2023 Hyundai Kona Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 10about this part
- Share
- 15%of 66 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 94,000miles
- Trend
- Too newThis model year is less than 4 years old, so a trend is not meaningful yet.
NHTSA recorded 10 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2023 Hyundai Kona, 15% of the 66 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 94,000 miles. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Dear Customer Care, I am the owner of a 2023 Hyundai Kona AWD purchased brand new from Vision Hyundai West Henrietta, NY. I paid for the vehicle in full with a cashier's check totaling over $31,000. At just 64,000 miles, the vehicle has become undrivable-experiencing loud noises, jerking, and no acceleration. I was driving and car would not move. These symptoms are clearly drivetrain-related and should be covered under Hyundai's 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty . …”
NHTSA complaint #11674917, filed 2025-07“My Kona N Line is not functioning well. Especially after driving for a longer period of time. About 60% of the time, upon letting go of my brake, the car jerks. Going from 0 - 5 mph is the worst. The car definitely hesitates many times. Again, it is when I have driven it for over 10 minutes. I took the car to a service department in El Monte, CA on 11/1. They cannot find the problem. They rode with me and it did not show at that time. They released the car to me. The Kona N has a recall but not my car, the Kona N Line. The recall is for the same problem. I am extremely frustrated. …”
NHTSA complaint #11698455, filed 2025-11“We were diving on the interstate and the RPMs went up all the way up and after it came back down the car wouldn’t respond anymore and came to a stop while on the interstate putting my family safety at risk! There were no notifications before the car came to a stop while on the interstate but when we pulled over to the shoulder we tried to start the car again and then the Check engine light came on saying there was issues with the transmission control system. We had the car towed to Hyundai of Metairie on 5/28/23 and notified Hyundai of everything that happened. …”
NHTSA complaint #11526637, filed 2023-06“My 2023 Hyundai Kona SEL FWD currently has approximately 1500 miles on the odometer. Pretty much since the day I my 2023 Kona SEL on 9/3/2022, the car has had an issue where, after I start the car and begin driving it for about 20 or 30 seconds the car will lose power entirely. Engine shuts down, and the following warning codes illuminate-Immobilizer, check engine light, battery light, and oil lights come on and the car prompts me to restart it. Sometimes an alarm will also sound, flashing red, with the following message on the vehicle's information display Engine Off! …”
NHTSA complaint #11492026, filed 2022-11“Car stopped accelerating on the highway and held me at 40mph. This happened twice. Then before being able to get it in for service while driving the car made a loud bang and came to a rolling stop again on the highway and the transmission control system alarm went off and the car would not move. Had to get towed off the highway and in a rental now. This was a brand new 2023 hyundai kona sel limited.”
NHTSA complaint #11531199, filed 2023-07Related recalls
- 23V526000Jul 27, 2023Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Palisade Tucson, 2023 Sonata, Elantra, and Kona vehicles. The electronic controller for the…Covers: Hyundai Kona 2023, Palisade 2023–2024, Tucson 2023–2024 +2 more
Related service bulletins
- 10243319Sep 12, 2023Certain 2023MY Kona (OS) and Elantra (CN7) vehicles equipped with the 2.0L Nu Atkinson engine may experience a warning lamp illumination for a diagnostic trouble code P250C that…
- 10241889Aug 28, 2023This bulletin provides information related to a Transmission Control Unit (TCU) software update for certain vehicles equipped with an 8-speed wet dual clutch transmissions…
- 10241878Aug 23, 2023Certain vehicles equipped with the Intelligent Variable Transmission (IVT) may experience a check engine light or malfunction indicator light due to Diagnostic Trouble Codes…
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 10% |
| 2025 | 4 | 14% |
| 2024 | 3 | 6% |
| 2023 | 10 | 15% |
| 2022 | 18 | 18% |
| 2021 | 14 | 12% |
| 2020 | 20 | 12% |
| 2019 | 19 | 10% |
| 2018 | 11 | 15% |
Other parts of the 2023 Hyundai Kona
26 complaintsOther or unknown
19 complaintsForward collision avoidance
13 complaintsEngine
8 complaintsVehicle speed control
7 complaintsFuel system
4 complaintsBrakes
3 complaintsLane departure
2 complaintsAir bags
1 complaintsExterior lighting
1 complaintsSeat belts
1 complaintsSteering
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2023 Hyundai Kona
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 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