2020 Hyundai Kona problems
NHTSA has received 205 complaints about the 2020 Hyundai Kona, and 55% of them involve engine. Next are drivetrain & axles (10%) and electrical system (5%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 205 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 55% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 12 and 3
- Injuries and deaths
- 16 and 1
- Typical mileage
- 11,000 miles 54 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 37 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 6 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 1 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 4 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 0 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 4 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 54 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 11,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 15,000 miles (34 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 12 complaints mention a crash; 3 complaints mention a fire; 16 injuries reported; 1 death reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2020 ranks 2nd most-complained-about out of 8 model years of the Hyundai Kona with enough data (170 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 2 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
The Hyundai Kona was struck head-on by another vehicle. There was one driver and one minor passenger in the right rear seat in the Hyundai Kona. The driver had minor injuries while, unfortunately, the accident was fatal to the passenger. The impact of the collision caused the right rear seat to snap forward, fracturing the passenger's neck. The cause of death for the passenger was blunt force trauma caused by the neck fracture.
On 30 May 21, I was getting ready to pull into my driveway, stopped the vehicle to let a passenger out of car, when suddenly the vehicle accelerated at a high speed crashing into my house. I nor the braking assist could stop the vehicle, resulting in the collision with house. I and my passengers sustained seat belt injuries.
When I drive the car on the street and freeway I have to hold the steering wheel in place so I don't go into the next lane. The car feels like it hydroplanes and shifts on the freeway. When turning the car shifts as well. The car bounces when driving and on the freeway when I go over a bump I have to pull the wheel so the car doesn't go into the next lane. The car lags when accelerating. One tire wasn't holding air so I took it to the tire center to have it fixed. The car drives this way everyday.
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was a knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who replaced the turbocharger, but the failure persisted. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The vehicle was later examined by an independent mechanic who determined that the pistons were faulty. No further information was available. The vehicle was not yet repaired.