2023 Hyundai Kona Problems & Owner Complaints

Electrical System 24

“Dear Hyundai Motor America Consumer Affairs, I am formally escalating a safety defect involving my 2023 Hyundai Kona, VIN [XXX] , purchased [XXX]. Since the purchase, the vehicle’s horn has repeatedly failed. I have brought the car in for service multiple times, and the issue is thoroughly documented in service records and email correspondence. Despite these efforts, the defect has not been permanently resolved. A non-functioning horn is a serious safety issue. This defect is not isolated; identical horn failures in Hyundai Kona vehicles are widely documented across public Internet forums,…”
NHTSA complaint #11716965, 2026

“The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that the horn was working intermittently. The horn occasionally operated but had become permanently inoperable. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11726817, 2025

“Rear latch unlocks while vehicle is running or not running up to 30 times at once. Rear latch unlocks without key being in vehicle. This has been reported to Hyundai Motor America since August 2025. The front collision warning goes off at random times, left side departure goes off at random times.”
NHTSA complaint #11715395, 2025

Unknown Or Other 17 1 injury

“Safety system that automatically puts the car in park if a door is opened while in gear failed to apply”
NHTSA complaint #11708650, 2025 · 1 injury(ies)

“My horn is not working again. It was replaced when I initially got the Kona in 2023. It did not work coming out of the dealership. And now again it is back to not working. This is a liability and also a danger to my children.”
NHTSA complaint #11727689, 2026

“Liftgate was clicking leaving interior lights on Drained battery- had to buy new battery! NOW Liftgate wil NOT open at all.”
NHTSA complaint #11721170, 2026

Forward Collision Avoidance 12 3 crash 2 injury

“Vehicle was service at a Hyundai Dealer for routine required maintenance to continue the warranty. Less than 24 hours later I was driving my special needs, handicap daughter to breakfast and pulled into a handicap parking space and placed my foot on the brake. The pedal seemed to not have any tension and go to the floor. The emergency collision warning went off, but the brakes did not work. The vehicle jumped over a parking curb, knocking over a handicap sign, going across the sidewalk, hitting a garbage can and finally coming to a stop in a brick building.”
NHTSA complaint #11636006, 2024 · crash · 2 injury(ies)

“Within 1 mile of having windshield replaced the mirror broke free falling down completely distracted the driver, tried to grab mirror did not see the car ahead applied his brakes the forward collision warning and the automatic emergency braking did not warn of the danger or avoid it . the driver applied the brakes but not soon to avoid the accident”
NHTSA complaint #11523497, 2023 · crash

“i was driving at 45mph and a deer came in front of my car . We hit the deer in front of car , deer approximitly 100 lbs no warning like brake sytem lane obstruction or air bags deployed ? I bought this car based Hyundai telling me how safe of car it is . When obiously it is not I notified Hyundai america of these things and they said everything worked correctly ?”
NHTSA complaint #11516654, 2023 · crash

Power Train 10

“The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle hesitated before driving forward. The Engine START/STOP feature was engaged. The contact stated that the ESC warning light was illuminated temporarily. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent, but was a recurring failure. The check engine warning illuminated and remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the electric oil pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaire…”
NHTSA complaint #11728608, 2025

“My Kona N Line is not functioning well. Especially after driving for a longer period of time. About 60% of the time, upon letting go of my brake, the car jerks. Going from 0 - 5 mph is the worst. The car definitely hesitates many times. Again, it is when I have driven it for over 10 minutes. I took the car to a service department in El Monte, CA on 11/1. They cannot find the problem. They rode with me and it did not show at that time. They released the car to me. The Kona N has a recall but not my car, the Kona N Line. The recall is for the same problem. I am extremely frustrated. I have anoth…”
NHTSA complaint #11698455, 2025

“My car intermittently loses power when I’m driving and I almost got hit yesterday.”
NHTSA complaint #11679588, 2025

