2019 HONDA CLARITY PLUG-IN HYBRID Recalls, Complaints & Safety

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.

Took my car in due to the AC not working. We were told that AC Condenser and AC evaporator was broken. The AC condenser was replaced due to a recall and was placed under warranty a few years ago. Honda, indicated that AC Condenser was still under Warrenty, but the AC Evaporator is not. When it was explained to us at Honda Dealership in Dublin, CA. That the two parts go hand in hand, and that they would not be able to replace the AC Condenser until the AC Evaporator was replaced. As Honda requires a “pass” reading. The repair man at Honda also indicated that with AC Evaporator being broken imposes health risks such as breathing issues, dizziness, exposure to mildew and bacteria, as we were breathing in the gas from refrigerant that was leaking and burning then going in to the cabin of our vehicle when the AC was running. We have contacted Honda of USA and filed a case they indicated that due to our cars mileage, age and out of warranty that they have decided to decline assistance. This will be an ongoing issue as the two parts should be under warranty to get both of them fixed accordingly and to reduce health exposures.

The contact owns a 2019 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts for the recall repair were not yet available. The contact called several other dealers, including Lake Elsinore Honda (18450 Collier Ave, Lake Elsinore, CA 92530), Diamond Valley Honda (300 Carriage Cir, Hemet, CA 92545), and DCH Honda of Temecula (26755 Ynez Rd, Temecula, CA 92591); and all confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

I was entering the highway on ramp with a car in front of me going slow, when saw it was clear switched lanes and attempted to speed up to highway speed and the car's automatic braking system activated, flashed "BRAKE" on the dash with nothing in front of me, lane was clear, and then it applied the brakes hard. Came to an almost complete stop with my foot on the gas, had to remove foot to be able to accelerate again, luckily there was no near car behind me or it would have rear ended my car.

The evaporator for my air conditioning unit failed. I have 43,000 miles miles on the vehicle and kept up the maintenance on the car directly with the dealership. When the A/C doesn't work, the car can't defrost the windshield properly, which is a USDOT defined safety issue.

2019 Honda Clarity. Both the condenser and evaporator failed at 5 years and 55k miles and cause the AC system to not work, which in turn will not defrost the front windshield in the winter (visibility concern). The dealer has confirmed the issue when I took it into the service department on June 13th, 2025. Honda will replace the condenser for free with Service Bulletin 21-017 which extended the warranty to 10 years. The evaporator is not covered under any warranty and would cost $2,610 to replace. This is a known issue that Honda should cover under a warranty or recall due to it being a safety issue in addition to a comfort issue.

I am writing to express my serious concern regarding the safety recall for my 2019 Honda Clarity (VIN: [XXX] ). The recall, dated February 2024, pertains to a potential fuel pump failure that could cause engine stalling while driving, posing a significant safety risk. Despite the severity of this issue, I have encountered significant delays and difficulties in getting the necessary repairs completed at my local Honda dealerships. When I contacted them about the recall immediately after receiving notice, I was informed that they do not have the required parts in stock. Furthermore, the date at which the dealers said that they would be receiving the parts continues to get pushed back from the estimated timeframe for receiving these parts, initially stating it would be 2-3 months, but this has been an ongoing issue with no resolution in sight and well past 60 days. This prolonged delay is unacceptable given the potential safety implications. The recall notice clearly states that a fuel pump failure could lead to an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash. I am deeply concerned about my safety and that of my passengers while operating this vehicle. I respectfully request that Honda take immediate action to: 1. Expedite the delivery of the necessary parts to my local dealership. 2. Provide a firm date for when the recall repair can be completed on my vehicle. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2019 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

Air conditioner failed due to faulty condenser and faulty evaporator leaking refrigerant. Window defroster no longer functions resulting in poor visibility. Honda dealer refused to complete repair as evaporator is not included in Service Bulletin 21-017. Dealer quoted $2800 to repair and offered no goodwill discount when requested through Honda America.

The contact owns a 2019 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was taken to another local dealer, Honda of Escondido (1700 Auto Park Way Escondido, CA 92029); where the vehicle was diagnosed but the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.

The contact owns a 2019 Honda Clarity Plug-in-Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start, and the vehicle also failed to accelerate properly. No warning lights were illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

This is an issue, not an incident. When using the regenerative braking paddles on the steering wheel, the vehicle can decelerate at a rapid pace. When this happens, the brake lights do no light up even though it’s slowing down at a rapid pace. This could cause an accident if cars behind do not notice the deceleration.

