2022 Hyundai Kona Electrical Problems

COMPONENT/SYSTEM: Air Conditioning (HVAC) / Climate Control System and closed-loop refrigerant lines. The vehicle and all climate control components are available for immediate inspection. SAFETY RISK: Total loss of cooling in peak summer heat (90°F-95°F+) causes cabin temperatures to rapidly exceed 110°F. This sudden heat trapped in the vehicle caused me (the driver) acute heat exhaustion, culminating in a medical fainting episode. The vehicle regularly transports my newborn baby and toddler, subjecting them to severe heatstroke risks. Additionally, an ongoing 4-year chemical refrigerant leak inside an enclosed EV cabin creates an active toxic inhalation hazard for all passengers. DEALER CONFIRMATION: Yes. The failure has been repeatedly confirmed and documented by authorized Hyundai dealerships, including Paramus Hyundai, Garvey Hyundai, and Liberty Hyundai. Technicians repeatedly measured zero refrigerant charge/pressure, performed UV dye tests, and completed major repairs including AC line and radiator rebuilds without resolving the leak. INSPECTION HISTORY: Yes. Inspected multiple times by authorized Hyundai dealership technicians under official Corporate Case Nos #42549212, #41020884, and #23781133. WARNING LAMPS/SYMPTOMS: No dashboard warning lamps or error messages ever appeared. The only symptom was the AC suddenly blowing boiling hot air as refrigerant leaked out. This failure first appeared in Summer 2022 (shortly after vehicle purchase) and has recurred every summer for 4 consecutive years despite repeated warranty repair attempts.

NHTSA ID

11753892

Incident

Jul 27, 2026

The vehicle trunk doors pops open. This has been happening for several months. We’ve taken it to the dealership. They said that it was not covered and there has been no recall on this, but it’s still happening and it’s very dangerous. It’s happened on the freeway on the back roads at night it doesn’t matter it just when it feels like it wants to open up it beeps loudly and light comes on the dashboard as something is wrong and It will just pop open.

NHTSA ID

11738915

Incident

Feb 2, 2026

December 2025: Yet ANOTHER horn failure. Pressed the vehicle's horn to alert another driver that they were drifting into my lane on the highway, and it FAILED to produce the loud sound that it is SUPPOSED TO make. It needed to be replaced again for the FOURTH time. Part 96611-J9500 was replaced—AGAIN. This is a continued safety issue that Hyundai has neglected to address and fix. Spontaneous horn failure is a HAZARD. The horn is there to warn others of possible danger.

NHTSA ID

11704314

Incident

Dec 9, 2025

August 2024: Horn malfunction/failure. Pressed the car's horn, and it FAILED to produce the loud sound that it is SUPPOSED TO make to warn others of possible danger. It continued to not work and needed to be replaced for the third time. Part 96611-J9500 (Horn Assembly) was replaced for the THIRD time on this vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11704312

Incident

Aug 20, 2024

JANUARY 2024: HORN FAILURE. Pressed the car's horn, and it FAILED to produce the loud sound that it is SUPPOSED TO make to warn others of possible DANGER. It continued to not work and needed to be replaced. Part 96611-J9500 was replaced AGAIN.

NHTSA ID

11704307

Incident

Jan 22, 2024

February 2023: horn failure. Pressed the car's horn, and it FAILED to produce the loud sound that it is SUPPOSED TO make to warn others of possible danger. It continued to not work and needed to be replaced. Part 96611-J9500 was replaced.

NHTSA ID

11704305

Incident

Feb 27, 2023

Hyundai has multiple complaints regarding Horn malfunction in the Hyundai Kona. I went to use my horn today to prevent an accident and found my horn does not work. I have checked my fuses and relays and neither are blown leading to the horn to be unable for use

NHTSA ID

11696969

Incident

Nov 1, 2025

Horn was going in and out of working for the first few months after purchase. Now the horn does not work at all. It is not the fuse. As seeing through other complaints this is a very common problem and should be on Hyundai to fix.

