2018 Honda CLARITY PLUG-IN HYBRID: complaints, problems and recalls
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
134 owner complaints analyzed
1 distinct recall campaigns
2,763 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2018 model year. Data snapshot: . 64 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Engine is the most frequently named component, appearing in 25 of 134 complaints (18.7%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Braking behavior | 23 | 17.2% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 23 | 17.2% |
| Fuel system concerns | 11 | 8.2% |
| Engine operation | 10 | 7.5% |
| Transmission and shifting | 6 | 4.5% |
| Steering behavior | 4 | 3.0% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Engine | 25 |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 23 |
| Unknown Or Other | 20 |
| Power Train | 19 |
| Electrical System | 18 |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 15 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 11 |
| Service Brakes | 10 |
Engine: 25; Fuel/Propulsion System: 23; Unknown Or Other: 20; Power Train: 19; Electrical System: 18; Fuel System, Gasoline: 15; Vehicle Speed Control: 11; Service Brakes: 10
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 58 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 2 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 2 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 0 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 2 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 58; 25,000 to 49,999: 2; 50,000 to 74,999: 2; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 2; 150,000 and above: 0
Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (58). 70 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 32 |
| 2019 | 23 |
| 2020 | 7 |
| 2021 | 5 |
| 2022 | 6 |
| 2023 | 6 |
| 2024 | 39 |
| 2025 | 5 |
| 2026 | 11 |
2018: 32; 2019: 23; 2020: 7; 2021: 5; 2022: 6; 2023: 6; 2024: 39; 2025: 5; 2026: 11
Pattern summary
Engine leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 23 complaint narratives. Electrical and battery issues appears in 23 complaint narratives. Fuel system concerns appears in 11 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Examples from the source records
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 11073453 · 2018-02-18 (February 18, 2018)
THE HEADLAMPS DO NOT EXTEND OUT FAR ENOUGH CAUSING A SAFETY CONCERN. I HAVE HAD THEM ADJUSTED TWICE AND THEY STILL DO NOT EXTEND OUT ENOUGH.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11073453 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11079907 · 2018-03-17 (March 17, 2018)
VEHICLE ENGINE RESPONDED TO ACCELERATOR PEDAL INPUT, BUT WOULD NOT TRAVEL AT GREATER THAN 25 MILES PER HOUR ON SLIGHT UPHILL. VEHICLE HAD BEEN STARTED AFTER BEING OFF FOR APPROXIMATELY TWO HOURS. HIGH VOLTAGE BATTERY WAS DRAINED AND VEHICLE WAS OPERATING EXCLUSIVELY ON GAS ENGINE. VEHICLE HAD BEEN ION "ON" CONDITION FOR SEVERAL MINUTES PRIOR TO STARTING DRIVING. VEHICLE HAD TO BE PULLED INTO NEARBY BUSINESS, SINCE IT COULD NOT MAINTAIN SPEED WITH FLOW OF TRAFFIC ON 50 MOH ROAD. PROBLEM RESOLVED AFTER APPROXIMATELY TWO MINUTES OF SLOW DRIVING. …
Owner-reported narrative. 3,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 11079907 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11082212 · 2018-03-30 (March 30, 2018)
HIGH BEAM HEADLIGHTS ARE INADEQUATE. THEY WERE INITIALLY ADJUSTED TOO LOW, BUT EVEN AFTER ADJUSTING THEM, THEY ARE STILL TOO DIM. IT IS VERY EASY TO OVER-DRIVE THE REACH OF THE HIGH BEAMS.
