2019 Hyundai Kona Problems & Owner Complaints

Engine 126 2 crash 3 fire 1 injury

“Your website states I am not in a recall but indeed I have been under recall 302, now 974, and another one currently. The dealers have lied and falsified records. My new Kona with less than 31000 miles is burning more than a qt of oil weekly on average, knocks loudly, looses power, and now I'm finding burnt labels on the booster vac lines. The dealer states I was under recall 203 in 2020 for "vibration inspection" ABSOLUTELY NOT I was seen for recall 203 bad piston rings with less than 12k miles. Now for the SECOND time I'm told it's not safe nor advisable by Hyundai to park my vehicle in my…”
NHTSA complaint #11470169, 2020 · crash · fire · 1 injury(ies)

“The contact owned a 2019 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while stopped at an intersection, he observed smoke emanating from the engine compartment. The vehicle was steered into a parking lot where he opened the hood and he observed flames coming from the engine. A police report was filed. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was taken to a salvage lot. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 46,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11589087, 2024 · fire

“The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 mph a knocking noise and burning odor was present coming from the engine compartment before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the engine had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The VIN look-up confirmed the vehicle was listed in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 21v301000 (engine).The failure mileage was 70,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11432356, 2021 · fire

Unknown Or Other 20 3 crash 1 fire 1 injury

“UPON COLLISION (FRONT END) AT ABOUT 35 MPH THE VEHICLE BURST INTO FLAMES AND CONTINUED TO BURN UNTIL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT SHOWED UP. IN ADDITION, THERE MAY BE AN ISSUE WITH THE SEAT BELT MECHANISM. DRIVER'S CLAVICLE WAS FRACTURED AND DISPLACED UPON IMPACT.”
NHTSA complaint #11281641, 2019 · crash · fire · 1 injury(ies)

“Driving on the highway [XXX] ) during rain. Traffic moving stop and go slow. Before I knew what had happened, my car hit the back bumper of a Chevy Suburban. My car gave no auto warning, the windshield wipers barely worked, and I believe the electric systems had stopped. Radio and air-conditioning. [XXX] My car bumper and grill were messed up. And I received pain in my right shoulder. The Suburban had a trailer hook-up jammed inside my front bumper grill; my vehicle received all the damage. The other driver's vehicle had no harm. My vehicle damage to the car was over a thousand dollars.…”
NHTSA complaint #11603909, 2024 · crash

“My vehicle was stolen in November of 2021, (many have been in Milwaukee). I had a steering wheel lock (they had broken the back rear window in April 2021 in a thwarted attempt to steal, and the police recommended this), and the vehicle was parked under security cameras. They broke the window, disabled the ignition and took it for a ride and crashed it. My vehicle repair has not been completed due to the high volume of thefts, and delay by insurance companies making claims. It is now February 8, 2022.”
NHTSA complaint #11450952, 2021 · crash

Electrical System 18 2 crash 3 injury

“While stopped our 2019 Kona EV at a traffic light with my foot on the brake, the car spontaneously accelerated and crashed into the car also sitting at the light about eight feet in front of us. If there wasn't a car in front of us, we would have gone through a busy intersection at very high speed. The front end of the car was destroyed and both airbags deployed. The car was towed to a collision center and is considered: "Totaled" . We tried to get it inspected for the computer system to confirm what happened, but there was no interest by any party. There was no pre-warning or issues with…”
NHTSA complaint #11718156, 2026 · crash · 3 injury(ies)

“Driving on the highway [XXX] ) during rain. Traffic moving stop and go slow. Before I knew what had happened, my car hit the back bumper of a Chevy Suburban. My car gave no auto warning, the windshield wipers barely worked, and I believe the electric systems had stopped. Radio and air-conditioning. [XXX] My car bumper and grill were messed up. And I received pain in my right shoulder. The Suburban had a trailer hook-up jammed inside my front bumper grill; my vehicle received all the damage. The other driver's vehicle had no harm. My vehicle damage to the car was over a thousand dollars.…”
NHTSA complaint #11603909, 2024 · crash