NHTSA ID

11696653

Incident

Aug 1, 2025

I had the radiator replaced by the Ourisman Hyundai Laurel dealership on 10/1/25. Radiator replacement was under warranty. On 10/4/25car overheated while driving. I pulled the car over and called for a tow truck. Car was leaking lots of coolant. Brought it to service center at Ourisman Hyundai Laurel, they stated “the hose to the thermostat was not all the way on. Put hose on correctly no more leaking.” On 10/15/25 multiple lights came on the dashboard including the master warning light. Took car to Ourisman Hyundai Laurel again; received the car back, dealership stated “ TECH COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE LIGHTS POPPING ON DASHBOARD. UPON FURTHER DIAGNOSIS TECH FOUND THAT THERE WAS A CONNECTOR NOT GETTING THE PROPER CONTACT TO COIL NUMBER 1 TECH RECONNECTED THE CONNECTOR AND TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE FOR 5 MILES. NO CONCERNS PRESENT AT THIS TIME.” On 10/20 I brought the car in to Ourisman Hyundai Laurel again because Electronic Stability Control light as well as ABS warning light and several other warning lights came on multiple times. Ourisman Hyundai Laurel service technician said they could not duplicate the problem and there is nothing they can do. This is a safety issue because it concerns the electronic stability control and brakes.

NHTSA ID

11695177

Incident

Oct 18, 2025

The horn on my 2022 Hyundai Kona has failed multiple times. It has been replaced twice already, and it has stopped working again at around 65,000 miles. This is a serious safety concern as I am unable to alert other drivers in emergency situations. The repeated failure of the horn suggests a possible defect in the electrical system or horn assembly. I am requesting an investigation into this issue.

NHTSA ID

11691860

Incident

Oct 1, 2025

My horn on my car has went out the first time and now it just went out again and it’s a manufacturing issue! Hyundai refuses to fix it because it’s not under warranty anymore! And it’s so dangerous now since I don’t have a horn again! I should have not have to fix it when it’s not my fault! And other people have the same issue with your Kona’s to! The dealership even told me that’s it’s been an issue with the horns!

NHTSA ID

11678886

Incident

Jul 5, 2025

When I first brought the car for its first service appointment (6 months after purchase), I informed the service dept at the dealership that the car seemed to accelerate itself when I was driving. They said they hit a reset button and that I shouldn't have any more problems. What I found was that the car then drove sluggishly but it did not accelerate anymore. Recently however (2.5 years into the purchase), the car started "sliding" when I hit the break pad. I took the car in again for service a few months ahead of time and they said that my car mat was wedged under the break pad and that was what was causing the car to slide when I hit the break. The car slid but also accelerated by about 5 miles, however I was able to quickly break and stop it without incident. This last service was on Friday, August 1st, and on Sunday August 3, the car slid and accelerated again - without the floor mat being wedged under the break. On Monday morning (August 4th) I called Hyundai so many times that I lost count. I was never able to speak with a service employee but I was given an appointment for a week and half later. According to ChatGPT, it is a common issue with the 2022 Kona and it should be recalled.

NHTSA ID

11678662

Incident

Aug 3, 2025

For the second time in 6months, the horn has stopped working. Coastal Hyundai in Melbourne FL replaced the first horn on 1/14/2025. On [XXX], the horn has stopped working again. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11671835

Incident

Jul 7, 2025

I have had my horn replaced three separate times at my local Hyundai dealership. It recently passed the NC vehicle inspection, but the horn failed the third time sometime after that inspection in Feb-2025. I have never had a horn EVER fail on ANY car I have owned for the past 50 years. A horn is a critical safety necessity and it is expected to work - especially in times of emergency. I was almost run off the highway, once by a semi-trailer and each time I discovered my horn had failed - it was due to my needing to use it to alert pedestrians or other motor vehicles to avoid accidents. The dealer would not reveal WHY this has failed three times except to state that they 'replaced the horn'. The dealer is the only one to have attempted an examination, diagnosis and supposed repair for this problem. There are no warning lights or other type of notification that would let me know of a horn failure. The only way to know that it had failed - was my immediate need to employ the use of the horn in an emergency - and it's silence aka malfunction at the worst possible times.

NHTSA ID

11650147

Incident

Mar 14, 2025

Car will stop running and not start back up when stopped at a light or stop sign sometimes. I have started driving with the auto start stop off because I will be stuck at a light or stop sign because it will power off but not come back on again. This has occurred several times. The dealership told me there was no issue 11/22/24 but were willing to sell me another battery if I wanted to just replace the battery. The battery would test fine and then not and then fine again. I did price battery’s and they tested my battery at auto zone when pricing them and it tested fine with them also. They did not feel like it was a battery issue. I don’t either now since it stays on no problem when I turn off the auto start stop. There is something honestly wrong because if I leave that feature on, it will power off and sometimes stay off. The first times it happened was in November 2024 but it keeps happening. Sometimes i forget to click off the auto start stop and it will happen to me again but I shouldn’t have to turn that feature off to prevent my car from shutting down and not restarting when stopped.

NHTSA ID

11645210

Incident

Nov 20, 2024

I purchased this 2022 Kona used with 12,000 miles in April 2024. On 4 occasions it has failed to start. When starting the vehicle with push button I only heard a series of clicking. There was no other sound made while trying to start the car. My husband had a remote jumper and attached it to the battery as directed on the jumper, then pushed the start button. The vehicle started immediately. The vehicle then ran normally. I episode occurred after the vehicle sat while we were away for 2 weeks on vacation. Again, using the remote jumper, the vehicle started immediately. Another occasion, the vehicle was driven that day and when attempting to move the car from the driveway into the garage, it once again failed to start. Just a series of clicking sounds. Application of the remote jumper once again started the car immediately. On the 4 th occasion (XXX) I was stopped at a traffic light waiting for the right turn arrow to appear. It was raining hard. The vehicle cut off (as it normally does when idling while stopped) then the dashboard went dead. The safety flashers would not work nor could I restart the car. This time there was no sound or clicking. I exited the vehicle in heavy rain and traffic, got the remote jumper from the trunk, raised the hood in the rain and heavy traffic and proceeded to attach the jumper to the car battery. The car started immediately. This last occasion of the vehicle shutting down was extremely dangerous. As I stated it occurred in a heavy rain in a very congested and heavily traveled city road. Visibility was poor due to the weather and lack of safety flashers (Toledo, Ohio at the corner of [XXX] ). I was fearful standing outside the vehicle with so much traffic. I was blocking the right turn lane so people behind me were not happy. I am [XXX] and unable to push it to the side of road. I believe that intersection has a left turn lane, 2 straight lanes, and the right turn lane. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B

NHTSA ID

11596538

Incident

Jun 25, 2024

The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled while at a complete stop and would restart independently while shifting into park(P). There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, a chime sounded, and the message "Think About Taking a Rest" was displayed. The dealer was notified of the failure via email. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 19,842.

NHTSA ID

11580428

Incident

Apr 1, 2024

Mileage

19,842 mi

Horn stopped working. Fuses are good.

NHTSA ID

11576401

Incident

Feb 14, 2024

As I was backing out of my driveway, I noticed my camera started flashing a green screen and a message appeared intermittently with the flashing green screen saying ‘no camera signal try again later. This lasted the entire time I was backing up including once I shifted into drive then it disappeared. I feel that this is a safety risk to others who may be walking or driving by me if I am unable to use the camera. Clearly I don’t rely completely on the back up camera as I still tend to look at my surroundings as I back up. I am not even certain if someone was behind me if the warning would even work when the camera is acting up. I have not reported the problem to the dealer yet but I will first thing in the morning. The vehicle has not been inspected yet. The warning messages are described in the first paragraph. Today is first time this has happened. I have a video of this but was not able to attach it.

NHTSA ID

11548339

Incident

Oct 4, 2023

The horn does not work. The fuse is fine, it is the horn itself that does not work.

NHTSA ID

11499580

Incident

Dec 1, 2022

Randomly the check engine light turns on and the car begins to violently shake. This is the second day this already happened and only happened while on the highway. The car is only 3 weeks old with just over 1000 miles on it. After pulling over on the side of the road and turning the car off and on, the problem disappeared and the check engine light turns off. The vehicle does not acknowledge that there was an issue. After doing some research, it seems to be consistent with a common issue with Hyundai vehicles having defective ignition coils. Common issue in multiple Konas, Elantras and other Hyundai vehicle The danger of the control of the car on the highway when this issue occurs at random is sufficient enough to ensure that all these vehicles are recalled to get the problem fixed.

NHTSA ID

11453303

Incident

Feb 21, 2022

The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, he noticed while starting the vehicle and switching the headlights from automatic to manual, that the headlights failed to operate as needed. The contact stated that when the headlight switch was placed in the OFF position, the headlights would activate. The contact stated that the switch was working in reverse order. Additionally, the headlights operated properly while using the auto-headlights feature activated. The contact stated that while shifting from Reverse to Drive, the sensor failed to recognize that the vehicle was in Drive. The Reverse audible beep would activate for several seconds. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact called the local dealer but was not able to schedule an immediate appointment for the vehicle to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 7,000.

NHTSA ID

11443164

Incident

Nov 29, 2021

Mileage

7,000 mi