Total Complaints
5 filings
HYUNDAI KONA · model year
5 NHTSA complaints, and 3 recall campaigns listed for this cohort. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA overall rating
4 / 5 ★
New Car Assessment Program
The 2026HYUNDAIKONA carries 5 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall 4/5 rating, with 4/5 front crash, 5/5 side crash, and 4/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 2026 KONA is power train with 1 filings, followed by service brakes (1) and structure:body (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause. This cohort has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns listed below. Enter a VIN in NHTSA's official recall lookup to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA currently has 37 investigation files overlapping the 2026 KONA, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
Total Complaints
5 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 1 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 |
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Tucson Hybrid, Tucson Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV), 2026 IONIQ 5, Santa Cruz, Kona, Palisade, Palisade Hybrid, Santa Fe, Santa Fe Hybrid, Sonata, Sonata Hybrid, and Tucson vehicles. Due to a software error, the instrument panel display
SEAT BELTS: REAR/OTHER:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025 Kona Electric and 2026 Kona vehicles. The seat belt buckle in the rear center seat may fail to properly restrain an occupant during a crash.
STEERING:LINKAGES:KNUCKLE:SPINDLE:ARM
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2026 Kona vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the front steering knuckles may crack and break, which can result in a loss of vehicle steering control.
I bought the car in November 2025. I was on a highway, going at a comfortable, 65 mph speed (a few weeks after purchasing this happened the first time ). Suddenly, the car stopped accelerating, of course I panicked, slowly pulled off to the shoulder, and shut the car off. Luckily, it was not rush hour . I restarted the car, and it was normal driving. I texted my salesperson and asked if he had heard about this issue. He said no. No warning lights or messages appeared as that happened. The speed had decreased and stayed at 36 mph for a few seconds. A few weeks later, it happened again, this time it stayed at around 36 mph. I pulled over and shut the car off, restarted, and no issues. This time I told my salesperson I wanted to bring it in, but they had a one-month wait and offered no help, didn't seem phased or concerned. I took the appointment for February 17, which was approximately a 4-week wait. Again, no lights or warning signals. The third time this happened I was merging on
The contact owns a 2026 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and turned off, an inspector discovered a puddle of fuel on the ground underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the hood insulation was damaged, and the fuel lines were punctured. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that two other GSA fleet vehicles of the same year, make, and model, as well as a coworker who owns a 2025 Hyundai Konda had experienced the same failure. The contact related the failure to rodents chewing the organic-based fuel lines. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 900.
Mileage: 900
Body: The hood/Under the hood: There is a wide ½“ or more gap on the right and left side of the hood. I can see inside under the hood from a distance. It is not flush while connecting to the rest of the vehicle. I can see the ground after opening the hood. The engine and all the components are exposed to the elements. This is a new vehicle from the dealership brand. There is no cover for the bottom to protect the engine or protection for wirings and other mechanisms under the hood. Winters in Illinois is brutal and floods. Poor acceleration and Brakes Restriction while steering experienced dragging sounds and forced pushing and pulling. I do not trust the steering wheel mechanism at all and have to grip it to make sure I keep complete control of the steering wheel and fearful of the reliability of the breaks because I have experience being pulled or pushed while merging and having to panicky while using the brakes. I must press extremely hard to brake in slow traffic and use extrem
Body: The hood/Under the hood: There is a wide ½“ or more gap on the right and left side of the hood. I can see inside under the hood from a distance. It is not flush while connecting to the rest of the vehicle. I can see the ground after opening the hood. The engine and all the components are exposed to the elements. This is a new vehicle from the dealership brand. There is no cover for the bottom to protect the engine or protection for wirings and other mechanisms under the hood. Winters in Illinois is brutal and floods. Poor acceleration and Brakes Restriction while steering experienced dragging sounds and forced pushing and pulling. I do not trust the steering wheel mechanism at all and have to grip it to make sure I keep complete control of the steering wheel and fearful of the reliability of the breaks because I have experience being pulled or pushed while merging and having to panicky while using the brakes. I must press extremely hard to brake in slow traffic and use extrem
Body: The hood/Under the hood: There is a wide ½“ or more gap on the right and left side of the hood. I can see inside under the hood from a distance. It is not flush while connecting to the rest of the vehicle. I can see the ground after opening the hood. The engine and all the components are exposed to the elements. This is a new vehicle from the dealership brand. There is no cover for the bottom to protect the engine or protection for wirings and other mechanisms under the hood. Winters in Illinois is brutal and floods. Poor acceleration and Brakes Restriction while steering experienced dragging sounds and forced pushing and pulling. I do not trust the steering wheel mechanism at all and have to grip it to make sure I keep complete control of the steering wheel and fearful of the reliability of the breaks because I have experience being pulled or pushed while merging and having to panicky while using the brakes. I must press extremely hard to brake in slow traffic and use extrem
Data vintage: August 2026. 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.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 2026 HYUNDAI KONA; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.