20171205SERVICE BRAKES

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 TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO DEALER 21 DAYS AGO WITH 111 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. AS OF TODAY (12/5/2017), DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE.

Mileage: 111

20171205ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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 TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO DEALER 21 DAYS AGO WITH 111 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. AS OF TODAY (12/5/2017), DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE.

Mileage: 111

20171205STEERING

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 TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO DEALER 21 DAYS AGO WITH 111 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. AS OF TODAY (12/5/2017), DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE.

Mileage: 111

Compare 2017HONDACLARITY ELECTRIC to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 9 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2017 HONDA CLARITY ELECTRIC have?
The 2017 HONDA CLARITY ELECTRIC has 3 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2017 HONDA CLARITY ELECTRIC?
The 2017 HONDA CLARITY ELECTRIC received an overall NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5, front crash rating of Not Rated/5, side crash rating of Not Rated/5, and rollover rating of Not Rated/5.
What are the most common problems with the 2017 HONDA CLARITY ELECTRIC?
The most-complained component for the 2017 HONDA CLARITY ELECTRIC is SERVICE BRAKES with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ELECTRICAL SYSTEM and STEERING.
Is the 2017 HONDA CLARITY ELECTRIC safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2017 HONDA CLARITY ELECTRIC has an NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5. 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.