AutoUtility currently tracks 136 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2018 Honda Clarity. Fuel & Propulsion System issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 40 complaints (29.4% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 9 filings cite a crash, 1 cites a fire, 3 report one or more injuries.

Key Problem Findings
  • • Total NHTSA Complaints: 136 reports
  • • #1 Reported Problem Area: Fuel & Propulsion System (40 reports • 29.4% of submitted complaints)
  • • Secondary Problem Areas: Driver Assistance & Safety Tech (28), Engine & Cooling (20)
  • • Crash-Citing Complaints: 9 filings
  • • Fire-Citing Complaints: 1 filings
  • • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 3 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Reporting Methodology: Statistics describe unverified consumer submissions voluntarily filed with NHTSA. Complaint volume is not normalized for vehicle sales volume or miles driven. Multiple components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission.
Total Complaints
136
Submitted to NHTSA ODI
Crash-Citing Complaints
9
Filings citing a collision
Fire-Citing Complaints
1
Filings citing smoke or fire
Complaints Reporting Injuries
3
Filings citing one or more injuries
Complaints Reporting Fatalities
0
Consumer filings citing fatalities

Most Reported Problems for 2018 Honda Clarity

Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records

#1 Problem Area 29.4% of complaints

Fuel & Propulsion System

40 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 1 crash report 🩹 1 injury report entry
#2 Problem Area 20.6% of complaints

Driver Assistance & Safety Tech

28 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 8 crash reports 🩹 3 injury report entries
#3 Problem Area 14.7% of complaints

Engine & Cooling

20 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 1 crash report
#4 Problem Area 14% of complaints

Electrical System

19 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 2 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
✓ 0 crashes or fires cited
#5 Problem Area 14% of complaints

Powertrain & Transmission

19 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
✓ 0 crashes or fires cited
Domain Share Note: Share percentage represents the proportion of unique complaint filings referencing each vehicle system. Because single complaints may cite multiple systems (such as engine and electrical simultaneously), domain percentages represent individual category incidence and may sum to over 100%.

Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2018 Honda Clarity

Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis

AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.

Powertrain & Transmission 5.1% of complaints

Loss of Motive Power While Driving

7 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Symptom Identification Method: A complaint may describe more than one symptom, so percentages may sum to more than 100%. Symptom identification reflects text contained in consumer-submitted complaint records and does not establish a confirmed mechanical diagnosis.

Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2018 Honda Clarity

Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Electrical System NHTSA ODI ID: #11757198
Filed: 08/15/2026

"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..."

Incident Date: 07/29/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Electrical System NHTSA ODI ID: #11757196
Filed: 08/15/2026

"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..."

Incident Date: 07/29/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech NHTSA ODI ID: #11755819
Filed: 08/10/2026

"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..."

Incident Date: 07/03/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech NHTSA ODI ID: #11750678
Filed: 07/15/2026

"It looks like this is possibly at this point a wide spread issue with most if not it will be all honda clarity models. The lane departure warnings, adaptive cruise control, front camera honda sense electronics keep to go out and then will work for a little bit. sometimes just not work at all for..."

Incident Date: 11/11/2025 • Raw NHTSA Component: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech NHTSA ODI ID: #11743727
Filed: 06/12/2026

"To Whom It May Concern, I am the owner of a 2018 Honda Clarity, and I am submitting this complaint to request that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigate what appears to be a widespread defect involving the front camera system used by Honda Sensing. My vehicle has..."

Incident Date: 04/09/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
Consumer Narrative Notice: Excerpts are sanitized text descriptions submitted by vehicle owners to the federal ODI database. They reflect the reporting consumer's observations at the time of filing and have not been independently confirmed by vehicle manufacturers or government investigators.

Complaint History for Honda Clarity

Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2017–2021)

Model Year NHTSA Complaints Crash Reports Safety Recalls Detailed Report
2017 Honda Clarity 4 0 3 View 2017 Problems →
2018 Honda Clarity Current Page 136 9 3 Current
2019 Honda Clarity 42 2 2 View 2019 Problems →
2020 Honda Clarity 7 1 0 View 2020 Problems →
2021 Honda Clarity 4 1 0 View 2021 Problems →
Comparative Disclaimer: Complaint totals are unadjusted historical counts and are not normalized for vehicles sold, active fleet size, or total road mileage. Newer model years naturally have had less calendar exposure time to accumulate owner filings.

Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2018 Honda Clarity

Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 50 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications

Vehicle Component / System Total Complaints Crash Reports Fire Reports Reported Injury Entries Reported Fatality Entries
Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 15 0 0 0 0
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 15 0 0 0 0
Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER 12 1 1 0 0
Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN 8 0 0 0 0
Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER 8 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 7 0 0 0 0
Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE 5 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 4 0 0 0 0
Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 4 2 0 0 0
Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 4 2 0 0 0
Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 0 0 0 0
LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 3 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE 2 0 0 0 0
Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS 2 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS 2 0 0 0 0
Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS 1 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 1 0 1 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 1 0 1 0
Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 1 0 1 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 1 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
Data Attribution & Reporting Methodology: Complaints are unverified voluntary submissions to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Because multiple vehicle components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission, component-level rollups may sum to more than the unique complaint count (136). Injury and fatality entries in the detailed table reflect raw values entered by reporting consumers across individual submissions; they are not deduplicated casualty statistics and may include duplicate or unverified entries. Complaint volume is not normalized for sales volume or vehicle mileage and does not represent an audited component failure rate.

Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (1)

1 CLOSED

Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)

Official Federal Inquiries: NHTSA opens a defect investigation when safety screening or consumer defect trends indicate a potential unreasonable safety risk. An open investigation is a formal inquiry and does not by itself confirm a defect or result in a mandatory recall.
CLOSED Defect Petition (DP) ODI Action #DP22005
Opened: 2023-01-27 • Closed: 2023-08-07

Pedestrian alert sounds

Affected Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM

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 ra...

✓ Resulted in Safety Recall Campaign: 22V063000 Official NHTSA File →

Related Official Reports for 2018 Honda Clarity

Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year

Official US Government Data Provenance

The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.