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Hyundai · NHTSA safety record

2023 Hyundai Kona

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

63

Complaints

4

Crashes

0

Fires

3

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2023 Hyundai Kona have filed 63 safety complaints with NHTSA between November 2022 and August 2026. The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 25 of them (40%). The typical failure was reported at 12,000 miles, the median across the 5 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 1 recall covering this vehicle.

Recalls (1)

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:FLUID/LUBRICANT:PUMP

23V526000 · July 27, 2023

Park outside until repaired

The defect
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Palisade Tucson, 2023 Sonata, Elantra, and Kona vehicles. The electronic controller for the Idle Stop & Go oil pump assembly may contain damaged electrical components that can cause the pump controller to overheat.
The risk
An electric oil pump assembly that overheats increases the risk of a vehicle fire.
The remedy
Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will inspect and replace the electric oil pump controller, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed starting September 7, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 246.

Hyundai Motor America · up to 52,109 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 63.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 25 40%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 17 27%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 13 21%
POWER TRAIN 10 16%
ENGINE 7 11%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 7 11%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 4 6%
SERVICE BRAKES 3 5%
LANE DEPARTURE 2 3%
AIR BAGS 1 2%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 2%
SEAT BELTS 1 2%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2023 at 20.

2022 2023 2026
2022 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.

SERVICE BRAKES

2 injured · crash · towed

Vehicle was service at a Hyundai Dealer for routine required maintenance to continue the warranty. Less than 24 hours later I was driving my special needs, handicap daughter to breakfast and pulled into a handicap parking space and placed my foot on the brake. The pedal seemed to not have any tension and go to the floor. The emergency collision warning went off, but the brakes did not work. The vehicle jumped over a parking curb, knocking over a handicap sign, going across the sidewalk, hitting a garbage can and finally coming to a stop in a brick building.

NHTSA complaint 11636006. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

1 injured

Safety system that automatically puts the car in park if a door is opened while in gear failed to apply

NHTSA complaint 11708650. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

crash · towed

Within 1 mile of having windshield replaced the mirror broke free falling down completely distracted the driver, tried to grab mirror did not see the car ahead applied his brakes the forward collision warning and the automatic emergency braking did not warn of the danger or avoid it . the driver applied the brakes but not soon to avoid the accident

NHTSA complaint 11523497. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

crash

i was driving at 45mph and a deer came in front of my car . We hit the deer in front of car , deer approximitly 100 lbs no warning like brake sytem lane obstruction or air bags deployed ? I bought this car based Hyundai telling me how safe of car it is . When obiously it is not I notified Hyundai america of these things and they said everything worked correctly ?

NHTSA complaint 11516654. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
I was driving to work on a normal day under normal circumstances when a check engine light won my dashboard. Seconds later my car started showing car is over heating. I immediately swayed from the speed lane to the side of the road almost getting into a crash as other vehicles were at full speeds behind me. I immediately called dealership and made an appointment. My vehicle experienced a premature failure of the cooling coolant valve, a critical component of the engine cooling system. This failure resulted in diagnostic trouble codes, warning messages, and concerns regarding the reliability of the vehicle. A component of this importance should not fail on a vehicle that is only three years

NHTSA complaint 11753667, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN

94,000 miles

The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle hesitated before driving forward. The Engine START/STOP feature was engaged. The contact stated that the ESC warning light was illuminated temporarily. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent, but was a recurring failure. The check engine warning illuminated and remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the electric oil pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact had not informed the manufacturer about the failure. The contact researched online

NHTSA complaint 11728608, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My horn is not working again. It was replaced when I initially got the Kona in 2023. It did not work coming out of the dealership. And now again it is back to not working. This is a liability and also a danger to my children.

NHTSA complaint 11727689. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN

106,000 miles

The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that the horn was working intermittently. The horn occasionally operated but had become permanently inoperable. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.

NHTSA complaint 11726817. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Liftgate was clicking leaving interior lights on Drained battery- had to buy new battery! NOW Liftgate wil NOT open at all.

NHTSA complaint 11721170. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Dear Hyundai Motor America Consumer Affairs, I am formally escalating a safety defect involving my 2023 Hyundai Kona, VIN [XXX] , purchased [XXX]. Since the purchase, the vehicle’s horn has repeatedly failed. I have brought the car in for service multiple times, and the issue is thoroughly documented in service records and email correspondence. Despite these efforts, the defect has not been permanently resolved. A non-functioning horn is a serious safety issue. This defect is not isolated; identical horn failures in Hyundai Kona vehicles are widely documented across public Internet forums, consumer complaint sites, and owner reports, further underscoring the seriousness of this issue. Given

NHTSA complaint 11716965, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Hyundai Kona

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2026 8 3 —
2024 46 3 —
2022 96 0 —
2021 113 1 —
2020 154 2 1
2019 185 1 —
2018 74 0 —

Other 2023 Hyundai models

Palisade 388 Ioniq 5 385 Santa FE 204 Tucson 130 Elantra 93 Sonata 85 Santa Cruz 77 Santa FE Hybrid 57

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