2020 Hyundai Kona Engine Problems
- Complaints
- 109about this part
- Share
- 67%of 162 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 12,000miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 109 complaints about the engine of the 2020 Hyundai Kona, 67% of the 162 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 12,000 miles. 2 of these say a crash was involved and 1 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.
“In the last 3 weeks the engine started making a rapping noise, from the time I start it and drive till its parked and shut off. The rapping is getting progressively louder. I had the oil changed at the dealership in january and is not due for another yet. I bought the KONA in august of 2020 and it has less than 3800 miles on it. I am driving to charlottesville virginia with three family members so I will be taking it to the dealership for service asap.”
NHTSA complaint #11415579, filed 2021-05, 3,478 miles“In june I took the car back to the dealership because of a loud ticking noise. I then thought it was the oil level was low... When they checked to see it I needed an oil change they stated I need to have at least 7500 miles on the vehicle before I can get an oil change. They stated that my oil level was good and to come back , I explained to the advisor that this sound (ticking) was not normal he stated that all the 2020 KONA has that sound... …”
NHTSA complaint #11367063, filed 2020-10, 11,008 miles“My 6 month old, Hyundai 2020 KONA that I bought in july of 2020 with only 7000 miles on it had its engine fail as I was driving multiple times before I was able to get it to a mechanic. No indication lights came on telling me that there was something wrong with the car before the engine failed. The car is now at Hyundai dealership and they are telling me that my new car needs a new engine and they have no idea what started it or if replacing the engine will fix it. …”
NHTSA complaint #11395078, filed 2021-02, 7,000 miles“Bought new car july 2020, was good for a little while then started to have loud ticking noise under hood. Brought car in for service at 3100 (approx) miles had a few issues at this service, main was noise. Was told mechanic looked under heard noise (as did front desk rep) and mechanic said it was normal on this car. I took car back again for same issues approx 2 weeks later (they hear noise dont know where its coming from I was told, they have tech advice looking into it now). They now have had my car for 6 days. …”
NHTSA complaint #11375178, filed 2020-11, 35 miles“While braking forward or backing up their is a continuous scraped noise and it doesn't matter if it rain ,dry ,hot or cold weather.it my noise while braking all the time. It started at 1,000 miles and now it has 8,000 miles.brought it in february 2020.test drive one 6,000 and noise was worst.they said all of them make same noise.help”
NHTSA complaint #11378381, filed 2020-12, 1,000 milesRelated 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 2020 Hyundai Kona
20 complaintsOther or unknown
17 complaintsElectrical system
11 complaintsForward collision avoidance
7 complaintsSteering
7 complaintsVehicle speed control
7 complaintsEngine cooling
4 complaintsFuel system
4 complaintsBrakes
3 complaintsAir bags
2 complaintsLane departure
2 complaintsBody and structure
2 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2020 Hyundai Kona
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 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