The contact owns a 2019 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, during sunny weather, the vehicle unintendedly braked without warning. The warning light "Brake" was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred. The contact also experienced a failure with Lane Keeping Assist and Road Departure Mitigation, where the vehicle jerked out of the desired lane without warning and the vehicle failed to return to the intended lane. The contact disabled the system due to the failure. The contact stated that when the heater or A/C was activated, the speedometer suddenly started going down and the vehicle failed to exceed 20 MPH. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed; however, no cause for the failure was found. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure; however, no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 22,000.

The contact owns a 2019 Honda Clarity Plug-In-Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

A/C condensor AND evaporator inspected and found leaking at no fault or damage to the car. Original owner, 5 years, 50k miles which us an abnormality for failure in these parts. Many reported the issue on forum [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2019 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Evaporator in AC system failed after 48000 miles

The backup camera turns on every time when the vehicle's ignition is on, or all of sudden the backup camera turns on while driving which causes a dangerous illusion. The illusion makes the driver would have hit something because you're not reversing, instead you're driving forward. Furthermore, once the backup camera is activated, you cannot access all your information on the vehicle. The infotainment screen is overwrited by the backup camera.

Driver side headlight allows moisture to enter, contine to get headlight error. Turn signals and hazard signals stopped working. Dealer indicates that entire headlight assembly must be replaced at a cost of $2000.00. No sign of exterior damage.

The contact owns a 2019 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and merging into a lane, the Lane Keep Assist engaged, and the vehicle shuddered significantly and veered towards the opposite direction. Additionally, the steering wheel was significantly resistant. The contact stated that the failure mainly occurred when slowly merging into another lane. The contact stated that she would need to quickly merge to prevent the failure from occurring. The message “Lane Keep Assist” was displayed. Additionally, the contact stated that the automatic emergency braking (AEB) warning light would illuminate while driving, though there were no other vehicles or objects nearby. The contact stated that the seat belt being latched sound was not audible and the seat belt would unintendedly unlatch occasionally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that no issues were found. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V326000 (Seat Belts) as the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 21,000.

When driving in gas mode, the engine is revving high as in high rpm . I am not sure if the gear is shifting or has problems. The car revs high and the more I push the accelerator the louder the engine sound.

This is a 2019 Honda Clarity hybrid vehicle, with 53000 miles at the time of incident. I was driving up hill going about 55 miles per hour, all of the sudden the speed kept dropping even though the gas pedal remained pressed. Pressing the gas pedal more had no effect on speed, except to increase the engine RPM and the high-pitched noise. Luckily I was on the right lane. Pulled the car over to the shoulder and turned it off. The problem went away after restart. From researching on google, this seems to be a quite common occurrence with Honda Clarity. Since it couldn't be replicated at will, it's difficult to solve. There are speculations online that it could be software related, but my honda dealer wouldn't document the issue.

The brake module failed while driving resulting in total loss of breaking ability

The contact owns a 2019 Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid. The contact stated that after refueling and recharging the vehicle, the mile range indicator would display inaccurate mileage range information. The contact indicated that the mile range display would sometimes be far above the range capability of the vehicle and in some cases well below the range that should be achievable with a full battery charge and full tank of fuel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who performed a software update and hot reset but the failure continued to occur. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 20,000.

Car engine makes loud banging noise when it is running on gas instead of electrical battery. I had asked Honda dealer to review but they say they can not do anything about it. It is feels as if car making so much banging noise from engine has inherent issue and will eventually catch fire.

ON 09/29/20 AT APPROX. 1710 HRS. WENT TO MY VEHICLE, WHICH WAS PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY. I WAS TAKING MY TEN YEAR OLD SON TO THE PARK. WHEN HE ENTERED THE VEHICLE (REAR DRIVER SIDE) AND TRIED TO PUT ON HIS SEAT BELT, HE STATED, "DAD, MY SEAT BELT BROKE." I WENT TO CHECK THE SEAT BELT AND NOTICED THAT THE SEAT BELT WAS COMPLETELY TORN OFF. I THEN TOLD MY SON TO GO TO THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE SEAT (THE PASSENGER REAR) AND USE THAT SEAT BELT. HE THEN EXCLAIMED, "THIS ONE IS TORN ALSO!" I CHECKED ON THAT SEAT BELT AS WELL AND NOTICED THAT SEAT BELT WAS FRAYED AND TORN, BUT WAS STILL ATTACHED BY A SMALL SECTION. I TOLD MY SON TO USE THE MIDDLE SEAT. AS I INSPECTED THE SEAT BELT TO THE MIDDLE SEAT, I NOTICED THAT THE SEAT BELT SHOWED SIGNS OF FRAYING ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BELT. I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE AND I WAS TOLD THAT BECAUSE OF THE SAFETY ISSUE, THAT THEY WOULD CONTACT HONDA CORPORATE IN ORDER TO HAVE AN INVESTIGATION DONE AND THAT THEY COULD NOT CONTINUE WITH ANY REPAIRS UNTIL HONDA CORPORATE AUTHORIZED THE REPAIRS.*DT*JB*JB

