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2019 Hyundai Kona

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Kona years

Owner complaints for the 2019 Hyundai Kona are substantially higher than the model-year median of 74.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

58 reports with mileage · 132 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 131 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 18 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 18 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

11 crash reports4 fire reports4 injury reports

Engine complaints

131 reports
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Mileage unknown · Feb 28, 2024
Electrical SystemEngineExterior Lighting

11 days after purchasing the vehicle it began shutting completely off in the middle of me driving it, losing all power for no reason I could see and would not turn on for a considerable amount of time. I brought the vehicle back to the dealership on 6 separate occasions, one of the times my car stayed at Jenkins Hyundai for 12 w…

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11 days after purchasing the vehicle it began shutting completely off in the middle of me driving it, losing all power for no reason I could see and would not turn on for a considerable amount of time. I brought the vehicle back to the dealership on 6 separate occasions, one of the times my car stayed at Jenkins Hyundai for 12 weeks while they tried to find the issue. Finally, it was towed to a Hyundai dealership in Valdosta, GA who kept it for 2 weeks and found two electrical shorts under the front bumper. After this repair it stopped losing power randomly but I still experienced electrical surges, flickering, and consistently blown lightbulbs. It was brought back to my dealership I bought from after this but they claimed nothing was wrong, so I gave up trying. I don't feel like my issues were ever taken seriously and I am now stuck with this vehicle.

NHTSA ODI #11574568

Mileage unknown · Feb 10, 2024
Engine

I was driving my car and then the engine light started blinking then my car made a funny noise I came home and put the scanner on it and code P1327 came up and freeze frame came up

NHTSA ODI #11571236

Mileage unknown · Jan 10, 2024
Engine

Throughout the last six months the car was stalling occasionally. The car would stall when accelerating after a stop. My local dealer replaced the starter coils and changed the oil. When the problem repeated, it was discovered the engine is burning oil. In fact approximately 6 weeks since the last oil change in November 2023, th…

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Throughout the last six months the car was stalling occasionally. The car would stall when accelerating after a stop. My local dealer replaced the starter coils and changed the oil. When the problem repeated, it was discovered the engine is burning oil. In fact approximately 6 weeks since the last oil change in November 2023, the engine needed another 3 quarts of oil. My local mechanic diagnosed the problem. He said the piston rings are inferior causing the engine to burn oil prematurely. So, I monitor the oil level weekly. I spoke to Hyundai America and they refuse to acknowledge the problem. The engine started stalling at approximately 80,000 to 90,000 miles ago. Both my wife and myself were almost rear-ended.

NHTSA ODI #11564746

Mileage unknown · Jan 9, 2024
Engine

While driving the car, the engine stalls and I'm no longer able to accelerate, despite pressing the gas pedal. I'm able to turn and brake. When this happens, the check engine, oil, and battery lights come on. It is sometimes accompanied by a grinding/banging sound. In order to get my car running again, I have to park it somewher…

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While driving the car, the engine stalls and I'm no longer able to accelerate, despite pressing the gas pedal. I'm able to turn and brake. When this happens, the check engine, oil, and battery lights come on. It is sometimes accompanied by a grinding/banging sound. In order to get my car running again, I have to park it somewhere safe, turn it off, and turn it back on. This is difficult to do on a highway or when surrounded by a lot of traffic. This started occurring in November 2022 and has happened many times since then.

NHTSA ODI #11564492

Mileage unknown · Jan 4, 2024
Engine

We were driving on the interstate when suddenly the check engine light began flashing and the engine began to lose power. We were able to coast to a safe location to pull off, but had it not been Christmas day and there was more traffic, the situation would have been much more dangerous. Once pulled over we shut off the engine.…

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We were driving on the interstate when suddenly the check engine light began flashing and the engine began to lose power. We were able to coast to a safe location to pull off, but had it not been Christmas day and there was more traffic, the situation would have been much more dangerous. Once pulled over we shut off the engine. Upon trying to restart the vehicle it would not start up again. After having it towed to a repair shop they stated the engine had pieces of metal throughout and would need to be replaced. It appeared to be a failure of the piston rings.

NHTSA ODI #11563528

Mileage unknown · Jan 3, 2024
Engine

The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact was able to coast off to the side of the roadway and attempted to restart the vehicle. After several attempts the contact stopped and waited for approximately 30 minutes and was able…

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The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact was able to coast off to the side of the roadway and attempted to restart the vehicle. After several attempts the contact stopped and waited for approximately 30 minutes and was able to restart the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive to an unknown dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was unavailable.

NHTSA ODI #11563234

72,000 miles · Sep 7, 2023
Engine

The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH and accelerating to merge onto the highway, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled off the road and was able to restart the vehicle on the first attempt. The contac…

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The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH and accelerating to merge onto the highway, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled off the road and was able to restart the vehicle on the first attempt. The contact continued driving but became aware that the engine was making an abnormal sound and was laboring while attempting to accelerate. The contact checked the oil level after arriving to his destination and became aware that the oil level was low. The vehicle was taken for an oil change and then taken to an independent mechanic however, the mechanic found no failure or an oil leak. The contact called another independent mechanic who related the engine failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V301000 (Engine). The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.

NHTSA ODI #11543295

Mileage unknown · Aug 3, 2023
EngineFuel/propulsion System

car shut down while driving, would not turn back on. My safety was put at risk when I was driving on the highway and my car shut off 3 times without warning. I noticed rapid oil consumption, and now my engine has seized.

NHTSA ODI #11536382

63,819 miles · Jul 19, 2023
Engine

The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that upon purchase of the vehicle, she was informed that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V301000 (Engine). The contact was referred to a dealer for assistance. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was not under recall; however, the dealer p…

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The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that upon purchase of the vehicle, she was informed that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V301000 (Engine). The contact was referred to a dealer for assistance. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was not under recall; however, the dealer performed a vibration test which the vehicle passed. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact linked the failure to the previous recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was 63,819.

NHTSA ODI #11533212

Mileage unknown · Jul 6, 2023
Engine

Driving at highway speed 65MPH, the car stalled and slowed down, not moving forward when pressing the gas. No dash indicators were present. I pulled to the side of the highway, turned the car off, and turned it back on. The check engine and oil indicator came on, and the engine began to smoke. The engine temperature was normal.…

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Driving at highway speed 65MPH, the car stalled and slowed down, not moving forward when pressing the gas. No dash indicators were present. I pulled to the side of the highway, turned the car off, and turned it back on. The check engine and oil indicator came on, and the engine began to smoke. The engine temperature was normal. I immediately turned the car back off and called a tow truck. I waited for about two hours for the tow truck, and multiple times, my car was almost struck by traffic coming from behind. I was pulled off the road as far as I could go without going into the ditch. When the tow truck driver came, I got the tow tools from the back. There was sticky dark residue all over the back hitch, getting on my hands and clothes. When the tow truck driver got to the mechanic, oil was *pouring* out of the bottom. The bed of tow truck was covered in oil. Mechanic stated that oil drain plug was missing, but it had been 3000 miles since my oil change was performed by them, and there were zero signs of it not being tightened enough. No oil leaking at any time in the last 3000 miles. Car was at mechanic 200 miles prior for nail in tire, and no oil leaking at that time either. They are denying responsibility, and have paperwork to show they did oil change correctly. At no point in the last 3000 miles did a dash indicator come on for check engine or oil.

NHTSA ODI #11530668

Official recalls

1

21V301000 · Engine

Apr 28, 2021

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 & remedy

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.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

2

DP22005 · Pedestrian Alert Sounds

Opened Jan 27, 2023 · Closed Aug 7, 2023

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electrical System:propulsion 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.

DP22003 · Loss Of Motive Power

Opened Sep 12, 2022 · Closed Dec 12, 2023

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine

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 indicating that the subject vehicles were experiencing rapid loss of engine oil due to oil drain plug back outs, resulting in loss of motive power and/or catastrophic engine damage. Additional complaints were provided which alleged that the oil drain pans lack sufficient structural integrity and are susceptible to cracking. The petition itself can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI number 11481745. On September 12, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Defect Petition (DP22-003) to evaluate the Petitioners’ request. The Petitioners have provided additional complaints within four supplemental letters dated January 31, 2023, March 21, 2023, May 23, 2023, and August 4, 2023. ODI’s evaluation included the review and analysis of the complaints and supporting information submitted by the Petitioners, as well as additional complaints submitted directly to NHTSA which referenced either the oil drain plug or a crack in the oil pan. After reviewing the available data, ODI has not identified evidence that would support opening a defect investigation into the oil drain pan assemblies of the subject vehicles. Based on a review of the available information, a loss of motive power resulting from an oil drain plug back out has not occurred between the initial sale of a vehicle and the completion of its first oil change. If during an oil change service, a technician fails to remove the existing drain plug gasket before installing a new gasket, it is likely that a proper seal between the drain plug and the oil pan will not be made. An improper seal between the drain plug and oil pan could lead to the backing out on the drain plug, resulting in the sudden loss of oil while driving. Additionally, the provided examples of oil pan cracks were localized to the immediate vicinity of the oil drain plug and/or appeared to be the result of direct-contact with a tool during servicing.  There is no information to support that a vehicle-based defect exists relating to the oil pan assembly, and instead the documented incidents are related to the failure to follow the proper maintenance procedures during oil change service. In October 2023, Hyundai published a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) that provided detailed instructions for oil change service on its gasoline powered vehicles, specifically highlighting the need to remove and replace the existing drain plug gasket prior to reinstalling the drain plug. After a thorough review of the material submitted by the petitioner, the information already in NHTSA's possession, and the potential risks to motor vehicle safety implicated by the petitioners' allegations, NHTSA does not believe that a formal investigation is warranted. Therefore, the petition is denied. A Federal Register Notice (FRN) further detailing NHTSA’s reasons for denial of the petition will be published. The reference numbers for the complaints to NHTSA cited by the petitioner can be found in the petition submission documents in the public file for DP22-003. To review those complaints and the additional complaints ODI added to its evaluation which are cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.