NHTSA complaint: 2018 HONDA CLARITY PLUG-IN HYBRID — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I had an unintended acceleration happen as I was easing into a parking spot of a covered parking garage. The car accelerated like a jet plane taking off. I jammed on the brake. The only thing that stopped the car was the concrete wall that was 4 feet away. My airbags activated. We had taken the car to the Honda dealer for its 35,000-mile check-up on February 24, 2026. The Honda dealer has prepared all maintenance, including Honda recalls, since we bought the car in 2018. I'm scared about what caused the unintended acceleration and concerned that others could be injured. Electronic throttle control? Cruise control? Sensors? Wiring problems? What activated it? I believe this is a Honda mechanical problem. I have researched online that others have had unintended acceleration problems with the Honda Clarity and CRVâanother plug-in hybridâbut not enough claims to lead to a recall. I have gotten a runaround. Our insurance carrier has declared the car a total loss but refuses to have the computer assessed to determine the cause. The local Honda dealer says itâs not their problem, claiming that we would have to tow the car to them and pay them to replace all safety items. They would then reboot the computer and delete all data, so they could not assess the cause. They said the Clarity has no âblack box.â I contacted American Honda Corporation's customer service. Their engineers would not look at the car either unless our insurance company asked and paid them to do it. I
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation