2021 HYUNDAI KONA — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 140 complaints · 3 recalls
Most-reported system: ENGINE (66 complaints · 47.1%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 3
  • Fires 4
  • Injuries 3
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2020 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution ENGINE appears in 66 of 140 owner complaints (47.1%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 66 complaints, 47.1% of reports ENGINE 66 · 47.1% ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 12 complaints, 8.6% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 12 · 8.6% · 2 fire reports POWER TRAIN: 9 complaints, 6.4% of reports POWER TRAIN 9 · 6.4% FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: 4 complaints, 2.9% of reports FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 4 · 2.9% · 2 crash reports FUEL SYSTEM: 4 complaints, 2.9% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 4 · 2.9% SERVICE BRAKES: 4 complaints, 2.9% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 4 · 2.9% VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 4 complaints, 2.9% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 4 · 2.9% · 1 crash reports 1 fire reports LANE DEPARTURE: 3 complaints, 2.1% of reports LANE DEPARTURE 3 · 2.1% VISIBILITY: 3 complaints, 2.1% of reports VISIBILITY 3 · 2.1% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 39 complaints, 27.9% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 39 · 27.9% · 2 crash reports 2 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
ENGINE 66 47.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 12 8.6% 0 crashes · 2 fires
POWER TRAIN 9 6.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 4 2.9% 2 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 4 2.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 4 2.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 4 2.9% 1 crashes · 1 fires
LANE DEPARTURE 3 2.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 3 2.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 39 27.9% 2 crashes · 2 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Apr 2021; the first recall shown was reported in Dec 2020. 2021-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 2021-Q3: 14 owner reports 14 2021-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2022-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2022-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2022-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2022-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2023-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2023-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2023-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2023-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2024-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2024-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2024-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2025-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2025-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2025-Q3: 13 owner reports 13 2025-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2026-Q1: 12 owner reports 12 2026-Q2: 9 owner reports 9 2026-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 Owner reports Dec 2020 Jul 2026 Recall campaign 20V748000 ◆ Recall campaign 20V748000 Recall campaign 21V301000 ◆ Recall campaign 21V301000 Recall campaign 22V941000 ◆ Recall campaign 22V941000 Investigation DP22005 ● Investigation DP22005 Investigation DP22005 ● Investigation DP22005
  • Campaign 22V941000 was reported 472 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2021-Q2 Owner reports 10
2021-Q3 Owner reports 14
2021-Q4 Owner reports 3
2022-Q1 Owner reports 6
2022-Q2 Owner reports 6
2022-Q3 Owner reports 5
2022-Q4 Owner reports 7
2023-Q1 Owner reports 7
2023-Q2 Owner reports 3
2023-Q3 Owner reports 6
2023-Q4 Owner reports 1
2024-Q1 Owner reports 5
2024-Q2 Owner reports 2
2024-Q3 Owner reports 5
2024-Q4 Owner reports 7
2025-Q1 Owner reports 6
2025-Q2 Owner reports 7
2025-Q3 Owner reports 13
2025-Q4 Owner reports 3
2026-Q1 Owner reports 12
2026-Q2 Owner reports 9
2026-Q3 Owner reports 3
Recall campaign 1 20V748000
Recall campaign 1 21V301000
Recall campaign 1 22V941000
Defect investigation 1 DP22005
Defect investigation 1 DP22005
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (3)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 20V748000

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    Reduced braking power could lengthen the distance required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 21V301000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    A damaged engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash. In addition, oil may leak onto hot exhaust components, increasing the risk of a fire.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the engine, free of charge. In addition, Hyundai will deploy Piston Ring Noise Sensing System (PNSS) software. Owner notification letters were mailed August 24, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 22V941000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    Coolant contacting the EPCU circuit board may cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will inspect and replace the EPCU, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 22, 2023. A second notice will be sent once the final remedy is available. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 239.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 140 complaints · page 1 of 6

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources