2019 Hyundai Kona problems & reliability
190 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2019 Hyundai Kona, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Sep 21, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several components.
4 complaints report injuries (6 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2019 Hyundai Kona vehicles were involved in 24 fatal crashes with 16 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine → | 131 | 69% |
| Unknown / Other | 20 | 11% |
| Electrical System → | 18 | 9% |
| Power Train → | 18 | 9% |
| Fuel/propulsion System → | 10 | 5% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 9 | 5% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 9 | 5% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 7 | 4% |
| Lane Departure | 6 | 3% |
| Air Bags | 5 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 18 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 56 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 45,000 miles (middle 50% between 10,071 and 94,159 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I took my vehicle to a dealership for a recall and they refused to honor it. They made excuses and performed an unrelated service.”
Engine · filed Sep 16, 2026
“Vehicle starting using extreme amounts of oil, lose acceleration and stalling while driving and making klicking noises. All symptoms point to Hyundai recall 203 (NHTSA campaign number 21V301000). Dealer and manufacturer refuse to fix it, citing lack of extended warranty and high mileage, as well as insist of oil…”
Engine · filed Sep 14, 2026
“My 2019 Hyundai Kona SE (2.0L Nu MPI/Atkinson engine) was previously subject to NHTSA Recall 21V301000 (Hyundai Recall 203) for defective piston oil rings that can chip and cause accelerated oil consumption, engine knocking, and stalling. That recall's remedy was performed under a prior owner in December 2021. In…”
Engine · filed Sep 7, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Pedestrian alert sounds
Defect Petition DP22005 · opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · led to recall 22V063000
- Loss of Motive Power
Defect Petition DP22003 · opened Sep 12, 2022 · closed Dec 12, 2023
Technical service bulletins
91 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2019 Hyundai Kona. The 10 most recent:
Some vehicles may exhibit difficulty starting in cold weather. This bulletin provides the procedure to perform an inspection on the starter magnetic switch for potential freezing and, if necessary, replace the starter…
26-EE-003H TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 18, 2026
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.…
DTN DL · Other · issued Apr 10, 2026
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…
DTN DCS · Other · issued Apr 10, 2026
A Class Action settlement regarding the TRW Airbag was recently decided. Based on the Class Action, customers are eligible for certain settlement benefits. Please see attached for details. Impacted vehicles are also…
TRW Settlement DCS · Other · issued Dec 19, 2025
A Class Action settlement regarding the TRW Airbag was recently decided. Based on the Class Action, customers are eligible for certain settlement benefits. Impacted vehicles are also noted below. For further information…
TRW Summary Notice · Other · issued Dec 19, 2025
Hyundai has settled a class action lawsuit that alleges that certain Hyundai and Kia Class Vehicles (defined below) contain defective ZF-TRW airbag control units (“ZF-TRW ACUs”) that are vulnerable to a condition called…
TRW Settlement Notice · Other · issued Dec 19, 2025
In response to this trend, we engineered a software upgrade that addresses the social media theft method and made it available to owners of eligible models free of charge at authorized Hyundai dealers since early 2023…
P33 OL · Other · issued Dec 19, 2025
Upon customer's request ONLY, the Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 25-01-089H provides the service procedure for installation of a key cylinder reinforcement protector assembly and two anti-theft decals on the front…
25-01-089H DCS · Other · issued Dec 15, 2025
In addition to the Anti-Theft software provided under Service Campaign 993 (TSB 24-01-009H-1), a zinc reinforced ignition cylinder protector hardware upgrade is being made available to customers upon request. This…
25-01-089H DN · Other · issued Dec 15, 2025
This bulletin provides the service procedure for installation of a key cylinder reinforcement protector assembly and two anti-theft decals on the front windows.
25-01-089H TSB · Other · issued Dec 15, 2025
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2019 Hyundai Kona has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2019 Hyundai Kona?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 45,000 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.