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Hyundai · NHTSA safety record

2019 Hyundai Kona Electric

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

54

Complaints

2

Crashes

2

Fires

1

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2019 Hyundai Kona Electric have filed 54 safety complaints with NHTSA between January 2020 and September 2025. The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 42 of them (78%). The typical failure was reported at 17,733 miles, the median across the 10 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 3 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (3)

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY

21V127000 · March 1, 2021

Park outside until repaired

The defect
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Kona Electric and 2020 Ioniq Electric vehicles. The lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery may short-circuit.
The risk
An electrical short in the Li-ion battery increases the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the interim action is complete. Hyundai will notify owners, and as an interim action, owners have the option to follow provided instructions to perform a battery update through the vehicle's infotainment system or request a Hyundai dealer to provide the update. Once parts are available, dealers will inspect the Battery System Assembly (BSA), and replace it if necessary. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owners were notified of the safety risk, and the interim action, with a letter mailed April 9, 2021. Final owner notification letters were mailed June 17, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 200.

Hyundai Motor America · up to 4,696 vehicles across all model years covered

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:ELECTRIC:CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE

20V748000 · December 1, 2020

The defect
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Nexo Fuel Cell and 2019-2021 Kona Electric vehicles. The Integrated Electronic Brake (IEB) system may detect an abnormal sensor signal and as a result, may significantly reduce braking performance.
The risk
Reduced braking power could lengthen the distance required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will update the IEB software, free of charge. The recall began January 25, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 199.

Hyundai Motor America · up to 8,176 vehicles across all model years covered

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY:MANAGEMENT SYSTEM/ENERGY CONTROL MODULE (BMS/BECM):SOFTWARE

20V630000 · October 13, 2020

Park outside until repaired

The defect
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Kona Electric vehicles. The lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery may short-circuit.
The risk
An electrical short in the Li-ion battery increases the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will update the Battery Management System (BMS) software and inspect the Li-ion battery, replacing it if necessary, free of charge. Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the repair is complete. The recall began November 13, 2020. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 196.

Hyundai Motor America · up to 6,707 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations (1)

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Pedestrian alert sounds

DP22005

Closed defect petition · opened January 27, 2023 · closed August 7, 2023 · led to recall 22V063000

the electrical system

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 54.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 42 78%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 10 19%
ENGINE 5 9%
POWER TRAIN 5 9%
SERVICE BRAKES 4 7%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 4 7%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 2%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 2%
WHEELS 1 2%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2021 at 33.

2020 2021 2025
2020 to 2025

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

1 injured · crash · towed · 70,000 miles

The contact owned a 2019 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while attempting to drive from a complete stop, the vehicle accelerated rapidly through a busy intersection on its own and would not slow or stop, despite the brake pedal being depressed. As a result, the contact briefly lost control of the vehicle as it swerved left to right, only coming to a complete stop after colliding with another vehicle. The air bags did deploy. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a storage facility and deemed a total loss by the contact's insurance provider. A police report was filed, and injuries were reported. The contact was transported to an area hospital and treated for a

NHTSA complaint 11688160, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

fire · 1,000 miles

The contact's wife owns a 2019 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that upon warming the vehicle in cold weather, an abnormal, wire-burning smell would emit from the vehicle without warning. The manufacturer was initially notified about the failure and was informed that he would receive a callback; the contact had yet to receive a callback. The contact then took the vehicle to the dealer where they found no failure with the vehicle. The contact stated that he had a young child and that the odor could be toxic to his child's breathing. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.

NHTSA complaint 11440056. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

fire

Component Failed: Electric transmission/drive unit failed twice before 150,000 miles. Still in vehicle, available for inspection. Safety Risk: Loss of propulsion while driving creates risk of being rear-ended or stranded in dangerous traffic conditions. Right now the car is not drivable Confirmed By: Problem confirmed by Hyundai dealership/service center on both failures. Inspection: Inspected by authorized Hyundai service center; manufacturer was notified. Warning Symptoms: Before the failure there was a screeching sound coming from the hood. In both failures, these warnings appeared shortly before or during the loss of propulsion.

NHTSA complaint 11680934. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

crash · towed · 70,000 miles

The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated while driving at 10 MPH, the steering wheel became stiff without any warning, causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. The vehicle drove into a parking lot. The contact desperately pressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle would not stop. The contact jumped out of the vehicle and the vehicle struck a pole, causing minor damages to the bumper of the vehicle. The contact had minor injuries but did not seek medical attention. The contact mentioned being shocked after the events. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the police impound. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The dealer was contacted and advised to contact

NHTSA complaint 11520279, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
-the gear drive was diagnosed as needed to be replaced -the GRU may lock up during driving causing the vehicle to stop -dealer confirmed needs replacing -no warnings or lights on vehicle, it was noticed that the vehicle made a louder noise while driving but could be confused with tires or normal air noise while driving.

NHTSA complaint 11643397. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:CHARGING:CABLE/CORD:ACCESSORY
The Charging unit made by Enel X called a JuiceBox 40 failed to complete a charge. Upon examination of the charger it was determined that the plug from the unit to the 240V receptacle was fused to the outlet and could not be removed. When my electrician opened the box he was able to force the plug out of the outlet. He found that the plug was burned as well as the copper wire that went to the plug from the electrical box.

NHTSA complaint 11636790. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
I started directing the car to the side of the road to park. As I was guiding the car to a stop, with my foot on the brake, I was about 12 ft. from the car in front of me when the car suddenly accelerated. The vehicle accelerated for approximately 10 ft. before the anti-collision system auto-braked the car just prior to impacting the car in front of me.

NHTSA complaint 11547485. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
The vehicle began making a clicking/ticking sound under acceleration and deceleration. The noise progressively worsened until The dealer diagnosed the motor as failing internally and replaced it under warranty. Several people online in forums have experienced the same issue, some cases resulted in the reduction gear catastrophically failing causing the vehicle to suddenly stop accelerating. I worry that this issue may result in more sudden drivetrain failures because of how widespread the problem is. Hyundai does not seem to have a definite solution as the noise comes back for many owners.

NHTSA complaint 11544847. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Hyundai Kona Electric

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2022 20 0 —
2021 26 2 —
2020 27 3 —

Other 2019 Hyundai models

Tucson 371 Elantra 246 Santa FE 192 Kona 185 Sonata 157 Veloster 42 Accent 29 Santa FE XL 25

Every Hyundai on this site — 201 vehicles, 276 recall campaigns and 3 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

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Independent developer and analyst