AI Damage2019 Hyundai Kona: common problems
Owners of the 2019 Hyundai Kona filed 196 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine and powertrain. The maker issued 83 service bulletins for this year. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 196
- involving a crash
- 11
- Technical service bulletins (TSB)
- 83
What fails most often
- 1 Engine 69% of all complaints
- 2 Powertrain 10% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 9% of all complaints
- 4 Fuel/propulsion system 5% of all complaints
- 5 Engine and cooling 5% of all complaints
- 6 Forward collision avoidance 5% of all complaints
- 7 Vehicle speed control 5% of all complaints
- 8 Lane departure 3% of all complaints
- Engine: 136 complaints (69% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 3.
- Powertrain: 19 complaints (10% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 9.
- Electrical system: 18 complaints (9% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 41.
- Fuel/propulsion system: 10 complaints (5% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 9 complaints (5% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 9.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 1.6 L · petrol · turbo · 4 cylnamed in 3 complaints
- 2 L · petrol · 4 cylnamed in 7 complaints
- electric
- automatic, 1-speed
- automatic, 6-speed
- dual-clutch (DCT), 7-speednamed in 2 complaints
Drive: FWD, AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 196 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 136 | 2 | 3 |
| Powertrain | 19 | 0 | 9 |
| Electrical system | 18 | 2 | 41 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Forward collision avoidance | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Lane departure | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Structure | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| Exterior lighting | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| Service brakes | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Seats | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 1 | 0 | 9 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The vehicle’s air bag light was not illuminated until after the accident otherwise we would have resolved the issue right away The car has been at Hyundai Glassman in Southfield, Mi., for over 2 months while we have tried to get this resolved as the repair estimate is close to $9000.00. Please review attached.
Radio and air-conditioning. [XXX] My car bumper and grill were messed up. And I received pain in my right shoulder. The Suburban had a trailer hook-up jammed inside my front bumper grill; my vehicle received all the damage. The other driver's vehicle had no harm.
My new Kona with less than 31000 miles is burning more than a qt of oil weekly on average, knocks loudly, looses power, and now I'm finding burnt labels on the booster vac lines.
I had a steering wheel lock (they had broken the back rear window in April 2021 in a thwarted attempt to steal, and the police recommended this), and the vehicle was parked under security cameras. They broke the window, disabled the ignition and took it for a ride and crashed it.
I was in a bad wreck on November 15th 2021 about 8pm I have pictures of car and air bags did not deploy was wondering because I thought as much damage they should have
The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would jerk. The dealer was made aware of the recall and failure but informed the contact that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure.
The forward collision avoidance / warning did not work. The incident happened at a busy street with slow moving traffic. This is the 2nd time the break did not get applied, the first time the road ahead was clear.
Upon collision (front end) at about 35 mph the vehicle burst into flames and continued to burn until the fire department showed up. In addition, there may be an issue with the seat belt mechanism. Driver's clavicle was fractured and displaced upon impact.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 332 of 2,102 model years in the NHTSA data (top 16% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Kona has 80 complaints (10 years in the data). This year has 196, above average.
What to check before buying
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Fuel/propulsion system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
Manufacturer service bulletins
Bulletin titles as filed with NHTSA.
- Some vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil…
Some vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil consumption. This bulletin outlines the combustion chamber cleaning procedure for vehicles diagnosed with this…
- Certain vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil…
Certain vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil consumption. This bulletin provides the inspection and repair procedures for vehicles exhibiting this condition…
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has identified the presence of substandard and…
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…
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued an urgent safety advisory regarding…
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…
- 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 magnetic switch (solenoid) assembly.
- 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 noted below. For further information regarding settlement benefits and…
- 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 regarding settlement benefits and contacts, please review the…
- Hyundai has settled a class action lawsuit that alleges that certain Hyundai and Kia Class Vehicles…
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…
- Upon customer's request ONLY, the Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 25-01-089H provides the service…
Upon customer's request ONLY, the Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 25-01-089H provides the service procedure for installation of a key cylinder reinforcement protector assembly and two anti-theft decals on the front…
- In addition to the Anti-Theft software provided under Service Campaign 993 (TSB 24-01-009H-1), a zinc…
In addition to the Anti-Theft software provided under Service Campaign 993 (TSB 24-01-009H-1), a zinc reinforced ignition cylinder protector hardware upgrade is being made available to customers upon request. This…
- This bulletin provides the service procedure for installation of a key cylinder reinforcement protector…
This bulletin provides the service procedure for installation of a key cylinder reinforcement protector assembly and two anti-theft decals on the front windows.
- In response to this trend, we engineered a software upgrade that addresses the social media theft method…
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…
NHTSA lists 83 bulletins for this year; the 12 newest are shown here.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2019 Hyundai Kona?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: engine, powertrain, electrical system. Total complaints: 196. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (33%), stalls while driving (29%), oil leak or consumption (20%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2019 Hyundai Kona?
NHTSA lists 83 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2019 Hyundai Kona from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2019 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-04.