2019 Hyundai Kona Electric

No clear pattern

0% of complaints about the 2019 Hyundai Kona Electric arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2019 vehicle, but with only 73 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is electrical system (42 complaints), typically at 2.6 yr or about 17,286 miles.

Complaints: 73
Median age at failure: 2.6 yr
Median mileage: 17,286 n=13
Crash / fire / tow: 11% of reports
Safety recalls: 3 2 do not drive

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

21V127000 2021-03-01 Do not drive

Electrical system:propulsion system:traction battery

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.

An electrical short in the Li-ion battery increases the risk of a fire.

20V630000 2020-10-13 Do not drive

Electrical system:propulsion system:traction battery:management system/energy control module (bms/becm):software

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Kona Electric vehicles. The lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery may short-circuit.

An electrical short in the Li-ion battery increases the risk of a fire.

20V748000 2020-12-01

Service brakes, hydraulic:power assist:electric:control module:software

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.

Reduced braking power could lengthen the distance required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

In owners’ own words

Electrical system mileage not reported 2.2 yr in service

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 HYUNDAI KONA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V630000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). ROWE HYUNDAI WESTBROOK (91 MAIN ST SUITE #3, WESTBROOK, ME 04092) WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE BATTERY SOFTWARE WOULD BE UPDATED, WHICH WOULD LIMIT THE BATTERY POWER. DESPITE THE UPDATE, THE CONTACT WAS NOT ENSURED THAT THE SYSTEM UPDATE WOULD PREVENT THE FAILURE FROM RECURRING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

Electrical system 17,286 mi 2.3 yr in service

THERE IS A RECALL ON THE EV BATTERY SYSTEM BOTH ON THE HYUNDAI SITE AND THE NTSB SITE FOR THIS. HYUNDAI CLAIMS THERE IS NO SUCH RECALL. MY BATTERY SYSTEM DOES NOT FUNCTION ACCORDING TO SPECIFICATIONS. HYUNDAI SAYS NOT TO PARK THE VEHICLE INSIDE DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF CATASTROPHIC FIRE. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER WILL REMEDY THE SITUATION. THEY BOTH DENY THERE IS ANY PROBLEM. I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE USED FROM A DEALER DECEMBER 2020.

Electrical system 18,180 mi 2.3 yr in service

MANUFACTURER RECALLS THIS VEHICLE TO REPLACE BATTERY PACK DUE TO CATASTROPHIC FIRE RISK.

Other Kona Electric model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2019 Hyundai Kona Electric

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Kona Electric model years

How to read this