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 Body Control Module (BCM). This module failure also causes the anti-theft alarm to trigger uncontrollably and renders the keyless entry system inoperable. This defect turned the vehicle into a life-safety hazard in a residential setting. Visual documentation of the uncontrolled power-cycling and dashboard flickering can be viewed at: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The worst 2018 Honda Clarity Electric problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Brakes5
- Electrical5
- Visibility5
- Driver assistance4
- Engine4
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Brakes5
- Electrical5
- Visibility5
- Driver assistance4
- Engine4
- Fuel system3
- Transmission3
- Acceleration1
- Airbags1
- Body1
- Seats1
- Steering1
- Wheels1
Recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Defect investigations
Pedestrian alert sounds
the federal safety agency 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 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, the federal safety agency 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 the federal safety agency he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by the federal safety agency regarding the subject matter of the petition.
DP22005
Technical service bulletins for the 2018 Honda Clarity Electric 12
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- The Clarity Plug-In Hybrid and Clarity Electric may not start charging when plugged in or may stop...
- The Clarity Plug-In Hybrid and Clarity Electric may not start charging when plugged in or may stop...
- There is a software problem in the climate control unit when running the heater, which may turn the MIL...
- There is a software problem in the PCM, which may
- There is a software error in the miles per gallon calculation, which affects the HV range display by...
- During vehicle assembly, the warranty information CD that was placed in the vehicle did not list the...
- This bulletin is replaced by S/B 18-091, Product Update: 2018 Clarity PHEV Driver Display Software Update...
- This bulletin is replaced by S/B 18-089, Product Update: 2018 Clarity Plug-In Hybrid EVTC & 3-Way Valve...
- Dealer message
- The Clarity Plug-In Hybrid and Clarity Electric may not start charging when plugged in or may stop...
What 2018 Honda Clarity Electric owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
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 the car, I can change it to EV mode.
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.
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.
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 that much of money. I called Honda for help (goodwill) and after about a month (without having my car and many emails and phone call and time and efforts) Honda final response was "sorry, you have high mileage" Case [XXX] I really need your help to protect me from them. Thank you [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
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.
AC evaporator leaks under normal usage and low mileage.
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.
I received a notice in the mail last YEAR stating that there was a problem with fuel pump in Honda Clarity and there would be a recall. I cannot get my car serviced. Honda will not respond. A dealer said not safe to drive. And they said they have no idea if they will even have parts this YEAR. Help please.
Despite what your website says, there is a recall on this car - for the fuel pump. Honda has sent notice of the recall but they have NO parts and NO timeline for the repair. The dealer advised me not "to drive long distances" in the car - that is not an acceptable resolution. Also, I asked the dealer if they could narrow down part availability to "weeks, months or years" and they told me they could not.
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Questions about the 2018 Honda Clarity Electric
Is the 2018 Honda Clarity Electric reliable?
Owners have filed 24 complaints about the 2018 Honda Clarity Electric, 8.0 times a typical Clarity Electric model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2018 Honda Clarity Electric?
Brakes, with 5 complaints. Next is electrical (5).
How many recalls does the 2018 Honda Clarity Electric have?
No recalls on record.
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