Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Several times now while driving on the interstate at the average speed of 70 to 75 which is the speed limit in my Area the battery level while fully charged it's supposed to only drop down to 20% I have noticed several times now while on the interstate I've been barely able to drive 40 mph as it is dropping the power level down to almost zero there is no bars being illuminated they're supposed to be two bars for 20% and even one bar for 10% and twice now in a matter of 2 weeks I've noticed that it goes down to zero bars and the engine is revving very very high and I have very little power available this is quite dangerous on the interstate and I wish this could be resolved or I'll be getting rid of this car
Rear camera and Side camera and infotainment system all do not work. Screen does work because we get the welcome message when starting the car. We brought the car to the dealership and they told us that the screen needs to be replaced (Which appears to be working) at a cost of $5400 which they stated may not fix this issue. In addition we tried to get the fuel recall repaired but they told us they could not do it because there is too much fuel in the tank. - The tank holds a total of 8 gallons
There is an issue with the front, right turn signal light flickering uncontrollably. This flickering is occurring during the vehicle's operation, posing a significant safety risk as the amber light is incorrectly signaling to other vehicles on the road. The flickering also occurs while the vehicle is parked and off-draining the battery. It has been occurring intermittently with my vehicle for over two years. This issue is widely reported online, with dozens of posts on websites and forums.
this Honda does not display outside turn signals, found similar problem on Honda Civic and Accord which have recall for this problem. doing research civic and accord have the same body control module as my Honda clarity where the problem is located , I contacted my honda dealer and explained this to service advisor , but he was unable to help me. the car shows fast blinking at gauge cluster turn signal indicator just like turns signals from the civic and accord recalls
All the sensor is showing as a problem on the dashboard the vehicle was not in any accident and no damages to the front radar or front camera sensor. Multiple error problems continue to show on the dashboard.
I will first start with our problems/concerns. We had experienced a complete lost power in freeway speed (65 mph) when the battery is depleted, that is when the battery bar goes to zero bar instead of 2 bars usually. I attached a photo from the video I took for your reference. This experience was the engine ramp up and not getting any power while driving on freeway, escpecially obvious during uphill slope. It is a safety hazard where we had to manuver in order avoid traffic since we could not maintain freeway speed. This originally happened around 2022, but we checked with Norm Reeves Honda Cerritos and they told us nothing is wrong and because there was no fault code, nothing they can do. When the Recall service canoaign 24-031 came, we were relieved because we think the problem is going to be fixed. …
COMPONENT FAILURE: 2018 Honda Clarity PHEV Air Conditioning Evaporator Core. Complete refrigerant leak. Available for inspection/repair at Norm Reeves Honda Huntington Beach. Confirmed July 29, 2026, via borescope/UV dye. Repair estimate: $3,151-$3,217. SAFETY RISK: Vehicle is inoperable without A/C on Southern California freeways during extreme heat. Operating in 100+ degree heat causes heat exhaustion, reduced driver alertness, and high accident risk. DEALER/INDEPENDENT CONFIRMATION: Confirmed by Norm Reeves Honda Superstore Huntington Beach (July 29, 2026) using borescope camera and UV dye. Written estimate provided. No independent inspection. MANUFACTURER/POLICE/INSURANCE: No inspections by American Honda, police, or insurance. Component is inside the vehicle and available for manufacturer inspection. …
COMPONENT FAILURE: 2018 Honda Clarity PHEV Air Conditioning Evaporator Core. Complete refrigerant leak. Available for inspection/repair at Norm Reeves Honda Huntington Beach. Confirmed July 29, 2026, via borescope/UV dye. Repair estimate: $3,151-$3,217. SAFETY RISK: Vehicle is inoperable without A/C on Southern California freeways during extreme heat. Operating in 100+ degree heat causes heat exhaustion, reduced driver alertness, and high accident risk. DEALER/INDEPENDENT CONFIRMATION: Confirmed by Norm Reeves Honda Superstore Huntington Beach (July 29, 2026) using borescope camera and UV dye. Written estimate provided. No independent inspection. MANUFACTURER/POLICE/INSURANCE: No inspections by American Honda, police, or insurance. Component is inside the vehicle and available for manufacturer inspection. …
On the dash is the entertainment system tablet-like touchscreen. All professional Honda reviewers know this issue and even Honda themselves have fixed the new entertainment tablet shortfalls but this car is still being sold today with this harmful system. The infotainment system controls both the rear-veiw camera and the blind-spot monitor on the side veiw. Because the system is buggy, and laggy, sometimes the camera will freeze an image on the screen. Sometimes the cameras will not show on the dash at all (again, because the Android based system is very slow) last night my wife almost killed herself when the GPS said "exit right" and her image on the screen was frozen without any cars but an 18 wheeler was honking and swerving away from us making a dramatic hop into the right lane. …
The Clarity PHEV is incompatible with public charging stations (e.g. Chargepoint) that feature dual charging ports and an energy management controller (emc). The vehicle's onboard charger will shut off when it senses the charging station's emc is activated when both ports are engaged for simultaneous charging. Multiple failed attempts to restart charging will result In a "total system failure" warning from the instrument panel causing the vehicle to not start and drive. Owners could be stuck In a parking stall for up to 4 hours to allow the system to self-heal/recover from the total system failure before being able to start and drive the car. Issue has been diagnosed by Honda dealership, but no information from Honda or the dealership on a future software update to resolve the problem. …
NHTSA investigations
Pedestrian alert sounds
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.
Electrical complaints in other Clarity Plug-In Hybrid years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the electrical system of the 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid, 15% of the model year's 137 complaints. The component named most often is software (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid, though it has 1 recall for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 1,000 miles, and 100% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.