2019 Hyundai Kona Electrical Problems

Vehicle (2019 Kona) is subject to Recall 203 (piston ring/bore defect). On XXX Puente Hills Hyundai refused the mandatory physcial inspection, instead attempting to charge $1,100 for 'leak repairs.' An independent inspection by Valvoline on XXX confirmed the engine is dry with no leaks, proving the dealer's claim was fraudulent. Following a recent ECU update, the vehicle triggered a P0420 code—a known symptom of the internal engine damage covered by Recall 203. My Hyundai Corporate Case (#XXX) is currently stalled as the dealer refuses to provide technician notes or perform the safety inspection. I am operating an unsafe vehicle with documented internal mechanical failure. Requesting immediate intervention for a physical cylinder inspection. Please refer to the attached document (SUMMARY OF EVENTS) for the full chronology, supporting evidence, and email correspondence related to the dealership's refusal to perform Recall 203. See attached PDF (Evidence_Email_Correspondence) for documentation of the dealership's refusal to provide technician notes and their unprofessional communication regarding this safety recall. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11742104

Incident

Jun 2, 2026

While stopped our 2019 Kona EV at a traffic light with my foot on the brake, the car spontaneously accelerated and crashed into the car also sitting at the light about eight feet in front of us. If there wasn't a car in front of us, we would have gone through a busy intersection at very high speed. The front end of the car was destroyed and both airbags deployed. The car was towed to a collision center and is considered: "Totaled" . We tried to get it inspected for the computer system to confirm what happened, but there was no interest by any party. There was no pre-warning or issues with the vehicle before this happened. The incident happened about ten miles from our house, and we had been driving it for about 15 minutes. The temperature outside was extremely cold at about 5 degrees Fahrenheit.

NHTSA ID

11718156

Incident

Feb 7, 2026

I purchased my car [XXX]. I started experiencing hesitation with the car about a year and half. December 1, 2023 brought the car in because the check engine light had been on but was off by time I brought it in to the shop. They said there was a crack in the oil pan gasket. Resealed the oil pan. Brought car back in January 26, 2024 check engine light on. I asked if they could replace the throttle body because I took the car to a mechanic that I knew and he suggested they try replacing. Their notes stated idle air control filter and RPM higher than expected. Brought car in June 21, 2024 and asked if they could please look the car over before my 3 year warranty was up which the woman said would expire July 1, 2024. I stated the car was not taking off correctly when at a light there was hesitation the same problem as before and they always said there was not an issue when they test drove the vehicle. [XXX} I'm traveling up [XXX] at 72mph when my check engine light comes on, the car starts shaking and the speedometer dropped to 69 i got nervous and turned the hazards lights on. Had the car towed. February 10th find out the engine went now I'm at 105,000 miles and no warranty. I had called Matthew's Hyundai when I was at 95,000 miles and asked to speak with a manager to no avail I get a financial manager who tells me come on Caroline it's time to trade the car in. I had called to see if my car was still under a 100,000 mile warranty but never called back. He had a sales woman call me back that day and I decided not to return there. I had the car towed to another dealership where they said the engine was no good. On top of all this my oil would be unusually low. I dealt with Hyundai customer care my claim was denied due to high mileage. I had also found out recently that the 2019 Hyundai Kona had a recall on the engine. When I looked it up my car was experiencing what they described in the recall. I ended up accepting a used engine for $9,000 INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5

NHTSA ID

11664128

Incident

Feb 7, 2025

1. Driver’s side door locked up and it is impossible to unlock from the inside of the car manually or electrically. The door cannot be manually opened up from the outside OR the inside of the car. 2. My safety has been put at risk because of not being able to exit the car in case of an emergency. 3. Not yet. I have an appointment on 1/15/25 to get it looked at. 4. The car part has not been officially inspected by anyone yet. 5. No warning lamps appeared prior to this part failing.

NHTSA ID

11635742

Incident

Dec 30, 2024

As I was driving home, my Kona started slowing down until it totally stopped. I tried the the gas pedal again but it didn’t move, electrical was on, no warning lights. I turned my Kona off, turned it back on again and drove the rest of way home. I was lucky I was on an empty road no other cars behind me as I drive everyday to and from work. I called Hyundai dealer next morning about the problem ,he did asked if I had heard a knocking sound. I said yes ,the week or so I heard a knocking sound twice but not for long, seemed to have disappeared. I didn’t want to drive the car to the dealer afraid it would stop on the highway so I had it towed. Service person said he would check if it is under warranty but there is no recall on my Kona.

NHTSA ID

11623250

Incident

Oct 23, 2024

Transmission need to be replaced.

NHTSA ID

11610868

Incident

Aug 5, 2024

Driving on the highway [XXX] ) during rain. Traffic moving stop and go slow. Before I knew what had happened, my car hit the back bumper of a Chevy Suburban. My car gave no auto warning, the windshield wipers barely worked, and I believe the electric systems had stopped. Radio and air-conditioning. [XXX] My car bumper and grill were messed up. And I received pain in my right shoulder. The Suburban had a trailer hook-up jammed inside my front bumper grill; my vehicle received all the damage. The other driver's vehicle had no harm. My vehicle damage to the car was over a thousand dollars. And I was left with a shoulder injury. Car insurance paid for the damage to my 2019 Hyundai Kona SUV's all-wheel drive, with me paying a portion. After work was completed, all the electrical systems, including air conditioning, lights, wipers, and radio, didn't work. Fuse work was checked and found, but no power was getting into the system to operate functions that required electricity. The car started up, but the side lights but not the front lights, air conditioning, and the issue of tight steering now. The car tech stated they only installed a new bumper, and the grill did not work on the areas that are now not working. Tech said the lights and wipers were working but are not working now. Driving the vehicle will be limited based on these issues. The fuses appear good, but no power is getting into the box that powers the various items that are not working. I believe this car is a Lemon, and the dealership was aware of these issues and never told me the car had recalls. According to the internet, the tech who replaced my bumper stated that these issues are what the 2019 Hyundai Kona vehicle. Today (7-22-24), I drove my car from the auto shop with a new bumper and with hesitation and fear because the wipers and lights were not working, the air conditioning was out, and it is about to rain. The tech stated they were working earlier but are not working now. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMA

NHTSA ID

11603909

Incident

May 12, 2024

The rear passenger side door and trunk were unable to be opened resulting in a problem getting my children out of the back seat. The locks would not open with the fob or manually. If I were to get into an accident, I/emergency personnel would have not been able to get my children that are in a car seat out quickly as they would have to either go through the front seat or cut the door off. The car dealership did replace components on 04/27/24 and it has been working as it should as of this time of reporting.

NHTSA ID

11585810

Incident

Apr 8, 2024

car kept stalling and electrical system was off ..

NHTSA ID

11577069

Incident

Feb 6, 2024

11 days after purchasing the vehicle it began shutting completely off in the middle of me driving it, losing all power for no reason I could see and would not turn on for a considerable amount of time. I brought the vehicle back to the dealership on 6 separate occasions, one of the times my car stayed at Jenkins Hyundai for 12 weeks while they tried to find the issue. Finally, it was towed to a Hyundai dealership in Valdosta, GA who kept it for 2 weeks and found two electrical shorts under the front bumper. After this repair it stopped losing power randomly but I still experienced electrical surges, flickering, and consistently blown lightbulbs. It was brought back to my dealership I bought from after this but they claimed nothing was wrong, so I gave up trying. I don't feel like my issues were ever taken seriously and I am now stuck with this vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11574568

Incident

Feb 15, 2021

After the recall was corrected, the engine light came on two months later. I noticed the car will not accelerate and now will not start. The engine rumbles on the occasion that it does start.

NHTSA ID

11518614

Incident

Apr 23, 2023

I took my car to the dealership to have the campaign 200 recall fixed. When my vehicle was there, they found that the battery needed to be replaced, however found that there was "front end damage to the battery" and it would fall on me as the owner to replace the battery, and once the battery was replaced, they would fix the recall. (Which replacing the battery would fix in the first place). My issue is, there is no alert on my dashboard or on the app that shows that there are zero diagnostic trouble codes. My concern is that if the battery has such significant damage, there should be some type of alert or warning with this occurring. Also the fact that there is a recall that requires a battery replacement and suddenly damage is noticed on the battery. Unfortunately, it seems that Hyundai is not willing to honor their warranty and "found" a way to blame me as the owner.

NHTSA ID

11514626

Incident

Mar 24, 2023

Check engine light came on, then went away. Check engine light came on 2 months later, then went away. Car completely dead 1 month later without any dashboard lights warning anything. Replaced battery and car died again 1 month after installing new battery. After jumping the car, alternator test read 12 at local repair shop.

NHTSA ID

11487255

Incident

Sep 17, 2022

1: car stopped abruptly without vehicle lights or warnings , stopped while driving 39 mph without any warning. 2: car engine smoking -fire d/y motor seize and oil leaking 3: motor seized piston bore hole in engine block appears to be of concern with other vehicles same year same model unsafe vehicle

NHTSA ID

11480862

Incident

Jul 17, 2022

I was driving the vehicle. All of a sudden, all the lights went out on the vehicle. This includes the instrumentation panel, interior lights, brake lights, etc. I drove the car to a safe location and stopped the engine. I then restarted the car and everything started normally.

NHTSA ID

11447990

Incident

Sep 9, 2021

Speedometer is not measuring correctly to the actual speed of car. Was actually driving about 15 mph faster than found on the analog gauge without knowing. The dealer confirmed that speedometer was reading 15 MPH under the actual speed of the car. Do not now if the car component was inspected by manufacturer, police, insurance or others. There was no warning presented by the car of the defect. Only that my son told me that according to the digital speed signs on the street we were going to fast. the car was turned in for repair of speedometer R.O. OPENED date 26MAY20 and returned fixed on READY,12JUN20. Now I have returned the car for repair with same problem 2 weeks from today approximate. CAR still not repaired, no reply from dealer.

NHTSA ID

11437611

Incident

Oct 1, 2021

DURING REGULAR DRIVING THE VEHICLE LOSES POWER, WILL NOT ACCELERATE AND STALLS OUT COMPLETELY. AFTER SITTING A FEW MINUTES THE VEHICLE WILL RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE REPAIR SHOP BUT NOTHING SEEMED WRONG. WITHIN A SIX MONTH PERIOD IT AGAIN OCCURRED TWICE. ONCE AGAIN NOTHING WAS OBSERVED WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE BUT THE SECOND TIME LAST NIGHT THE CAR WAS BROUGHT TO THE REPAIR SHOP AND THEY STATED THE ENGINE HAS LITTLE TO NO COMPRESSION. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AWAITING A DIAGNOSIS FROM HYNDAI

NHTSA ID

11394461

Incident

Jan 1, 2020

Mileage

15,000 mi

TL* 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. ALSO, WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE DRIVER'S SEAT HEATER ERRONEOUSLY ACTIVATED AND THE DOORS WOULD NOT AUTOMATICALLY LOCK WHEN SWITCHING TO THE DRIVE POSITION. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURES WAS NOT DETERMINED. JIM BURKE HYUNDAI (4445 13TH ST NORTH, BIRMINGHAM, AL) WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 8,000.

NHTSA ID

11281003

Incident

Nov 1, 2018

Mileage

8,000 mi