HYUNDAI IONIQ HYBRID · model year

2018 HYUNDAI IONIQ HYBRID

18 NHTSA complaints, 2 crash reports, and 2 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2018HYUNDAIIONIQ HYBRID carries 18 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 2 crashes, 0 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall Not Rated/5 rating, with Not Rated/5 front crash, Not Rated/5 side crash, and Not Rated/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2018 IONIQ HYBRID is unknown or other with 3 filings, followed by electrical system (3) and engine (3). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 2 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 37 investigation files overlapping the 2018 IONIQ HYBRID, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

18
Complaints
2
Crashes
0
Fires
2
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

18 filings

Crashes Reported

2 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

NHTSA NCAP overall: Not Rated/5 — Not rated · Front: Not Rated/5 · Side: Not Rated/5 · Rollover: Not Rated/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
UNKNOWN OR OTHER3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM3
ENGINE3
POWER TRAIN3
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL2
SERVICE BRAKES1
STEERING1
VISIBILITY/WIPER1
AIR BAGS1

Recalls (2)

22V45900028/06/2022

HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM: INVERTER

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Ioniq HEV and Ionic PHV vehicles previously recalled under recall number 18V-704. The Power Relay Assembly (PRA) located underneath the rear seat may overheat.

18V70400005/10/2018

HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM: INVERTER

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid and 2018 Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid vehicles. The Main Relay within the Power Relay Assembly (PRA) may have inadequate connections between its contacts, causing increased electrical resistance.

Recent Complaints

20251125ENGINE

My 2018 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid has a safety-critical transmission defect. The vehicle slips violently from 1st to 2nd gear, loses acceleration, and causes unpredictable hesitation. This creates a danger when merging onto highways or crossing intersections. Hyundai refused goodwill assistance, denied escalation, and directed me to BBB Auto Line, but BBB does not accept 2018 vehicles. This defect matches known DCT failures in Hyundai hybrid models and presents a significant safety risk, especially when transporting my two young children ( we lost mother during the childbirth .

20241125CrashAIR BAGS

The contact owned a 2018 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH with her aunt in the front passenger's side seat, another vehicle suddenly merged into the contact's lane, causing the passenger's side of the vehicle to crash into the driver's side of the other vehicle. The vehicle then veered into a ditch on the right side of the road. The air bags failed to deploy. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact and her aunt exited the vehicle through the rear doors because the front doors were blocked by the bushes. The contact sustained pain in the right knee and ankle. The contact's aunt sustained pain in the right knee. The ambulance transported both passengers to the hospital, where they were informed that no other injuries were found. A police report was filed, but the contact did not have the police report information available. The vehicle was towed and totaled by the insurance company. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was noti

Mileage: 85,000

20241011POWER TRAIN

The clutch failed and the clutch and I believe the clutch actuator had to be replaced. It was not available for inspection upon request. My safety and the risk of others were compromised by the constant jerking and sputtering, of the gears that took place during vehicle operation. My acceleration was laggy and at some points nearly unresponsive. The vehicle was inspected by service technicians. A warning light saying: Warning please check Hybrid Driving System, Do not drive vehicle was illuminated. Mid to late October 2023

20240408ENGINE

The car engine started to stall, the engine light came on and advised me to shut off engine then I pulled over and smoke immidiatley filled the cabin and outside the hood. My engine could have blown up. Had I not pulled over so quickly my car would have caught fire and I would have died. Yes the Hyundai Folsom inspected the car and listed issue was a hole in the engine block. They stated it was caused by premature wearing of the rod bearings and refused to repair. The ONLY warning happened within seconds of the car stalling and failing to accelerate before I pulled over. The first symptoms was a noise I couldne place 5 days prior. It was a mild knocking sound that was subtle.

20230830ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

My lcd screen constantly goes black. A couple times the steering wheel locked the wipers and washer fluid went off at the same time. I had to hit the brakes and power the car on and off to reset it while making a turn. When having my window motor replaced for the SECOND time my dash where the speed is at all when black while driving on the freeway. I had to pull over and restart the car. My paint and my clear coat is separating on my trunk. It looks white not oxidation just separating and white. My driver side door button to lock the car kept getting stuck and was locking and unlocking. this left the possibilities of my car getting stolen from the door lock and the window motor leaving my window half down. My safety and the safety of others is obviously at risk with the electrical malfunctions. My local dealership left my issue’s unresolved for currently FIVE months with little to no compensation. I guess the life of my family and everyone else on the road is only $420.

20230830STEERING

My lcd screen constantly goes black. A couple times the steering wheel locked the wipers and washer fluid went off at the same time. I had to hit the brakes and power the car on and off to reset it while making a turn. When having my window motor replaced for the SECOND time my dash where the speed is at all when black while driving on the freeway. I had to pull over and restart the car. My paint and my clear coat is separating on my trunk. It looks white not oxidation just separating and white. My driver side door button to lock the car kept getting stuck and was locking and unlocking. this left the possibilities of my car getting stolen from the door lock and the window motor leaving my window half down. My safety and the safety of others is obviously at risk with the electrical malfunctions. My local dealership left my issue’s unresolved for currently FIVE months with little to no compensation. I guess the life of my family and everyone else on the road is only $420.

20230830VISIBILITY/WIPER

My lcd screen constantly goes black. A couple times the steering wheel locked the wipers and washer fluid went off at the same time. I had to hit the brakes and power the car on and off to reset it while making a turn. When having my window motor replaced for the SECOND time my dash where the speed is at all when black while driving on the freeway. I had to pull over and restart the car. My paint and my clear coat is separating on my trunk. It looks white not oxidation just separating and white. My driver side door button to lock the car kept getting stuck and was locking and unlocking. this left the possibilities of my car getting stolen from the door lock and the window motor leaving my window half down. My safety and the safety of others is obviously at risk with the electrical malfunctions. My local dealership left my issue’s unresolved for currently FIVE months with little to no compensation. I guess the life of my family and everyone else on the road is only $420.

20220131POWER TRAIN

There is a defect with the transmission control module (TCM) and dual-clutch transmission (DCT). This defect prevents the car from properly accelerating from a stop. The defect manifests in the following ways when pressing the accelerator: unresponsive or sluggish acceleration, jerking, shuddering, failure to shift, stalling and complete loss of power. Typically, the TCM defect manifests in two ways: shuddering/delayed brake release, which has happened over 20 times and loss of power/engine revving out of gear which has occured three times. These issues are unpredictable, unrepeatable and dangerous. I usually experience them while waiting at stop lights in busy intersections. Delayed and unpredictable acceleration and shifting could cause a traffic accident. I've notified the dealership three times and had it serviced once by licensed Hyundai technicians at the same dealership. They couldn't replicate the issue and claimed they had never heard of the problem. There are no warnin

20201227UNKNOWN OR OTHER

VEHICLE BATTERY IS DEPLETED AND NEEDS SERVICING OR REPLACEMENT.

Mileage: 30

20190517CrashPOWER TRAIN

THE CAR SHIFTS FROM DRIVE MODE INTO SPORT MODE BY ITSELF WITHOUT THE DRIVER MANUALLY MOVING THE GEAR SHIFT FROM DRIVE TO SPORT. THIS HAPPENS RANDOMLY, BUT ALWAYS WHEN THE CAR IS IN MOTION AND ALWAYS IN A LOW GEAR( USUALLY FIRST GEAR ). IT HAS HAPPENED BOTH WHEN MAKING A TURN AND GOING STRAIGHT AHEAD , USUALLY WHEN THE CAR STARTS TO MOVE AFTER BEING STOPPED LIKE AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT. I CAN GET THE CAR TO GO BACK INTO DRIVE MODE BY PHYSICALLY MOVING THE GEARSHIFT INTO SPORT MODE AND THEN BACK INTO DRIVE MODE AGAIN. UNFORTUNATELY, THE MOST RECENT EPISODE OF THIS HAPPENED WHEN I WAS PULLING INTO MY GARAGE. I WAS HALFWAY INTO THE GARAGE WHEN THE CAR SWITCHED TO SPORT MODE BY ITSELF. THE CAR WAS STILL IN MOTION INSTANTLY STARTED MOVING FASTER AND IN SECONDS IT HIT THE BACK WALL OF THE GARAGE.

Mileage: 18,300

20190109ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

IT BEGAN SHORTLY AFTER I PURCHASED THE CAR IN FEB 2018 WITH THE A/C WORKING ONLY INTERMITTENTLY AND THE SETTINGS ON THE CLUSTER HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM, AND THIS ELECTRICAL PROBLEM ESCALATED INTO A SAFETY ISSUE WHEN ON DEC 6 THE RKE FAILED (BATTERY ON FOB STRONG) AND A RE-START ON CAR DID NOT WORK, UNTIL THE SPARE KEY WAS TRIED. SINCE DEALER FOUND NO PROBLEM WITH EITHER KEY, THE SAFETY ISSUE REMAINS A MAJOR CONCERN FOR THE SENIOR CITIZEN OWNER WHO MIGHT GET CAUGHT AGAIN WITHOUT ACCESS TO THE CAR AND WITH A NON-FUNCTIONING ENGINE. THE ELECTRICAL PROBLEM SHOWS ITSELF INTERMITTENTLY IN UNPROVOKED BEEPS OF THE PASSENGER DOOR, AS WELL AS IN THE CLUSTER SETTINGS. *JS

Mileage: 4,300

20190109ENGINE

IT BEGAN SHORTLY AFTER I PURCHASED THE CAR IN FEB 2018 WITH THE A/C WORKING ONLY INTERMITTENTLY AND THE SETTINGS ON THE CLUSTER HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM, AND THIS ELECTRICAL PROBLEM ESCALATED INTO A SAFETY ISSUE WHEN ON DEC 6 THE RKE FAILED (BATTERY ON FOB STRONG) AND A RE-START ON CAR DID NOT WORK, UNTIL THE SPARE KEY WAS TRIED. SINCE DEALER FOUND NO PROBLEM WITH EITHER KEY, THE SAFETY ISSUE REMAINS A MAJOR CONCERN FOR THE SENIOR CITIZEN OWNER WHO MIGHT GET CAUGHT AGAIN WITHOUT ACCESS TO THE CAR AND WITH A NON-FUNCTIONING ENGINE. THE ELECTRICAL PROBLEM SHOWS ITSELF INTERMITTENTLY IN UNPROVOKED BEEPS OF THE PASSENGER DOOR, AS WELL AS IN THE CLUSTER SETTINGS. *JS

Mileage: 4,300

20181124ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

MANY ISSUES: 1. GETS STUCK IN PARK. 2. BACK UP CAMERA FUZZY EVEN AFTER CLEANED. 3. APPLE CAR PLAY DROPS OUT. AND OR SWITCHES FROM TO CURRENT PHONE CALL. 4. TIRE PRESSURE SYSTEM IS MESSED UP. THE TIRES SYSTEM DOESN'T TELL YOU WHEN THE TIRES ARE BELOW 30LBS. THESE ARE JUST A FEW ISSUES.

Mileage: 1,000

20181124UNKNOWN OR OTHER

MANY ISSUES: 1. GETS STUCK IN PARK. 2. BACK UP CAMERA FUZZY EVEN AFTER CLEANED. 3. APPLE CAR PLAY DROPS OUT. AND OR SWITCHES FROM TO CURRENT PHONE CALL. 4. TIRE PRESSURE SYSTEM IS MESSED UP. THE TIRES SYSTEM DOESN'T TELL YOU WHEN THE TIRES ARE BELOW 30LBS. THESE ARE JUST A FEW ISSUES.

Mileage: 1,000

20181018SERVICE BRAKES

CLICKING NOISE COMING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE ENGINE EVERY TIME THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED. SOMETIMES THE CLICKING NOISE WILL CONTINUE AFTER THE CAR HAS BEEN PARKED AND LOCKED. THE FIRST TIME THE CLICKING STARTED, I PARKED MY CAR AND A WARNING "CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM" APPEARED BRIEFLY IN MY DASHBOARD DISPLAY BUT THE CLICKING PERSISTED. THE PEDAL FELT SLUGGISH WITH NOT MUCH RESISTANCE.

