Model Year Index

Which Hyundai Kona years to avoid

No Hyundai Kona model year in 2018–2021 falls into the flagged band. The weakest are 2020 and 2019, and even those sit close to this model’s own median.

Ownership label · Hyundai Kona Full report
C
Grade 2018–2021
2020 vs model median 1.0×
Model median3× median
Engine 70
Electrical 22
Driver Assist 15
Weakest

2019 · 2020

Best

2018 · 2021

What the record shows

Written from this model’s own complaint and recall history.

Four Kona model years can be scored, and the record is unusually flat: 2019, 2020 and 2021 all sit within a few percent of the model’s own median, at 1.07, 1.02 and 0.98. Neither flagged year is flagged by much.

Engine leads all three at 58, 70 and 59 reports. The accounts divide into two groups that are worth separating. One describes hesitation from a standstill — pressing the accelerator and the car taking two or three seconds to move. The other describes a ticking or knocking noise and, in a number of filings, the battery: the Kona’s electric variant was subject to a fire-related recall, and those filings land here alongside the combustion cars because NHTSA files both under one model name.

Fire allegations are present in every year but low — five, six, one and six — and they do not concentrate in a single year the way a defect cluster usually does.

The 2018 car is the strongest, at 0.28 times the median on 37 complaints, and it is the model’s first year — the opposite of the launch-year pattern that dominates this dataset.

Six distinct recall campaigns across the model, among the lowest counts here, and the Kona carries an overall B.

Reviewed Claude, 13 August 2026, against the model's own record and NHTSA campaign filings

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2018
0.28× 37 A
2019
1.07× 173 B
2020
1.02× 157 C
2021
0.98× 141 B
2022 P
0.94× 171 B
2023 P
0.59× 105 B
2024 P
0.63× 100 B
2025 P
0.30× 52 A

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2019 B 173 reports · median 15,000 mi

  1. Engine 58

    A couple hundred miles after purchasing a new kona, I had started having acceleration issues going from a dead stop into first gear .as the car starts to go, this is under 5 MPH, the car then hesitates as if someone is… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Electrical 48

    The contact owns a 2019 hyundai kona. While driving approximately 70 MPH, the forward collision avoidance system suddenly activated, which caused the vehicle to abruptly slow down. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Fuel System 15

    Once in a while when you step on gs pedal the car does not go for about 3 seconds,very dangerous when entering highway in front of traffic.engine or transmission does not act or sound funny just seems like fuel system… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

11 crash · 6 fire · 4 injuries

2020 C 157 reports · median 9,250 mi

  1. Engine 70

    In june I took the car back to the dealership because of a loud ticking noise. I then thought it was the oil level was low... owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Electrical 22

    There is a recall on possible battery explosion and there is no current replacement policy or replacement schedule. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Driver Assist 15

    Vehicle wanders from left to right without driver input; requiring constant correction while traveling on a straight 4 lane highway. Condition was presented to dealer. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

10 crash · 1 fire · 14 injuries

The best year for the Kona

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2018 is the best-scoring Kona model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 92.9 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2018 0.28× 37 A
2021 0.98× 141 B
2019 1.07× 173 B

Recalls

6 campaigns on record, 1 carrying a Park It or Park Outside warning.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
21V301000 ENGINE 2019–2021 158,493
23V526000 Park it POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:FLUID/LUBRICANT:PUMP 2023 52,109
24V308000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:GAS RECIRCULATION VALVE (EGR VALVE) 2024 13,511
23V901000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY:CABLES 2024 10,984
23V650000 SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR 2024 2,354
20V022000 EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS 2020 477

Recall work is free at any franchised dealer, whoever owns the car and however old it is. Check a specific car’s VIN on NHTSA’s register before you buy — an unrepaired campaign is among the most commonly missed items on a used vehicle. One campaign here carries a Park It or Park Outside warning, which means NHTSA advised owners to stop driving or parking the vehicle indoors until the work was done.

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2020 were reported at a median of 9,250 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Hyundai Kona years should you avoid?
No Hyundai Kona model year in 2018–2021 scores in the flagged band. The weakest are 2020 and 2019.
What is the best year for the Hyundai Kona?
2018 is the best-scoring Hyundai Kona model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 92.9 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Hyundai Kona have?
6 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Hyundai Kona model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2020 Kona
Complaints in window
157
Severity-weighted
250
Model median (weighted)
246
vs model median
1.02×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
2
Open investigations
0
Score 69.6 C