NHTSA lists 118 complaints for the 2021 Hyundai Kona, 2 of them mention a crash and 3 mention a fire. 3 complaints mention an injury, with 3 injuries and 0 deaths reported.
Data build 2026-10-09.
NHTSA lists this vehicle as HYUNDAI KONA.
At a glance
Complaints
118
With crash
2
With fire
3
With injury (complaints)
3
Injuries
3
Deaths
0
Recalls
1
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
158,493
Investigations
1
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
67
Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. No sales source is available for this record.
Where the complaints are
Top systems
System
Complaints
Share of this vehicle's complaints
ENGINE
79
66.9%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
18
15.3%
POWER TRAIN
14
11.9%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
11
9.3%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
4
3.4%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
4
3.4%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
4
3.4%
LANE DEPARTURE
3
2.5%
SERVICE BRAKES
3
2.5%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
2
1.7%
Top subsystems
System
Subsystem
Complaints
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
3
LANE DEPARTURE
BLIND SPOT DETECTION
3
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
WARNINGS
2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
HORN
1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
HEADLIGHTS
1
POWER TRAIN
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
1
STRUCTURE
BODY
1
TIRES
SIDEWALL
1
VISIBILITY
WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER
1
One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.
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.
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Elantra, 2019-2021 Kona and Veloster vehicles equipped with 2.0L Nu MPI engines. The piston oil rings may not have been properly heat-treated, which could result in engine damage.
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.
Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.
Investigations
1 investigations; 0 open.
DP22005
Opened: 2023-01-27. Closed: 2023-08-07.
Pedestrian alert sounds
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 ele
Date: 2026-09-22. Type: Service Campaign. Systems: ENGINE.
Hyundai has become aware that certain Kona vehicles equipped with 1.6T-GDI engines may not meet engine-out NOx (Nitrogen Oxides) and Particulate Matter (PM) emission standards.
11036622
Date: 2026-08-21. Type: Service Campaign. Systems: ENGINE.
Certain Kona (OS) vehicles equipped with the 1.6T-GDI engine may exhibit elevated engine-out emissions that may not meet engine-out NOx (Nitrogen Oxides) and Particulate Matter (PM) emission standards. This bulletin provides the instructions to update the emission logic within the Engine Control Mod
11036623
Date: 2026-08-21. Type: Service Campaign. Systems: ENGINE.
Certain Kona (OS) vehicles equipped with the 1.6T-GDI engine may exhibit elevated engine-out emissions that may not meet engine-out NOx (Nitrogen Oxides) and Particulate Matter (PM) emission standards.
11032720
Date: 2026-05-16. Type: Warranty Program/Extension. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Certain 2021-2023 model year Kona, 2021-2023 model year Kona Electric, and 2022-2023 model year Kona N vehicles may experience an inoperable horn that may be caused by foreign substances causing internal parts to oxidize. At Hyundai, we are committed to providing vehicles of outstanding quality and
11031397
Date: 2026-04-18. Type: Warranty Program/Extension. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Some vehicles may have an inoperable horn that may be caused by foreign substances causing internal parts to oxidize. Hyundai is extending the warranty coverage for the horn replacement under this condition to 10 years or 120,000 miles from the date of original retail delivery or date of first use (
11031398
Date: 2026-04-18. Type: Warranty Program/Extension. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Some vehicles may have an inoperable horn that may be caused by foreign substances causing internal parts to oxidize. Hyundai is extending the warranty coverage for the horn replacement under this condition to 10 years or 120,000 miles from the date of original retail delivery or date of first use (
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
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
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.