Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid collision warning problems

Filed Oct 25, 2026 · Driver assistance, Electrical · NJ

# the federal safety agency VEHICLE SAFETY COMPLAINT **Subject: Sudden Unintended Braking, Violent Vehicle Bucking, and Loss of Propulsion – 2020 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid** **Vehicle Information** - Manufacturer: Honda - Model: Clarity Plug-In Hybrid - Model Year: 2020 - Mileage: Approximately 35,000 miles - Incident Date: October 2026 (exact date to be confirmed) - Incident Location: [XXX] - Servicing Dealership: DCH Paramus Honda, [XXX] - Vehicle Identification Number (VIN): [Insert VIN] ## Description of Safety Incident I am reporting a serious and potentially life-threatening vehicle safety malfunction involving my 2020 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid, which experienced sudden, unintended, violent braking and a subsequent severe loss of propulsion while traveling on a public roadway. The incident occurred approximately five minutes after I picked up my vehicle from DCH Paramus Honda, an authorized Honda dealership, following a warranty-covered replacement of the air-conditioning condenser. The vehicle had approximately 35,000 miles and was operating normally before this repair. While driving home to [XXX], at the intersection of [XXX], my vehicle suddenly and unexpectedly began violently jerking and bucking, with the wheels seemingly locking, before coming to an abrupt stop. **There was no vehicle, pedestrian, or other obstacle directly ahead of my car. The roadway was clear, and there was no apparent reason for emergency braking.** I did not intentionally activate the emergency parking brake or initiate an emergency stop. Immediately following this event, numerous dashboard warning indicators illuminated, including the following specific messages: - **Collision Mitigation Braking System Problem** - **Power System Problem** The vehicle was initially unable to function normally. After restarting it, the car operated only at severely reduced power, with a m INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Aug 22, 2026 · Driver assistance, Electrical · CA

The 2020 Honda Clarity's multipurpose windshield camera fails intermittently, often at startup. The vehicle displays Brake System and Honda Sensing-related warnings, disabling Collision Mitigation Braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, and road-departure mitigation. The vehicle may otherwise operate, but multiple driver-assistance safety systems are unavailable. A dealer attributed the issue to the windshield camera module and possible calibration. The warnings began approximately June 2025 and remain intermittent. The camera is available for inspection. No crash, fire, injury, or police report.

Filed Aug 10, 2026 · Driver assistance · TX

The forward-facing Honda Sensing camera mounted behind the windshield (Nidec monocular camera, Honda part number 36160-TRW-A04) failed at approximately 85000 miles on XXX The failure produced simultaneous dashboard warnings and disabled multiple driver assistance systems at once, including Collision Mitigation Braking System (automatic emergency braking), Forward Collision Warning, Road Departure Mitigation, Lane Keeping Assist, and Adaptive Cruise Control. There was no impact, no windshield damage, and no obstruction of the camera lens. The failure appears to be internal to the camera assembly and occurred without warning during normal driving. Because all of these safety systems depend on this single camera, one component failure removed every forward collision protection on the vehicle simultaneously. The sudden appearance of multiple warning lights at once was also distracting while driving. The vehicle is out of warranty and Honda has offered no repair assistance. Dealer replacement is quoted at approximately $1,500 to $2,000 including required camera calibration. This same camera failure is widely reported by owners of Honda Sensing equipped vehicles, including Clarity, Odyssey, Pilot, Civic, and HR-V models, typically at [XXX] to [XXX] of age, which suggests a durability or thermal defect in the camera assembly rather than an isolated failure. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Jun 12, 2026 · Driver assistance · CA

To Whom It May Concern, I am the owner of a 2018 Honda Clarity, and I am submitting this complaint to request that the federal safety agency investigate what appears to be a widespread defect involving the front camera system used by Honda Sensing. My vehicle has experienced a failure of the front camera system, which has disabled numerous critical safety features, including: • Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) • Automatic Emergency Braking (Collision Mitigation Braking System) • Blind Spot Warning • Forward Collision Warning • Lane Departure Warning • Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS) • Parking Collision Warning • Rear Cross Traffic Warning When the front camera fails, these safety systems become unavailable, significantly reducing the vehicle's ability to assist the driver in avoiding collisions and maintaining safe operation. After researching this issue online, I discovered that thousands of Honda owners have reported similar failures involving Honda Sensing cameras and related driver-assistance systems. Many owners have reported receiving warning messages, loss of safety functions, and repair estimates costing thousands of dollars. This appears to be a recurring problem rather than isolated incidents. I believe this defect presents a serious safety concern because drivers may unexpectedly lose access to critical collision avoidance and lane safety technologies that were included as standard safety equipment on the vehicle. The failure of a single camera component should not disable so many essential safety systems without a more robust fail-safe solution. I respectfully request that the federal safety agency investigate this issue and determine whether a safety recall or other corrective action is warranted for affected Honda vehicles, including the 2018 Honda Clarity. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. I would be happy to provide additional information, repair records, photographs, diagnostic reports, or any other documentat

