9.3

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
1,453 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2019 Hyundai Kona drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2019 Hyundai Kona Owner Comments

problem #17

Oct 232024

Kona

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

As I was driving home, my Kona started slowing down until it totally stopped. I tried the the gas pedal again but it didn-??t move, electrical was on, no warning lights. I turned my Kona off, turned it back on again and drove the rest of way home. I was lucky I was on an empty road no other cars behind me as I drive everyday to and from work. I called Hyundai dealer next morning about the problem, he did asked if I had heard a knocking sound. I said yes, the week or so I heard a knocking sound twice but not for long, seemed to have disappeared. I didn-??t want to drive the car to the dealer afraid it would stop on the highway so I had it towed. Service person said he would check if it is under warranty but there is no recall on my Kona.

- Lake Ariel , PA, USA

problem #16

Jun 232024

Kona

  • miles
My check engine lights come on and then the front collision lights come on which reduces speed while on highway and then the engine turns off making it very unsafe driving on the highway. I have tried to schedule appts with dealerships to have it checked telling them how unsafe it is and I need my car to get to work. But they never have any openings except months down the road. I am afraid it will cause a terrible accident. I have taken my vehicle to repair shops... some said it was the spark plugs so I got them changed and other maintenance costing me over $800 and the problem still exists... still trying to get an appt with the dealership which will cost me another $220 just to get it diagnosed. There need to be a recall if it's happening to alot of people. I am very afraid if this issue isn't fixed and it's gonna cost me to repair it in the thousands that I don't have. Someone is going to get into a bad accident because the engine will turn off while driving.

- Mililani, HI, USA

problem #15

Mar 222024

Kona

  • miles
While driving the vehicle the warning light went on and suddenly there was a loss of power on the highway. The vehicle was brought to our local mechanic who ran a diagnostic test and the NTSB recommendation for engine replacement DTC P1327 came up. He advised the vehicle go to the dealer, which we did. It has been at the dealer for 5 weeks. When the recall 22-EM-008H was done, they did not do the recommended engine test in 2023. The recall also had them do something in the computer to give owners a warning if there was any knocking sensed in the engine. That warning system failed to work because the light came on when the engine seized. The dealer said they see a couple of these cars a week with the same issue and Hyundai refuses to take ownership of the issue that prompted the recall. They denied us saying it was out of warranty when the recall was not issued until the car was about 4 years old. Most people would be out of warranty, especially because the 100K warranty doesn't apply to secondary owners which I was never aware of until now. I bought the car in 2020 about a year after production. Everyone you speak to at Hyundai doesn't understand English and at the bottom of the recall it states to submit a prior approval if the affected part is out of warranty for a goodwill consideration but they deny all of them due to out of warranty which doesn't make any sense as to why there would be a prior approval process for out of warranty claims for good will if they are not going to ever do a goodwill repair. They also do not give you to a person that can listen to what you are trying to tell them that can understand what goodwill means and explain why they did not do the engine repair or replacement when they discovered they had engines out there with the potential to fail. This is not right what they are doing. Many other models have the same issue and the warranty was extended to 15/150k but this one has not been added to that and it should be.

- Bristol, CT, USA

problem #14

Nov 152023

Kona

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

For about a month, the car is pausing for a second or two during acceleration. The car was brought for service to Great Lakes Hyundai of Columbus (Ohio) on 12/19/2023. This is diagnosis and remediation that was offered: Needs immediate attention 1 of 5 services Related requested service [Primary]: 10HYZ06 - C/S CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CHECK AND ADVISE: C/S CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CHECK AND ADVISE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT - DIAGNOSIS - CUSTOMER STATES THE CAR IS DRIVING ROUGH WHEN CHANGING GEARS, DOES NOT WANT TO ACCELERATE, HAS TO PUT THE PEDDLE ON THE FLOOR. [Other]: Transmission control unit update Speak with your service advisor for more information on this recommended service. There were no warnings. I just noticed to the problem, and it was getting worse.

- Pataskala, OH, USA

problem #13

Apr 032023

Kona

  • miles
Camshaft pin sheared with 66,000 miles leading to severe engine damage and expense. No known cause but consistent with many online reports of engine issues with this make and model year. Vehicle was well-maintained prior to the incident. No warning lights present until after engine damage occurred.

- Wadsworth, OH, USA

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problem #12

Mar 052023

Kona

  • miles
While driving at highway speed, the vehicle suddenly shifts to a lower gear, slowing it down violently enough to knock items out of the cupholder. It then displays an warning light and refuses to accelerate. The only way to fix the problem is to turn over and shut down the car to reset everything.

- De Soto, KS, USA

problem #11

Jul 042022

Kona

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Chatter or transmission slips from full stop only when engine reaches operating temperature. Does not seem to happen when cold. Vehicle was serviced by Hyundai dealership and said it could be a software fix. They updated software but still have problem. My brother was an auto mechanic and suggested the problem could be related to the transmission oil pump and or defective parts associated with clutch..

