Other than the condenser which was replaced under warranty our Clarity has had no issues. It is a quiet and efficient car. It is garaged. I drove it gently and my wife will as well. Besides, we have Honda Care so I am not worried. Should serve us for continued reliable transportation from point A to B.
Moving up to full EV but keeping the Clarity
- Thread starter Fastermac
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NorCalPete
Active Member
We've had zero issues (including no condenser problems or rusty rotors) with our 2018. It's the most reliable, efficient, and quietest car I've ever owned, and a pleasure to drive both locally and cross-country (e.g., CA to NY and back).
Honda care for me has proven to be useless. Unless you have a car that is immobile, they claim any problem you may have is normal.
I bought Hondacare for my Insight and my Clarity but happy I've never needed it, thanks to my 2 AC condensers being warranty replacements. I hope my 2021 MINI Electric proves as reliable as my Hondas have been because the MINI equivalent of Hondacare was too expensive (~$5K) to contemplate.
Since we’re off topic, amazing how this happens, I’ll add that our only warranty claim in 4 1/2 years if ownership, which was covered under the factory 3/36 warranty, was for a rubber driver door seal. A few of the “tabs” that held it place had either broken off or pulled out. The service tech gave it a yank, pulled out a few more, then took a picture of the damage and repaired it under warranty.
coutinpe
Active Member
I'm about to reach my sixth anniversary with my Clarity. My only problem was the AC failure (covered by HC warranty), plus two windshields broken by road rocks. Since my extended warranty will expire soon, and the fear of another AC breakdown (this time off warranty) remains, I've been considering several potential replacements: A RAV-4 prime, a Lexus NX-450h PHEV, an Alfa Romeo Tonale PHEV, a Prius Prime (new), an IONIQ 6, a Mustang Mach-e, a Chevy Bolt, a Tesla Model X... Still, for different reasons, none of them lures me to jump and say goodbye to my Clarity. .. Is it possible to renew an extended warranty??
Yes. We renewed one annually on our motorhome for years, beginning when it was 12 years old.
That probably won’t be an option with HondaCare, however, a third party, such as Endurance, may be able to provide you with a contract that will continue coverage after the HondaCare plan expires. Be sure to read and understand what is and isn’t covered, as the plan will likely differ from what you have now.
If memory serves me correctly, the warranty from Honda for the A/C condenser extends to 10 years.
Many reports of evaporator going out too, and apparently a few have also had the compressor go out. But frankly, everything related to AC on r1234yf Honda's seems to be trash, not like that makes the AC unique though, basically everyone is trash.
coutinpe
Active Member
Thank you
coutinpe
Active Member
Unfortunately, sometimes it looks like as the automotive technology "evolves" it's becoming trashier and unreliable by the day. I don't recall seeing so many "recalls" so often. It's like everyday there is one, regardless of how luxurious or prestigious the make is. No wonder my 29 year-old son wouldn't want to buy any vehicle built after 2005. I used to tell him he was crazy but I'm reconsidering...
Newer vehicles are more complex. When new standards were implemented for safety, emissions and fuel economy we began to see failures and recalls for components and systems that weren’t present on older vehicles.
Remember the airbag recalls? O2 sensors seemed to fail almost as frequently as a clutch cable on a 1974 Fiat. There were and still are ongoing issues with diesel emissions systems. There were recalls for cars that might suddenly go into forward or reverse. Now we have vehicles where the seat position, radio settings and mirrors can all be programmed for separate drivers. There are sensors that try to keep the car in a lane or from crashing into an object while traveling in forward or reverse. Some have headlights that turn with steering wheel movements. Nearly everything on a modern car is controlled by sensors and software that didn’t exist 20-30 years ago. Those convenience features are all prone to failure or a malfunction in addition to all of the mechanical components.
It makes sense that recalls would occur more frequently on vehicles than they did in the past. We’re also made more aware of recalls because of forums like this one. Whereas in the past, only those actually impacted by a recall would have received a letter in the mail and they probably wouldn’t have notified every friend, relative and random person they encountered about the recall.
DaleL
Active Member
I agree that the Clarity is a good car. I bought a Clarity in 2019, just after they came out. I liked the smooth EV driving. It was quiet and the suspension was good. However, it had its flaws. The wipers and headlights were terrible. On a road trip, the range between fueling stops were no better than many full EVs. The pass through was small and the trunk awkward.
In January 2023, after the huge Tesla Model Y price drop and the vehicle qualifying for the $7,500 tax credit, I traded my Clarity in for a Tesla Model Y. There are only two areas in which the Clarity was clearly superior to the Model Y. They are the ride and build quality (rattles over rough roads). I took a 2,400 mile round trip from my home in Florida to my hometown in Iowa last July. On the way back I stopped at a Buc-ee's south of Atlanta and used the "camping mode" and got a few hours of sleep. The Model Y backseats do fold flat and in camping mode the car keeps the HVAC system on for a comfortable snooze.
As for recalls, I have never had to take my Model Y in for a recall. They have all been addressed through over-the-air updates. I do not miss going to gasoline stations or the dealer. There are many user/owner car forums. Before buying a vehicle, I would spend some time on the relevant forum and read the comments.
MrFixit
Well-Known Member
On the other hand - back in the day, one was lucky to get 100K miles out of a vehicle.
With a modern vehicle (and all it's complexity), I think 200K is more the norm if you want to run them until they die.
coutinpe
Active Member
Yes, actually the Takata airbag recall was the first one I heard about, not so long after I arrived in USA. It was so funny, because the day after I had to go to a management seminary in which our CEO had to give a lecture about "Lean methodology: The Toyota Model". The poor guy was so embarrassed...
I agree with you almost 100%, although my impression is that beside forums and direct communications, lately recalls are getting way more sensationalistic coverage from the media than the previous decade, for instance. They always manage to make things look like the world is going to end for everyone. Everything I've heard about recalls at least during the past two years (except our fuel pump thing) I got it from TV news. However, I just got curious and went to verify my subjective impression here:
https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/2023-03/2022-Recalls-Annual-Report_030223-tag.pdf
coutinpe
Active Member
I think it all depends on two factors: quality and how you treat them. My first car (a 1991 Ford Festiva) was regarded as a little piece of junk. I sold it with 130K miles and still in relatively good health, except for a few scratches.
coutinpe
Active Member
I actually almost got myself into a Model Y last year. What deterred me was... the ride and build quality. Things you come to appreciate more and more as you get old...
Good advice to navigate through the forums. That was how I got deterred from other cars on my wish list.
TV news, if we can call it that, has specialized in end of days sensationalism for quite some time. Just pick a topic, say a vehicle recall, and they’ll follow the model. Lions, tigers, bears, oh my! Presumably, they had to follow the pattern used by social media as a news source.
Ford tried to end the world with exploding Pinto’s and under inflated tires on SUV’s. Didn’t work.
DaleL
Active Member
The Clarity has a nice acceleration initially, but at 4,000 pounds and only about 200 hp it was terrible for passing. My Model Y dual motor weighs only 10% more and has nearly twice the hp. I love that. The lane keeping driver assist on the Clarity could not handle significant curves. The Model Y, if the road is reasonably marked, is phenomenal. The voice command suite in the Model Y is extensive. The driver almost never has to touch or interact with the tablet. I liked my Clarity; I love my Model Y.
75 years young, retired in Florida.
