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2020 Hyundai Kona

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Kona years

Owner complaints for the 2020 Hyundai Kona are substantially higher than the model-year median of 74.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

47 reports with mileage · 111 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 105 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 20 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

8 crash reports3 fire reports7 injury reports

Engine complaints

105 reports
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Mileage unknown · Dec 31, 2021
Engine

Leased 5/24/2020. Poor mileage . Told had to break in. On 3/24, 3/29 and 3/30, 2020, car stalled out in traffic. Called for service and given date 3 weeks later. Called Another dealer and got appt. for next day.Spoke to Hyundai Ca. (Sonia) and got case number(1811 5897). On 4/2/2020Blue Link advised to take to dealership, that t…

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Leased 5/24/2020. Poor mileage . Told had to break in. On 3/24, 3/29 and 3/30, 2020, car stalled out in traffic. Called for service and given date 3 weeks later. Called Another dealer and got appt. for next day.Spoke to Hyundai Ca. (Sonia) and got case number(1811 5897). On 4/2/2020Blue Link advised to take to dealership, that there was a problem with Engine Control System.The service report was written up that customer states check engine light on.We told them that the car stalled in traffic(very dangerous), but they wouldn’t write that up. They state that they repaired the car and no code was found. An recall was mailed to house. Made appt for 11/15/2020. Had engine rings recall, they said they did an Atkinson Engine Insp.On 12/6/2020 we received from Blue Link a notice for a possible condition with Engine Control System. At the same time notice appeared car stalled, again in traffic.Called Hyundai Ca. Talked to a Jordan who started another case number, 1905 7159 and he contacted Centereach Hyundai and we had an appt for 12/8/2020. They had to keep the car which meant we were without a car. On 12/16/2020 Centereach gave us a loaner which we were very appreciative of. The car was finally repaired and given back to us on 12/31/2020. Engine was replaced or rebuilt. We had car in for recall on 11/15/2020 and nothing showed up on Engine. Yet on 12/08/2020 they say the engine noise was caused by faulty bearing and piston slap, did a test and found a passing result. They continued to diagnosis and found scoring on all cylinder walls an indication of piston slap to be confirmed, submitted all proper paper work, photos and video evidence to Hyundai for engine approval. After reading in the newspaper about troubles with Hyundai I felt I should write as we could have numerous times accidents with the stalling of car. Hyundai did not acknowledge and repair car right the first time. It was a dangerous situation.

NHTSA ODI #11445745

Mileage unknown · Dec 14, 2021
Engine

...three times in one week (twice with me, and once with my wife), while driving in traffic the engine shut down completely, and we had to coast off the road to restart the engine...could easily have been deadly...I have tried to contact my dealer, but continually on hold...have left message for call back...afraid to drive car..…

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...three times in one week (twice with me, and once with my wife), while driving in traffic the engine shut down completely, and we had to coast off the road to restart the engine...could easily have been deadly...I have tried to contact my dealer, but continually on hold...have left message for call back...afraid to drive car...

NHTSA ODI #11443797

5,000 miles · Nov 15, 2021
Engine

The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated while starting the vehicle he heard an abnormal sound. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated he needed to add a 1½ quart of oil to the engine. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where an unknown test was completed however, t…

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The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated while starting the vehicle he heard an abnormal sound. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated he needed to add a 1½ quart of oil to the engine. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where an unknown test was completed however, the result was not yet provided. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 5,000.

NHTSA ODI #11440522

Mileage unknown · Nov 5, 2021
Engine

2020 HYUNDAI KONA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO ENGINE FAILURE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER DUE TO A NOTICEABLE LEAK AND TO HAVE THE RECALL REPAIR COMPLETED. THE DEALER DID NOT PERFORM THE RECALL STATING THE VEHICLE PASSED THE TEST THEREFORE, DID NOT NEED TO BE REPAIRED. THE CONSUMER WAS CONCERNED …

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2020 HYUNDAI KONA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO ENGINE FAILURE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER DUE TO A NOTICEABLE LEAK AND TO HAVE THE RECALL REPAIR COMPLETED. THE DEALER DID NOT PERFORM THE RECALL STATING THE VEHICLE PASSED THE TEST THEREFORE, DID NOT NEED TO BE REPAIRED. THE CONSUMER WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THE VEHICLE.

