2020 Hyundai Nexo

Hyundai sells Nexo Hydrogen Fuel Cell vehicles with known Fuel Cell stack issues, leading to severe safety issues from sudden power loss when driving, especially when overtaking and driving on highways and/or uphill. The power loss issue was diagnosed to originate from a fuel-cell stack failure, one of the Nexo’s main power-train components. This is a known power-train issue to Hyundai, debated online since 2021 by consumers experiencing the same power loss, across various Hyundai web-logs. Other affected consumers filed a class action lawsuit this year against Hyundai Motor America Inc, for the same and other reasons. The lawsuit accuses Hyundai of selling Nexo vehicles equipped with defective systems that fail to perform as promised. Plaintiffs argue that these defects compromise the vehicle’s performance, including the core hydrogen fuel cell stack, leading to reduced reliability and substantial safety concerns. There is no warning light indicating this issue when driving the Nexo under power loss conditions. One only realizes it when pressing the accelerator pedal and the power suddenly cuts out. In May 2025 I dropped off our 2020 Nexo Limited (~37,000 miles) at the hydrogen-certified Hyundai Dealer for a different and unrelated recall and for service, and mentioned the power loss issue. After some weeks of diagnosis the dealership called me back and verbally stated that they would not fix the car, nor would they give it ever back to me due to safety issues. Our car is still at the dealership, unresolved. No other dealers can repair Hyundai Nexo’s, because it is new hydrogen technology, very high pressures and special procedures, which no other repair shop would touch, so one must stick with Hyundai to get the problem addressed. Hyundai’s Original Manufacturer Warranty for Nexo Power Trains lists on page 15: Original Owner 10 Years/100,000 Miles, Subsequent Owner(s) 5 Years/60,000 Miles. So far I'm not aware of an existing recall for Fuel-Cell Power Loss.

NHTSA ID

11681115

Incident

Apr 20, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Nexo. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V761000000 (Fuel system, Other, Fuel/Propulsion System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and a case was filed. The contact was informed that the only dealer capable of performing the recall repair on the vehicle was in California. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the issue. The contact had not experienced an issue. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID

11670304

Incident

Jun 30, 2025

PLEASE SEE ATTACH FOR DETAILS 1. Component or System Involved The Fuel Cell System and Accelerator Pedal Control System are suspected to have malfunctioned. The issue is characterized by the vehicle's failure to respond to input from the accelerator pedal, particularly at speeds between 45-65 mph, which may be linked to increased power demand from the fuel cell system. The system is available for inspection upon request, as the issue is ongoing. 2. Safety Risks The malfunction poses a serious safety risk to the driver, passengers, and other road users. Sudden and unexpected loss of acceleration while driving, overtaking, or climbing inclines creates a high risk of collisions, especially on highways where traffic moves at high speeds. Other drivers may not have sufficient time to react, leading to rear-end collisions or side-impact crashes. 3. Problem Reproduction and Confirmation The problem occurs consistently after driving for a short period (less than five minutes) and has not been resolved. The issue has not been confirmed by a dealer or independent service center because Hyundai service centers in the Los Angeles area are unable to schedule an appointment until April 2025 due to a shortage of technicians. 4. Inspection by Manufacturer, Police, Insurance, or Others The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. Attempts to seek inspection by Hyundai have been unsuccessful due to a lack of available appointments. 5. Warning Lamps, Messages, or Symptoms There were no warning indicators prior to the malfunction. Once the issue occurs, the following appear: "CHECK FCEV SYSTEM" message on the LCD display "FCEV Service Warning" light on the dashboard These messages activate during the loss of acceleration and persist until the vehicle is turned off. Following the manufacturer's recommended procedure (turning the car off and restarting it) does not resolve the issue.

NHTSA ID

11629708

Incident

Dec 9, 2024

I received a safety recall on this car via mail. I brought it to the dealership service center in van nuys, ca, to which they said no recall currently exists on this car. A month later, I’m now experiencing a sensor of the fuel cell system failure. In addition, the CarPlay function on my car has not been working for 2 years and both Tustin and van nuys Hyundai dealership fail to fix it

NHTSA ID

11476967

Incident

Aug 1, 2022

The city I live is located on top of a hill/low mountain. When I drive uphill by following speed limits to my home the car often can't keep recommended speed (45 mph). The speed drops significantly(can go even 25 mph) and unpredictable. At the beginning I believe the car was able to keep the speed but it slowly started losing the power. The risk is that a vehicle behind might not expect such behavior from my car and also changing lanes is tricky because it can't accelerate and it moves slower than other cars on the road. I've contacted dealership's service two times but they didn't find any issue. I also contacted Hyundai's customer support but they wasn't able to help me as well. The person from the service said that Hyundai is aware of the situation but they don't have any solution. My guess is that the problem is with battery. Battery performs as buffer to power electric engine in hydrogen fueled vehicles. When I drive uphill the battery probably drains fast and the energy from hydrogen can't charge the battery on time. The car doesn't show any warning lamps or malfunction signs on dashboard. I'm ready to cooperate with vehicle inspection if needed.

NHTSA ID

11452656

Incident

Jul 1, 2021

The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Nexo. The contact stated while driving at various speeds going uphill, the vehicle would lose power and lose speed. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with needing the fuel cells replaced however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and offered to buy back the vehicle. The failure mileage was 7,438.

NHTSA ID

11452561

Incident

Oct 1, 2021

Mileage

7,438 mi

Starting March 29, 2021 fuel cell failure when pressing the accelerator, started out as an intermittent failure. Over the period of two weeks while waiting for an appointment to get the vehicle in for repair the problem increased in infrequency. When the vehicle was delivered to the dealership for repair any attempt to accelerate would cause the vehicles fuel cell to shut down and fail. As of May 23, 2021 I have requested and dealership has not released any service documents. The dealership still has possession of the vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11418216

Incident

Mar 29, 2021

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued an urgent safety advisory regarding dangerous, counterfeit driver‑side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile Safety System Co., Ltd. (DTN), that have been identified in U.S. vehicles following prior crashes, theft, or non‑certified airbag replacements. These inflators are not approved for use, may rupture during deployment, and have caused serious injuries and fatalities. Please see attached announcement, provided by NHTSA, for more details.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has identified the presence of substandard and dangerous driver’s-side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile Safety System Co., Ltd. (DTN). These inflators were not supplied, approved, or authorized by the vehicle manufacturers and have primarily been found in vehicles that previously experienced a crash and underwent airbag replacement using non-genuine parts. These dangerous inflators have ruptured during deployment, posing a serious risk of injury or death due to metal fragments entering the vehicle cabin. To date, Hyundai is aware of three people who have died while driving a Hyundai vehicle with one of these substandard replacement airbag inflators that deployed in what likely would have been a survivable crash. NHTSA has issued a public advisory urging vehicle owners and service professionals to have vehicles inspected if there is reason to believe that a non-genuine replacement airbag may have been installed. Vehicles with salvage or rebuilt titles, prior airbag deployments, or unknown repair histories may present a higher risk. NHTSA strongly cautions against self-inspection by vehicle owners and recommends inspection by trained technicians.

This bulletin provides information regarding condensation related to the accumulated moisture in the headlamp, rear combination lamp, daytime running lamp (DRL), or fog lamp. This TSB illustrates the various causes of condensation inside the lamp assembly. Lamp assembly replacement is NOT necessary in most cases. This condition can be eliminated by turning on the lamps with the engine running for several minutes or during normal driving operation.

Some vehicles may exhibit a loss of connectivity or interruptions in the middle of using Bluelink Service functions. This may be due to an irregular disconnection on Verizon’s communication network. Follow the procedure in this TSB to reestablish the connection via the AVN pinhole reset method.

Some vehicles may exhibit a loss of connectivity or interruptions in the middle of using Bluelink Service functions. This may be due to an irregular disconnection on Verizon's communication network. If you are experiencing issues with remote commands, or other Bluelink services, please see the instructions below to reestablish the connection via the AVN pinhole reset method.

Some vehicles may exhibit a loss of connectivity or interruptions in the middle of using Bluelink Service functions. This may be due to an irregular disconnection on Verizon’s communication network. Follow the procedure in this TSB to reestablish the connection via the AVN pinhole reset method.