Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 21 safety complaints
about the 2022 Hyundai Kona Electric with the US government. Of those, 2 describe a crash and no death is recorded. No recall campaign has been matched to this year, make and model.
The most complained-about system is the electrical system,
named in 15 complaints, 71% of the total.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files
· Covers October 2021 to September 2026 · How this is counted
What is on file
21 complaints on file
21
Complaints
2
Describe a crash
0
Mention fire
0
People injured
0
Deaths
A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a
finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts
them.
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.
Which system owners named
Complaints naming each system
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 15 · 71%
15 71%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 5 · 24%
5 24%
SERVICE BRAKES 3 · 14%
3 14%
ENGINE 2 · 10%
2 10%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 · 5%
1 5%
POWER TRAIN 1 · 5%
1 5%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 · 5%
1 5%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 · 5%
1 5%
0815
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 21.
When the complaints arrived
By the year NHTSA received them
By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures
happened. They peaked in 2022 at 7.
8 6 4 2
212021222022232023242024252025262026
This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure
happened. The range runs from 2021 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program
NHTSA has not crash tested the 2022 Hyundai Kona Electric. Its New Car Assessment Program
tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach
motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so
an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It
is not a low score.
What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a
different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people
inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke
during ordinary use.
Defect investigations
1 on file
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.
In owners’ own words
Quoted from the complaint file
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.
SERVICE BRAKES
crash
While driving my 2022 Hyundai Kona Electric at a low speed, pulling into a parking space, the electronic braking system suffered an immediate, catastrophic failure. Upon pressing the brake pedal, the vehicle completely failed to provide power brake assistance or slow down, resulting in a low-speed collision. The airbags did not deploy. Immediately following the crash, a diagnostic scan of the vehicle’s chassis network revealed active diagnostic trouble code C160404 (ECU Hardware Error / Internal Self-Test Failure), confirming a hard electronic fault within the Integrated Electronic Brake (IEB) module. This vehicle platform has a documented history of dangerous IEB signal and software …
NHTSA complaint 11766004, quoted in part. 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.
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. How
many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by
the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.
Complaints: NHTSA's ODI
complaint file, published October 2, 2026. One
complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall
campaign API, no campaign on file for this vehicle.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI
investigation file, published October 2, 2026.
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.
G
Compiled and maintained by guarledes Independent developer and analyst