2021 Hyundai Kona problems
NHTSA has received 157 complaints about the 2021 Hyundai Kona, and 52% of them involve engine. Next are drivetrain & axles (8%) and electrical system (7%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 157 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 52% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 2 and 5
- Injuries and deaths
- 3 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 24,000 miles 33 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 | 11 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 9 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 0 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 3 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 8 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 0 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 1 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 33 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 24,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 29,000 miles (24 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 2 complaints mention a crash; 5 complaints mention a fire; 3 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2021 ranks 3rd most-complained-about out of 8 model years of the Hyundai Kona with enough data (157 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
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 contact’s father owned a 2021 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while her father was driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was stuck and the seat belt did not lock the contact’s father into his seat during impact. The vehicle crashed into a traffic light pole, went uphill, and then flipped before stopping. The air bags deployed, but the steering wheel air bag caught fire. The contact’s father was able to exit the vehicle.
Transmission slip out of park I was at a complete stop in park got out of the car to get my purse an as I pull the hacker it was still locked so I came around and reached in the car to turn the car off an as I attempted to pull the key out the car started roll back drugged me about 150 feet down the inbank.
I'm trying to find out when my 2021 KONA SEl PLUS was built and where ? When did the maker of the oil rings notify Hyundai of the defect to the rings why was Hyundai able to sell of these Kona's with the 2.0 engines from dealers lots after they knew there was a problem with the engines. My Kona was sold to me on 25 Feb. 2021 they had to know of the problem by than.
Bought the car in august 2020. In february 2021 the car began to stall frequently and it was running very loud. I discovered that there was almost no oil in the car with less than 5,000 miles on it. Brought the car to the dealership and they determined the engine was defective and would need to be replaced. I have been without my car (but still paying for it monthly) since mid-february. It is now late april.
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently stalled and lost electrical power. The battery warning light, engine warning light, and an unknown warning light were illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The contact waited an hour and was able to restart the vehicle and drive; however, the vehicle was shaking while driving.