← New search

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.

About this comparison →

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
Compare all Kona 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

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

What owners actually said

116 reports
87,845 miles · Mar 31, 2025
Engine

The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle started shaking abnormally and failed to idle properly. The vehicle lost power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was then steered to the side of the road where the vehicle then stalled. The vehicle was restarted …

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle started shaking abnormally and failed to idle properly. The vehicle lost power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was then steered to the side of the road where the vehicle then stalled. The vehicle was restarted after several attempts, and the oil warning light illuminated. The vehicle then stalled again. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was no oil in the engine. The contact stated that an oil change was performed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 87,845.

NHTSA ODI #11651868

Mileage unknown · Mar 11, 2025
Engine

The engine has been a problem since I got the car. It used to just stop in the middle of traffic and just not drive I would have to completely turn the car off and back on in the middle of the highway. I went to Hyundai in Texas to get it fixed and they said they did so I drove it to where I live now In north carolina it broke d…

Read full complaint

The engine has been a problem since I got the car. It used to just stop in the middle of traffic and just not drive I would have to completely turn the car off and back on in the middle of the highway. I went to Hyundai in Texas to get it fixed and they said they did so I drove it to where I live now In north carolina it broke down again the shaft gear was broken I had to drive it back to Texas for them to fix it the whole way there I was unable to turn the car off while getting gas with the chance of it not Turing back on. got it to Texas and to the dealer they said it was their problem they would fix I got the car back and seemingly thought everything was ok. this past week I was driving to work and all of the sudden on the middle of the right lane of the highway my car just started to slow down and shake a little I had gotten it to the side to pull over and I thought if I turned it off it would turn back on. it turns on but does not drive. I am a [XXX] living [XXX] in North Carolina with a car that has so many problems for it being a 2021 car. with no recall in sight I have seen this specific car on the side of the road more times than I have seen any other car. if someone does not see this as a problem and thinks it shouldn't be recalled you are the issue I need a working car to get to work so I can pay my bills without a car I have no way to make my money this car has been a problem since the get go. Im not asking for a new car I'm asking for this one to be fixed and stay fixed for it to have so many issues is insane and just not safe with the world we live in if my car doesn't start for some reason at any point and something is going wrong its dangerous. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11647670

Mileage unknown · Mar 2, 2025
Unknown Or Other

Rear camera is not working properly. Either I have a blurry image or a black screen when in reverse position.

NHTSA ODI #11645781

Mileage unknown · Feb 21, 2025
Unknown Or Other

The shark fin antenna came off at 55 mph going down the highway. The dealer who sold me the 2021 Kona SEL, tried to blame us for it, saying there is no way to know if you hit a bird etc. They stated it would cost me about $1,300.00 to repair this. My response was, are you serious? we have had this car for less than 3 months and …

Read full complaint

The shark fin antenna came off at 55 mph going down the highway. The dealer who sold me the 2021 Kona SEL, tried to blame us for it, saying there is no way to know if you hit a bird etc. They stated it would cost me about $1,300.00 to repair this. My response was, are you serious? we have had this car for less than 3 months and this is your answer. So i went to a certified Hyundai dealer, both gave the same response, but added our tech is trained to spot defects and said the screws would not be shown, it would have ripped the entire unit from the car if it came off due to a defect. which is entirely untrue. Both dealers added that they had never even heard of this happening before, so they referred me to contact Hyundai corp to open up a registered complaint. The response I got was the dealer was the one who makes the ultimate decision. she gave me a link to buy direct from Hyundai as soon as I stated I would make a complaint here. Then I asked her the same thing I asked both dealers, why are you denying this? This is a very common issue. I also added that if the truck behind us was struck by the antenna ripping off, I would be in court to sue them. I then added it will only be a matter of time before injuries or death from this occurs and that will end up with all of the complaints being used in court to force you to comply. I ended up finding a better deal from a Hyundai dealer than the one she gave me. I performed the repair myself. the repair cost me about 300 dollars. I also want to ad that when i used AI to ask how to tell if the antenna was defective, the explanation and pics were exactly identical to the pictures I took. as this was during warmer months I felt very happy a person on a motorcycle was not hit. People need to research this on their own before purchasing this auto in my opinion.

NHTSA ODI #11644183

Mileage unknown · Jan 28, 2025
Engine

2021 Hyundai Kona check engine light came on while driving, within 10 minutes oil light and battery light came on and at the same time these lights came on the car stopped working. The engine stalled, leaving the car stuck in the middle of the road. The car turned off, and would not turn back on properly. The car had to be towed…

Read full complaint

2021 Hyundai Kona check engine light came on while driving, within 10 minutes oil light and battery light came on and at the same time these lights came on the car stopped working. The engine stalled, leaving the car stuck in the middle of the road. The car turned off, and would not turn back on properly. The car had to be towed to a mechanic where it was discovered that the engine had no oil in it and no longer starts or runs. The car was not yet due for an oil change, there were no oil leaks found, and it seems like the engine burned the oil faster than it should have. The car was functioning properly up until the day of the event, with no issues or warning signs present. There is a recall associated with this model and year relating to engine damage, with the campaign number 21V301000, but there is no recall for this car's VIN. The car stopped driving in the middle of the road which could have easily caused a crash and now the engine needs to be completely replaced.

NHTSA ODI #11639227

Mileage unknown · Jan 22, 2025
EngineFuel/propulsion System

My vehicle loses power while driving

NHTSA ODI #11637541

Mileage unknown · Dec 11, 2024
Unknown Or Other

Antenna is poorly designed and falls off. A quick internet search shows this is a common problem across thousands of Hyundais and Kias (same company). Because drivers are more and more dependent on GPS and radio based emergency notification AND vehicles more and more depend on interactive troubleshooting and reporting this is …

Read full complaint

Antenna is poorly designed and falls off. A quick internet search shows this is a common problem across thousands of Hyundais and Kias (same company). Because drivers are more and more dependent on GPS and radio based emergency notification AND vehicles more and more depend on interactive troubleshooting and reporting this is a safety issue. The manufacturer is aware of it, and it should at the very least be covered under warranty. Because it is a wide spread problem that many dealers appear to be refusing to repair even under warranty it should be a recall issue. My local dealer denied it was a warranty issue, but I have appealed their decision with Hyundai. It should be a safety recall issue.

NHTSA ODI #11630183

35,000 miles · Dec 11, 2024
Engine And Engine CoolingVehicle Speed Control

The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle started accelerating slowly. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. There was an abnormal dinging sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning lights illuminated. The vehic…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle started accelerating slowly. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. There was an abnormal dinging sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the battery needed to be replaced, and the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. The mechanic recommended additional testing. The contact declined the additional diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.

NHTSA ODI #11630098

94,000 miles · Oct 28, 2024
Engine

The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle in for service, she was made aware that the engine oil was abnormally low even though the oil had recently been changed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle in for service, she was made aware that the engine oil was abnormally low even though the oil had recently been changed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V301000 (Engine); but the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 94,000.

NHTSA ODI #11622271

96,000 miles · Oct 18, 2024
Power Train

The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle downshifted unintendedly. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart; however, the failure recurred while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was dia…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle downshifted unintendedly. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart; however, the failure recurred while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the transmission piston ring had failed. The mechanic determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 96,000.

NHTSA ODI #11620582

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.