2020 Hyundai Kona Electric

Typical pattern

2.7% of complaints about the 2020 Hyundai Kona Electric came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2020 vehicle — around the middle of the 178 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 2.1 yr in service. The most-reported system is electrical system (17 complaints), typically at 1.7 yr or about 5,000 miles.

Complaints: 37
Median age at failure: 2.1 yr
Median mileage: 4,100 n=9
Crash / fire / tow: 16.2% 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 5,000 mi 1.1 yr in service

THERE IS A RECALL ON POSSIBLE BATTERY EXPLOSION AND THERE IS NO CURRENT REPLACEMENT POLICY OR REPLACEMENT SCHEDULE.

Electrical system mileage not reported 1.5 yr in service

The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Kona. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V127000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

Electrical system mileage not reported 1.8 yr in service

The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Kona. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 21V127000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

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.

2020 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