2026 Hyundai Kona problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Vehicle Speed Control (2) · Structure:body (1) · Seat Belts (1)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Hyundai Kona model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (3)
Seat Belts: Rear/Other:buckle Assembly 2026-07-14 · campaign 26V452000 · 47,787 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: A seat belt buckle that fails to properly restrain an occupant in a crash increases the risk of injury.
Fix: Passengers are advised not to use the rear center seat until the recall remedy is performed. Dealers will replace the seat belt buckle assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 2, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 306. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 15, 2026.
Steering:linkages:knuckle:spindle:arm 2026-02-05 · campaign 26V069000 · 4,555 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: A loss of vehicle steering control increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the front steering knuckles, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 5, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 295. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on February 7, 2026.
Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/Panel 2026-01-26 · campaign 26V047000 · 41,651 vehicles
Defect: 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 software error, the instrument panel display may fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 101, "Controls and Displays."
Risk: An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: The instrument panel display software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 24, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai's customer service at 855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 293. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 28, 2026.
Service bulletins (9)
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
Engine 2026-10-08 · 26-EM-016H TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
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 diagnosed with this condition. all internal combustion engines consume some engine oil during normal operatio
Engine 2026-10-07 · 26-EM-015H TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
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 exhibiting this condition. all internal combustion engines consume engine oil as part of normal engine operatio
Air Bags 2026-04-10 · DTN DL · Other
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 safety system co., ltd. (dtn). these inflators were not supplied, approved, or authorized by the vehi
Air Bags 2026-04-10 · DTN DCS · Other
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 automobile safety system co., ltd. (dtn), that have been identified in u.s. vehicles following prior
Showing the 6 most recent of 9 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-05 · Vehicle Speed Control“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…”
2026-08-20 · Seat Belts“i purchased this vehicle new on july 28, 2026. nhtsa recall 26v-452 / hyundai recall 306 was dated july 13, 2026, and the vin showed the recall as incomplete when i discovered it. the dealer states that it was unaware of the recall at the time of sale. i am reporting this to document that a new vehicle was delivered to me while this safety recall w…”
2026-08-11 · Engine · 770 mi“the contact owns a 2026 hyundai kona. the contact stated that while driving 30 mph, the vehicle lost motive power and went into limp mode before the vehicle stalled. the vehicle was restarted and resumed normal functionality. while depressing the accelerator, the vehicle lunged forward. the contact depressed the brake pedal and regained control of …”
2026-08-09 · Unknown Or Other“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?…”
2026-05-10 · Electrical System“coke spill in cup holders caused a leak to the wiring harness below the center console. it drained the battery, shut down all of the buttons on the steering wheel and shut the infotainment system down. it finally died and had to be towed to vann york hyundai in highpoint nc. they told me that because it was cased by an outside influence it's no…”
2026-04-27 · Unknown Or Other · 💥 crash“on april 20, 2026 i was pulling into a parking space. i began to break but something went terribly wrong. my car accelerated on it's own, went over the curb and crashed into a building. three air bags deployed: two on the drivers side of the car (front and side air bag) and one in the back seat behind the driver (the side air bag). i had a [xxx] i…”
2026-03-11 · Unknown Or Other“hyundai needs to eliminate the “consider taking a coffee break “ alert! its completely distracting, comes in way too frequently, and is loud…”
2026-02-17 · Vehicle 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 drivi…”
2026-01-23 · Fuel System, Gasoline · 900 mi“the contact owns a 2026 hyundai kona. the contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and turned off, an inspector discovered a puddle of fuel on the ground underneath the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the hood insulation was damaged, and the fuel lines were punctured. the vehicle was not repaired. the conta…”
2025-10-02 · Structure:body“ 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 th…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.