2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid problems & reliability
131 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
3 complaints report injuries (3 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 25 | 19% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 23 | 18% |
| Power Train | 19 | 15% |
| Unknown OR Other | 18 | 14% |
| Electrical System | 17 | 13% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 15 | 11% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 13 | 10% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 12 | 9% |
| Service Brakes | 10 | 8% |
| Visibility/wiper | 10 | 8% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 3,700 miles (middle 50% between 1,500 and 10,833 miles), based on 51 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“It looks like this is possibly at this point a wide spread issue with most if not it will be all honda clarity models. The lane departure warnings, adaptive cruise control, front camera honda sense electronics keep to go out and then will work for a little bit. sometimes just not work at all for months, then work for…”
Forward Collision Avoidance · filed Jul 15, 2026
“To Whom It May Concern, I am the owner of a 2018 Honda Clarity, and I am submitting this complaint to request that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigate what appears to be a widespread defect involving the front camera system used by Honda Sensing. My vehicle has experienced a failure…”
Forward Collision Avoidance · filed Jun 12, 2026
“Here is an update to the issue I had raised with your office in March-April 2026: Honda Van Nuys performed the 35,000-mile routine maintenance on the Honda Clarity on February 24, 2026. At that time, Honda Van Nuys recommended (and I approved) that they clean the throttle. The odometer read 33,882 miles. I drove the…”
Air Bags · filed Jun 8, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Pedestrian alert sounds
Defect Petition DP22005 · opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · led to recall 22V063000
Technical service bulletins
18 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid. The 10 most recent:
Service Bulletin - There is a software problem in the PCM, which may cause the MIL to come on with DTC P26A3 (electric water valve malfunction), DTC P100C (electric VTC motor speed signal circuit malfunction) and/or…
A18-090 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 14, 2023
Owner's Notification Letter - Our records indicate that a PRODUCT UPDATE has not been completed on this vehicle (Vehicle Identification Number [VIN NUMBER]). On Clarity Plug-in Hybrid vehicles, there is a software error…
ONL6PH09152022 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 15, 2022
Owner Notification Letter - On some 2018-21 Clarity Plug-In Hybrid models, the A/C condenser may leak refrigerant. American Honda is extending the warranty on the A/C condenser to 10 years from the original date of…
ONLO9V07062021 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 6, 2021
Dealer Message - Today, May 28, 2021, American Honda is announcing a warranty extension for certain 2018-2020 Accord and Accord Hybrid, 2018-2020 Civic, 2017-2021 Civic Hatch, 2017-2021 Civic Type R, 2018-2021 Clarity…
ABOM05282021 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 28, 2021
Service Bulletin - American Honda is extending the warranty on the A/C condenser to 10 years from the original date of purchase with unlimited miles. This warranty extension only covers vehicles that have a defective…
A21-017 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 28, 2021
Service Bulletin - The Hybrid System Failure message comes on the MID, and DTC P1D8D (Generator Motor Inverter Short) is stored.
A21-008 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 11, 2021
Service Bulletin - There is a software problem in the PCM, which may cause the MIL to come on with DTC P26A3 (electric water valve malfunction), DTC P100C (electric VTC motor speed signal circuit malfunction) and/or…
A18-090 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 17, 2019
Dealer Message - On October 4, 2018, American Honda announced several Product Update Campaigns for certain 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) models. Replacement CPU Assembly Auto AC Kits and Warranty CD's were…
APOC06272019 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 27, 2019
Owner Notification Letter - On Clarity Plug-in Hybrid vehicles, there may be a software problem in the powertrain control module (PCM), causing a malfunction indicator light to come on and store one or more diagnostic…
ONL6VT03262019 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 26, 2019
Owner Notification Letter - On Clarity Plug-in Hybrid vehicles, there is a software problem in the climate control unit when running the heater, which may turn the malfunction indicator light on.
ONL6SV03262019 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 26, 2019
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 3,700 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.