The 2021 Hyundai Kona has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 158,493 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 145 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
ENGINE21V3010002021-04-28158,493 affected
Defect
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Elantra, 2019-2021 Kona and Veloster vehicles equipped with 2.0L Nu MPI engines. The piston oil rings may not have been properly heat-treated, which could result in engine damage.
Consequence
A damaged engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash. In addition, oil may leak onto hot exhaust components, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the engine, free of charge. In addition, Hyundai will deploy Piston Ring Noise Sensing System (PNSS) software. Owner notification letters were mailed August 24, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“I am writing to express my frustration and concern regarding my 2021 hyundai kona, which currently has only 88,754 miles. My vehicle has been experiencing excessive oil consumption along with an ongoing check engine light. The diagnostic trouble codes are p0017 and p0011. In an effort to resolve…”
“I am writing to express my frustration and concern regarding my 2021 hyundai kona, which currently has only 88,754 miles. My vehicle has been experiencing excessive oil consumption along with an ongoing check engine light. The diagnostic trouble codes are p0017 and p0011. In an effort to resolve…”
“The automatic emergency braking system brakes way too hard causing the car to stop too fast and risks causing a rear end collision. This is not fixed by adjusting settings. It is a common complaint and the system needs to be calibrated to brake more smoothly.”
“The contact owns a 2021 hyundai kona. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was unaware of the warning lights that were illuminated during the failure. The vehicle was unable to be restarted. The vehicle was towed to an…”
“Engine is consuming oil and developed piston slap, per the mechanic I took it to. Currently it sounds like there is gravel inside the engine and it does not seem safe to drive. The malfunction indicator lamp has also come on, the codes were cleared by my mechanic but they told me it likely will…”
“Low speed hesitancy and shuddering. Car has lost power when driving at 55 mph. Car does not want to move at very slow speeds as in a parking garage. It hesitates and starts to roll backwards.”
“Low speed hesitancy and shuddering. Car has lost power when driving at 55 mph. Car does not want to move at very slow speeds as in a parking garage. It hesitates and starts to roll backwards.”
“The vehicle has 82.000 miles on it, and the engine started to rattle as I entered the street to my house, and the motor quit running. I had the vehicle hauled to a repair garage for analysis, and they said the piston rings failed. The vehicle is in perfect shape except for the broken engine.”
Defect investigations
InvestigationDP22005 Opened 2023-01-27 · closed 2023-08-07
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2021 Hyundai Kona as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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