NHTSA ODI #11439490

12,448 miles · Oct 26, 2021
Engine

The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Kona. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V301000 (Engine). The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, knocking noises were heard and the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer performed an oil change and oil cons…

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The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Kona. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V301000 (Engine). The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, knocking noises were heard and the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer performed an oil change and oil consumption test after every thousand miles on three separate occasions. The first time the vehicle consumed half a quart of oil. The second and third times, the vehicle consumed a quart of oil. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle had passed the engine vibration test and the recall was not repaired. The failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 12,448.

NHTSA ODI #11438279

500 miles · Oct 19, 2021
Engine

The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that the vehicle had been consuming oil every 500 miles. The contact stated he received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V301000 (Engine) and the vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer inspected the vehicle and advised the contact that they …

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The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that the vehicle had been consuming oil every 500 miles. The contact stated he received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V301000 (Engine) and the vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer inspected the vehicle and advised the contact that they would not replace the engine as the vehicle had passed the software vibration test. The dealer advised the contact to continue to take the vehicle in for oil changes. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 500.

NHTSA ODI #11437335

11,000 miles · Oct 13, 2021
Engine

The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine was faulty was replaced. The contact was informed that the repairs would be performed several months later. The vehicle was included in NHTSA…

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The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine was faulty was replaced. The contact was informed that the repairs would be performed several months later. The vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V301000 (Engine). The contact stated that the manufacturer and dealer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. Parts distribution disconnect. The failure mileage was 11,000.

NHTSA ODI #11436623

6,000 miles · Oct 12, 2021
Engine

The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Kona. The contact received a notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V301000(ENGINE). The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, an abnormal knocking sound began to emit from the engine as the vehicle began to hesitate and the check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel. Due to …

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The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Kona. The contact received a notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V301000(ENGINE). The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, an abnormal knocking sound began to emit from the engine as the vehicle began to hesitate and the check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealer confirmed that the failure was linked to the recall; however, the parts for the repair were not yet available. The manufacturer had also been notified of the recall and offered no assistance. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the repair. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000.

NHTSA ODI #11436468

Mileage unknown · Oct 11, 2021
Engine

Engine light and engine shaking/sputtering on 8/27/2021 and car stalled out while on interstate at 55 mph. Car taken to Alexandria Hyundai on 8/30. Test confirmed that car failed engine piston test and was told that engine would be replaced. Call to Hyundai Corporation (case #18719921) on 10/7/2021 reveals that request by deale…

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Engine light and engine shaking/sputtering on 8/27/2021 and car stalled out while on interstate at 55 mph. Car taken to Alexandria Hyundai on 8/30. Test confirmed that car failed engine piston test and was told that engine would be replaced. Call to Hyundai Corporation (case #18719921) on 10/7/2021 reveals that request by dealer for engine to be approved for replacement is "pending." It is now 10/11/2021 and car has not been repaired. I think 6 weeks and counting to remedy issue per recall now approaches "failed to remedy the defect within a reasonable time" and dealer should make repair/replacement a priority or replace vehicle at no cost as it only has 14k miles and is less than 1 year old (purchased on 5/31/2020).

NHTSA ODI #11436313

12,000 miles · Oct 1, 2021
Engine

The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Kona. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V301000 (Engine) however, the dealer informed the contact that they were overbooked and could only schedule the recall repair in late October. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, she heard abnormal knocking sou…

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The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Kona. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V301000 (Engine) however, the dealer informed the contact that they were overbooked and could only schedule the recall repair in late October. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, she heard abnormal knocking sounds coming from under the hood. The contact was unsure whether a warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving. The contact also stated that whenever the vehicle was overheating, the vehicle shuttered violently while driving. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that they could only complete the recall repair in 19 days. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 12,000.

NHTSA ODI #11435130

Official recalls

2

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.

20V022000 · Equipment:other:labels

Jan 17, 2020

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020 Kona vehicles. The certification label may indicate incorrect Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR). As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 567, "Certification" and 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An incorrect GAWR could result in the vehicle being overloaded, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will install new label stickers displaying the correct GAWR over the affected areas of the certification label, free of charge. The recall began March 2, 2020. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 187.

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.