Owner-reported narrative. 1,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 11082212 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11082215 · 2018-03-30 (March 30, 2018)
THE HEADLIGHTS ARE TOTALLY INADEQUATE. LOW BEAMS ILLUMINATE ROAD ONLY DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF VEHICLE AND NOT ENOUGH FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD CAUSING AN UNSAFE CONDITION OF 'OVER DRIVING' THE HEADLIGHTS. THIS CONDITION PERSISTED EVEN AFTER HAVING A HONDA DEALER ADJUST THE HEADLIGHTS. IN ADDITION THE HIGH BEAMS ARE PRACTICALLY NON-EXISTENT COMPARED TO ALL OTHER VEHICLES I HAVE OWNED. THEY TOO ARE TOTALLY INADEQUATE. I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO PASS A DOT TEST. IF THEY ARE ABLE TO PASS A DOT TEST THEN I WOULD SAY YOUR TEST IS NOT STRINGENT E…
Owner-reported narrative. 60 miles reported. Look up ODI 11082215 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11082219 · 2018-03-30 (March 30, 2018)
THE VEHICLE'S COMPUTER USES PAST DRIVING HISTORY AND FUEL STATE (AMONG POSSIBLY OTHER DATA) TO CALCULATE AN EXTIMATED HV RANGE SO THAT THE DRIVER CAN KNOW APPROXIMATELY HOW FAR THE VEHICLE CAN SAFELY TRAVEL BEFORE NEEDING TO REFUEL AND/OR RECHARGE. THIS FUNCTION IS NOT WORKING CORRECTLY ON MY VEHICLE NOR ON ANY OF THE NUMEROUS OWNER'S WHO HAVE POSTED ON INSIDEEV FORUMS IN THE CLARITY SUBSECTION. IT APPEARS TO BE A UNIVERSAL PROBLEM. IT WILDLY PRESENTS RANGES OF 100S TO 1,000S OF MILES ABOVE WHAT THE VEHICLE IS CAPABLE OF AND ONLY GETS WORSE WH…
Owner-reported narrative. 550 miles reported. Look up ODI 11082219 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11082269 · 2018-03-31 (March 31, 2018)
THE HV (HYBRID VEHICLE - GAS) FUEL RANGE IS WILDLY OVERINFLATED. THE CAR HAS A 7 GALLON TANK SO IT SHOULD BE ABOUT 300 MILES ON A FULL TANK ACCORDING TO THE EPA ESTIMATE. HOWEVER, IT OFTEN SHOWS IN EXCESS OF 800 MILES. THIS IS EVENTUALLY GOING TO CAUSE SOMEONE TO RUN OUT OF GAS IN A DANGEROUS SITUATION, LIKE IN A DESERT OR OTHER REMOTE AREA. ACCORDING TO ONLINE FORUMS, THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO AFFECT EVERYONE WITH THIS MODEL OF CAR.
Owner-reported narrative. 3,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11082269 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11083338 · 2018-04-04 (April 4, 2018)
WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR, I HAVE A HV RANGE OF 340 MILES WITHOUT EV RANGE. SO WHEN I GET HOME I STARTED TO CHARGE MY CAR. NEXT MORNING I HAVE ENOUGH EV TO TRAVEL TO WORK BUT IS NOT ENOUGH TO MAKE TO WORK SO I HAVE TO USE SOME OF THE HV RANGE. SO I CHARGE FROM HOME AND CHARGE FROM WORK AND THAT'S MY DAILY ROUTINE. FINALLY AFTER FEW WEEKS I HAVE TO FILL UP MY TANK BUT MY HV RANGE SHOT UP TO 729 MILES. I WAS SUPRISE BUT FROM THE START I WAS HAPPY BUT REALISE LATER IS NOT TRUE. SO START WATCHING MY RANGE. WHEN I TRAVEL 60 MILES YOU CAN SEE THE HV DROP…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11083338 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11091184 · 2018-05-01 (May 1, 2018)
I FILLED THE SEVEN GALLON GAS TANK YESTERDAY, AND THE DASHBOARD RANGE DISPLAY CALCULATED THE RANGE OF THE CAR ON GAS POWER AS 871 MILES. I HAVE BEEN DRIVEN MOSTLY ON ELECTRIC BATTERY POWER, BUT WITH ONLY SEVEN GALLONS OF GAS IN THE TANK, THAT RANGE IS ABSURD. NEW DRIVERS OF THE VEHICLES MIGHT BELIEVE THE RANGE AND INADVERTENTLY STRAND THEMSELVES SOMEWHERE.
Owner-reported narrative. 1,470 miles reported. Look up ODI 11091184 at NHTSA ↗
Recall history
1 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
23V858000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:Delivery:Fuel Pump
Reported: 2023-12-18 (December 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: 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.
NHTSA campaign record ↗