2026 Hyundai Kona Problems
Compared with other Hyundai Kona years
Too new to compare
- Model years are compared once their first three years of complaints are in; the 2026 can be compared from 2029.
- Most reported part: Other or unknown (3 complaints).
- 3 recall campaigns on record. A VIN search at nhtsa.gov/recalls shows open recalls for a specific vehicle.
Nearby years with a typical complaint level and no open NHTSA investigation: 2023
Based only on NHTSA complaints, recalls and investigations. Not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold, and not a reliability rating. How this is calculated
- Complaints
- 10filed with NHTSA
- Median mileage
- 835miles, 2 complaints with mileage
- Recalls
- 3campaigns on record
- Trend
- Too newThis model year is less than 4 years old, so a trend is not meaningful yet.
- NHTSA crash rating
- 4 / 5stars overall, 2 rated versions
- EPA fuel economy
- 31 mpgcombined, 2.0L 4-cyl FWD · 28 city / 35 hwy
Sources: NHTSA records for the 2026 Hyundai Kona (complaints, recalls, investigations), NHTSA crash tests, EPA fuel economy. Report an error
NHTSA recorded 10 consumer complaints for the 2026 Hyundai Kona. The part named most often is other or unknown, with 3 complaints (30% of the total), followed by brakes (2) and electrical system (2). 2 of the complaints include a mileage, and 100% of those were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the median is 835 miles. Of all complaints, 1 involved a crash, 2 an injury, according to the filers. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns and 9 technical service bulletins for this model year.
This model year has fewer than 25 complaints on record, so the numbers below can change a lot with a few new reports.
Which parts are reported most
Complaints can name more than one part, so the counts add up to more than the total. Select a part to see its complaints, recalls and bulletins.
- Other or unknown3 30%
- Brakes2 20%
- Electrical system2 20%
- Engine1 10%
- Fuel system1 10%
- Seat belts1 10%
- Body and structure1 10%
Example complaints
Other or unknown: “Car went into a limp mode several times, potentially could cause major accident. Towed to dealer who found nothing wrong. Would not give me loaner. I had to sell the Kona in order to have a car, car was bought new had 770 mikes on it. What can I do?”
NHTSA complaint #11755720, filed 2026-08Brakes: “Body: The hood/Under the hood: There is a wide ½“ or more gap on the right and left side of the hood. I can see inside under the hood from a distance. It is not flush while connecting to the rest of the vehicle. I can see the ground after opening the hood. The engine and all the components are exposed to the elements. This is a new vehicle from the dealership brand. There is no cover for the bottom to protect the engine or protection for wirings and other mechanisms under the hood. Winters in Illinois is brutal and floods. …”
NHTSA complaint #11691016, filed 2025-10Electrical system: “I have a 2026 Hyundai Kona that I’ve only had for 3 months and it has 7192 miles on it. Today I turned my vehicle on and the screen that displays my mileage, speedometer, gas level, coolant temp gauge, tire pressure monitor, and other safety features was blacked out with the words “NO SIGNAL” in red. I turned my car on and off a couple times and it still said the same thing. Eventually the dash came back on but now it’s randomly shows the dash display and then goes to a completely black screen. …”
NHTSA complaint #11769128, filed 2026-10Vehicle speed control: “I bought the car in November 2025. I was on a highway, going at a comfortable, 65 mph speed (a few weeks after purchasing this happened the first time ). Suddenly, the car stopped accelerating, of course I panicked, slowly pulled off to the shoulder, and shut the car off. Luckily, it was not rush hour . I restarted the car, and it was normal driving. I texted my salesperson and asked if he had heard about this issue. He said no. No warning lights or messages appeared as that happened. The speed had decreased and stayed at 36 mph for a few seconds. …”
NHTSA complaint #11718634, filed 2026-02Mileage when problems were reported
100% of the 2 complaints with a mileage were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the middle half falls between 770 and 900 miles.
Complaints by year filed
This model year is less than 4 years old, so a trend is not meaningful yet.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2026 Hyundai Kona. Frontal results are shown driver / passenger; rollover shows the star rating and NHTSA's estimated risk of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
| Version | Overall | Frontal | Side | Side pole | Rollover |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kona · SUV AWD | ★★★★☆ | 4 / 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 · 15.9% risk |
| Kona · SUV FWD | ★★★★☆ | 4 / 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 · 15.1% risk |
Neighbouring years: 2025: same overall rating. A redesign between years can change both the car and the test.
Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), nhtsa.gov/ratings.
Fuel economy and running cost
EPA ratings for each 2026 Hyundai Kona version. Annual fuel cost is the EPA's estimate at its current fuel prices for 15,000 miles a year (55% city driving).
| Version | Engine | Transmission | City | Hwy | Comb. | Fuel / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kona AWD | 2.0L 4-cyl | CVT | 26 | 29 | 27 | $2,500 |
| Kona AWD SX2 1.6T 8AT AWD | 1.6L 4-cyl | 8-speed automatic | 25 | 28 | 26 | $2,600 |
| Kona AWD w/Stop-Start | 2.0L 4-cyl | CVT | 27 | 29 | 28 | $2,400 |
| Kona FWD | 2.0L 4-cyl | CVT | 28 | 35 | 31 | $2,150 |
| Kona FWD SX2 1.6T 8AT FWD | 1.6L 4-cyl | 8-speed automatic | 26 | 31 | 28 | $2,400 |
| Kona FWD w/Stop-Start | 2.0L 4-cyl | CVT | 29 | 34 | 31 | $2,150 |
Source: U.S. EPA and Department of Energy, fueleconomy.gov. Ratings are for comparing vehicles; real-world mileage varies with driving and conditions.
