2019 Hyundai Kona Engine Problems
- Complaints
- 138about this part
- Share
- 70%of 198 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 68,000miles
- Trend
- RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 138 complaints about the engine of the 2019 Hyundai Kona, 70% of the 198 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 68,000 miles. 2 of these say a crash was involved and 3 a fire, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“As I was coming to a stop light I pressed my brake pedals I felt a shudder through the brake pedal and my car died. This occurred three times in a short. Of time. This occurred three times in a short. Of time I was on a highway and it was very disconcerting I was able to finally get it back home.”
NHTSA complaint #11348676, filed 2020-08, 15,200 miles“A couple hundred miles after purchasing a new KONA, I had started having acceleration issues going from a dead stop into first gear .as the car starts to go, this is under 5 MPH, the car then hesitates as if someone is hitting the brakes. I have almost been rear ended several times due to this. It is a sporadic issue. I have had it into Hyundai 3x now for this. All 3 x Hyundai states they can not repair unless it happens while test driving . Of course this has not happened. So they have reset my driving computer 2x hoping it will stop. …”
NHTSA complaint #11340900, filed 2020-07, 300 miles“During regular driving the vehicle loses power, will not accelerate and stalls out completely. After sitting a few minutes the vehicle will restart. The vehicle was taken to the repair shop but nothing seemed wrong. Within a six month period it again occurred twice. Once again nothing was observed wrong with the vehicle but the second time last night the car was brought to the repair shop and they stated the engine has little to no compression. The vehicle is currently awaiting a diagnosis from hyndai”
NHTSA complaint #11394461, filed 2021-02, 15,000 miles“Vehicle stalls with A/C running on turns. It is intermittent issue. By putting vehicle back in neutral vehicle restarts right away. This happens normally in hotter weather. Called dealer and taken vehicle in and can not duplicate. So no fix. This is a 2019 Hyundai KONA with 19,500 miles. Others on Hyundai website owners club have same issues. Hyundai is not a bad company. But they need to investigate issues if so many of us are having same issues. Doesn't seem to be related to the engine options happens with both engine options.”
NHTSA complaint #11349568, filed 2020-08, 19,500 miles“My vehicle was brought into Kerry Hyundai of Alexandria in December 2025 and is still there. It was brought in for warranty work. The original complaint was oil consumption. It is supposedly getting a replacement engine but it has been 10 months of them giving me the run around. I feel this timeline is unreasonable.”
NHTSA complaint #11773131, filed 2026-10Related recalls
- 21V301000Apr 28, 2021Hyundai 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…Covers: Hyundai Kona 2019–2021, Veloster 2019–2021, Elantra 2019–2020
Related service bulletins
- 11038458Oct 8, 2026Some vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil consumption. This bulletin outlines the combustion chamber cleaning procedure…
- 11038456Oct 7, 2026Certain vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil consumption. This bulletin provides the inspection and repair procedures…
- 11031400Apr 18, 2026Some vehicles may exhibit difficulty starting in cold weather. This bulletin provides the procedure to perform an inspection on the starter magnetic switch for potential freezing…
Engine: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 10% |
| 2025 | 2 | 7% |
| 2024 | 9 | 17% |
| 2023 | 8 | 12% |
| 2022 | 33 | 33% |
| 2021 | 80 | 67% |
| 2020 | 109 | 67% |
| 2019 | 138 | 70% |
| 2018 | 42 | 56% |
Other parts of the 2019 Hyundai Kona
21 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
19 complaintsElectrical system
18 complaintsFuel system
10 complaintsEngine cooling
9 complaintsForward collision avoidance
9 complaintsVehicle speed control
9 complaintsLane departure
6 complaintsAir bags
5 complaintsBody and structure
5 complaintsExterior lighting
4 complaintsBrakes
3 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2019 Hyundai Kona
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology