2020 HYUNDAI KONA — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

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5/5

★★★★★

Safety Rating

171

Owner Complaints

10 Crashes 1 Fire 1 Death

2

Recalls

ACTIVE RECALL

4

Service Bulletins

0

Investigations

Overview of the 2020 HYUNDAI KONA

The 2020 HYUNDAI KONA has received a total of 171 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It earned an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program crash tests. There have been 2 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with ENGINE, EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS. 4 technical service bulletins have been issued by Hyundai Motor America for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Engine (89 complaints), Power Train (16 complaints), and Unknown Or Other (15 complaints).

Recalls for the 2020 HYUNDAI KONA

NHTSA has recorded 2 recalls for the 2020 HYUNDAI KONA, potentially affecting up to 158,970 vehicles.

Recall 21V301000 — ENGINE

| 158,493 vehicles affected

Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Elantra, 2019-2021 Kona and Veloster vehicles equipped with 2.0L Nu MPI engines. The piston oil rings may not have been properly heat-treated, which could result in engine damage.

Consequence: A damaged engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash. In addition, oil may leak onto hot exhaust components, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the engine, free of charge. In addition, Hyundai will deploy Piston Ring Noise Sensing System (PNSS) software. Owner notification letters were mailed August 24, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460.

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Recall 20V022000 — EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

| 477 vehicles affected

Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020 Kona vehicles. The certification label may indicate incorrect Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR). As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 567, "Certification" and 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

Consequence: An incorrect GAWR could result in the vehicle being overloaded, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will install new label stickers displaying the correct GAWR over the affected areas of the certification label, free of charge. The recall began March 2, 2020. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460....

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Owner Complaints for the 2020 HYUNDAI KONA

171 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2020 HYUNDAI KONA. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.

Most Recent Complaints

#11715307 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | | N/A miles
many times a year, without warning, vehicle dash lights turn off and light up like a christmas tree, followed by fca warning sound and lights going off, and a loud mechanical thud. Lose engine throttle going highway speeds. This can occur at nearly any speed without warning. Car must be powered off and back on to get normalcy. This puts me, everyone in the car and everyone on the highway at risk. Dealership was not able to reproduce or pull error codes.
#11715307 | ENGINE | | N/A miles
many times a year, without warning, vehicle dash lights turn off and light up like a christmas tree, followed by fca warning sound and lights going off, and a loud mechanical thud. Lose engine throttle going highway speeds. This can occur at nearly any speed without warning. Car must be powered off and back on to get normalcy. This puts me, everyone in the car and everyone on the highway at risk. Dealership was not able to reproduce or pull error codes.
#11715307 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS | | N/A miles
many times a year, without warning, vehicle dash lights turn off and light up like a christmas tree, followed by fca warning sound and lights going off, and a loud mechanical thud. Lose engine throttle going highway speeds. This can occur at nearly any speed without warning. Car must be powered off and back on to get normalcy. This puts me, everyone in the car and everyone on the highway at risk. Dealership was not able to reproduce or pull error codes.
#11708967 | POWER TRAIN | | N/A miles
While driving under normal conditions, the vehicle’s dual-clutch transmission (DCT) failed to engage properly, causing a sudden and unexpected loss of propulsion. When the accelerator was pressed, the vehicle hesitated and did not respond as commanded, resulting in delayed or no acceleration. This occurred while driving in traffic at approximately 30 mph while trying to acceletate to merge onto highway and has happened multiple times. In some instances, the vehicle appeared to remain in gear but would not accelerate, and in other instances the transmission disengaged before re-engaging unpredictably. This created an unsafe situation, as the vehicle could not maintain speed or merge safely, significantly increasing the risk of a collision, especially in traffic or at intersections. The issue occurred without sufficient warning and continues to happen intermittently during normal driving.The vehicle was inspected by a dealership, which stated the condition is related to a clutch issue within the dual-clutch transmission and acknowledged it is a known issue affecting this transmission. The dealership further stated the issue would not be repaired because the vehicle is out of warranty.
#11699982 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | | N/A miles
the headlights in this model Kona keep burning out after 9 months or so. I have replaced them multiple times in the last 5 years on both left and right sides. I use glove to put in the bulbs and are very careful not to let my hands touch the bulb. I have never had this happen with any other car I have owned. I suspect an electrical system issue, or perhaps wiring, but that is speculation. I have not had this inspected by the dealership. The latest date of failure is listed below.

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Safety Rating for the 2020 HYUNDAI KONA

The 2020 HYUNDAI KONA received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars from NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).

Test Category Rating
Overall Rating ★★★★★ (5/5)
Frontal Crash ★★★★★ (5/5)
Side Crash ★★★★★ (5/5)
Rollover ★★★★ (4/5)

Safety ratings are based on controlled crash tests conducted by NHTSA. A 5-star rating indicates the highest level of occupant protection.

Technical Service Bulletins for the 2020 HYUNDAI KONA

Hyundai Motor America has issued 4 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2020 HYUNDAI KONA. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.

21-BE-004H — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

When using Wireless CarPlay, the system may intermittently auto disconnect. When Wireless CarPlay is disconnected, a pop up message “Phone Not Responding. Please reconnect it and try again” will appear on the radio screen.

20-01-039H — EQUIPMENT

This bulletin provides information and procedures for collecting OBD “In Use Monitor Performance Ratio” (IUMPR) data on certain 2019-2021MY vehicles at California dealers. This reporting is mandated by CARB (California Air Resources Board).

20-EE-001H — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Electric Vehicle (EV) Battery Replacement Procedures. The following summarizes the procedure for EV battery replacement:

19-AT-021H-1 — POWER TRAIN

If you are servicing a vehicle with a transmission slipping concern, follow the Service Procedure shown below and perform a stall test. This TSB provides a procedure to test each clutch in the transmission. If the vehicle fails the stall test, replace the transmission. ? PASS: Stall speed is between...

NHTSA Investigations for the 2020 HYUNDAI KONA

There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.

Other Model Years of the HYUNDAI KONA

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Other HYUNDAI Models

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