“Vehicle (2019 Kona) is subject to Recall 203 (piston ring/bore defect). On XXX Puente Hills Hyundai refused the mandatory physcial inspection, instead attempting to charge $1,100 for 'leak repairs.' An independent inspection by Valvoline on XXX confirmed the engine is dry with no leaks, proving the dealer's claim was fraudulent. Following a recent ECU update, the vehicle triggered a P0420 code—a known symptom of the internal engine damage covered by Recall 203. My Hyundai Corporate Case (#XXX) is currently stalled as the dealer refuses to provide technician notes or perform the safety inspect…”
NHTSA complaint #11742104, 2026

Power Train 17

“96,247 mi Engine knock and complete oil loss within 3,000 miles of last oil change Symptoms consistent with NHTSA Recall 21V301 (Hyundai Recall 203) and Warranty Extension TXXM coverage”
NHTSA complaint #11739064, 2026

“The vehicle burns oil faster and the vehicle began to stall at highway speeds. Upon further research, a campaign recall for the same vehicle is open but only for specific VIN. Although this vehicle was not part of the recall campaign 21V301000 the vehicle shows issues aligned with the recall.”
NHTSA complaint #11733599, 2025

“As I was driving home, my Kona started slowing down until it totally stopped. I tried the the gas pedal again but it didn’t move, electrical was on, no warning lights. I turned my Kona off, turned it back on again and drove the rest of way home. I was lucky I was on an empty road no other cars behind me as I drive everyday to and from work. I called Hyundai dealer next morning about the problem ,he did asked if I had heard a knocking sound. I said yes ,the week or so I heard a knocking sound twice but not for long, seemed to have disappeared. I didn’t want to drive the car to the dealer afrai…”
NHTSA complaint #11623250, 2024

Engine And Engine Cooling 9

“The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced excessive oil consumption. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH on the highway, the vehicle stalled. The contact was unable to pull over to the side of the road. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving into a parking lot. The battery warning light illuminated on several occasions. Additionally, the contact stated that the check engine and low oil pressure warning lights were intermittently illuminated. The vehicl…”
NHTSA complaint #11744406, 2026

“The contact owns a 2019 HYUNDAI Kona. The contact stated while driving the vehicle at an undisclosed speed, he noticed he had an engine knock, and noticed that the engine was consuming a good amount of oil with no warning lights or oil leaks. The contact pulled over to the side when the knock started and noticed the vehicle was starving of oil although a recent oil change shows it was recent. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed to have poor service, and engine sludge although dealer stated there was none. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the f…”
NHTSA complaint #11739344, 2026

“The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a burning odor coming from the vehicle, with the low engine oil warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while checking the dipstick, the contact became aware that the engine oil level was low. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11717113, 2026

Forward Collision Avoidance 9 1 crash

“Driving on the highway [XXX] ) during rain. Traffic moving stop and go slow. Before I knew what had happened, my car hit the back bumper of a Chevy Suburban. My car gave no auto warning, the windshield wipers barely worked, and I believe the electric systems had stopped. Radio and air-conditioning. [XXX] My car bumper and grill were messed up. And I received pain in my right shoulder. The Suburban had a trailer hook-up jammed inside my front bumper grill; my vehicle received all the damage. The other driver's vehicle had no harm. My vehicle damage to the car was over a thousand dollars.…”
NHTSA complaint #11603909, 2024 · crash

“On multiple occasions the emergency braking system has engaged while making a lane change because the collision warning system thinks the vehicle is getting to close to the vehicle being passed. When this happens in city traffic, it has resulted in near misses from vehicles behind and in the lane for which a legal lane change is being made to avoid stopping or slowing traffic in the initial lane. The driver should ALWAYS have such control. When this happens and the car is trying to be accelerated or at least maintain the current speed as the lane change is made, the brakes very aggressively co…”
NHTSA complaint #11677690, 2025

“Car stalled while stopped in drive or while in park. Forward collision system error warning. Every yellow warning light illuminated. Car would restart and would shift gears up when accelerating but would not shift back down. Tachometer would not move although engine was revving. Park and turn off car. Open door. close door. restart and all lights off and engine runs fine until it stalls again. Repeat process. no accidents. car at 62000 miles. Very dangerous on highway.”
NHTSA complaint #11651838, 2025

