IllustrationEvaporator in AC system failed after 48000 miles
2019 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.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Clarity PLUG-IN Hybrid years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 19 of 42 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
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 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
2 crash reports0 fire reports1 injury reports
What owners actually said
42 reportsThe backup camera turns on every time when the vehicle's ignition is on, or all of sudden the backup camera turns on while driving which causes a dangerous illusion. The illusion makes the driver would have hit something because you're not reversing, instead you're driving forward. Furthermore, once the backup camera is act…
Read full complaint
The backup camera turns on every time when the vehicle's ignition is on, or all of sudden the backup camera turns on while driving which causes a dangerous illusion. The illusion makes the driver would have hit something because you're not reversing, instead you're driving forward. Furthermore, once the backup camera is activated, you cannot access all your information on the vehicle. The infotainment screen is overwrited by the backup camera.
Driver side headlight allows moisture to enter, contine to get headlight error. Turn signals and hazard signals stopped working. Dealer indicates that entire headlight assembly must be replaced at a cost of $2000.00. No sign of exterior damage.
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and merging into a lane, the Lane Keep Assist engaged, and the vehicle shuddered significantly and veered towards the opposite direction. Additionally, the steering wheel was significantly resistant. The contact stated…
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and merging into a lane, the Lane Keep Assist engaged, and the vehicle shuddered significantly and veered towards the opposite direction. Additionally, the steering wheel was significantly resistant. The contact stated that the failure mainly occurred when slowly merging into another lane. The contact stated that she would need to quickly merge to prevent the failure from occurring. The message “Lane Keep Assist” was displayed. Additionally, the contact stated that the automatic emergency braking (AEB) warning light would illuminate while driving, though there were no other vehicles or objects nearby. The contact stated that the seat belt being latched sound was not audible and the seat belt would unintendedly unlatch occasionally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that no issues were found. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V326000 (Seat Belts) as the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 21,000.
When driving in gas mode, the engine is revving high as in high rpm . I am not sure if the gear is shifting or has problems. The car revs high and the more I push the accelerator the louder the engine sound.
This is a 2019 Honda Clarity hybrid vehicle, with 53000 miles at the time of incident. I was driving up hill going about 55 miles per hour, all of the sudden the speed kept dropping even though the gas pedal remained pressed. Pressing the gas pedal more had no effect on speed, except to increase the engine RPM and the high-pitch…
Read full complaint
This is a 2019 Honda Clarity hybrid vehicle, with 53000 miles at the time of incident. I was driving up hill going about 55 miles per hour, all of the sudden the speed kept dropping even though the gas pedal remained pressed. Pressing the gas pedal more had no effect on speed, except to increase the engine RPM and the high-pitched noise. Luckily I was on the right lane. Pulled the car over to the shoulder and turned it off. The problem went away after restart. From researching on google, this seems to be a quite common occurrence with Honda Clarity. Since it couldn't be replicated at will, it's difficult to solve. There are speculations online that it could be software related, but my honda dealer wouldn't document the issue.
The brake module failed while driving resulting in total loss of breaking ability
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid. The contact stated that after refueling and recharging the vehicle, the mile range indicator would display inaccurate mileage range information. The contact indicated that the mile range display would sometimes be far above the range capability of the vehicle and in some case…
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid. The contact stated that after refueling and recharging the vehicle, the mile range indicator would display inaccurate mileage range information. The contact indicated that the mile range display would sometimes be far above the range capability of the vehicle and in some cases well below the range that should be achievable with a full battery charge and full tank of fuel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who performed a software update and hot reset but the failure continued to occur. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 20,000.
Car engine makes loud banging noise when it is running on gas instead of electrical battery. I had asked Honda dealer to review but they say they can not do anything about it. It is feels as if car making so much banging noise from engine has inherent issue and will eventually catch fire.
ON 09/29/20 AT APPROX. 1710 HRS. WENT TO MY VEHICLE, WHICH WAS PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY. I WAS TAKING MY TEN YEAR OLD SON TO THE PARK. WHEN HE ENTERED THE VEHICLE (REAR DRIVER SIDE) AND TRIED TO PUT ON HIS SEAT BELT, HE STATED, "DAD, MY SEAT BELT BROKE." I WENT TO CHECK THE SEAT BELT AND NOTICED THAT THE SEAT BELT WAS COMPLETELY T…
Read full complaint
ON 09/29/20 AT APPROX. 1710 HRS. WENT TO MY VEHICLE, WHICH WAS PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY. I WAS TAKING MY TEN YEAR OLD SON TO THE PARK. WHEN HE ENTERED THE VEHICLE (REAR DRIVER SIDE) AND TRIED TO PUT ON HIS SEAT BELT, HE STATED, "DAD, MY SEAT BELT BROKE." I WENT TO CHECK THE SEAT BELT AND NOTICED THAT THE SEAT BELT WAS COMPLETELY TORN OFF. I THEN TOLD MY SON TO GO TO THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE SEAT (THE PASSENGER REAR) AND USE THAT SEAT BELT. HE THEN EXCLAIMED, "THIS ONE IS TORN ALSO!" I CHECKED ON THAT SEAT BELT AS WELL AND NOTICED THAT SEAT BELT WAS FRAYED AND TORN, BUT WAS STILL ATTACHED BY A SMALL SECTION. I TOLD MY SON TO USE THE MIDDLE SEAT. AS I INSPECTED THE SEAT BELT TO THE MIDDLE SEAT, I NOTICED THAT THE SEAT BELT SHOWED SIGNS OF FRAYING ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BELT. I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE AND I WAS TOLD THAT BECAUSE OF THE SAFETY ISSUE, THAT THEY WOULD CONTACT HONDA CORPORATE IN ORDER TO HAVE AN INVESTIGATION DONE AND THAT THEY COULD NOT CONTINUE WITH ANY REPAIRS UNTIL HONDA CORPORATE AUTHORIZED THE REPAIRS.*DT*JB*JB
Official recalls
223V858000 · 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.
20V326000 · Seat Belts:rear/other
Jun 4, 2020
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019 Clarity Fuel Cell, Clarity Electric, and Clarity Plug-in Hybrid vehicles with rear seat belt assemblies with a dual-mode locking mechanism. The seat belt webbing sensor locking mechanism may not lock as intended.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: In the event of a crash, the seat belt may not properly restrain the occupant, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear seat belt assembly production dates, and replace the assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began July 24, 2020. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is Z7L.
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
1DP22005 · 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.