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Honda Clarity Plug-In HybridModel year report

2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid Problems

Complaints
137filed with NHTSA
Median mileage
2,762miles, 64 complaints with mileage
Recalls
1campaigns on record
Trend
RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA crash rating
—no overall rating published
EPA fuel economy
42 mpgcombined (gas only), 1.5L 4-cyl · plug-in hybrid FWD · 44 city / 40 hwy

Sources: NHTSA records for the 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid (complaints, recalls, investigations), EPA fuel economy. Report an error

What owners report

Owners of the 2018 Clarity Plug-In Hybrid most often describe a sudden loss of power and excessive engine revving when the car switches from electric to gas operation, often with the battery low and sometimes on hills or at highway speed. Many complaints were filed in the first few thousand miles, and a second cluster involves charging and warning-light behavior that leaves owners unsure whether the car is operating as designed.

  1. Engine

    Loss of power with high engine revving (EV to gas)

    • 24 complaints (18%)
    • median 4,359 mi at 1.3 yrs old (18 state mileage)
    • filed 2018–2024

    Owners describe the car revving hard while speed drops, as though the engine is disconnected from the wheels, most often when the battery is low and the gas engine takes over. Several report dropping from highway speed to 20-30 mph or losing acceleration on grades, and some say they had to pull over and restart. Complaints describe dealers either finding no stored codes or telling owners the behavior is normal per the owner's manual; one owner reports a control box was swapped from another vehicle. Mostly reported in the first few thousand miles, frequently in cold weather and when the battery is down to its last bar or two.

    1 related service bulletin

    What to check: Drive the car with the battery deliberately depleted and try a sustained uphill stretch at highway speed. Ask the seller whether the hybrid system software updates were applied.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “I have only had the car 2 months, but twice so far, while traveling downhill at 45 MPH, the engine began to rev to its redline and there was no power to accelerate in hv mode. This was quite dangerous in one instance as I was unable to accelerate onto a highway.”

    NHTSA complaint #11162362, filed 2018-12, 4,300 miles

    “We leased our vehicle in november of 2018. From the test drive and going forward we noticed high engine idle during acceleration but was told the car needed to be charged.(we were never told of anything regarding loss of engine power or acceleration if the battery is low! False advertising!) as the days went by we noticed the issue getting worse and that the revving was actually the car losing power when driving in any condition or driving mode. …”

    NHTSA complaint #11217390, filed 2019-06, 200 miles
  2. Electrical system

    Multiple warning lights and infotainment freezes

    • 37 complaints (27%)
    • median 2,300 mi at 1.0 yrs old (19 state mileage)
    • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • filed 2018–2026

    Owners report the whole cluster of warning indicators lighting at once, sometimes with brake and engine system messages, and sometimes not clearing after a restart. Others describe the center touchscreen freezing or going laggy, which affects the rear-view and side camera displays. Complaints say dealers reset or replaced modules in some cases and found no fault in others. Reported at very low mileage, often within the first few hundred miles.

    6 related service bulletins

    What to check: Start the car and watch the gauge cluster for stored warnings, then test the touchscreen, backup camera and side camera for lag. Ask whether the PCM software updates were completed.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “While I was driving on central ave (from north to south) in phoenix, engine error sign and brake error sign were flashing. Meanwhile, I could not slow down the car as I could not push the brake peddle down. So, I just had to let the car cruise on its own to slow down without brake and finally managed to turn into palm ln for a stop. Luckily, I was not on the highway and could not image what would happen if I drove the car without the control of the brake.”

    NHTSA complaint #11195534, filed 2019-04, 4,900 miles

    “At the time of the occurrence the vehicle had been owned for approximately 90 days and had approximately 2500 miles on the odometer. When initially started in a stationary poistion the information display provided multiple apparently spurious alarms and warnings. These warnings continued when the vehicle was in motion. Turning the vehicler off and restarting the vehiclewould not clear the warnings. …”

    NHTSA complaint #11100139, filed 2018-06, 2,525 miles
  3. Fuel system

    HV fuel range display reads far too high

    • 9 complaints (7%)
    • median 1,470 mi at 0.5 yrs old (7 state mileage, few)
    • filed 2018–2026

    Owners report the dash range estimate for gas operation showing several hundred to over 1,000 miles, far beyond what a small tank can cover. Complaints say the estimate counts down very quickly on long trips and that it makes it hard to judge when refueling is needed. Several note that other owners report the same thing. Commonly noted within the first few thousand miles, especially for owners who do a lot of short electric-only trips.

    3 related service bulletins

    What to check: Check that the product update for the range/mpg calculation was completed; ask the seller for service records or have a dealer confirm by VIN.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “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.”

    NHTSA complaint #11091184, filed 2018-05, 1,470 miles

    “Vehicle range calculation is incorrect for highway/long distance travel. The range estimate shows off even when fuel level is very low. For example, when starting a trip it might show 1000 miles range. On the highway, this will count down very quickly, 1 mile driven might count down 4 miles of estimated range. …”

    NHTSA complaint #11097193, filed 2018-05, 6,000 miles

Buying note. Drive this model year with the battery run down and on a hill to see how the gas engine behaves, and confirm with a dealer by VIN which software updates and the fuel pump recall have been completed. Check charging at a public station before committing, and treat the range display as approximate.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.

NHTSA recorded 137 consumer complaints for the 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid. 64 of the complaints include a mileage, and 94% of those were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the median is 2,762 miles. Of all complaints, 9 involved a crash, 1 a fire, 3 an injury, according to the filers. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign and 18 technical service bulletins for this model year.