Fuel/Propulsion System 9

“The fuel system appears to have a small leak from either a bad seal or a problem fuel line.”
NHTSA complaint #11694303, 2025

“One day after I filled my gas tank, I noticed a strong gasoline smell outside the car. The next morning, I noticed a huge puddle on the pavement under the fuel tank. At least a gallon of gasoline must have leaked out overnight while the car was parked. I also noticed that gasoline continued to drip down from the fuel tank to the ground. I then had the car towed to the mechanic and they discovered a crack in the mounting flange on the top of the plastic fuel pump. The car was not in a collision and there was no external force that could have caused the fuel pump to crack and leak.”
NHTSA complaint #11623149, 2024

“engine light began flashing while driving. Stopped vehicle and turned off engine. Vehicle would not restart. Mechanic says there is no compression and I need a new engine. I contacted the manufacturer who advised my engine was subject to recall but since I am a second owner and the first owner did not get the engine replaced there is nothing I can do.”
NHTSA complaint #11603972, 2024

Lane Departure 6

“I have two Hyundai vehicles one is a 2018 Tucson and a 2019 Kona. They both broke down at precisely the same time at 109,000 miles. One was the catalytic converter dealership was going to charge $5,000 for repair found a less expensive place to do it for $2,000. i was told by several of the mechanics at both places that it was a common problem. My point is I just paid the vehicle off it was just out of warranty then your stuck with it. Dealership just shrugged it off as maybe you should buy a new vehicle. The second vehicle Kona had some catalytic damage but not enough to replace the crankshaf…”
NHTSA complaint #11598034, 2024

“Oil consumption!! No low oil lamp!! Just cuts off. Then there is no oil. The engine can blow up and catch fire!! Having a oil consumption test now. First 1000 miles it's already burned half quart!!”
NHTSA complaint #11504658, 2023

“Rad bearing defect. Engine needs to be replaced.”
NHTSA complaint #11494882, 2022

Vehicle Speed Control 6 1 crash 3 injury

“While stopped our 2019 Kona EV at a traffic light with my foot on the brake, the car spontaneously accelerated and crashed into the car also sitting at the light about eight feet in front of us. If there wasn't a car in front of us, we would have gone through a busy intersection at very high speed. The front end of the car was destroyed and both airbags deployed. The car was towed to a collision center and is considered: "Totaled" . We tried to get it inspected for the computer system to confirm what happened, but there was no interest by any party. There was no pre-warning or issues with…”
NHTSA complaint #11718156, 2026 · crash · 3 injury(ies)

“Car stalled while stopped in drive or while in park. Forward collision system error warning. Every yellow warning light illuminated. Car would restart and would shift gears up when accelerating but would not shift back down. Tachometer would not move although engine was revving. Park and turn off car. Open door. close door. restart and all lights off and engine runs fine until it stalls again. Repeat process. no accidents. car at 62000 miles. Very dangerous on highway.”
NHTSA complaint #11651838, 2025

“The button that sets or changes the speed control broke and no longer provided functionality, requiring replacing the whole right-side steering wheel button control module. This in turn required removing the entire steering wheel, which included removng the driver’s side airbag.”
NHTSA complaint #11677689, 2024

Air Bags 5 5 crash 1 fire 2 injury

“UPON COLLISION (FRONT END) AT ABOUT 35 MPH THE VEHICLE BURST INTO FLAMES AND CONTINUED TO BURN UNTIL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT SHOWED UP. IN ADDITION, THERE MAY BE AN ISSUE WITH THE SEAT BELT MECHANISM. DRIVER'S CLAVICLE WAS FRACTURED AND DISPLACED UPON IMPACT.”
NHTSA complaint #11281641, 2019 · crash · fire · 1 injury(ies)

