Owner-reported complaints naming the powertrain system, filed with NHTSA
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Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2018 Hyundai Kona submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 11 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
I purchased a 2018 Hyundai Kona, and it has had one major issue after another. It burns an excessive amount of oil, the engine misfires, and now the turbocharger is failing. I’ve already spent approximately $2,300 repairing the air conditioner and engine, and I can’t afford thousands more in repairs.
The vehicle suddenly stalled while driving on the highway at normal speed without warning. The engine lost power completely, creating a dangerous situation and a risk of collision with surrounding traffic. The vehicle had to be towed to a repair shop, where the issue was diagnosed as engine failure. There were no warning lights or prior symptoms before the incident. This appears to be a serious safety-related defect. I am aware that similar engine issues have been reported in Hyundai vehicles.
The Kona barely wants to accelerate and stalls out while driving. Even though I recently got a oil change there’s oil consumption and the oil is black as if I never got a oil change. I took it to a hyundai dealer ship, i told them what was wrong they said it’s the timing belt. When that’s not the issue. I recently took it to a mechanic to get a third opinion and to see and fix what is wrong. He declined fixing it saying there’s more to it that is wrong and looks like there’s an engine defect and even complained that the oil was so black. I told him that doesn’t make sense because I’ve been getting my oil consistently. He couldn’t fix it. So now I’m stuck with a vehicle that barely drives and stalls out while I’m on the road and it keeps burning more oil. No one knows what is wrong with it.
My vehicle started was burning oil having to add oil frequently. Then a knocking noise started coming from the engine (2.0 L MPI NU).It began to have trouble starting and was not accelerating properly and the check engine light came on . Within two days I brought my car to my mechanic and he stated that there was no sign of an oil leak and felt it was a deeper problem. I brought it to a Hyundai dealership and they stated that the engine needed to be replaced/rebuilt. I feel that the lack of acceleration could have been a safety issue on the highway as it could have prevented me from passing in a timely fashion or just lose all power in traffic. There is an active recall for this type of engine starting with model year 2019.
The DCT(Dual Clutch Transmission) has always been an issue since I purchased the vehicle. Anytime I would be going at a slow pace in a drive-thru or traffic on the freeway the car would jolt and shake. I brought my car to a Hyundai dealership in 2021 at 36,000 miles and was told this was normal with the transmissions provided by Hyundai and there was no need to worry. Now, at 72,000 miles I was driving down CA-60 when my car transmission died. The car would not go when I was giving it gas and would make a whirring noise when trying to accelerate across the freeway until I could pull off to the shoulder. It was extremely dangerous and I could've been hit by someone especially a semi-truck as it was sudden and I was in the left hand lane. I've been bringing it to an independent mechanic for years and he always told me to wait until there's a recall as it's a faulty transmission however there has not been a recall for my car yet. The car is now in possession of a Hyundai dealership however I was told since my warranty has passed they are not claiming any responsibility but that their transmission is faulty. There was no warning lamps or messages in the car just the issue of jolting while at slow paces prior to the transmission dying.
My engine started shuddering and stalling out on me. This was very dangerous as the car would stall out at street lights and intersections. The check engine light only came on after the car stalled out and has not stayed on during the times that it stalls out. When I went to get a mechanic to check it out they said that they had seen many Hyundai and Kia cars that had the same issues. The issue was oil consumption. It was consuming oil faster than it should have, even though I was regularly getting my oil changed. This lead to a problem with my pistons. Now the engine needs to be replaced. But Hyundai won’t cover it because there is no recall on it and the power train warranty only last for the first owner. Is there any way we can request for a new recall on this vehicle as it is clearly a problem that Hyundai is having.
8/29/20002, the ABS brakes system and Fuel Injection system 10/31/2022, Battery 11/8/2022, car stalled on the freeway 11/9/2022, Car stalled on the freeway 11/19/2022, Timing Control and camshaft position sensors 12/2/2022, Engine fire, the smell of burning plastic 1/9/12, Grinding noise near the right rear tire. I can provide the invoices under separate cover .
