Honda Clarity Tech Dead: Nav & Audio Systems Blackout

Hey there! I've got some experience with car electronics . I actually faced almost the exact same issue with my 2019 Honda Insight Hybrid last year. The whole infotainment system went completely dead, super frustrating! For reference, I also own a Honda Civic. Took it to my trusted workshop and turned out it was a faulty main control unit in the infotainment system. The repair, including diagnostics and parts replacement, set me back about 815 Euro, but it fixed the problem completely. Before I can offer more specific advice, Does your screen turn on at all? Have you noticed any warning messages? Did it stop working suddenly or gradually? Feel free to share more details, it'll help figure out if you're dealing with the same problem I had!

Thanks for jumping in! My infotainment screen turns on fine but freezes after a couple of minutes. No warning messages, just sudden complete system failure yesterday. I've done my last service just 2 months ago at 86454 KM and everything was working perfectly until now. I'm a bit worried it might be more serious than just a software glitch since both audio and navigation are affected. I've tried the basic stuff, restarting the system, disconnecting/reconnecting the battery, but no luck so far. Never had electronic issues before with my Clarity, so this is pretty concerning. Good to know about your experience though, at least I have a ballpark figure for potential repairs if it's the control unit. Did your warranty cover any of the repair costs?

Hey again! Thanks for those extra details about your Clarity. You know what? This sounds exactly like what happened to mine, same symptoms and all! My screen would turn on fine but then freeze up too. The frustrating part was that it was just after my warranty expired (typical, right?), so I had to cover all the costs myself. Since you mentioned trying the battery disconnect, that was actually my first attempt at fixing it too! When that didn't work, I kept thinking it might be something simple like a software update gone wrong. But nope, turned out to be that pesky control unit, just like I mentioned before. Quick tip though, before you head to the shop, you might want to check if there are any software updates available for your model. I know it's a long shot since you've already tried the basic troubleshooting, but worth a try. The freezing screen is usually a dead giveaway for the control unit issue though, especially when combined with both nav and audio failure. It's interesting that it happened right after your service, did they do any software updates during the service? Mine actually started acting up about a week after a routine service too. Might be worth mentioning to the technician when you take it in. Let me know how it goes, I'm actually curious if it's the same issue I had!

Thanks so much for all the detailed info! That's really interesting about yours acting up after servicing too. Actually, now that you mention it, I remember they did mention something about a minor software update during my last service visit. I'll definitely bring that up when I take it in. I just tried checking for software updates like you suggested, no luck there either. Given how similar our issues sound, I'm pretty convinced it's probably that control unit you mentioned. It's frustrating, but at least I know what I might be dealing with now! I'll schedule an appointment with my mechanic tomorrow. Really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience, it's made me feel a lot better about the whole situation. Having a rough idea of the potential cost helps too, even though I'm hoping it might still be under warranty since my car's relatively new. I'll definitely update you once I get it checked out. Thanks again for all your help!