The Used Car Index

2018 Hyundai Kona problems

NHTSA lists 75 complaints for the 2018 Hyundai Kona, 9 of them mention a crash and 10 mention a fire. 8 complaints mention an injury, with 12 injuries and 0 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-09.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as HYUNDAI KONA.

At a glance

Complaints
75
With crash
9
With fire
10
With injury (complaints)
8
Injuries
12
Deaths
0
Recalls
0
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
Unavailable
Investigations
1
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
94

Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. No sales source is available for this record.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
ENGINE4256.0%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER2533.3%
POWER TRAIN1114.7%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM810.7%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM45.3%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING34.0%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING34.0%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE34.0%
STRUCTURE34.0%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL34.0%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
STRUCTUREBODY3
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCEWARNINGS2
BACK OVER PREVENTIONWARNINGS1
LANE DEPARTUREBLIND SPOT DETECTION1
TIRESTREAD/BELT1

One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.

Model-generated complaint tags

These labels are model-generated, not NHTSA data.

Failure modes
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
mechanical failure2432.0%0.89
loss of control2128.0%0.80
electrical electronic1013.3%0.84
fire or overheating912.0%0.86
visibility or lighting45.3%0.97
fluid or fuel leak22.7%0.62
restraint or airbag22.7%1.00
unclear22.7%1.00
structural or corrosion11.3%0.47
Severities
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
moderate4357.3%0.79
low1520.0%0.70
high1216.0%0.85
critical45.3%0.86
none11.3%0.98

Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 75 tagged complaints of 75 complaints (100.0%).

Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.

Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.

Recalls

See new recalls and investigations this week.

0 recalls.

Investigations

1 investigations; 0 open.

DP22003

Opened: 2022-09-12. Closed: 2023-12-12.

Loss of Motive Power

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc. and Kia America, Inc. vehicles spanning Model Years (MY) 2005-2021. The Petitioners cited examples of complaints i

Systems: ENGINE.

Linked campaign numbers: None listed.

Manufacturer communications

94 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM46
EQUIPMENT19
POWER TRAIN13
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING10
STEERING10
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY8
AIR BAGS5
VISIBILITY4

11031400

Date: 2026-04-18. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE.

Some vehicles may exhibit difficulty starting in cold weather. This bulletin provides the procedure to perform an inspection on the starter magnetic switch for potential freezing and, if necessary, replace the starter magnetic switch (solenoid) assembly.

11032522

Date: 2026-04-10. Type: Other. Systems: AIR BAGS.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued an urgent safety advisory regarding dangerous, counterfeit drivera side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile Safety System Co., Ltd. (DTN), that have been identified in U.S. vehicles following prio

11032523

Date: 2026-04-10. Type: Other. Systems: AIR BAGS.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has identified the presence of substandard and dangerous drivera s-side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile Safety System Co., Ltd. (DTN). These inflators were not supplied, approved, or authorized by the ve

11026704

Date: 2025-12-19. Type: Other. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

In response to this trend, we engineered a software upgrade that addresses the social media theft method and made it available to owners of eligible models free of charge at authorized Hyundai dealers since early 2023. In addition to the anti-theft software, wea ve developed a new zinc-reinforced

11027045

Date: 2025-12-19. Type: Other. Systems: AIR BAGS.

Hyundai has settled a class action lawsuit that alleges that certain Hyundai and Kia Class Vehicles (defined below) contain defective ZF-TRW airbag control units (a ZF-TRW ACUsa ) that are vulnerable to a condition called electrical overstress, which may cause the vehiclesa airbags and other saf

11027046

Date: 2025-12-19. Type: Other. Systems: AIR BAGS.

A Class Action settlement regarding the TRW Airbag was recently decided. Based on the Class Action, customers are eligible for certain settlement benefits. Impacted vehicles are also noted below. For further information regarding settlement benefits and contacts, please review the corresponding dea

11027047

Date: 2025-12-19. Type: Other. Systems: AIR BAGS.

A Class Action settlement regarding the TRW Airbag was recently decided. Based on the Class Action, customers are eligible for certain settlement benefits. Please see attached for details. Impacted vehicles are also noted below. For further information regarding settlement benefits and contacts, ple

11027033

Date: 2025-12-15. Type: Other. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

This bulletin provides the service procedure for installation of a key cylinder reinforcement protector assembly and two anti-theft decals on the front windows.

11027034

Date: 2025-12-15. Type: Other. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

In addition to the Anti-Theft software provided under Service Campaign 993 (TSB 24-01-009H-1), a zinc reinforced ignition cylinder protector hardware upgrade is being made available to customers upon request. This supplemental security measure is to be installed at the ignition switch location and p

11027035

Date: 2025-12-15. Type: Other. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

Upon customer's request ONLY, the Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 25-01-089H provides the service procedure for installation of a key cylinder reinforcement protector assembly and two anti-theft decals on the front windows. This repair procedure is being provided in addition to the previous Anti-Th

Notes on this record

  • Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
  • System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
  • Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
  • A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
KONA75

Same model, other years

All model years | All Hyundai models

Other Hyundai models, 2018

Sources

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