Oil change was on 1/13/2023 at 33,505 miles. On 2/25/2023 at 35,366 miles after driving on the highway for about 30 mins at 65 mph, the oil light came on and car was making a loud noise as I pulled in to park. My car was parked for about 1.5hrs at my destination. I attempted to drive home and get back on the highway when my engine stalled at about 40 mph and my engine and battery light came on. I had to pull over to the shoulder as my car would not drive anymore. My car was then towed to my house and later to the hyundai dealer where they determined that my engine stalled due to lack of oil because my drain plug was missing. Hyundai refuses to fix this under warranty because the drain plug is missing and they are insisting this is because of the oil change place I went to nearly 2 months ago. When I went to the oil change place, they insist that they didn't do anything wrong, and if they did incorrectly put the drain plug on, my oil would've leaked much sooner than it did. There is currently and investigation with NHTSA with my exact issue where the oil drain plug still falls out, even if the person performing the oil change puts the drain plug on exactly how it should be. Directly from the NHTSA site: "Apparently, the thin metal, along with engine vibrations and expansion/contraction tend to loosen the drain plug without any other intervention. NHTSA is investigating this as a factory defect issue." My safety was deeply put at risk as I was driving on the highway when this happened and I could've easily gotten into an accident and faced injuries. I'm stuck in the middle as the oil change place denies it is their fault and hyundai refuses to fix under warranty strictly because the oil drain plug is missing. When I explained to them that I would've have this issue with my engine if the drain plug was present, they agreed. They are stating that it is $10,000 to repair my car and that I have to pay upfront and cannot do multiple payments
According to the garage Piston Ring failure causing engine damage and oil consumption. Vehicle shut off while excelling on a high traffic route. Vehicle has been in the garage since 1/13/23. As of today 2/1/23 still awaiting news of engine replacement.
ON 1/13/21, VEHICLE EMITTED A BLUE SMOKE AND MISFIRED WHEN ACCELERATING FROM COMPLETE STOP FROM RURAL ROAD ONTO STATE HIGHWAY.. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO CIOCCA HYUNDAI OF WILLIAMSPORT, WHERE IT HAD BEEN SERVICED 2 DAYS PRIOR. THEY REPLACED 2 SPARK PLUGS AND STATED IT WAS FINE. VEHICLE WORKED FINE UNTIL THE FOLLOWING MORNING. THE VEHICLE WAS MISFIRING DURING AN ACCELERATION FROM COMPLETE STOP AND EVENTUALLY QUIT ON ME. I WAS ON A STATE HIGHWAY AT THIS POINT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO CIOCCA HYUNDAI OF WILLIAMSPORT. THEY SERVICED IT UNTIL 1/18/21. UPON PICK UP, THEY STATED THAT THEY BELIEVED IT TO BE BAD FUEL THAT WAS CAUSING THE TROUBLE. THE FUELING STATION I EXCLUSIVELY USE HAS NO REPORTS OF BAD FUEL BESIDES MINE. THE FOLLOWING MORNING, 1/19/21, THE VEHICLE'S MAIN DISPLAY SHOWED AN ERROR MESSAGE THAT "A POSSIBLE CONDITION HAS BEEN DETECTED WITH THE ENGINE CONTROL SYSTEM. PLEASE TAKE VEHICLE TO NEAREST DEALER." SEE ATTACHED FOR IMAGE OF THIS MESSAGE. CIOCCA HYUNDAI CAME AND GOT THE VEHICLE. THEY HAD IT FOR TWO WEEKS. UPON RECEIVING THE VEHICLE BACK, THEY STATED THAT IT WAS JUST AN "OLD CODE THAT WASN'T CLEARED" AND THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DISPLAYING ANY ISSUES. 15 MILES AFTER LEAVING THE DEALERSHIP, THAT MESSAGE REAPPEARED. ON 2/5/21, THE VEHICLE FELT LIKE IT WAS JERKING SLIGHTLY. I REPORTED THIS TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD BE OK TO OPERATE IN THIS CONDITION. ON 2/6/21, THE VEHICLE EMITTED A BLUE SMOKE DURING ACCELERATION FROM COMPLETE STOP ON SIDE ROAD. THE VEHICLE THEN MISFIRED TO THE POINT OF ALMOST QUITTING WHEN PULLING OUT ONTO A STATE HIGHWAY FROM A COMPLETE STOP. THIS COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. I REPORTED THIS TO THE DEALER WHO WANTS THE VEHICLE TO COME IN TONIGHT FOR AN APPOINTMENT ON 2/10/21. HYUNDAI CONSUMER AFFAIRS HAS BEEN NOTIFIED OF ALL OF THIS BUT HASN'T PROVIDED ANY COURSE OF ACTION BESIDES JUST INVESTIGATION.
WAS DRIVING HYUNDAI KONA DOWN THE FREEWAY. I SMELLED A BURNING SMELL, I SAW THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BLINK ONCE. THE CAR WENT INTO LIMP MODE AND I STARTED PULLING OVER TO THE SHOULDER. STOPPING ON THE SHOULDER, I NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE HOOD. I EVACUATED THE CAR AND WITHIN A FEW MINUTES, FLAMES WERE PRESENT. IT WAS BETWEEN 2-3 MILES START TO FINISH.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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