2021 Hyundai Kona Electric Problems

On February 3, 2026, while driving in a high-traffic turning lane, my Hyundai Kona Electric vehicle suddenly lost propulsion and would not accelerate. The vehicle shut down without warning and could not be restarted. Traffic was building behind me, creating a safety hazard. I felt unsafe due to surrounding vehicles expecting movement, I contacted the police for assistance. The vehicle had to be towed from the roadway. The vehicle was transferred between 3 dealerships before being diagonsed. On February 16, 2026, the issue was diagnosed as a motor position sensor failure affecting the propulsion system. The vehicle has remained inoperable since February 3, 2026, and there is no repair ETA due to parts availability. The vehicle remains at the servicing dealership and is available for inspection upon request. There were no prior warning lamps, dashboard messages, or noticeable symptoms before the sudden loss of propulsion. This incident involved a sudden failure of the vehicle’s propulsion system while operating in active traffic and presented a significant safety concern.

Hyundia has had my car in for the SAME recall 4 to 5 times . 6 total weeks this time around. The ""refill inverter coolant" light kept coming back on . The last time I got it home it had more issues than when I took it in and wouldn't even catch a charge . (EV) They fried my compassitor trying to fix the inverter coolant recall . I then took had to pay 450 for a diagnostic ' (Kerry hyundai alexandria) They said electric motor is bad and will cost 8000 to 9000. Got a 2nd diagnostic (Jeff wyler hyundai cincinnati) Completely different result- Zero mention of motor ' said Ac compasitor failed. (Had no issues prior to them working on the original recall ) The light for the recall is still on by the way and they want me to pay 3500 for new AC capacitor . (600 diagnostic included in that price ) " The dealership’s failure to properly perform the inverter coolant refill recall directly caused the AC compressor failure in my 2021 Hyundai Kona EV. Before taking the vehicle in for the recall, the AC system was fully functional, delivering cold air without any issues, and the car experienced no charging problems, indicating the battery and cooling systems were operating normally. The recall, intended to flush the inverter cooling system and replace the crystallizing BSC-1 coolant with BSC-2, was not completed correctly, as evidenced by the dealership’s admission that they couldn’t fix it. This botched service likely left air or debris in the cooling system, which, in Kona EVs with a heat pump, could overwork the AC compressor used for battery cooling during charging. The compressor’s failure shortly after the recall service, despite no prior issues, strongly suggests that the improper coolant flush caused undue stress on the compressor, leading to its $3,000 failure, which should be covered under warranty or as a goodwill repair due to the dealership’s error". [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Fill coolant warning came on, we checked the coolant and the coolant level was good. I spoke to a Hyundai service center and the rep said that sometimes this happens with Hyundais and it may go off. Indeed it did but then Fill coolant warning came back and the coolant level was still good. After several weeks of the Fill Coolant warning being on more often than not, the car started one morning but couldn’t be driven as the handbrake was stuck on, the fill coolant warning was on and the tire pressure warning was on, (even though the tire pressure on all tires was ok) I guess this was the EVs way of saying “Do Not Drive Me”. We got the car to the dealership, they performed a scan and found no codes. They preformed a total coolant flush as per Service Campaign T9E. This service was performed on 21 April, 2025 and thus far the fill coolant light has stated off. We bought this car used just 2 months prior and found through previous maintenance history that this EV had this service Campaign T9E done in January 2024. Our concern with this issue is two fold, 1) My wife could have been anywhere when the car went into: Don’t drive me mode. 2) is this going to be an annual event, which will cost several hundred dollars to address each time when this may no longer be covered by warranty

The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Kona Electric. The contact stated that the battery had discharged. The contact stated that the 12-volt battery and “Bring in for Service, and key not detected messages were displayed. The contact stated that while his mother was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled on two occasions. The vehicle flickered, and the vanity lights dimmed and flickered. The contact called the local dealer, where the vehicle was rebooted. The contact stated that five attempts were needed to unlock the parking brake. The tow truck mechanic informed the driver that the 12-volt battery was not registering. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000.

My wife's car t-boned another vehicle, but the air bags didn't deploy. Luckily, she wasn't hurt badly, but the vehicle was deemed a total loss, so you can imagine the force of the collision. The forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking didn't activate either. I reported it to Hyundai. They sent an inspector to examine the vehicle, and I also showed them photos and a copy of the police report, but they claim that my car was hit on the side, and the pre collision system doesn't detect imminent side impact. That's completely outrageous. I don't know what their inspector wrote in their report, but the photos and police report are irrefutable proof that my wife had a frontal collision with the side of another vehicle. Hyundai kept denying it because they didn't want to help financially. I attached a copy of their determination letters (the second one was after I submitted a copy of the police report to prove that my wife's car is the one that hit the other vehicle, but Hyundai refused to see it as it happened). This is a link to see the interior and exterior photos of the vehicle: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Kona Electric. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the rearview camera became inoperable. The contact stated that the image on the rearview camera went blank. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and it was diagnosed and determined that the tailgate wiring harness had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered to pay for 60 percent of the parts and labor cost to repair the vehicle. The contact declined the offer provided by the manufacturer. The approximate failure mileage was 86,612.

After just 18 months and about 5,000 miles, the heater/defroster system stopped working. My local Hyundai dealer (Dick Hannah Volkswagen/Hyundai) confirmed the failure. Even after installing a new heater unit, the dealer reported the system is still not working. My car has been at the dealer since 1-17-23. Having no defroster is a serious safety issue in the winter here in Portland, Oregon, as the car can become unsafe to drive when the windows fog-up (as is common in the winter here). There were no warning lights or notifications to indicate that anything had failed; I just noticed that heat was not coming on, and only cold air was blowing through the defroster vents.

Sunroof exploded. On 19 January 2022 around 15:45 (Pacific Time) while driving approximately 65mph in my 2021 Hyundai Kona Electric on Hwy 60 (Moreno Valley, California), west-bound I experienced a loud explosion sound in my Kona and glass raining down on me and the inside of the car. I looked up and noticed there was a hole in the sunroof (see attached photos). I immediately found a safe place to exit the highway and stopped.

After powering on the car, the dashboard displayed multiple brake system warnings, including the brake system warning light and a message on the LCD display that read "Check regenerative brakes." A Hyundai dealer replaced the integrated electric brake unit assembly (invoice attached).

Check regenerative brake warning comes on and the emergency brake applies while driving also when I come to a stop. When I started my car the immediately the light came on. When I cut my car off the light clears. It happens when I’m braking. The regenerative brake light warning is becoming more frequent. I took my car back to the Hyundai dealership and they “checked” it out and found no problem with my vehicle. They ran a diagnostics and a update for my car, but 4 days later the warning can on again, after the repair.

The car was unable to charge using level 3 DC fast chargers, necessitating the use of a level 2 charger for an extended length of time in order to be able to return home. A Hyundai dealer replaced the charging inlet lock actuator (invoice attached).

The headlights even though they are LED they have a terrible beam pattern with noticeable dark spots in your field of view. Also I get flashed from oncoming traffic because of the low mounting position of the head lights easily blinds on coming traffic with the slightest bump or incline in the road. I had the dealer check out their alignment and was told they are fine. I myself have been dazzled by other Kona’s coming at me. I feel these lights are an issue and I see more and more cars with these low mounted headlights which I feel is a design issue that needs to be addressed due to the angle the lights need to shine they easily dazzle oncoming traffic.

On February 3, 2026, while driving in a high-traffic turning lane, my Hyundai Kona Electric vehicle suddenly lost propulsion and would not accelerate. The vehicle shut down without warning and could not be restarted. Traffic was building behind me, creating a safety hazard. I felt unsafe due to surrounding vehicles expecting movement, I contacted the police for assistance. The vehicle had to be towed from the roadway. The vehicle was transferred between 3 dealerships before being diagonsed. On February 16, 2026, the issue was diagnosed as a motor position sensor failure affecting the propulsion system. The vehicle has remained inoperable since February 3, 2026, and there is no repair ETA due to parts availability. The vehicle remains at the servicing dealership and is available for inspection upon request. There were no prior warning lamps, dashboard messages, or noticeable symptoms before the sudden loss of propulsion. This incident involved a sudden failure of the vehicle’s propulsion system while operating in active traffic and presented a significant safety concern.

My wife's car t-boned another vehicle, but the air bags didn't deploy. Luckily, she wasn't hurt badly, but the vehicle was deemed a total loss, so you can imagine the force of the collision. The forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking didn't activate either. I reported it to Hyundai. They sent an inspector to examine the vehicle, and I also showed them photos and a copy of the police report, but they claim that my car was hit on the side, and the pre collision system doesn't detect imminent side impact. That's completely outrageous. I don't know what their inspector wrote in their report, but the photos and police report are irrefutable proof that my wife had a frontal collision with the side of another vehicle. Hyundai kept denying it because they didn't want to help financially. I attached a copy of their determination letters (the second one was after I submitted a copy of the police report to prove that my wife's car is the one that hit the other vehicle, but Hyundai refused to see it as it happened). This is a link to see the interior and exterior photos of the vehicle: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)