Not compared (fewer than 3 comparable model years). Model years 2008–2023 of the same vehicle that have at least 25 complaints are compared, and a model needs at least 3 of them.

Which parts are reported most

Complaints can name more than one part, so the counts add up to more than the total. Select a part to see its complaints, recalls and bulletins.

Also reported: Lane departure (10), Air bags (3), Seat belts (2), Body and structure (2), Wheels (2), Back-over prevention (rear camera) (1), Electronic stability control (1), Hybrid propulsion system (1), Steering (1).

Example complaints

Fuel system: “We leased a 2018 Honda clarity in december of 2017. Since then, the car has lost power several times (over 25 times). Attached are 2 separate video clips showing the car losing power. The car feels like the engine disengages and the revolutions go up, but the car slows down. I have been on the freeway going up a hill, when the engine lost power. We went from 65 MPH down to 20 MPH. I had to fully stop in the emergency lane and accelerate again to clear the issue. …”

NHTSA complaint #11205922, filed 2019-05, 500 miles

Engine: “I have advised the dealership that I only had about 3 hours of highway miles on my ice but at 6000 miles the car alerted me to bring in my car for service. I want to take care of my car but the mintainance cost and needlesly changing the engine oil and fiter steers me away from trusting the maintanance suggested to us by Honda. Everyone knows dealers make more profit from maintanance that from sales. …”

NHTSA complaint #11171627, filed 2019-01, 6,000 miles

Electrical system: “Twice I experienced extreme high revs (like the car was in neutral and you have the pedal to the metal)with absolute loss of power and speed down to 30 MPH first time on freeway & 10 MPH second time on highway. Happened twice when battery was low (each time battery display actually went down to 1 bar which I've been told by dealer that it is impossible to go below 2 bars when hv kicks in) and on slight incline. Super scary dangerous, family screaming of fear inside vehicle)! …”

NHTSA complaint #11132244, filed 2018-09, 200 miles

Other or unknown: “My AC has stopped working twice! First time was sept 2019. I was charged $300 for refrigerant. Second time was april 27, 2020. I was told it was the evaporator core. Honda corp told me it would take 3 months for the part to arrive in ca. I live in palm springs where weather can reach up to 118 degrees. This is very unacceptable. I went on the clarity forums and discovered that many many other owners are experiencing the same A/C issues.”

NHTSA complaint #11325770, filed 2020-05, 49,000 miles

Mileage when problems were reported

94% of the 64 complaints with a mileage were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the middle half falls between 550 and 6,000 miles.

80%0–1011%10–253%25–503%50–750%75–1003%100–1500%150+
Share of complaints by mileage when the problem was reported, in thousands of miles (64 complaints with mileage). Red bars: under 50,000 miles. Bucket widths differ. Median: 2,762 miles.

Complaints by year filed

Trend: rising. Complaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.

20182019202020212022202320243920252026
Complaints by year the complaint was filed with NHTSA. Red bars: the last 3 full calendar years used for the trend. The current year (2026) is partial.

Fuel economy and running cost

EPA ratings for each 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid version. Annual fuel cost is the EPA's estimate at its current fuel prices for 15,000 miles a year (55% city driving); plug-in hybrid figures are for gasoline-only (hybrid mode) driving, so no annual cost is shown.

VersionEngineTransmissionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yr
Clarity Plug-in Hybrid FWD1.5L 4-cyl · plug-in hybridCVT444042 gas only—

Source: U.S. EPA and Department of Energy, fueleconomy.gov. Ratings are for comparing vehicles; real-world mileage varies with driving and conditions.

Recalls and investigations

Recall details for the 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid → · Check a VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls

Technical service bulletins

TSBs are manufacturer notes to dealers about known repair procedures. They are not recalls and do not by themselves mean a vehicle has a fault. 18 on record; the latest 10 are shown.

See all 18 bulletins →

Other model years of the Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid

YearComplaintsMedian miRecallsCrash ★MPGScore (50 = typical)Trend
202083,0600—42—Not enough data
2019428,7402—42Not compared (fewer than 3 comparable model years)Rising
20181372,7621—42Not compared (fewer than 3 comparable model years)Rising

All Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid model years

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid?

Owners of the 2018 Clarity Plug-In Hybrid most often describe a sudden loss of power and excessive engine revving when the car switches from electric to gas operation, often with the battery low and sometimes on hills or at highway speed. The issues reported most often: Loss of power with high engine revving (EV to gas); Multiple warning lights and infotainment freezes; HV fuel range display reads far too high.

How many NHTSA complaints does the 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid have?

NHTSA recorded 137 consumer complaints for the 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid as of Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

What part of the 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid is reported most often?

Fuel system is named most often, in 38 complaints (28% of the total), followed by engine with 25.

Has the 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid been recalled?

NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for this model year. To check a specific vehicle, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What gas mileage does the 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid get?

The EPA rates the 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid (Clarity Plug-in Hybrid, 1.5L 4-cyl · plug-in hybrid) at 42 mpg combined, 44 city and 40 highway when running on gasoline in hybrid mode. Other engine and drive versions are rated differently.

At what mileage are problems with the 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid reported?

Among the 64 complaints that include a mileage, the median is 2,762 miles and the middle half falls between 550 and 6,000 miles; 94% were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles.

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Fuel economy is from the EPA and DOE (fueleconomy.gov).

Complaint counts come from NHTSA’s public complaint database; we count each complaint once. The source records for this vehicle are on nhtsa.gov. Scores and trends are our own summaries of that data, described in the methodology. This page is not legal, safety or repair advice: for a specific vehicle, check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and ask a qualified mechanic. See an error? Tell us.