2020 Hyundai Kona · symptom sheet
Engine stalls or loses power while driving
- 56owner reports
- 13,500median miles
- $4,600median quote
- 0involved a crash
Newest report Sep 29, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
129 of the 160 complaints on this car are about the engine. 56 of those describe stalling, which makes it the most reported problem on the 2020 Kona.
Tick what matches of 56 reports
Stalling on other Kona years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them.
What this problem usually is
Stalling reports are some of the most alarming on the site. The engine quits while the car is moving, sometimes on a highway and sometimes at a stop. Many owners say it restarted right away and the dealer found no stored code, which is part of why these complaints pile up before anything gets fixed.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the engine (7 reports).
Recalls and investigations
One recall on the engine covers the 2020 model year. A recall on the same system isn't always the same failure, so read the defect text.
The piston oil rings may not have been properly heat-treated, which could result in engine damage.
All 2 recalls on the 2020 Hyundai Kona, with the owner complaints on each recalled system
NHTSA investigations into the engine on the Kona
Pedestrian alert sounds. Closed aug 7, 2023, led to recall 22V-063.
Loss of motive power. Closed dec 12, 2023.
What owners paid
5 of the 56 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $849 to $4,715.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 10,000 and 51,000 miles, from the 26 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 1 service bulletin or notice for the 2020 Hyundai Kona that deal with this problem. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
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.
What owners wrote
“Basically normal driving the car stalled. It slowed to a stall. I had to restart the car. This has happened a couple to times.”
Filed Apr 6, 2026
“The engine shut down when the car stops at a red light or stop sign. There are metal shavings in the oil due to issues with the pistons.”
Filed Oct 15, 2025
“I was driving when I heard a rattle below the car. About a mile later, my engine died. Turns out the oil plug fell out causing irreparable damage to my engine. Was fortunate to be able to coast down the bottom side of the bridge I was on to a safe spot off to the side.”
Filed Jul 3, 2025
“While driving the car it stalled and all dash lights came in. After about 20 mins it started back up and I proceeded down the road. After a few minutes the engine light came on blinking. I got the car to a local mechanic who placed it in the diagnostic machine. It came back code engine-pistons. I have a Hyandai 2020 Kona MPI-NU 2.0l engine but it was not included in the recall of the same vehicles.”
Filed Mar 16, 2025
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 0 of 56 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Paid for this repair before a recall covered it? How recall reimbursement works
Other problems on this car
- Engine failure, knocking or rod bearing 35 reports