Hyundai
Hyundai Kona years to avoid
No year to avoid stands out. Best years: 2018.
No Hyundai Kona model year stands out. None from 2018 to 2024 draws 1.5 times the median of 19 complaints for each year on the road, and the highest is not clearly ahead of the next, so the individual car and its history matter more than the year.
- 467complaints
- 2recall campaigns
- 3model years with a page
Newest report Sep 29, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
Pick your model year
Owner complaints on file for each year.
Years to avoid
- No year stands out.
Best years
2018
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
Complaints for each year on the road
Each model year's NHTSA complaints divided by the calendar years it has been on sale, counting this one (a 2018 model has had 9). Older cars have had longer to collect complaints, so raw totals flatter the new ones. Blue bars are the years to avoid. Too new to judge: 2025.
Within one model, sales change less from year to year than they do between models, so a jump here is mostly a jump in problems. The call: the years to avoid are the (up to three) highest at 1.5 times the model's median rate or more, and the best are the (up to three) lowest at two thirds of it or less, from 2016 on.
Guide How much should a years-to-avoid list decide? What these lists get wrong
At a glance
- Where the complaints sit
- The 2019 has the most complaints of any Hyundai Kona year here: 191 of 467 (41%).
- Problem across the years
- Stalling is the top problem in every model year with a page, 163 reports in all. Pooled across the years, half of the 84 owners who gave a mileage for stalling were under about 35,000 miles.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 6% of Hyundai Kona complaints report a crash, a fire or an injury, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The highest share is on the 2020, 11 of its 160 complaints.
- Recalls on the top problem
- Every model year where owners report stalling also has a recall on the same system. A recall on the same system doesn't always cover the failure owners describe, so compare its summary with the complaints.
- When owners filed
- Filings peaked in 2021 at 113 (full calendar years only). In 2025 there were 83. So far in 2026, 86 more have come in.
Photo: Cutlass, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Model years with too few complaints for a page of their own: 2018 (75), 2022 (99), 2023 (65), 2024 (52), 2025 (28).
Year by year
2021 Hyundai Kona
116 owner complaints, 19 for each year on the road (1.0 times the model median). Most reported: stalling (39 reports, median 23,700 miles), engine failure (20 reports, median 17,600 miles) and oil consumption (16 reports, median 60,000 miles). 2 reports involved a crash and 3 people were hurt. 1 recall: 21V-301 on the engine.
2020 Hyundai Kona
160 owner complaints, 23 for each year on the road (1.2 times the model median). Most reported: stalling (56 reports, median 13,500 miles), engine failure (35 reports, median 12,000 miles) and misfire (23 reports, median 34,705 miles). 8 reports involved a crash and 12 people were hurt. 2 recalls, including 21V-301 on the engine and 20V-022 on the equipment.
2019 Hyundai Kona
191 owner complaints, 24 for each year on the road (1.2 times the model median). Most reported: stalling (68 reports, median 70,000 miles), misfire (43 reports, median 72,000 miles) and engine failure (42 reports, median 81,000 miles). 11 reports involved a crash and 6 people were hurt. 1 recall: 21V-301 on the engine.
Recalls that cover several model years
The piston oil rings may not have been properly heat-treated, which could result in engine damage.
Compare the Kona with its rivals
Side by side over the model years both have on file: what owners complain about, the mileage problems start at, recalls, investigations and crash reports.
- Kona vs Subaru Crosstrek2019 to 2021
Questions
What Hyundai Kona years should you avoid?
No Hyundai Kona model year stands out. None from 2018 to 2024 draws 1.5 times the median of 19 complaints for each year on the road, and the highest is not clearly ahead of the next, so the individual car and its history matter more than the year.
What are the best years for the Hyundai Kona?
The 2018 draws the fewest complaints for its age: 75, or 8 for each year on the road.
What is the most common problem on the Hyundai Kona?
Stalling, with 163 reports across the 3 model years that have a page here. It's the single most reported problem on the 2019, 2020 and 2021.
How many recalls does the Hyundai Kona have?
2 recall campaigns cover the Hyundai Kona model years 2019 to 2021 on this site. The widest, 21V-301 on the engine, covers 3 model years.
How many Hyundai Kona complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
6% of them, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The 2020 has the highest share.
Is there a recall for stalling on the Hyundai Kona?
Yes, on every model year where owners report it.