“I am reporting this for my daughter, [XXX] , while she's recovering on pain meds. She is the owner and driver of the car. no passengers in this 1-car accident. the weather and road conditions were terrible. car skidded of side of road into a ditch. When the airbags deployed, the plastic frame on the drivers side A-pillar broke and exploded out towards the driver. it appears the sharp edge of the broken plastic frame struck driver in left eye, slicing it cornea area of her eye causing a ruptured globe. thankfully, she has no other injuries. the plastic frame on the passenger side A-pillar…”
NHTSA complaint #11726951, 2026 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“I would like to file a complaint regarding a major problem with our 2019 Hyundai Kona. We currently have Case #[XXX] opened with Hyundai Corporate Customer Care [XXX] ) but are having major problems getting this air bag issue resolved as it is currently an “unrecalled vehicle,” but having the same issue with air bags as a very recent recalled vehicle list and there is a current class action lawsuit. The car was in a minor rear end accident when major air bag issues were discovered not due to the accident. We were told to file a supplemental claim with our insurance company but as to no surp…”
NHTSA complaint #11684510, 2025 · crash

Exterior Lighting 4

“1-The turn lights(right and left turn)died too quickly.i change my bulb every month .I went to independent service center and they told me the car must have some wrong wire that doesn't support bulb.Even if I change my bulb ,it doesn't take long and a warning signal come out and stated that I need to check my light.it is so annoying. This happened one year after I start driving the car. 2- The passenger seat is too low that you don't feel comfortable seating inside.It is not possible to bring it up.I went to the dealer but they wasn't at the same location anymore. 3- The windshield wipers fai…”
NHTSA complaint #11643814, 2025

“Headlights do not project far enough in front of vehicle to safely drive at dark or low light conditions. Hyundai told us there is nothing they can do to fix it as it is a defect in how the headlight housing is placed on the body of the car.”
NHTSA complaint #11594810, 2024

“11 days after purchasing the vehicle it began shutting completely off in the middle of me driving it, losing all power for no reason I could see and would not turn on for a considerable amount of time. I brought the vehicle back to the dealership on 6 separate occasions, one of the times my car stayed at Jenkins Hyundai for 12 weeks while they tried to find the issue. Finally, it was towed to a Hyundai dealership in Valdosta, GA who kept it for 2 weeks and found two electrical shorts under the front bumper. After this repair it stopped losing power randomly but I still experienced electrical s…”
NHTSA complaint #11574568, 2021

Structure 4 1 crash

“My vehicle was stolen in November of 2021, (many have been in Milwaukee). I had a steering wheel lock (they had broken the back rear window in April 2021 in a thwarted attempt to steal, and the police recommended this), and the vehicle was parked under security cameras. They broke the window, disabled the ignition and took it for a ride and crashed it. My vehicle repair has not been completed due to the high volume of thefts, and delay by insurance companies making claims. It is now February 8, 2022.”
NHTSA complaint #11450952, 2021 · crash

“First notice was exterior top railing coating wearing down after just 3 years of having car. Notified dealership of this issue and was stated that my car was out of warranty. (Now 7yo) Exterior Paint is peeling off hood; exposing primer layering, as well as in some spots, the main body itself. This is a known defect caused by factory laquer coating and of which dealership states they STILL will not cover repair.”
NHTSA complaint #11749136, 2026

“I took my car to Hyundai due to the rear spoiler squeaking on warm days. Sounded like it was rubbing plastic on plastic. The dealership wanted $200 to just look at what the problem might be. I couldn't afford that. I went home and researched how to look into it my self. I removed the interior top trim piece and 3 locking nut/washer combos fell out of the trim piece. Only 5 nuts hold the spoiler in place and the 2 other nuts were loose. My spoiler could have fallen off at anytime. Only reason I thought to check for this after I got home was someone mentioned the same problem on another Hyundai…”
NHTSA complaint #11573567, 2024

Service Brakes 3 2 crash 3 injury

“While stopped our 2019 Kona EV at a traffic light with my foot on the brake, the car spontaneously accelerated and crashed into the car also sitting at the light about eight feet in front of us. If there wasn't a car in front of us, we would have gone through a busy intersection at very high speed. The front end of the car was destroyed and both airbags deployed. The car was towed to a collision center and is considered: "Totaled" . We tried to get it inspected for the computer system to confirm what happened, but there was no interest by any party. There was no pre-warning or issues with…”
NHTSA complaint #11718156, 2026 · crash · 3 injury(ies)