Filed May 12, 2026 · Driver assistance · CA

The forward-facing multipurpose camera unit (ADAS camera) failed internally while driving, causing the simultaneous deactivation of multiple critical safety systems including Collision Mitigation Braking (CMBS), Road Departure Mitigation, and Lane Keeping Assist (LKAS). The failure is indicated by persistent dashboard warning messages stating 'System Fault' or 'Honda Sensing Problem'.A professional diagnostic scan confirmed DTC code U3000-49 (Multipurpose Camera Unit Internal Failure). The sudden and unpredictable loss of these automated safety features reduces the vehicle's ability to assist in avoiding collisions and increases the risk of a crash, particularly in emergency situations. This appears to be a widespread manufacturing defect in the camera hardware that poses an unreasonable safety risk to drivers and passengers.

Filed Apr 3, 2026 · Driver assistance · CA

I was just driving normal and a message on my dashboard started to appear saying to clean my windshield or the collision mitigation system cannot work, We cleaned the windshield several times and it didn’t work the light still on, mow it got worst all of the lights turned on when I drive the car, adaptive cruise control light, road departure mitigation system problem light, lane keeping assistance problem light, collision mitigation system problem light and Brake system light, I checked online and there’s alot of people complaining from the same thing, they said it’s an issue with the front windshield camera but honda wants to charge thousands of dollars to fix it and there’s other honda models with the same problem too. I don’t know if it’s safe to drive it or if more lights are going to come up.

Filed Mar 11, 2026 · Brakes · 44,000 miles · CT

The contact owns a 2019 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The contact stated that the BRAKE Hold system, hill start assist, collision mitigation system, VSA, and the electric parking brake warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was driven to a safe location and turned off. The vehicle was restarted. Additionally, the warning lights were no longer illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while it was cold, and the temperature was below zero degrees. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with an electric servo brake control unit/pedal seal simulator failure. The contact was informed that the electric servo brake control unit/pedal seal simulator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that parts were not in-stock and that the parts needed to be ordered. The contact researched the failure using an online chat group and was advised to take the vehicle back to the dealer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact informed the dealer that the failure could be because of a failing battery. The dealer replaced the battery. A month later, the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that while sitting in the vehicle with the engine idling and the foot on the brake pedal, the vehicle rolled backwards. The vehicle almost crashed into the vehicle that was parked behind it. The contact immediately turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted. The vehicle was driven to the residence without the failure recurring. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 44,000.

Filed Nov 2, 2024 · Driver assistance · NJ · crash

My car was involved in a low speed accident in which the front end of our car hit the rear bumper of the other car. There was no damage to the other car and what appeared to be only minor damage to our front grill. 1) Shortly after the accident, the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) malfunctioned several times by strongly engaging the brakes when there was no car in front of us. 2) The sudden braking for no reason caused cars behind us to swerve out of the way in order to avoid an accident. Very fortunately, no accidents occurred. 3) The dealer service center confirmed that the accident had caused the sensors for the CMBS to malfunction which in turn caused the brakes to engage. 4) The car has not been inspected. 5) Prior to the brakes engaging, the "Brake Now" warning light came on when there were no cars in front of us. My concern is that the car does not have a safety check to make sure that the sensors are working properly. In addition, the Honda Manual does not warn drivers that even a very low speed accident could cause the sensors to malfunction and the brakes to engage. The CMBS can be turned off by the driver but it automatically comes on every time the car starts. In my view, at the very least, drivers should be warned that if they are involved in an accident, they should disengage the CMBS until an authorized service center can look at the car and make sure the sensors are operating properly. I have contacted Honda and they called me back several months ago, but, to date, nothing has been done. I have attached a picture showing that the damage from the accident appeared to be minor.

Filed Dec 7, 2023 · Driver assistance · CA

No Accident occurred but wanted to report a problem with my vehicle. Dealership diagnosed my vehicle with a malfunction in the "multipurpose camera unit/millimeter wave radar." Because of this malfunction, my vehicle lost all its driving assistant abilities such as: Adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, land departure warning, lane keep assistance, and automatic emergency braking. Attached a picture of a screenshot of my cell phone showing all the things that are affected by the one camera malfunctioning.

Filed Sep 10, 2022 · Driver assistance · CA

Multiple errors. Possible broken car camera. Because the camera is broken, all safety futures stop functioning like land departure warning, land keeping warning, collision warning. The problem is confirmed by the dealer and the dealer told us it’s known problem with Honda car.