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2018 Honda Clarity PLUG-IN Hybrid

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

64 reports with mileage · 70 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 25 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 23 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

9 crash reports1 fire reports3 injury reports

What owners actually said

134 reports
Mileage unknown · Apr 7, 2023
Unknown Or Other

Passenger side mirror exploded while driving in our neighborhood in the evening. Heard a loud bang sound and the mirror fell to the ground. Definitely not hitting anything as there were no objects near by.

NHTSA ODI #11516051

Mileage unknown · Dec 5, 2022
Visibility/wiper

The windshield wiper seems to skid past where it's supposed to stop and bump the side molding. It makes an annoying sound and I am concerned it may harm the wiper or windshield. I have not taken it in for repair. I was told by other owners of the car model this is a common issue and the fix is to clean the window up with a cl…

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The windshield wiper seems to skid past where it's supposed to stop and bump the side molding. It makes an annoying sound and I am concerned it may harm the wiper or windshield. I have not taken it in for repair. I was told by other owners of the car model this is a common issue and the fix is to clean the window up with a clay bar, or take it in for a motor replacement. The former seems to have resolved the issue, but I assume windows shouldn't always be at that level of perfection for functional wipers.

NHTSA ODI #11495998

Mileage unknown · Sep 10, 2022
Forward Collision AvoidanceLane Departure

Multiple errors. Possible broken car camera. Because the camera is broken, all safety futures stop functioning like land departure warning, land keeping warning, collision warning. The problem is confirmed by the dealer and the dealer told us it’s known problem with Honda car.

NHTSA ODI #11483800

Mileage unknown · Jul 29, 2022
Forward Collision AvoidanceLane DepartureService Brakes

The software in the car dashboard randomly pops errors like - road departure mitigation, brake system, brake hold system problems, etc. This has happened many times this year. I have taken it to the dealership to get fixed a couple of times (most recently on July 16 2022). They say they have reset the software but the problem st…

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The software in the car dashboard randomly pops errors like - road departure mitigation, brake system, brake hold system problems, etc. This has happened many times this year. I have taken it to the dealership to get fixed a couple of times (most recently on July 16 2022). They say they have reset the software but the problem still reoccurs and is very frustrating since in some cases the vehicle if it has parking brake set remains immobilized. Also, the safety systems in the car like Lane Keep Assist, Road Collision Mitigation and Automatic Cruise Control get disabled when these errors popup. I filed a case with Honda customer service (Case #13070724) on Jun 9, 2022 and have been following up with them weekly to get this fixed

NHTSA ODI #11476445

Mileage unknown · Mar 3, 2022
Power Train

When driving on the highway and car runs low on electric charge the engine revs up and the car slows down when changing to engine mode. When this happens, the car slows down to a crawl, and you are not able to accelerate with a roaring sound. This has happened several times and I took it to have Honda dealer to look at it but co…

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When driving on the highway and car runs low on electric charge the engine revs up and the car slows down when changing to engine mode. When this happens, the car slows down to a crawl, and you are not able to accelerate with a roaring sound. This has happened several times and I took it to have Honda dealer to look at it but couldn't duplicate the problem. There are multiple reports regarding the same problem. It is a safety issue if driving in traffic or going over a mountain pass.

NHTSA ODI #11455040

Mileage unknown · Feb 26, 2022
Forward Collision Avoidance

My family has noticed several incidents involving the sensitivity of the FCWS. In most incidents we are accelerating or coasting towards a car that is making a turn and there is plenty of time and space for the driver to conduct their turn. The system will cause the car to shudder and brake and limit throttle application on the …

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My family has noticed several incidents involving the sensitivity of the FCWS. In most incidents we are accelerating or coasting towards a car that is making a turn and there is plenty of time and space for the driver to conduct their turn. The system will cause the car to shudder and brake and limit throttle application on the accelerator pedal. This has also occurred when approaching slowing or stopped cars where the vehicle will slam on the brakes. These events happened between 5-30 mph. I chose to file this after seeing PE 22-003 as the clarity shares a similar base with an Accord. I've put todays date, but we've had maybe 5-10 incidents in the last 6 months. No crashes or injuries though

NHTSA ODI #11454244

Mileage unknown · Feb 18, 2022
Power Train

When driving up a hill and car runs low on electric charge the engine revs up and the car slows down when changing to engine mode. When this happens, the car slows down to a crawl, and you are not able to accelerate. This has happened five times and I'm taking it to have Honda look at it. I have to leave it with them for serval …

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When driving up a hill and car runs low on electric charge the engine revs up and the car slows down when changing to engine mode. When this happens, the car slows down to a crawl, and you are not able to accelerate. This has happened five times and I'm taking it to have Honda look at it. I have to leave it with them for serval days so they can try to duplicate the problem. I read online about numerus people who have experienced the same problem. It is a safety issue if driving in traffic or going over a mountain pass. I had it in the shop recently and they couldn't identify the problem, so I have to leave it there for an extended period of them to work on.

NHTSA ODI #11452880

Mileage unknown · May 30, 2021
Power Train

When driving on a steep hill, the car switched from all electric to hybrid mode as it ran out of battery only power. The transmission failed to engage and the engine revs increase as if stuck in neutral. The car slowed from 45 mph to 5 mph, then the car accelerated to 20 remaining 1/2 mile to my residence. The car was evaluat…

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When driving on a steep hill, the car switched from all electric to hybrid mode as it ran out of battery only power. The transmission failed to engage and the engine revs increase as if stuck in neutral. The car slowed from 45 mph to 5 mph, then the car accelerated to 20 remaining 1/2 mile to my residence. The car was evaluated by Culver City Honda on May 26, 2021. The dealer advised that they were unable to replicate the anomaly or identify failure codes on the on board diagnostic computer.

NHTSA ODI #11419054

Mileage unknown · May 10, 2021
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

AFTER CERTAIN DRIVE MILE CAR DASH BOARD HAS LOUD CLICKING SOUND, WHICH DOESN'T GO AWAY FOR A WHILE EVEN CAR IS TURNED OFF. WHILE DRIVING OR STOPED. DEALERSHIP OR AMERICAN HONDA HAS NO SATISFACTORY ANSWER FOR THE CONCERN. WORRY ME IF VEHICLE GONNA STOP ON FREEWAY.

NHTSA ODI #11415762

25,868 miles · Mar 31, 2021
Forward Collision AvoidanceCrash

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2018 HONDA CLARITY PLUG-IN HYBRID. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING AT 35 MPH, WHEN HE REAR-ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AND THE FORWARD COLLISION WARNING FAILED TO ALERT THE CONTACT OF THE VEHICLE AHEAD. NO MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS RECEIVED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND …

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2018 HONDA CLARITY PLUG-IN HYBRID. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING AT 35 MPH, WHEN HE REAR-ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AND THE FORWARD COLLISION WARNING FAILED TO ALERT THE CONTACT OF THE VEHICLE AHEAD. NO MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS RECEIVED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND DEEMED TOTALED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT TO CALL THE INSURANCE COMPANY. THE VEHICLE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC OR DEALER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,868.

NHTSA ODI #11405772

Official recalls

1

23V858000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump

Dec 18, 2023

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

DP22005 · Pedestrian Alert Sounds

Opened Jan 27, 2023 · Closed Aug 7, 2023

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electrical System:propulsion System

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.