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2026 Hyundai Kona Recalls & Complaints

3

open safety recalls on record

Serious

9 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 2.22 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious26V047000

Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/Panel

instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

The instrument panel display software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 24, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai's customer service at 855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 293. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 28, 2026.

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Tucson Hybrid, Tucson Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV), 2026 IONIQ 5, Santa Cruz, Kona, Palisade, Palisade Hybrid, Santa Fe, Santa Fe Hybrid, Sonata, Sonata Hybrid, and Tucson vehicles. Due to a software error, the instrument panel display may fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 101, "Controls and Displays."

Serious26V069000

Steering:Linkages:Knuckle:Spindle:Arm

loss of vehicle steering control raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

Dealers will inspect and replace the front steering knuckles, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 5, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 295. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on February 7, 2026.

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2026 Kona vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the front steering knuckles may crack and break, which can result in a loss of vehicle steering control.

Serious26V452000

Seat Belts: Rear/Other:Buckle Assembly

seat belt buckle that fails to properly restrain an occupant in a crash raises the risk of injury.

Remedy & full details

Passengers are advised not to use the rear center seat until the recall remedy is performed. Dealers will replace the seat belt buckle assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 11, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 306. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 15, 2026.

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025 Kona Electric and 2026 Kona vehicles. The seat belt buckle in the rear center seat may fail to properly restrain an occupant during a crash.

Complaint volume

9 this model-year 6 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

2Crashes
0Fires
4Injuries
0Deaths

Across 9 complaints. Severity Index 2.22.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Service Brakes2 · 22%Unknown Or Other2 · 22%Power Train1 · 11%Structure · Body1 · 11%Fuel System, Gasoline1 · 11%Vehicle Speed Control1 · 11%Electrical System1 · 11%
  1. Service Brakes — 2 reports
  2. Unknown Or Other — 2 reports
  3. Power Train — 1 reports
  4. Structure:Body — 1 reports
  5. Fuel System, Gasoline — 1 reports
  6. Vehicle Speed Control — 1 reports
  7. Electrical System — 1 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

2018 · 2019 (1) · 2020 (2) · 2021 (1) · 2022 · 2023 (1) · 2024 (3) · 2025 · 2026

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.