hi i recently bought a 2018 Clarity Touring that was in a collision and has rear damage at a auction when you put key in and turn car on it will only let you put the car in neutral and park and has a bunch of warnings on the dash. i know that there is a emergency shutdown that the clarity may do during a crash and it looks like that is the case here .. i am not new to auto repairs as i work in a body shop but we hardly ever work on clarity's. is there a switch that will reset it like many cars have? or is it like a Chevy Volt where it is a hard code in the hybrid unit that only the dealer can reset? i also know some cars have a pyrofuse that can also stop the car from starting again after a accident. any info would be helpful no airbags were blown in the accident if that helps... thanks in advance, Ralph
It is possible that the only problem is a discharged 12V battery. Charge the 12V battery first, then see if the car will 'start'. You will still have a bunch of warnings, but they will disappear shortly when you start driving. Of course, the HV battery is in the rear, and if there is damage there beyond cosmetic, then all bets are off. How bad is the damage? Do you have a photo? '
From the manual... I would not just assume that this happened however, and would make sure the 12V battery is good as a first step. Maybe someone here has seen the service documentation that defines how to reset this system if it indeed triggered.
here is the link to the auction when i bought it .... https://www.iaai.com/VehicleDetails?itemid=36243637&RowNumber=0&similarVehicleItemId=&isNext=&loadRecent=true the battery is new i installed it yesterday the hybrid battery shows almost a full charge on the dash
here you go ... https://en.bidfax.info/honda/clarity/5942979-honda-clarity-touring-2018-gray-15l-vin-jhmzc5f37jc004526.html
@Ralph, I am very interested to hear how this turns out. I am betting you will have to take it to the dealer to sort out the warnings/electrical. Have you checked the battery coolant to make sure no leaks due to the collision?
yes the engine bay is perfect nothing was damaged .. i had a 2019 clarity that i bought new and got in a accident with it last year and totaled it .. no airbags blew but the same thing happened to that car .. would only go in neutral or park and warnings on the dash ... ill get it figured out but first i am going to do all the bodywork and get it fixed before towing it to the dealer .. all damage is in the back and its honestly not bad at all
Doubt there is any real damage. You're just gonna need dealer diagnostic hookup and procedures to reset the safety shut-off. Bet their tech can plug it in and be done in 1/2 hour, you'll just have to pay their minimum fee for hookup. No buttons or self-service reset that I am aware of.
i got the car running and driving again i had a friends shop reprogram it and clear all hard codes its now back at the bodyshop and we will start prepping it to paint the bumper and trunk and it will be all done
Probably a stupid question, but why would the crash cause a shutdown requiring reprogram if air bags did not deploy and no electrical damage (just body)?
apparently its a safety feature to prevent the batteries from catching fire after a accident by making you take it into the dealer after a accident .. this car was not hit terribly hard but it still triggered it
It is actually a safety feature to de-energize all the HV cables in the vehicle and has nothing to do with the batteries catching fire.
@Ralph and @DucRider, thanks for the replies. I hadn't thought about the safety aspect that something might short out or HV wiring might be exposed after a wreck. This makes sense, although it makes wrecks more aggravating to deal with if this safety feature is activated.
Did your friend indicate how difficult it was and what was required to get the traction battery back into operation?