“THE CAR BREAKS DOES NOT GET APPLIED INTERMITTENTLY, I HAD A FORWARD COLLISION. THE FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE / WARNING DID NOT WORK. THE INCIDENT HAPPENED AT A BUSY STREET WITH SLOW MOVING TRAFFIC. THIS IS THE 2ND TIME THE BREAK DID NOT GET APPLIED, THE FIRST TIME THE ROAD AHEAD WAS CLEAR.”
NHTSA complaint #11315334, 2020 · crash

“AS I WAS COMING TO A STOP LIGHT I PRESSED MY BRAKE PEDALS I FELT A SHUDDER THROUGH THE BRAKE PEDAL AND MY CAR DIED. THIS OCCURRED THREE TIMES IN A SHORT. OF TIME. THIS OCCURRED THREE TIMES IN A SHORT. OF TIME I WAS ON A HIGHWAY AND IT WAS VERY DISCONCERTING I WAS ABLE TO FINALLY GET IT BACK HOME.”
NHTSA complaint #11348676, 2020

Seats 2

“1-The turn lights(right and left turn)died too quickly.i change my bulb every month .I went to independent service center and they told me the car must have some wrong wire that doesn't support bulb.Even if I change my bulb ,it doesn't take long and a warning signal come out and stated that I need to check my light.it is so annoying. This happened one year after I start driving the car. 2- The passenger seat is too low that you don't feel comfortable seating inside.It is not possible to bring it up.I went to the dealer but they wasn't at the same location anymore. 3- The windshield wipers fai…”
NHTSA complaint #11643814, 2025

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 HYUNDAI KONA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM SUDDENLY ACTIVATED, WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO ABRUPTLY SLOW DOWN. ALSO, WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE DRIVER'S SEAT HEATER ERRONEOUSLY ACTIVATED AND THE DOORS WOULD NOT AUTOMATICALLY LOCK WHEN SWITCHING TO THE DRIVE POSITION. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURES WAS NOT DETERMINED. JIM BURKE HYUNDAI (4445 13TH ST NORTH, BIRMINGHAM, AL) WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 8,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11281003, 2018

Latches/Locks/Linkages 1

“The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the front passenger’s door latch did not unlatch as intended. In addition, the passenger's side front door latch failed to unlock using the key. The contact had to exit the vehicle using the front driver's side door. The contact sustained anxiety issues due to the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure was not diagnosed, and the vehicle was not repaired. The contact was required to pay a diagnostic fee to diagnose the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure had previously occ…”
NHTSA complaint #11662267, 2025

Seat Belts 1 1 crash 1 fire 1 injury

“UPON COLLISION (FRONT END) AT ABOUT 35 MPH THE VEHICLE BURST INTO FLAMES AND CONTINUED TO BURN UNTIL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT SHOWED UP. IN ADDITION, THERE MAY BE AN ISSUE WITH THE SEAT BELT MECHANISM. DRIVER'S CLAVICLE WAS FRACTURED AND DISPLACED UPON IMPACT.”
NHTSA complaint #11281641, 2019 · crash · fire · 1 injury(ies)

Steering 1

“AT ABOUT 8300 MILES I WAS BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPOT. HEARD A NOISE COMING FROM STEERING COLUMN. TOOK TO HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP. 1ST VISIT THEY WERE CLOSED DUE TO POWER OUTAGE. 2ND TRIP. MECHANIC COULDN'T HEAR NOISE. HAD ANOTHER MECHANIC ALONG. HAD TO PLAY A VIDEO I RECORDED ON MY CELL PHONE. MECHANIC PULLS BACK INTO SHOP. HALF HOUR LATER, I GET TOLD THEY HAD TO ORDER A STEERING COLUMN. CAR NOW HAS JUST OVER 8600 MILES. THE NOISE SOUNDS LIKE A BAD BEARING. CAN BE HEARD PARKED AND TURNING STEERING WHEEL LEFT AND RIGHT. *TR”
NHTSA complaint #11328199, 2020

Visibility/Wiper 1

“Sunglass holder overhead near rear view mirror opens when the car hits a bump, obscuring rear view 30-40% suddenly and sometimes the sunglasses fall out onto the driver or passenger. Latch will not stay engaged due to hot and cold temperature condition changes.”
NHTSA complaint #11580245, 2024