2021 Hyundai Kona Electric: problems, recalls and reliability

“My vehicle has said, refill inverter coolant, I took it in a couple of days ago and they said there is an open recall and they would fix it. They called me back after I dropped it off and informed me that they did not have the specific coolant, and no one in the area did. Over the past couple days, my vehicle has had issues turning on.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · May 2024

“While driving on the highway at 70 mph, cruise control engaged, there was a sudden loss of drive power. I could not accelerate, or return to the cruising speed. The speed just dramatically fell. The only remedy was to pull over to the side of the road, turn off the car, and start it again. This VIN was not included in the initial similar recall earlier this year.”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Aug 2023

“The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Kona Electric. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V941000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. 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. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.”Owner report · Electrical System · Feb 2023

“The headlights even though they are LED they have a terrible beam pattern with noticeable dark spots in your field of view. Also I get flashed from oncoming traffic because of the low mounting position of the head lights easily blinds on coming traffic with the slightest bump or incline in the road. I had the dealer check out their alignment and was told they are fine. I myself have been dazzled by other Kona's coming at me. I feel these lights are an issue and I see more and more cars with these low mounted headlights which I feel is a design issue that needs to be addressed due to the angle the lights need to shine they easily dazzle oncoming traffic.”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Dec 2022

“After just 18 months and about 5,000 miles, the heater/defroster system stopped working. My local Hyundai dealer (Dick Hannah Volkswagen/Hyundai) confirmed the failure. Even after installing a new heater unit, the dealer reported the system is still not working. My car has been at the dealer since 1-17-23. Having no defroster is a serious safety issue in the winter here in Portland, Oregon, as the car can become unsafe to drive when the windows fog-up (as is common in the winter here). There were no warning lights or notifications to indicate that anything had failed; I just noticed that heat was not coming on, and only cold air was blowing through the defroster vents.”Owner report · Visibility · Dec 2022

“My 2021 Hyundai Kona EV battery need to be replaced. But the dealer would not have estimated time when my Kona EV get new battery. It could take 1 month or 3 months. No clues. I would not make a mistake to buy another car like Hyundai EV.”Owner report · Electrical System · Sep 2022

“I have a 2021 Hyundai Kona Electric Vehicle with approximately 20,000 miles. On August 26, 2022 several warning lights came on indicating that the lithium battery was inoperable but fully charged in danger of catching fire. The dealer immediately towed my vehicle and disconnected the battery. The recall for battery replacement due to fire risk for the 2018-2020 now appears to be affecting the 2021 model year. The dealer is telling me they have no replacement batteries and cannot give me a timeline for replacing mine nor can they assure me that will resolve the problem. The recall needs to be extended to all model years.”Owner report · Electrical System · Aug 2022