MONDAY SEP 7, 2020 AROUND 11:20 AM UNINTENDED ACCELERATION MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR AND IN PROCESS TO PARK IN OUR HOUSE GARAGE. WHEN SHE GOT ON THE DRIVE WAY, SHE PRESSED THE BRAKE AND STOPPED IN FRONT OF THE GARAGE DOOR TO OPEN IT. THEN RELEASED THE BRAKE AND THE CAR MOVE FORWARD SLOWLY, WITHOUT PRESS THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. WITH HER FOOT STILL OVER THE BRAKE PEDAL, SHE THEN GENTLY PRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL IN ORDER TO STOP, THEN THE CAR IMMEDIATELY START TO ACCELERATE AND HIT THE GARAGE WALL THEN STOP. SHE HAVE BEEN PARKING THE CAR IN THE GARAGE EVERY DAY FOR A YEAR AND NEVER HAVE THIS HAPPENED.

Crash

WHEN THE CRUISE CONTROL (HONDA SENSING) IS ACTIVATED ON THE VEHICLE, THE VEHICLE IS SUPPOSED TO HOLD THE SET SPEED AND KEEP ITS DISTANCE FROM ANY VEHICLES IN FRONT OF IT IN THE SAME LANE. HOWEVER, IF THE SET SPEED IS 65 MPH THE VEHICLE 90% OF THE TIME WILL DRIVE AT 64 MPH WITH NO OBSTRUCTION AHEAD. IF ANOTHER VEHICLE IS DRIVING SLOWER THAN 65 MPH IN THE SAME LANE AND THE CLARITY IS APPROACHING IT, THE HONDA SENSING RADAR WILL NOT DETECT THE OBSTRUCTION AND NOT SLOW DOWN TO KEEP ITS PRE DETERMINED DISTANCE, WHICH CAN CAUSE AN IMMINENT CRASH. I HAVE HAD HIS MALFUNCTION ON BOTH OF MY 2019 HONDA CLARITY PLUGIN HYBRIDS AND MY FORMER 2019 HONDA INSIGHT. I HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN OVER TEN NEAR-TOTAL CRASHES ON THE HIGHWAY DUE TO THIS MALFUNCTION. THIS VEHICLE IS DANGEROUS AND THE HONDA SENSING FEATURE A SAFETY HAZARD.

7.25.2020 - WHEN CAR IS RUNNING FOR 45 MINUTES, 85 DEGREES F, EV ON, ECON OFF, ENGINES LOSES POWER AND REVS HIGH AFTER 40MPH. 7.18.2020 - WHEN CAR IS RUNNING FOR 45 MINUTES, 89 DEGREES F, EV OFF, ECON ON, ENGINES LOSES POWER AND REVS HIGH AFTER 40MPH. 2015 TOYOTA PRIUS PLUG-IN HAD THE SIMILAR ISSUE OF THE CAR LOSING POWER AFTER DRIVING FASTER THAN 62 MPH WITH EV MODE ON. A RELAY SWITCH RECALL OCCURRED THAT FIXED THIS ISSUE.. SO FAR.

JULY 4, 2020 DROVE WITH OUR FAMILY OF 2 BABIES ON A LOCAL HIGHWAY WITH A MAXIMUM SPEED OF 50MPH AND TRAVELING A ROUND-TRIP DISTANCE OF 52 MILES. OUTSIDE TEMPERATURES WERE ABOUT 89℉. AFTER DRIVING FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES, THE ENGINE WOULD REV AT A HIGH RPM AT 40MPH. IT COULD BE HEARD AND FELT OVER THE RADIO'S MUSIC. GIVING MORE GAS DIDN'T MAKE THE CAR DRIVE FASTER. ON THE WAY HOME, ABOUT 40 MINUTES INTO THE DRIVE, THE ENGINE REVVED HIGH AGAIN AT 40MPH, LOST OF POWER, AND THIS TIME MAKING THE CAR'S SPEED SLOW TO 30MPH BECAUSE WE WERE APPROACHING A RED LIGHT, LUCKILY. THIS ISSUE OCCURRED BEFORE ON JULY 27,2020 WHEN MY WIFE DROVE THE CAR AND CONPLAINED ABOUT IT DRIVING SLOW AND ENGINE REVVING LOUD. THIS CAR HAS ONLY 1,884 MILES ON IT AND WAS BOUGHT IN JANUARY 2020. LEMON LAW.

