2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid Engine Problems
- Complaints
- 25about this part
- Share
- 18%of 137 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 3,600miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 25 complaints about the engine of the 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid, 18% of the 137 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 3,600 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“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“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“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“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“Loss of power and engine comes on with high revs while car is moving. In hv mode engine revs are continues even though I have 20 miles of EV range. I had power loss twice now in slow speed around 30 miles/hr andt 65 miles/hr”
NHTSA complaint #11173847, filed 2019-02, 895 milesEngine: other model years
Other parts of the 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid
38 complaintsElectrical system
20 complaintsOther or unknown
20 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
19 complaintsForward collision avoidance
15 complaintsVehicle speed control
12 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
11 complaintsBrakes
10 complaintsExterior lighting
10 complaintsLane departure
10 complaintsAir bags
3 complaintsSeat belts
2 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid
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.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology