2022 Hyundai Kona Reliability Report

Transmissions fail outright, sometimes on the highway and on cars with only 4,000 to 7,000 miles. Other reports describe limp mode capped near 2000 rpm, slipping, getting stuck in first gear, and stalling at stops with a dashboard message telling the driver to shift to neutral. Dealers often clear codes without finding a cause. Kona N owners report misfires and stalling, and one car got a new turbo system to fix sluggish acceleration. On the Kona Electric, owners describe metal shavings in the gear reduction oil and growing noise.

Adaptive cruise control is slow to engage. Speed drops 10 to 15 mph before it holds, it loses speed on hills, and it takes a long time to recover after following traffic. Several owners stopped using it, and dealers say nothing can be done or can't reproduce it. One crash report describes the car accelerating while parking below 5 mph, jumping a curb, and hitting a building despite braking. Others describe sudden hard braking at expressway speed.

Automatic emergency braking activates on the highway for no visible reason. Owners report it at around 60 mph with no cars nearby, braking hard for 3 to 5 seconds, and in one case locking the brakes to a stop in the fast lane. Several owners report repeat events. A separate report describes brakes getting weaker over two days with a low brake fluid warning, after which the dealer refused to inspect the car for 18 days.

The emergency braking system triggers on its own, slowing the car sharply with a flashing warning and alert sounds. Reports place it on the freeway at safe following distances and in an empty parking lot at low speed. One car had only 1,322 miles. The car does not come to a full stop in these reports, but drivers describe the rear-end collision risk and lost confidence. One owner says the dealer only made a note of the complaint.

Glass breaks while the car is moving, with nothing hitting it. In one case the sunroof shattered at around 40,000 miles and glass fell on the driver. The dealer called it defective glass, but parts took 10 days to arrive. In another case the front passenger window exploded at about 70 mph at around 2,000 miles, and the car was towed for a warranty repair.

Neither crash reported here set off the air bags. One was a rear-end collision at 33 to 40 mph. The other was a serious collision with one injury, where the owner also says automatic braking failed and cruise control kept driving the car despite a collision warning. Neither owner reports a warning light beforehand.

Water gets inside the driver's side taillight assembly. In one report the dealer acknowledged the problem at 7,750 miles but offered no repair. Another owner says the low beams aim far too high, so oncoming drivers flash them constantly, and the dealer said the headlights can't be adjusted.