MY CAR IS LOSING POWER AND GETTING LOUD NOISE WHILE DRIVING ON AN UPHILL ROAD. I HAVE SHOWN MY CAR TO 3 DIFFERENT DEALERS AND THEY COULDN'T FIX IT. I HAVE SEEN MANY ONLINE REVIEWS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AND STILL, HONDA IS NOT HELPING ITS CUSTOMER. *TR

THREE TIMES NOW, OUR NEW 2019 HONDA CLARITY HAS PUT ME AND MY FAMILY IN DANGER. TWICE IN NOVEMBER 2019, ONCE IN JANUARY 2020, THE CAR SUDDENLY LOST POWER IN THE MIDST OF DRIVING UP HILLS, ONCE AT HIGHWAY SPEED. EACH TIME THE CAR HAS PRODUCED A TERRIBLE BURNING SMELL AND SOUNDS OF HIGH REVVING OF THE ENGINE. IN ALL OF THESE INSTANCES, THE BATTERY WAS LOW, BUT THE GAS LEVEL AND REPORTED RANGE OF THE CAR WAS HIGH. ONCE THE CAR WAS IN ECO MODE, TWICE IT WAS IN OTHER MODES. WE HAVE BEEN TO THE DEALER 3 TIMES, AND THEY HAVE BEEN IN TOUCH WITH NATIONAL HONDA, WHO SAY THAT THESE SYMPTOMS ARE A 'NORMAL CHARACTERISTIC' AND THAT 'PROPER DRIVE MODES SHOULD BE USED,' AS IF THE PROBLEM WAS SOMEHOW MY FAULT FOR NOT USING THE PROPER MODES. I WAS SENT A VERY SHORT VIDEO EXPLAINING DRIVING MODES. IF THIS CAR IS DESIGNED SO THAT SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER, BURNING SMELLS AND AN INABILITY TO DRIVE UP A HILL ARE A 'NORMAL CHARACTERISTIC' THEN THIS CAR IS A HAZARD. IF THE CAR IS UNABLE TO GO UP A STEEP HILL WITHOUT A CERTAIN BATTERY LEVEL, THEN THE CAR SHOULD NOT BE DESIGNED TO DEPLETE THE BATTERY BELOW THAT LEVEL NO MATTER WHAT MODE THE DRIVER HAS IT IN. IF THE HONDA SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM IS FOR ME TO USE MODES TO KEEP THE BATTERY OVER 60% CHARGED AT ALL TIMES, (WHICH IS WHAT THEY SUGGESTED THE SECOND TIME I WENT IN) OR TO STAY OFF OF HILLS WHEN THE BATTERY IS LOW (AS THEY SUGGESTED WHEN I BROUGHT IT IN THE 3RD TIME) THEN IT IS NOT THE PLUG-IN CAR WITH THE DRIVING RANGE I THOUGHT I WAS BUYING. HERE IS DETAIL ON THE LAST INCIDENT: I WAS ON A HIGHWAY ON A BIG HILL AT FULL HIGHWAY SPEED WHEN SUDDENLY THE POWER GAVE OUT AND THE CAR STARTED REVVING IN AN EXTREME WAY, AND THERE WAS A TERRIBLE BURNING SMELL. LUCKILY, I WAS IN THE RIGHT LANE AND WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF THE HIGHWAY QUICKLY. MY PASSENGER AND I WERE BOTH SHAKEN ' THIS CAR IS A DANGER UNTIL THIS PROBLEM IS FIXED.

TRY TO START VEHICLE AND IT GOES CRAZY, ALL SYSTEMS FAIL AND WILL NOT START. THIS WAS AFTER SITTING FOR ABOUT HALF HOUR IN A PARKING LOT. NEED TO GET OUT LOCK ALL DOORS WALK AWAY FOR 2 TO 5 MINS. ONCE RENTER THE SYSTEMS RESTART BUT ALL SETTINGS FAIL AND NEED TO RESET. I POSTED A YOUTUBE VIDEO (HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/N0FSEPKA5D8)