2020 Hyundai Kona Electric problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Electrical System (13) · Service Brakes (5) · Power Train (3)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Hyundai Kona Electric model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (3)
Electrical System:propulsion System:traction Battery 2021-03-01 · campaign 21V127000 · 4,696 vehicles ⚠ PARK OUTSIDE
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Kona Electric and 2020 Ioniq Electric vehicles. The lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery may short-circuit.
Risk: An electrical short in the Li-ion battery increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the interim action is complete. Hyundai will notify owners, and as an interim action, owners have the option to follow provided instructions to perform a battery update through the vehicle's infotainment system or request a Hyundai dealer to provide the update. Once parts are available, dealers will inspect the Battery System Assembly (BSA), and replace it if necessary. Repairs will be performed free of charge.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist:electric:control Module:software 2020-12-01 · campaign 20V748000 · 8,176 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Nexo Fuel Cell and 2019-2021 Kona Electric vehicles. The Integrated Electronic Brake (IEB) system may detect an abnormal sensor signal and as a result, may significantly reduce braking performance.
Risk: Reduced braking power could lengthen the distance required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will update the IEB software, free of charge. The recall began January 25, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 199.
Electrical System:propulsion System:traction Battery:management System/Energy Control Module (Bms/Becm):software 2020-10-13 · campaign 20V630000 · 6,707 vehicles ⚠ PARK OUTSIDE
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Kona Electric vehicles. The lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery may short-circuit.
Risk: An electrical short in the Li-ion battery increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will update the Battery Management System (BMS) software and inspect the Li-ion battery, replacing it if necessary, free of charge. Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the repair is complete. The recall began November 13, 2020. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 196.
Service bulletins (54)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Electrical System 2026-10-27 · 26-GI-003H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
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 type, model, and navigation system. refer to the 2026 2nd navigation map and software update key improv
Back Over Prevention: Warnings 2026-10-15 · 26-GI-004H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
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 sensor(s) failing to detect nearby objects or triggering multiple false alarms. this condition may be a res
Fuel/Propulsion System 2026-09-09 · 9C5 OL · Service Campaign
hyundai has determined that certain kona electric and ioniq electric vehicles are eligible for a bms software update. this update to the bms software improves the system’s diagnostic capability.
Fuel/Propulsion System 2026-08-17 · 26-01-065H DCS · Service Campaign
certain kona electric (os ev) and ioniq electric (ae ev) vehicles are eligible for a battery management system (bms) software update. this update to the bms software improves the system's diagnostic capability. follow technical service bulletin (tsb) 26-01-065h to complete the bms software update.
Fuel/Propulsion System 2026-08-14 · 26-01-065H TSB · Service Campaign
certain kona electric (os ev) and ioniq electric (ae ev) vehicles are eligible for a battery management system (bms) software update. this update to the bms software improves the system’s diagnostic capability. follow this bulletin to complete the bms software update.
Fuel/Propulsion System 2026-08-13 · 26-01-065H DN · Service Campaign
certain kona electric (os ev) and ioniq electric (ae ev) vehicles are eligible for a battery management system (bms) software update. this update to the bms software improves the system’s diagnostic capability.
Showing the 6 most recent of 54 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-03-04 · Power Train“while driving approximately 70 mph on i-10 in louisiana late at night, my 2020 hyundai kona ev displayed a “check ev system” warning while i was on the highway. there were no safe areas or emergency shoulders available to pull over, so i continued driving toward the nearest exit. approximately 15 minutes after the warning appeared, as i attempted …”
2025-06-17 · Unknown Or Other · 💥 crash“my wife was pulling into a parking place at home depot when the car suddenly accelerated, jumped the curb & hit a tree on the sidewalk. it did significant damage to the front bumper of the car but the airbags did not deploy & my wife was not hurt. i am guessing that it will be several thousand dollars to repair.…”
2025-04-14 · Unknown Or Other“on 3.22.2025 the rear view camera did not display; either a black screen with text "check surroundings for your safety," a green screen reading "no camera signa received. please try again later," or distorted images appeared. camera was replaced under warranty on 4.14.2025; i learned from crossroads hyundai that other vehicles had a recall in effec…”
2025-02-10 · Electrical System“6/17/2024 12 volt battery was dead; ev was fully charged 6/16/2024 using level 2 charger in my home garage. aaa charged the battery; i drove to crossroads hyundai loveland, co and asked to have the converter to the main battery checked; this was not done. crossroads checked the battery via cadex with "good battery charge" as result. no other diagno…”
2024-04-29 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings“i am concerned about the safety of my car and have little faith that there are qualified mechanics who understand evs and can properly service an ev car. two times on april 9, 2024 (and on at least 4 other occasions in 2023) while drive at approximately 45 miles an hour on a ri state highway at a safe distance from any care in front of me, my vehi…”
2024-04-02 · Power Train“we just had our 2020 kona updated from the dealer with major software and recall updates. since that point the car has been draining from the 12volt battery on it's own and killing the charging circuit for the battery. it has caused us to have to jump start the car and not be able to keep the 12 volt charged which runs all of the environmentals and…”
2024-02-29 · Service Brakes“this has happened about 15 times since i bought my hyundai kona ev ultimate new in february 2021: when a car in front of me slows very quickly, occasionally my car tries to help me too much. i have been in complete control of the situations, but my car beeps it's warning, adds it's efforts and the brakes lock up with tires squealing, and we stop w…”
2023-09-09 · Service Brakes“i was driving at about 45mph and my vehicle brakes suddenly stopped responding. the car alarms went crazy and said "regenerative brake failure" which is fine and all, but why the hell would the regent failing impact my ability to stop entirely? i could not get the vehicle to respond by pumping the brakes, so i put my flashers on and rolled into a l…”
2022-03-27 · Service Brakes“braking: when coming to a stop, the vehicle slows as expected. at about 10 mph or less, while still continuing to apply braking pressure by foot, the vehicle stops braking and a sudden acceleration kick occurs, propelling the vehicle forward an additional 10 feet or so, then the brake kicks in again. was able to duplicate this issue with a tech f…”
2022-01-07 · Electrical System“the contact owns a 2020 hyundai kona. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v127000, however, the dealer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the contact stated that the dealer advised her the vehicle can not be fixed due to no parts. the contact was concerned that her vehicle would have a failure whil…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.