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2018 Honda Clarity

ElectricPlug-in hybridHydrogen fuel cell
Midsize Cars
3 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
C
Safety Signal
76 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
RecallsNHTSA campaigns3
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA160
Crash ratingNHTSA overall—
EV rangebest configuration, EPA89 mi
Fuel economybest combined, EPA68 mpg
20212020201920182017

The 2018 Honda Clarity is sold in the U.S. as a electric, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell midsize car with 3 EPA-rated configurations. Its longest-range version, the Clarity EV, is EPA-rated at 89 miles with 114 MPGe combined efficiency. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of C. Owners have filed 160 complaints, most often about the engine.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombRangekWh/100miCharge (240V)Annual fuel*
Clarity EVElectricFWD120 kW AC PMSM126103114 MPGe89 mi29.54 h$650
Clarity Plug-in HybridPlug-in hybridFWD1.5L 4-cyl + 135kW AC PMSM444042 (76 MPGe blended)48 mi electric312.2 h$1,500
Clarity FCVHydrogen fuel cellFWD130 kW AC PMSM696768————

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 40044, 39782, 47529.

Factory warranty running out?

The 2018 Honda Clarity is in the years where high-voltage electronics and module repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

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Recalls (3)

Source: NHTSA recall database
▲high

Fuel System, Gasoline

KGC, KGD
2,490,460 vehiclesPlug-in hybrid only
ProblemHonda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.RiskFuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.FixDealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.
NHTSA campaign 23V858000reported Dec 18, 2023Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
▲high

Equipment

N5H
1,082 vehicles
ProblemHonda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Clarity Fuel Cell vehicles. Internal components may corrode and cause the water pump to fail.RiskA failure of the water pump can cause the vehicle to stall, increasing the risk of crash.FixHonda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the water pump, free of charge. The recall began June 10, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is L4N.
NHTSA campaign 19V315000reported Apr 18, 2019Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
▲high

Hybrid Propulsion System

A3O
1,082 vehicles
ProblemHonda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Clarity Fuel Cell vehicles previously repaired under recall 18V-068. The previous software remedy may have been incomplete. As a result, the fuel cell control unit (FC-ECU) may misinterpret a small cell voltage drop, causing the vehicle to have a partial or complete loss of power.RiskA loss of power can increase the risk of a crash.FixHonda has notified owners, and dealers will update the FC-ECU software, free of charge. The recall began February 14, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is A3O.
NHTSA campaign 18V921000reported Dec 20, 2018Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)

NHTSA defect investigations

Electrical System:Propulsion System — Pedestrian alert sounds closed

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. 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, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matt

Opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · action DP22005

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
160complaints filed

11 involved a crash · 1 a fire · 3 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2018: 33 · 2019: 25 · 2020: 11 · 2021: 6 · 2022: 9 · 2023: 10 · 2024: 47 · 2025: 7 · 2026: 12

Most-cited components

Engine29
Unspecified27
Fuel/Propulsion System24
Electrical System24
Forward Collision Avoidance22
Power Train19

What owners describe

“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 input…”Jan 3, 2026 · Electrical System · NHTSA owner report
“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 a…”Sep 28, 2025 · Service Brakes · NHTSA owner report
“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.”Nov 14, 2024 · Steering · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

NHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.

Other Clarity model years

A

2021 Honda Clarity

0 recalls · 4 complaints

A

2020 Honda Clarity

0 recalls · 10 complaints

B

2019 Honda Clarity

2 recalls · 45 complaints

B

2017 Honda Clarity

3 recalls · 5 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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