AutoUtility currently tracks 187 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2019 Hyundai Kona. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 132 complaints (70.6% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 11 filings cite a crash, 4 cite a fire, 4 report one or more injuries.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 187 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Engine & Cooling (132 reports • 70.6% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Driver Assistance & Safety Tech (18), Electrical System (18)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 11 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 4 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 4 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2019 Hyundai Kona
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Engine & Cooling
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #21V301000 ENGINE
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech
Electrical System
Powertrain & Transmission
Fuel & Propulsion System
Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2019 Hyundai Kona
Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis
AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.
Engine Coolant Intrusion / Oil Leak
Loss of Motive Power While Driving
Engine Stalling / Sudden Shutdown
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2019 Hyundai Kona
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"The contact's daughter owns a 2019 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving 40 MPH, smoke started coming from under the hood. The vehicle lost power and came to a stop in front of a convenience store, blocking the entrance. Several unknown warning lights were..."
"The engine was spewing oil into the air filter and also out of a hose near the turbo. It was also consuming high amounts of oil, yes its available for inspection. I was driving on a busy public highway and my car lost power and would not accelerate no the problem has not been confirmed as of yet..."
"The vehicle suffered a sudden, severe loss of power while driving, causing the engine to stall unexpectedly. This created an immediate hazard to myself and other motorists on the road, as I was forced to navigate a dead vehicle out of active traffic without power steering or power braking assist...."
"First notice was exterior top railing coating wearing down after just 3 years of having car. Notified dealership of this issue and was stated that my car was out of warranty. (Now 7yo) Exterior Paint is peeling off hood; exposing primer layering, as well as in some spots, the main body itself. This..."
"My 2019 Hyundai Kona has been burning oil, I’ve done great upkeep on it, including topping the oil off in between services. This is because it obviously has been burning oil, well recently it started stalling, then starting/turning it over has been acting up. The RPM’s have not been stable at all..."
Complaint History for Hyundai Kona
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 Current Page | 187 | 11 | 1 | Current |
| 2020 Hyundai Kona | 154 | 8 | 2 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Hyundai Kona | 141 | 3 | 1 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 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 → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2019 Hyundai Kona
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 44 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 95 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEATS,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING,SEATS,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lane Departure Warning NHTSA category: LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Doors, Latches & Locks NHTSA category: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (2)
Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight ra...
Loss of Motive Power
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc. and Kia America, Inc. vehicles spanning Model Years (MY) 2005-2021. The Petitioners cited examples of complaints indicating that the subject vehicles were experienc...
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.