The 2021 Hyundai Kona is associated with 141 official NHTSA owner defect complaints and 1 safety recall campaign in the federal safety database. The most frequently reported component area is Engine, accounting for 57 reports (40% of total complaints). EPA testing covers 5 certified vehicle configurations spanning all-electric, 1.6l 4-cyl, and 2l 4-cyl configurations. Gasoline and hybrid variants deliver 27 to 30 MPG combined. All-electric variants deliver up to 120 MPGe with an estimated range of 258 miles.

Key Data Findings
  • • NHTSA Owner Complaints: 141 reports
  • • Safety Recall Campaigns: 1 campaign
  • • Top Reported Defect Area: Engine (57 / 40%)
  • • Safety Incident Signals: 3 crash / 4 fire / 3 injury reports
  • • NHTSA Overall Safety Rating: 5 / 5 Stars
  • • EPA Efficiency: 27–30 MPG (5 variants)
Data Note: Compiled directly from official NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI), NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, and EPA FuelEconomy.gov databases.
Fuel Economy
27–30MPG
5 EPA certified variants (all-electric, 1.6l 4-cyl, and 2l 4-cyl configurations)
Reported Complaints
141
141 submitted owner reports
Safety Recalls
1
1 official NHTSA recall
NCAP Safety Rating
5 / 5 Stars Overall

What is the fuel economy and range of the 2021 Hyundai Kona?

Official EPA laboratory test ratings, electric driving range, and annual energy cost estimates by certified vehicle variant

Variant Engine Drivetrain Transmission City Highway Combined EV Range Est. Annual Fuel Cost
Kona Electric 100% Electric Electric Motor Front-Wheel Drive Automatic (A1) 132 MPGe 108 MPGe 120 MPGe 258 mi $600 / yr
Kona FWD 1.6L 4-Cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic (AM7) 28 MPG 32 MPG 30 MPG — $2,050 / yr
Kona FWD 2L 4-Cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic (S6) 27 MPG 33 MPG 30 MPG — $2,050 / yr
Kona AWD 1.6L 4-Cyl All-Wheel Drive Automatic (AM7) 26 MPG 29 MPG 27 MPG — $2,300 / yr
Kona AWD 2L 4-Cyl All-Wheel Drive Automatic (S6) 25 MPG 30 MPG 27 MPG — $2,300 / yr
Data Boundary Note: EPA specifications are shown by certified vehicle configuration. NHTSA complaints and recall totals are recorded at the model-year level across all configurations.
Electric Range & Charging: The 2021 Hyundai Kona provides an official EPA-rated driving range of up to 258 miles on a single battery charge.

What are the crash test safety ratings for the 2021 Hyundai Kona?

Official 5-Star Safety Ratings evaluated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Tested Drivetrain / Cab Variant Overall Rating Frontal Crash Side Crash Rollover Rating Rollover Risk
SUV FWD 14.099999999999998%
SUV AWD 13.600000000000001%
Active Driver Assistance Systems (NHTSA Recorded): Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is documented as Standard and Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is documented as Standard in official NHTSA records for tested 2021 Hyundai Kona models.
View complete 2021 Hyundai Kona crash test & safety breakdown →

What defect complaints are reported for the 2021 Hyundai Kona?

Summary of 141 verified consumer defect submissions filed with the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)

Total Complaints
141
Crash Reports
3
Fire Reports
4
Complaints w/ Injury
3
Total Injuries
3

Top Reported Problem Categories

Ranked by total consumer complaint submissions recorded by NHTSA

Engine 57 complaints
Powertrain 7 complaints
Electrical System 6 complaints
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 5 complaints
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 4 complaints

Data Attribution & Context: Complaints are self-reported by vehicle owners to NHTSA and represent unverified consumer submissions. Complaint volume does not equal a statistically controlled failure rate and is not adjusted for total vehicles sold or cumulative mileage driven.

View all 2021 Hyundai Kona problems & component breakdown (36 categories) →

Are there open safety recalls on the 2021 Hyundai Kona?

Manufacturer safety recall campaigns monitored and recorded by NHTSA

NHTSA Campaign #21V301000 Active Recall
Affected Component: ENGINE

Defect Summary: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Elantra, 2019-2021 Kona and Veloster vehicles equipped with 2.0L Nu MPI engines. The piston oil rings may not have been properly heat-treated, which could result in engine damage.

Free Manufacturer Remedy: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the engine, free of charge. In addition, Hyundai will deploy Piston Ring Noise Sensing System (PNSS) software. Owner notification letters were mailed August 24, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460.
View all 2021 Hyundai Kona recalls & campaign history (1 campaigns) →
Official US Government Data Provenance

The specifications, safety ratings, defect reports, and recall campaigns published on this page are retrieved directly from official United States Government agency databases:

  • NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI): Consumer complaints and defect reports.
  • NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP): Frontal, side, and rollover 5-Star crash safety test ratings.
  • U.S. EPA / FuelEconomy.gov: Standardized multi-cycle dynamometer fuel economy, MPGe, and electric driving range ratings.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.