AutoUtility currently tracks 141 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2021 Hyundai Kona. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 77 complaints (54.6% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 3 filings cite a crash, 4 cite a fire, 3 report one or more injuries.
Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records
77 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
21 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
15 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
15 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis
12 complaint narratives describe this symptom.
6 complaint narratives describe this symptom.
4 complaint narratives describe this symptom.
Formal engineering analyses and preliminary evaluations opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"At approximately 100,500 miles, the 2.0L Nu engine experienced a sudden, catastrophic internal failure while operating, causing a loss of power and stalling. Failed Component & Availability: The engine block assembly failed internally due to severe low compression (95 psi) across multiple cylinders..."
"2021 Hyundai Kona, VIN [XXX], 45,575 miles. Engine unexpectedly stalled while driving on 45 mph road and stopped at a light. Oil-pressure warning appeared when the engine stalled. Upon checking afterward, the oil level was below the measurable dipstick range with only droplets visible...."
"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 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..."
"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."
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2018–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Hyundai Kona | 74 | 9 | 0 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Hyundai Kona | 187 | 11 | 1 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Hyundai Kona | 154 | 8 | 2 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Hyundai Kona Current Page | 141 | 3 | 1 | Current |
| 2022 Hyundai Kona | 103 | 3 | 2 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Hyundai Kona | 67 | 4 | 2 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Hyundai Kona | 47 | 5 | 3 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Hyundai Kona | 28 | 2 | 0 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 Hyundai Kona | 0 | 0 | 3 | View 2026 Problems → |
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 36 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Injury Entries | Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 57 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 18 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Back Over Prevention / Camera NHTSA category: BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEATS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lane Departure Warning NHTSA category: LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires NHTSA category: TIRES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year
Key performance indicators, EPA fuel economy specs, powertrain variants, and summary ratings.
Official recall campaigns, safety defect descriptions, and manufacturer free remedy instructions.
NHTSA 5-Star NCAP crash test results, driver assistance systems, and rollover resistance ratings.
EPA fuel economy ratings, electric range, and annual energy cost benchmarks.
Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2021 Hyundai Kona
In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2021 Hyundai Kona is Engine & Cooling, appearing in 77 records (54.6% of submitted filings).
Secondary reported categories include Electrical System (21) and Powertrain & Transmission (15).
AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 141 consumer defect complaints and 1 safety recall campaign for the 2021 Hyundai Kona.
Reviewing documented component complaint distributions, recall remedy notices, and active federal investigations provides an objective, evidence-based view of the vehicle's historical safety and defect record.
Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2021 Hyundai Kona, 3 filings cite a crash, 4 cite smoke or fire, and 3 report one or more injuries.
Incident entries represent consumer descriptions at the time of submission to federal authorities and do not establish mechanical causation or legal liability.
NHTSA ODI records list 1 formal defect investigation involving the 2021 Hyundai Kona (all closed).
Federal defect investigations are formal engineering evaluations opened when safety defect trends emerge, and do not by themselves establish a confirmed defect or mandatory recall.
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database under 49 CFR Part 576.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.