- Cave Creek, AZ, USA

problem #10

Dec 232022

Kona

  • miles
This is my 2nd Hyundai Kona - the first had slippage in the DCT (dual clutch transmission) which the dealer adjusted for me. It continued to happen if I accelerated quickly and was part of the reason I traded it in. The second had no issues until 115k miles at which point the DTC smelled bad once, then sounded bad the next day. I called the dealer and made an appointment to have it inspected/evaluated and it died minutes later, before I got it to them. Online forums state that while there has been no recall issued yet, the Konas with the 1.6l turbo are susceptible to DCT issues, particularly in the 2019s and that several dealers are replacing parts free of charge when the vehicle is in for maintenance. Because mine exceeds the 100k warranty, I am being told that I will need to pay for the repairs. This is my only complaint about an otherwise fantastic automobile!

- Golden, CO, USA

problem #9

Mar 012021

Kona

  • miles
Hyundai has failed to replace the battery after more than a year.

- Takoma Park, MD, USA

problem #8

Jun 242020

Kona

  • miles
The car has been recalled because incidents worldwide of the high voltage battery catching fire and/or exploding. Supposedly Hyundai is going to replace the batteries in affected cars, but to date has NOT done so.

- Columbia, MD, USA

problem #7

Apr 072021

Kona

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

4/7/21 while in Las Vegas parked at the Venetian Hotel, my 2019 Hyundai Kona EV battery failed causing the vehicle to be inoperative. I am still waiting for Hyundai to replace the recalled EV battery

- Irvine, CA, USA

problem #6

Jan 012020

Kona

  • 15,000 miles
During regular driving the vehicle loses power, will not accelerate and stalls out completely. After sitting a few minutes the vehicle will restart. The vehicle was taken to the repair shop but nothing seemed wrong. Within a six month period it again occurred twice. Once again nothing was observed wrong with the vehicle but the second time last night the car was brought to the repair shop and they stated the engine has little to no compression. The vehicle is currently awaiting a diagnosis from hyndai

- Medford, NY, USA

problem #5

Sep 202019

Kona

  • 300 miles
A couple hundred miles after purchasing a new Kona, I had started having acceleration issues going from a dead stop into first gear.as the car starts to go, this is under 5 mph, the car then hesitates as if someone is hitting the brakes. I have almost been rear ended several times due to this. It is a sporadic issue. I have had it into Hyundai 3X now for this. All 3 X Hyundai states they can not repair unless it happens while test driving. Of course this has not happened. So they have " reset" my driving computer 2X hoping it will stop. This is a serious issue and there are many Kona owners out there documenting this issue on blogs. I have 3 service reports claiming there is an issue, but it is not being found. I have written to Hyundai to open a case report. I am reporting this to the NHTSA T with hopes of either resolving this issue or bring light to a potential safety hazard from Hyundai. Thank you, [xxx] redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Clearwater, FL, USA

problem #4

Apr 162019

Kona

  • 2,000 miles
The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while driving 70 mph, the vehicle stalled with the forward collision avoidance warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted. The contact stated that the failure recurred after driving for 30 minutes. The vehicle was taken to lia Hyundai albany located at (945 central ave, albany, NY 12205) where the technician was unable to provide a cause for the failure. The contact was informed to take a picture when the failure recurred. The contact was concerned about attempting to take a picture while driving should the failure recur. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Hundson, NY, USA

problem #3

Dec 132019

Kona

  • 1,900 miles
When I come to a slight uphill incline, slow down without fully stopping, and then attempt to accelerate, there are times when the transmission feels as if it is in neutral. The engine will rev up to approximately 2000 RPM but the vehicle will not accelerate for approximately 1 second. Then all of a sudden, the car will accelerate forward at a rapid pace. It seems as if the transmission is in between gears and the transmission then suddenly realizes that it needs to accelerate and then will accelerate usually at a fast pace. The feeling is that of a manual transmission when the clutch is released while the engine is at a higher RPM. My car has the traditional 6 speed automatic and not the dual clutch transmission. This is an intermittent issue and the car was brought to the dealer's service department. The tech stated that the transmission was working fine and there were no new software updates for the transmission.

- Bethel, CT, USA

problem #2

Sep 282019

Kona

  • 4,958 miles
When leaving home the vehicle had little acceleration and poor shifting. Took too much time merging into traffic. After contacting the local dealership the problem cleared up as it had done before. Drove to the local Hyundai dealership. Obdii code read P0193.

- Burlington, NC, USA

problem #1

Jul 132019

Kona

  • 550 miles
Car at times will not accelerate from a stop for 2 to 3 seconds after acclerater is push.

- Levittown, NY, USA

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