2021 Hyundai Kona problems & reliability
113 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2021 Hyundai Kona, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Aug 7, 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 vehicles.
3 complaints report injuries (3 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2021 Hyundai Kona vehicles were involved in 27 fatal crashes with 18 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 | 74 | 65% |
| Unknown OR Other | 18 | 16% |
| Power Train | 14 | 12% |
| Electrical System | 11 | 10% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 4 | 4% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 4 | 4% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 4 | 4% |
| Lane Departure | 3 | 3% |
| Service Brakes | 3 | 3% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 35,500 miles (middle 50% between 10,425 and 86,750 miles), based on 26 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the horn button was depressed but was inoperable. The dealer was contacted and notified of the failure. The contact was informed that the horn needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was…”
Electrical System · filed Jul 22, 2026
“The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 5 MPH while making a turn, the vehicle stalled. Several warning lights illuminated but turned off after the vehicle was restarted. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently. The contact stated that several…”
Engine · filed Jul 9, 2026
“Low speed hesitancy and shuddering. Car has lost power when driving at 55 mph. Car does not want to move at very slow speeds as in a parking garage. It hesitates and starts to roll backwards.”
Engine · filed Jun 30, 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
Technical service bulletins
64 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2021 Hyundai Kona. The 10 most recent:
Certain 2021-2023 model year Kona, 2021-2023 model year Kona Electric, and 2022-2023 model year Kona N vehicles may experience an inoperable horn that may be caused by foreign substances causing internal parts to…
Z07 OL · Warranty Program/Extension · issued May 16, 2026
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
Some vehicles may have an inoperable horn that may be caused by foreign substances causing internal parts to oxidize. Hyundai is extending the warranty coverage for the horn replacement under this condition to 10 years…
26-BE-010H DN · Warranty Program/Extension · issued Apr 18, 2026
Some vehicles may have an inoperable horn that may be caused by foreign substances causing internal parts to oxidize. Hyundai is extending the warranty coverage for the horn replacement under this condition to 10 years…
26-BE-010H TSB · Warranty Program/Extension · 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
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 2021 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 2021 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.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 35,500 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.