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2021 Hyundai Kona

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2021 Hyundai Kona do not stand out strongly from 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

29 reports with mileage · 87 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 77 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 14 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.

2 crash reports3 fire reports3 injury reports

Power Train complaints

14 reports
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Mileage unknown · May 17, 2023
Power Train

After Stopping for a traffic sign, I proceeded to go forward when a loud noise occurred ( grinding of gears), I loss power to move forward. A car in back of me had to apply his brakes to avoid hitting me. I pulled over to the curb and parked. Upon starting up again, I did not have full power to accelerate. I also could not put…

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After Stopping for a traffic sign, I proceeded to go forward when a loud noise occurred ( grinding of gears), I loss power to move forward. A car in back of me had to apply his brakes to avoid hitting me. I pulled over to the curb and parked. Upon starting up again, I did not have full power to accelerate. I also could not put the car in reverse. About 10 minutes later, I received a message on the car information screen “ A possible condition with your Transmission Control System has been detected with your 2021 Kona” “ A full system check is recommended to be done soon”. I then drove it to a Dealership where it is now.

NHTSA ODI #11522420

Mileage unknown · Mar 15, 2023
Power Train

When you press on the gas, many times there is a very delayed reaction for power. This resulted in my safety put at risk. I have mentioned this to mechanic, they say it is the transmission. I see where there was a recall for 'automatic transmission that may disengage when the car is being driven'. This is NHTSA campaign number 2…

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When you press on the gas, many times there is a very delayed reaction for power. This resulted in my safety put at risk. I have mentioned this to mechanic, they say it is the transmission. I see where there was a recall for 'automatic transmission that may disengage when the car is being driven'. This is NHTSA campaign number 22V746000. and Hyundai's number for this recall is 236. I would like to know if my car should be included in the 236.

NHTSA ODI #11512082

Mileage unknown · Dec 31, 2022
Power Train

The car has never been good on gas or changing gears when drive mode was changed to sport from the beginning. It would say 200 miles to drive I will drive 30 miles and it will go down to 130. Recently the engine light has come on the car stalls when going a very low speeds and appears to have problems changing gears. Now I a…

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The car has never been good on gas or changing gears when drive mode was changed to sport from the beginning. It would say 200 miles to drive I will drive 30 miles and it will go down to 130. Recently the engine light has come on the car stalls when going a very low speeds and appears to have problems changing gears. Now I am receiving a crankshaft position camshaft powertrain system code P0017. Not even a year old 28k miles. I understand there are recalls on this make model and year yet my VIN is not registered.

NHTSA ODI #11499629

Mileage unknown · Sep 9, 2022
Power Train

While driving up a steep mountain road in heavy traffic and snow the transmission on my Hyundai Kona overheated and failed. The car began to buck back and forth and a transmission light came on. Unfortunately I was on a mountain interstate in heavy traffic with no real shoulder due to snow. I attempted to limp the car to the …

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While driving up a steep mountain road in heavy traffic and snow the transmission on my Hyundai Kona overheated and failed. The car began to buck back and forth and a transmission light came on. Unfortunately I was on a mountain interstate in heavy traffic with no real shoulder due to snow. I attempted to limp the car to the top but moved towards the right lane in case. The transmission did it's bucking thing 3 times total and then I noticed smoke coming from the powertrain area. At this point I pulled over and put my car basically into a snow bank so as not to get run over by semi trucks. I called AAA but was able to get the car up the hill after letting the transmission cool for around an hour. This entire situation was completely unsafe and had I been informed I would not have purchased the car because I know that I spend most of the winter in traffic on a mountain interstate. What's even more concerning, this issue is documented heavily online yet the sales reps for Hyundai are not aware. The service department is aware and told me that they couldn't do anything because it was working as it is designed. See here an additional forum which outlines the same issue for another driver. https://www.hyundaikonaforum.com/threads/dct-shifting-annoyances.2428/ Best, Greg

NHTSA ODI #11483608

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

1

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.