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Hyundai · NHTSA safety record

2022 Hyundai Kona Electric

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

20

Complaints

1

Crashes

0

Fires

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2022 Hyundai Kona Electric have filed 20 safety complaints with NHTSA between October 2021 and August 2025. The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 15 of them (75%).

No recall campaign was matched to this year, make and model. That is not the same as a clean vehicle: recalls are issued against production ranges, and the only reliable check is your own VIN.

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 20.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 15 75%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 5 25%
ENGINE 2 10%
SERVICE BRAKES 2 10%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 5%
POWER TRAIN 1 5%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 5%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 5%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2022 at 7.

2021 2022 2025
2021 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.

SERVICE BRAKES

crash · towed

While driving slowly less than 5 MPH into parking stall the vehicle accelerated excessively while trying to brake the vehicle it continued to accelerate and jumped the curb while I was still pumping the brakes to try to get it to stop and the car finally stopped after hitting the front of the establishment building. No collision warning went off at this time as well. I checked the mats to see if they were against the accelerator pedal and they were not.

NHTSA complaint 11531338. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
I found a lot of debris of metals contaminated in the gear reduction oil when I changed my gear reduction oil. I had a Vortex oil lug nut, which it sucks all of the metal debris in. I have pictures of that as a proof. I think this is a design flaw that Hyundai should recall, but they didn’t. Now it caused a clicking noise whenever I accelerate or step on the accelerator pedal. Additionally, their are some glitches with their software where it disconnected the wireless Apple car play and the back up camera didn’t show up sometimes whenever I put into reverse.

NHTSA complaint 11682034. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1. Component or System Failed or Malfunctioned: The primary component that has consistently failed or malfunctioned is the air conditioning (AC) system. The AC unit does not adequately cool the vehicle's cabin, especially in hot weather. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request; it has been previously inspected by authorized Hyundai dealerships. 2. How Safety was Put at Risk: The malfunctioning AC unit poses a significant health and safety risk, particularly due to the presence of a [XXX] infant who frequently rides in the vehicle. Driving in a hot car without effective cooling can lead to heat-related distress for a young child. There is also a concern that this persistent

NHTSA complaint 11667952, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Message: "check/refill coolant light has intermittently come on for past two days. I checked coolant and it is lower than "max" but higher than "min". Also, why is this website saying 0 unaddressed recalls on my car? There are recalls that were not done on my car. Message: "0 Unrepaired Recalls associated with this VIN"

NHTSA complaint 11660366. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
HORN STOPS WORKING. IT STOPPED WORKING ABOUT A YEAR INTO OWNING THE CAR, THEN AGAIN A FEW WEEKS LATER. THE HORN SEEMS TO STOP WORKING AFTER WINDSHIELD WIPER FLUID IS REFILLED; NOT SURE IF IT'S RELATED THOUGH. I HAVE BEEN IN SITUATIONS WHERE I NEEDED TO USE THE HORN BUT WAS UNABLE TO BECAUSE IT WAS CONSTANTLY NOT WORKING.

NHTSA complaint 11631411. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
During the winter the vehicle does not produce heat. There is a knocking sound from under the dash and only cold air comes out of all the vents. When it was 20 degrees out I measure 35 degree air out the vents over the couse of an hour drive. The car has been to the dealer multiple times for this issues. They have acknowledged the problem and have tried replaing different parts but the problem still occurs. It's very cold in the car when it's below freezing outside and it's difficult to clear the windows of fog, frost, and snow with no heat. The HVAC system will make the knocking sound when turing on the car and sometimes when driving also. Trying to adjust the temperature will sometimes

NHTSA complaint 11630822, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
There were several recall/service notices on my vehicle. I brought car to dealer in May and they were unable to address them all b/c I was informed a dealer specific piece of equipment necessary for the recall had broken and they could not address that issue. Why is it saying on NHTSA website zero unaddressed recalls for my car? Here are some of the notices: Service Campaign 9A4: Kona EV DTC Inspection, BMS Update, and BSA Replacement – Dealer Best Practice August 29, 2023 I believe there was an additional issue of concern. I originally scheduled for early 2024 & then there was an additional recall/concern and I could not be accommodated until May 2024; however, as mentioned, they were

NHTSA complaint 11605205, 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
2021 26 2
2020 27 3
2019 54 3

Other 2022 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.

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