IllustrationMANUFACTURER RECALLS THIS VEHICLE TO REPLACE BATTERY PACK DUE TO CATASTROPHIC FIRE RISK.
2019 Hyundai Kona Electric
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2019 Hyundai Kona Electric do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 20.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Kona Electric years →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
Limited mileage data: 10 of 54 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
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.
- Electrical System. Review the 42 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
2 crash reports2 fire reports1 injury reports
What owners actually said
54 reportsTHERE IS A RECALL ON THE EV BATTERY SYSTEM BOTH ON THE HYUNDAI SITE AND THE NTSB SITE FOR THIS. HYUNDAI CLAIMS THERE IS NO SUCH RECALL. MY BATTERY SYSTEM DOES NOT FUNCTION ACCORDING TO SPECIFICATIONS. HYUNDAI SAYS NOT TO PARK THE VEHICLE INSIDE DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF CATASTROPHIC FIRE. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACT…
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THERE IS A RECALL ON THE EV BATTERY SYSTEM BOTH ON THE HYUNDAI SITE AND THE NTSB SITE FOR THIS. HYUNDAI CLAIMS THERE IS NO SUCH RECALL. MY BATTERY SYSTEM DOES NOT FUNCTION ACCORDING TO SPECIFICATIONS. HYUNDAI SAYS NOT TO PARK THE VEHICLE INSIDE DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF CATASTROPHIC FIRE. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER WILL REMEDY THE SITUATION. THEY BOTH DENY THERE IS ANY PROBLEM. I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE USED FROM A DEALER DECEMBER 2020.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 HYUNDAI KONA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V630000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). ROWE HYUNDAI WESTBROOK (91 MAIN ST SUITE #3, WESTBROOK, ME 04092) WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE BATTERY SOFTWARE WOULD BE UPDATED, WHICH WOULD LIMIT THE BATTERY POWER. DESPITE THE…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 HYUNDAI KONA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V630000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). ROWE HYUNDAI WESTBROOK (91 MAIN ST SUITE #3, WESTBROOK, ME 04092) WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE BATTERY SOFTWARE WOULD BE UPDATED, WHICH WOULD LIMIT THE BATTERY POWER. DESPITE THE UPDATE, THE CONTACT WAS NOT ENSURED THAT THE SYSTEM UPDATE WOULD PREVENT THE FAILURE FROM RECURRING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.
AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING ACTIVATED UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE DRIVING IN A HIGHWAY. VEHICLES AHEAD WERE STOPPED OR SLOWING DOWN AND I WAS STARTING TO BRAKE AND THE CAR ACTIVATED THE EMERGENCY BRAKING BRINGING THE CAR TO A COMPLETE STOP EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS NOT IMMEDIATE DANGER OF COLLISION, THERE WAS MORE THAN A CAR SPACE BETWEEN MY…
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AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING ACTIVATED UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE DRIVING IN A HIGHWAY. VEHICLES AHEAD WERE STOPPED OR SLOWING DOWN AND I WAS STARTING TO BRAKE AND THE CAR ACTIVATED THE EMERGENCY BRAKING BRINGING THE CAR TO A COMPLETE STOP EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS NOT IMMEDIATE DANGER OF COLLISION, THERE WAS MORE THAN A CAR SPACE BETWEEN MY CAR AND THE STOPPED CAR. THE CAR BEHIND ME HAD TO VEER OFF THE ROAD NOT TO HIT ME. A SIMILAR SITUATION HAPPENED TWICE BEFORE.
Official recalls
321V127000 · Electrical System:propulsion System:traction Battery
Mar 1, 2021
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Kona Electric and 2020 Ioniq Electric vehicles. The lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery may short-circuit.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An electrical short in the Li-ion battery increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the interim action is complete. Hyundai will notify owners, and as an interim action, owners have the option to follow provided instructions to perform a battery update through the vehicle's infotainment system or request a Hyundai dealer to provide the update. Once parts are available, dealers will inspect the Battery System Assembly (BSA), and replace it if necessary. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owners were notified of the safety risk, and the interim action, with a letter mailed April 9, 2021. Final owner notification letters were mailed June 17, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 200.
20V748000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist:electric:control Module:software
Dec 1, 2020
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Nexo Fuel Cell and 2019-2021 Kona Electric vehicles. The Integrated Electronic Brake (IEB) system may detect an abnormal sensor signal and as a result, may significantly reduce braking performance.
Consequence & remedy
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.
20V630000 · Electrical System:propulsion System:traction Battery; Electrical System:propulsion System:traction Battery:management System/energy Control Module (bms/becm):software
Oct 13, 2020
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Kona Electric vehicles. The lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery may short-circuit.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An electrical short in the Li-ion battery increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will update the Battery Management System (BMS) software and inspect the Li-ion battery, replacing it if necessary, free of charge. Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the repair is complete. The recall began November 13, 2020. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 196.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Electrical System:propulsion System:traction Battery:management System/energy Control Module (bms/becm):software
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Kona Electric vehicles. The lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery may short-circuit.
Consequence: An electrical short in the Li-ion battery increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will update the Battery Management System (BMS) software and inspect the Li-ion battery, replacing it if necessary, free of charge. Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the repair is complete. The recall began November 13, 2020. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 196.
Electrical System:propulsion System:traction Battery
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Kona Electric vehicles. The lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery may short-circuit.
Consequence: An electrical short in the Li-ion battery increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will update the Battery Management System (BMS) software and inspect the Li-ion battery, replacing it if necessary, free of charge. Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the repair is complete. The recall began November 13, 2020. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 196.
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
1DP22005 · 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.