Engine 7

“I was driving to work on a normal day under normal circumstances when a check engine light won my dashboard. Seconds later my car started showing car is over heating. I immediately swayed from the speed lane to the side of the road almost getting into a crash as other vehicles were at full speeds behind me. I immediately called dealership and made an appointment. My vehicle experienced a premature failure of the cooling coolant valve, a critical component of the engine cooling system. This failure resulted in diagnostic trouble codes, warning messages, and concerns regarding the reliabili…”
NHTSA complaint #11753667, 2026

“My Kona N Line is not functioning well. Especially after driving for a longer period of time. About 60% of the time, upon letting go of my brake, the car jerks. Going from 0 - 5 mph is the worst. The car definitely hesitates many times. Again, it is when I have driven it for over 10 minutes. I took the car to a service department in El Monte, CA on 11/1. They cannot find the problem. They rode with me and it did not show at that time. They released the car to me. The Kona N has a recall but not my car, the Kona N Line. The recall is for the same problem. I am extremely frustrated. I have anoth…”
NHTSA complaint #11698455, 2025

“While driving, my car completely turned off and the dashboard say “engine turn off”. This happened on two separate occasions. Also on separate occasions while i was driving the beep to indicate that i was too close to another car went off when i was not near another car, during that time it also emergency breaked on its own.”
NHTSA complaint #11595972, 2024

Vehicle Speed Control 7

“After a routine service visit, the vehicle’s braking and speed‑control systems began to behave abnormally. The ABS/ESC control module was replaced or reprogrammed without documentation, and immediately afterward the vehicle’s braking feel, speed‑control behavior, and forward‑collision warning timing changed noticeably. These changes created a safety risk because the vehicle no longer responded in a predictable way compared to its original performance. The affected components are available for inspection upon request. The issue was reproduced multiple times under normal driving conditions. Bra…”
NHTSA complaint #11707833, 2024

“This has happened 3 times and I’ve only owned the car since Sept 2023, the first time was Feb 4 2024, then Feb 28th and March 11, 2024, when I am trying to accelerate I push on the gas and the rpm’s will go higher but the car doesn’t gain any speed.so when trying to pass a vehicle I can’t because it will do this and it’s dangerous, I do have a video of this”
NHTSA complaint #11579866, 2024

“While driving on the highway on an extended trip my cruise control dropped its speed from 71 to 65 without warning. On one occasion it happened while I was in the passing lane with a lot of traffic behind me. It created a very dangerous situation before I could get into the right lane. Another incident was when again I was driving along, no one in front of me, beside me or behind me and the speed dropped once again. Had I been in traffic who knows what would have happened. I have turned the automatic breaking system off because while on a trip I was in the right lane when a car cut me off. The…”
NHTSA complaint #11554821, 2023

Fuel/Propulsion System 4

“My Kona N Line is not functioning well. Especially after driving for a longer period of time. About 60% of the time, upon letting go of my brake, the car jerks. Going from 0 - 5 mph is the worst. The car definitely hesitates many times. Again, it is when I have driven it for over 10 minutes. I took the car to a service department in El Monte, CA on 11/1. They cannot find the problem. They rode with me and it did not show at that time. They released the car to me. The Kona N has a recall but not my car, the Kona N Line. The recall is for the same problem. I am extremely frustrated. I have anoth…”
NHTSA complaint #11698455, 2025

“My car intermittently loses power when I’m driving and I almost got hit yesterday.”
NHTSA complaint #11679588, 2025

“I received a notification by email from NHTSA about a recall for our 2023 Hyundai Kona N. It states that the recall has to do with Loss of Drive Power from Fuel Pump Failure. Your recall ID 24V528 sent July 22, I phoned the dealer, Mike Murphy in Peoria, Illinois and they could not find this recall. I have an appointment with them on Oct 24 to bring in my car for an oil change and to fix a recall on the trunk lock (I was not given any info on this recall until I contacted the dealership). Since I put in my VIN # above, It did not turn up anything either. What's going on and why are you send…”
NHTSA complaint #11620184, 2024

Service Brakes 3 2 crash 2 injury

“Vehicle was service at a Hyundai Dealer for routine required maintenance to continue the warranty. Less than 24 hours later I was driving my special needs, handicap daughter to breakfast and pulled into a handicap parking space and placed my foot on the brake. The pedal seemed to not have any tension and go to the floor. The emergency collision warning went off, but the brakes did not work. The vehicle jumped over a parking curb, knocking over a handicap sign, going across the sidewalk, hitting a garbage can and finally coming to a stop in a brick building.”
NHTSA complaint #11636006, 2024 · crash · 2 injury(ies)