Mileage: 3,000

20181018UNKNOWN OR OTHER

CLICKING NOISE COMING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE ENGINE EVERY TIME THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED. SOMETIMES THE CLICKING NOISE WILL CONTINUE AFTER THE CAR HAS BEEN PARKED AND LOCKED. THE FIRST TIME THE CLICKING STARTED, I PARKED MY CAR AND A WARNING "CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM" APPEARED BRIEFLY IN MY DASHBOARD DISPLAY BUT THE CLICKING PERSISTED. THE PEDAL FELT SLUGGISH WITH NOT MUCH RESISTANCE.

Mileage: 3,000

20180619VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

WHILE DRIVING THIS MORNING (SMART CRUISE CONTROL DISABLED BY THE WEATHER), I SET THE CRUISE CONTROL AND EVERYTHING WAS WORKING OK. I CANCELLED DUE TO TRAFFIC AND REENGAGED WITHOUT ISSUE. WHEN I REQUESTED ADDITIONAL SPEED WITH THE INCREASE CONTROL, THE CAR ACCELERATED AND CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE AND DID NOT STOP ACCELERATING UNTIL I HIT THE BRAKES AND CANCELLED THE CRUISE CONTROL. THIS IS VERY UNSAFE. I EXPECT THIS FIXED AND WILL CONTACT THE NHTSA AND ALSO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THEM. THIS IS DANGEROUS AND IT IS ONLY DUE TO MY ABILITY TO QUICKLY REACT DID I AVERT AN ACCIDENT IN SNOWY CONDITIONS! ***** I AM CHECKING THE NO CRASH BUTTON ONLY BECAUSE MY QUICK ACTION AND RESPONSE AVERTED AN ACCIDENT, BUT THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS! *****

Mileage: 500

20180130VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE CRUISE CONTROL. WHILE DRIVING THIS MORNING (SMART CRUISE CONTROL DISABLED BY THE WEATHER), I SET THE CRUISE CONTROL AND EVERYTHING WAS WORKING OK. I CANCELLED DUE TO TRAFFIC AND REENGAGED WITHOUT ISSUE. WHEN I REQUESTED ADDITIONAL SPEED WITH THE INCREASE CONTROL, THE CAR ACCELERATED AND CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE AND DID NOT STOP ACCELERATING UNTIL I HIT THE BRAKES AND CANCELLED THE CRUISE CONTROL. THIS IS VERY UNSAFE. I EXPECT THIS FIXED AND WILL CONTACT THE NHTSA AND ALSO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THEM. THIS IS DANGEROUS AND IT IS ONLY DUE TO MY ABILITY TO QUICKLY REACT DID I AVERT AN ACCIDENT IN SNOWY CONDITIONS! -SCOTT

Mileage: 200

Compare 2018HYUNDAIIONIQ HYBRID to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2018 HYUNDAI IONIQ HYBRID have?
The 2018 HYUNDAI IONIQ HYBRID has 18 NHTSA complaints, 2 crashes, 0 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2018 HYUNDAI IONIQ HYBRID?
The 2018 HYUNDAI IONIQ HYBRID received an overall NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5, front crash rating of Not Rated/5, side crash rating of Not Rated/5, and rollover rating of Not Rated/5.
Are there any recalls for the 2018 HYUNDAI IONIQ HYBRID?
Yes, the 2018 HYUNDAI IONIQ HYBRID has 2 recall(s). The most common affected component is HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM: INVERTER. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2018 HYUNDAI IONIQ HYBRID?
The most-complained component for the 2018 HYUNDAI IONIQ HYBRID is UNKNOWN OR OTHER with 3 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ELECTRICAL SYSTEM and ENGINE.
Is the 2018 HYUNDAI IONIQ HYBRID safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2018 HYUNDAI IONIQ HYBRID has an NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.