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Hyundai · NHTSA safety record

2020 Hyundai Kona Electric

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

27

Complaints

1

Crashes

0

Fires

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2020 Hyundai Kona Electric have filed 27 safety complaints with NHTSA between February 2020 and March 2026. The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 17 of them (63%). The typical failure was reported at 4,250 miles, the median across the 6 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 27.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 17 63%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 5 19%
SERVICE BRAKES 5 19%
POWER TRAIN 3 11%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 7%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 7%
ENGINE 1 4%
TIRES 1 4%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2021 at 13.

2020 2021 2026
2020 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

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

ENGINE

crash

My wife was pulling into a parking place at Home Depot when the car suddenly accelerated, jumped the curb & hit a tree on the sidewalk. It did significant damage to the front bumper of the car but the airbags did not deploy & my wife was not hurt. I am guessing that it will be several thousand dollars to repair.

NHTSA complaint 11667507. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

towed · 4,400 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 HYUNDAI KONA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V630000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO PALM SPRINGS HYUNDAI (3919 E PALM CANYON DR SUITE A, PALM SPRINGS, CA 92264; (760) 202-8888) WHERE THE RECALL REPAIR WAS PERFORMED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT TWO DAYS AFTER THE RECALL REPAIR WAS PERFORMED, THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO START THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AN UNKNOWN ELECTRICAL WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DRIVABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED BACK TO THE SAME DEALER. THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V748000

NHTSA complaint 11383561, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY

towed · 10,000 miles

The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that several unknown recalls related to the battery were performed on the vehicle. The contact stated that after the recall repairs were performed and while starting the vehicle, the battery warning light illuminated. Additionally, the transmission failed to shift into gear as needed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the battery failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 10,000.

NHTSA complaint 11433804. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
While driving approximately 70 mph on I-10 in Louisiana late at night, my 2020 Hyundai Kona EV displayed a “Check EV System” warning while I was on the highway. There were no safe areas or emergency shoulders available to pull over, so I continued driving toward the nearest exit. Approximately 15 minutes after the warning appeared, as I attempted to exit the highway, the vehicle suddenly lost power and rapidly slowed. The vehicle came to a complete stop and could not accelerate, move forward, or reverse. This created a serious safety risk because the vehicle lost propulsion while traveling at highway speed. The vehicle had approximately 62,000 miles at the time of the incident. The vehicle

NHTSA complaint 11722050, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On 3.22.2025 the rear view camera did not display; either a black screen with text "Check surroundings for your safety," a green screen reading "No camera signa received. Please try again later," or distorted images appeared. Camera was replaced under warranty on 4.14.2025; I learned from Crossroads Hyundai that other vehicles had a recall in effect. Images and work order are included.

NHTSA complaint 11654523. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
6/17/2024 12 volt battery was dead; EV was fully charged 6/16/2024 using Level 2 charger in my home garage. AAA charged the battery; I drove to Crossroads Hyundai Loveland, CO and asked to have the converter to the main battery checked; this was not done. Crossroads checked the battery via CADEX with "good battery charge" as result. No other diagnostic work was performed. 8/26/2024 12 volt battery again depleted; AAA charged twice 11:06 am (recharge and retest ) and 3:51pm (Bad & replace). I drove again to Crossroads Hyundai which claimed battery test showed good battery. Technician found a draw dropped after pulling fuses F6 multi media and F16 memory. Techline at Hyundai was contacted and

NHTSA complaint 11641724, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
I am concerned about the safety of my car and have little faith that there are qualified mechanics who understand EVs and can properly service an EV car. Two times on April 9, 2024 (and on at least 4 other occasions in 2023) while drive at approximately 45 miles an hour on a RI State highway at a safe distance from any care in front of me, my vehicle went into the fail-safe mode while I was driving causing a sudden significant loss of power to the car and it appeared to be that it was going to stall. There was no warning sound indicating that I was going to crash into the forward vehicle (again, I was at a safe distance). In order to continue driving, I had to pull onto the road shoulder,

NHTSA complaint 11585896, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
We just had our 2020 Kona updated from the dealer with major software and recall updates. Since that point the car has been draining from the 12volt battery on it's own and killing the charging circuit for the battery. It has caused us to have to jump start the car and not be able to keep the 12 volt charged which runs all of the environmentals and car systems. Unless you have a jump pack with you, you have to jump it after every stop. I have tested the battery and it is fine but the system needs a high end initial draw and is not getting it. I have contacted the dealer but they are saying it is not their problem. This needs government address, as it is the same issue in the NHTSA recalls

NHTSA complaint 11580665, quoted in part. 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
2019 54 3

Other 2020 Hyundai models

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.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst