Transmission (7 speed DCT) partial failure causing intermittent lack of acceleration, bucking, violent shifts. No warning lights are displayed. Despite being only days and about 1000 miles beyond the warranty neither Hyundai nor the dealer show interest in repairing this except at my cost, which is not feasible.
2022 Hyundai Kona
Owners filed 97 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the engine. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Unknown or Other | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Electrical System | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Power Train | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Service Brakes | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance › Automatic Emergency Braking | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Tires | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Air Bags | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | |
| Visibility › Sun/Moon Roof Assembly | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsThe contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. No warning lights illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V746000 (POWER TRAIN); by the owner, but the remedy failed to fix the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure had occurred after the recall repair was performed. The contact stated that the failure had occurred twice. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the issue would be escalated. The failure mileage was 27,000.
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 summ
The tread came off the tire on the highway causing me to crash off I 75. The tires were made 6 of 2025 and the pressure was 31.5 according to the highway patrol officer on scene. I have the paperwork for the tires I purchased at Sams Club in Cape Coral Florida on 7/29/25. The tires are less than 11 months old and this shouldn't have happened. The tread damaged multiple parts of my car.
Recall with car regarding coolant. Last year Hyundai apparently addressed; however, coolant light came on, despite coolant being full. Told by different dealership that with these issues, it needs to be checked and rechecked multiple times; otherwise, issues arise again (as in my case). Want this addressed by dealership. They are charging me a diagnostic fee of $198. Previously, when brought car in for recall work, equipment not always working.
Charging port door will not open. Not sure if it is an issue with acuator, which employee in service dept at dealer said that is common problem. Seems like if this issue with less than 20k, perhaps should also be recall item.
I purchased my 2022 Hyundai Kona on August 28, 2024, and I am the first registered owner. Only 48 days after purchase, the vehicle suddenly broke down without warning while stopped at a red light in [XXX] after traveling from [XXX] . The vehicle had to be towed. Since then, the vehicle has repeatedly experienced dangerous engine and timing-related issues despite major repairs, including an engine replacement, timing chain repairs, and multiple dealership inspections. The most dangerous incidents involve sudden power loss and large clouds of smoke while driving. On January 1, 2026, while attempting to pass a semi-truck on a multi-lane highway, the vehicle suddenly lagged, lost acceleration power, and emitted a large cloud of white smoke from the exhaust. This created an extremely unsafe situation because I was actively passing traffic at highway speeds and could have been struck by surrounding vehicles. I have also experienced these failures late at night on busy highways while traveling between [XXX] and [XXX] . In March 2026, the vehicle again emitted a large cloud of smoke and resumed lagging during acceleration. On April 23, 2026, Hyundai of Meridian informed me they personally witnessed the vehicle emit another large cloud of black smoke during test driving. These smoke events can reduce visibility for surrounding drivers and create hazardous roadway conditions. The vehicle has spent approximately 149 days in repair facilities, nearly 24% of the time I have owned it. Mult
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.
In January 2026, my engine light illuminated and the vehicle lost power. The dealership found a sudden loss of compression across all four cylinders, requiring a total engine replacement. This occurred without warning, only two months after a routine oil change at the same facility where no issues were reported. Despite opening a case with Hyundai corporate, there has been no progress. My research indicates that while NHTSA Recall 21V301 (Safety Recall 203) specifies 2019–2021 models, the 2022 model shares the same engine design and identical reports of stalling and compression loss. My vehicle has been at the dealership for three months with no resolution. The dealership says they are running tests requested by tech line without providing documentation of the tests or the results. Although, the initial test performed indicated that it was a compression ring issue.
I found a lot of shaved metals when I did the oil change for the Gear Reduction. It made a lot of noises when driving or the wheel of fortune sounds whether the car is in Regenerative Braking. The sounds developed as time goes on but Hyundai failed to recall this issue. I found this has been an ongoing issue since 2019 when Hyundai make this Kona EV, but their engineers didn’t fix this type of issue and continue to manufacture the Kona EV with the same Gear Reduction Assembly and it caused a lot of noises with these shaving metals found in the oil changes. This is abnormal for a GRU to have so many metals found in the oil. Thus, it made a lot of noises. Now my car can’t even drive because of this. The GRU has been broken because of this issue that Hyundai didn’t even fix since 2019.
The vehicle displayed a warning lamp indicating a Cooling System Performance failure. The specific defect relates to the Integrated Thermal-Management Module (ITM) and the thermostat opening prematurely, corresponding to Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) P218100. This issue requires a repair outlined in Technical Service Bulletin 25-EM-007H, involving a spring installation and ECU update. This failure creates a serious safety concern because improper thermal management can cause the engine to overheat or force the vehicle into a reduced-power 'limp mode' without warning. A sudden loss of acceleration or engine stall while driving in traffic significantly increases the risk of a crash.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
When I purchased the car with in 2 weeks epb , auto hold and auto stop all 3 lights on dashboard came on orange. Took to dealership and they fixed the problem. 4 months later now the lights are back on. The vehicle does not feel safe at pulls to the right , I have problems with my ac as well as my transmission is slipping. The car loses power when I accelerate. I believe was sold a lemon car I purchased from carmax.
20 of 97 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Reading this record
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.