Model year record
2018 Honda Clarity Electric recalls & problems
The 2018 Honda Clarity Electric has no safety recalls on file with NHTSA, and 24 owner complaints. The most-reported problem area is unknown or other (7 complaints).
Safety recalls
No safety recalls have been filed for the 2018 Honda Clarity Electric.
Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.
Crash test ratings
2018 Honda Clarity Electric 4 DR FWD
| Frontal crash | Not Rated |
|---|---|
| Side crash | Not Rated |
| Rollover | Not Rated |
Forward collision warning: Standard · Lane departure warning: Standard
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program). Ratings are comparable only between vehicles of similar size and weight, and ratings from 2011 on use tougher tests than earlier years. Photos: NHTSA.
What owners report
| Problem area | Complaints | Typical mileage* |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown or other | 7 | — |
| Electrical system | 5 | — |
| Service brakes | 4 | — |
| Engine | 4 | — |
| Forward collision avoidanceAdaptive cruise control; Automatic emergency braking | 4 | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 4 | — |
| Power train | 3 | — |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 3 | — |
| Lane departureAssist; Blind spot detection | 2 | — |
| Seats | 1 | — |
| Wheels | 1 | — |
| Service brakes, hydraulic | 1 | — |
*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.
Recent owner complaints
- Electrical system
The vehicle exhibits a dangerous electrical defect involving uncontrolled power-cycling. After shutting down the car, it automatically restarts itself in a continuous loop. During these episodes, the dashboard flickers, the drivetrain shudders, and the vehicle becomes unresponsive to manual 'Stop' button or brake inputs. Most critically, the car autostarts while parked in an enclosed garage. As a Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV), once the EV battery depletes, the internal combustion engine (ICE) engages automatically. This creates a life-threatening risk of Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning for residents in the connected home. A Honda dealership has professionally diagnosed the cause as a failure of the…
- Service brakes
Since last Wed. (9/24/2025), the car started to show the warnings of "Adaptive Cruise Control Problem", "Brake Hold System Problem", "Brake System Problem", "Electric Parking Brake Problem", and "Road Departure Mitigation System Problem" from time to time. I bought this VHonda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid 2018 in June 2023 as the HoneTrue Certified. Then probably the same time, the car lose the EV mode by itself, and only drives in the gas mode. I found this issue and late manually changed it to EV mode. WHile then it again dropped the EV mode during the driving today (9/28/2025). When I tried to press the EV button, it shows "Drive Mode Change Unavailable"! After stopped at home, I re-started…
- Unknown or other
The AC hasn't been out for a while and the defrost option doesn't work because of that. I believe that is a safety issue.
- Steering
The steering makes a horrible clunking sound, and is impercice/sloppy. Dealership refused to acknowledge any issue. Increased effort required to stay within lane. Tie rods are not damaged or worn, issue appears to be with steering rack as far as I can tell.
- Visibility/wiper
I bought this car used with a governmental help from replace my ride program, since I bough the car form a dealer [XXX] ) within few days, I took it to the dealer twice for thermostat replacement and spark plugs. and recently, There was an extended warranty from Honda for the ac condenser as this car has a major problem with ac. I took it to the dealer Honda of Riverside, California and they told me, indeed your condenser needs replacement and the good news, In California, Honda has extended its warranty. Then, they said, but you need to replace your evaporator and I need to pay $2350.26 and they refused to replace the ac condenser under warranty without replacing the evaporator and paying…
- Visibility/wiper
AC working intermittently since the day I bought. Honda replaced the condenser but now the evaporator is leak. This caused the defrost can not work properly. The leaking condenser and the evaporator are well known problems for Clarity owners. Honda should recall this.
- Electrical system
AC evaporator leaks under normal usage and low mileage.
- Unknown or other
The A/C isn't working (AGAIN!) this time due to a leak in the A/C evaporator. The dealership just replaced the condensor 7 mos ago and now the evaporator is bad. Honda's whole A/C seems to be a problem for everyone.
Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Pedestrian alert soundsClosedLed to recall 22V063000
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…