“This is the second dangerous situation on the highway. Both were within reasonable speed and distance, and the car couldn't come to a complete stop. This time there was an accident and I hit the car in front of me. I realized the car had a very important brake failure malfunction.”
NHTSA complaint #11519158, 2023 · crash

“After a routine service visit, the vehicle’s braking and speed‑control systems began to behave abnormally. The ABS/ESC control module was replaced or reprogrammed without documentation, and immediately afterward the vehicle’s braking feel, speed‑control behavior, and forward‑collision warning timing changed noticeably. These changes created a safety risk because the vehicle no longer responded in a predictable way compared to its original performance. The affected components are available for inspection upon request. The issue was reproduced multiple times under normal driving conditions. Bra…”
NHTSA complaint #11707833, 2024

Lane Departure 2

“Theres more than three issues going on. The car has shut off while driving at least 50 mph on the highway. Currently there's no safety features working on the car.”
NHTSA complaint #11676079, 2025

“ALL OF THE VEHICLE SAFETY ALERTS ARE NOT WORKING. HMFUSA HAS CHANGED THE VIN NUMBER ON THIS VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP SAYS THE VEHICLE CAN NOT BE REPAIRED.”
NHTSA complaint #11594330, 2024

Air Bags 1 1 crash

“i was driving at 45mph and a deer came in front of my car . We hit the deer in front of car , deer approximitly 100 lbs no warning like brake sytem lane obstruction or air bags deployed ? I bought this car based Hyundai telling me how safe of car it is . When obiously it is not I notified Hyundai america of these things and they said everything worked correctly ?”
NHTSA complaint #11516654, 2023 · crash

Exterior Lighting 1

“The radio/GPS screen cuts out and goes completely blank and I can't turn it off or down or do anything with the radio. The tire pressure lights come on and off at random times. The backup camera randomly stays on when I'm driving and I can't get it to go back to a regular screen. The lights randomly turn on and off when I am driving. There is obviously some kind of electrical issues.”
NHTSA complaint #11498123, 2022

Seat Belts 1

“The front passenger seatbelt buckle has trouble latching when buckling seatbelt.”
NHTSA complaint #11672323, 2025

Steering 1

“Car pulls to the right since I had it..the dealer did a alignment twice already but it still pulls to the right..they did a alignment at around 5000 miles and again at 8000 miles but it still does it.”
NHTSA complaint #11592357, 2023

Structure 1

“The rear door Latch opens while vehicle is moving and I've have taken it to service and they don't know what failure is al about.Its a manufacture failure.”
NHTSA complaint #11555097, 2023

Tires 1

“P235/40 R19 Pirelli P-Zero driver and passenger front tires and rear driver. Purchased Hyundai Kona N on Oct 25, 2023 new (<50miles). Vehicle sold new with these tires already installed. Pressure always maintained per recommendations. Noticed tire cracking and stability issues several months ago. Vehicle has 4000 miles on it now. Front driver and passenger tires are heavily cracked and throwing off chunks of rubber from tread. Rear driver side tire showing slight signs of cracking. Rear passenger tire seems ok. Integrity of the tires are compromised. Highly concerned about a major blowout of…”
NHTSA complaint #11523201, 2023

Wheels 1

“P235/40 R19 Pirelli P-Zero driver and passenger front tires and rear driver. Purchased Hyundai Kona N on Oct 25, 2023 new (<50miles). Vehicle sold new with these tires already installed. Pressure always maintained per recommendations. Noticed tire cracking and stability issues several months ago. Vehicle has 4000 miles on it now. Front driver and passenger tires are heavily cracked and throwing off chunks of rubber from tread. Rear driver side tire showing slight signs of cracking. Rear passenger tire seems ok. Integrity of the tires are compromised. Highly concerned about a major blowout of…”
NHTSA complaint #11523202, 2023