Recalls and investigations
- 26V452000Jul 14, 2026Seat belts › Rear/other › Buckle assemblyCovers: Hyundai Kona 2024–2026, Kona Electric 2024–2025
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Kona Electric and 2024-2026 Kona vehicles. The seat belt buckle in the rear center seat may fail to properly restrain an occupant during a crash.
- 26V069000Feb 5, 2026Steering › Linkages › Knuckle › Spindle › ArmCovers: Hyundai Kona 2026
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2026 Kona vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the front steering knuckles may crack and break, which can result in a loss of vehicle steering control.
- 26V047000Jan 26, 2026Electrical system › Instrument cluster/panelCovers: Hyundai Kona 2026, Tucson Hybrid 2025–2026, Tucson Plug-In Hybrid 2025–2026 +9 more
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Tucson Hybrid, Tucson Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV), 2026 IONIQ 5, Santa Cruz, Kona, Palisade, Palisade Hybrid, Santa Fe, Santa Fe Hybrid, Sonata, Sonata Hybrid, and Tucson vehicles. Due to a…
Recall details for the 2026 Hyundai Kona → · Check a VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls
Technical service bulletins
TSBs are manufacturer notes to dealers about known repair procedures. They are not recalls and do not by themselves mean a vehicle has a fault. 9 on record; the latest 9 are shown.
- 11038798Oct 27, 2026Electrical system. This bulletin provides information related to the navigation and head unit software changes introduced in the 2026 2nd Navigation Map and Software Update. The changes may vary depending on vehicle…
- 11038722Oct 15, 2026Back-over prevention (rear camera). Some Hyundai vehicles may be equipped with a parking distance warning (PDW) sensor(s) that may trigger various DTCs and display warning messages on the instrument cluster, resulting in the PDW…
- 11038458Oct 8, 2026Engine. Some vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil consumption. This bulletin outlines the combustion chamber cleaning procedure for vehicles…
- 11038456Oct 7, 2026Engine. Certain vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil consumption. This bulletin provides the inspection and repair procedures for vehicles…
- 11032523Apr 10, 2026Air bags. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has identified the presence of substandard and dangerous driver’s-side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile…
- 11032522Apr 10, 2026Air bags. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued an urgent safety advisory regarding dangerous, counterfeit driver‑side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo…
- 11031315Apr 8, 2026Electrical system. Some vehicles may exhibit a loss of connectivity or interruptions in the middle of using Bluelink functions. This may be due to an occasional disconnection on Verizon’s communication network. Follow…
- 11029906Feb 25, 2026Lane departure, Exterior lighting, Forward collision…. Some 2019MY and newer vehicles equipped with a front view camera may illuminate certain warning lights and trigger DTC C272246 fault code for the front camera. In the following cases, the front…
- 11025476Nov 6, 2025Exterior lighting. This bulletin provides information regarding condensation related to the accumulated moisture in the headlamp, rear combination lamp, daytime running lamp (DRL), or fog lamp. This TSB illustrates…
Other model years of the Hyundai Kona
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | Crash ★ | MPG | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 10 | 835 | 3 | 4 | 31 | — | Too new |
| 2025 | 28 | 5,399 | 1 | 4 | 31 | Too new to compare | Too new |
| 2024 | 53 | 12,000 | 4 | 4 | 31 | Too new to compare | Too new |
| 2023 | 66 | 34,072 | 1 | 5 | 32 | 43 · Typical | Too new |
| 2022 | 101 | 19,842 | 0 | 5 | 32 | 48 · Typical | Rising |
| 2021 | 120 | 23,700 | 1 | 5 | 30 | 63 · Typical | Stable |
| 2020 | 162 | 12,000 | 2 | 5 | 30 | 95 · More | Falling |
| 2019 | 198 | 44,000 | 1 | 5 | 30 | 51 · Typical | Rising |
| 2018 | 75 | 15,500 | 0 | — | 30 | 13 · Fewer | Rising |
All Hyundai Kona model years · Best and worst years by complaints
Frequently asked questions
How many NHTSA complaints does the 2026 Hyundai Kona have?
NHTSA recorded 10 consumer complaints for the 2026 Hyundai Kona as of Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
What part of the 2026 Hyundai Kona is reported most often?
Other or unknown is named most often, in 3 complaints (30% of the total), followed by brakes with 2.
Has the 2026 Hyundai Kona been recalled?
NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for this model year. To check a specific vehicle, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
How did the 2026 Hyundai Kona do in NHTSA crash tests?
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings give the 2026 Hyundai Kona 4 out of 5 stars overall, across 2 rated versions (body style and drive). Ratings from different model years are only comparable when the vehicle was not redesigned in between.
What gas mileage does the 2026 Hyundai Kona get?
The EPA rates the 2026 Hyundai Kona (Kona FWD, 2.0L 4-cyl) at 31 mpg combined, 28 city and 35 highway, with an estimated annual fuel cost of $2,150 at 15,000 miles a year. Other engine and drive versions are rated differently.
At what mileage are problems with the 2026 Hyundai Kona reported?
Among the 2 complaints that include a mileage, the median is 835 miles and the middle half falls between 770 and 900 miles; 100% were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles.
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. Crash ratings are from NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program. Fuel economy is from the EPA and DOE (fueleconomy.gov).
Complaint counts come from NHTSA’s public complaint database; we count each complaint once. The source records for this vehicle are on nhtsa.gov. Scores and trends are our own summaries of that data, described in the methodology. This page is not legal, safety or repair advice: for a specific vehicle, check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and ask a qualified mechanic. See an error? Tell us.