NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls and 9 owner complaints for the 2026 Hyundai Kona.
3Safety recalls
9Owner complaints
1Complaints citing a crash
0Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 27, 2026
Recalled components: seat belts, steering, and electrical system. Most-reported area: brakes (2 complaints, 22%). Includes the Kona N. Excludes the Kona Electric.
3 safety recalls for the 2026 Hyundai Kona
Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
The seat belt buckle in the rear center seat may fail to properly restrain an occupant during a crash.
Risk: A seat belt buckle that fails to properly restrain an occupant in a crash increases the risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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 were mailed September 2, 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 2024-2025 Kona Electric and 2024-2026 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.
Risk: A loss of vehicle steering control increases the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
NHTSA listing: KONA. Hyundai campaign 295.
Electrical system
Jan 26, 2026
instrument cluster/panel
Fails federal standard 101 (controls and displays)
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."
Risk: An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
NHTSA listing: KONA. Hyundai campaign 293.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What owners report
The areas named in the 9 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2026 Kona. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Brakes2 · 22%
Body structure1 · 11%
Electrical system1 · 11%
Engine1 · 11%
Fuel system1 · 11%
Powertrain1 · 11%
Seat belts1 · 11%
Unknown or other3 · 33%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%.
Hyundai Kona recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2026 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2020 Kona drew the most (86).
Owner complaints
2026: 9 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Hyundai Kona
Model year
Complaints
2018
75
2019
191
2020
158
2021
116
2022
105
2023
69
2024
51
2025
28
2026
9
Safety recalls
2026: 3 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Hyundai Kona
Model year
Recalls
2018
0
2019
1
2020
2
2021
1
2022
2
2023
2
2024
4
2025
1
2026
3
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
HYUNDAI KONA SUV N/A AWD
Rollover risk 15.9%
HYUNDAI KONA SUV N/A FWD
Rollover risk 15.1%
Questions
What are the most common 2026 Kona problems?
The areas owners name most often in NHTSA complaints: brakes (2), body structure (1), electrical system (1). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can name several areas.
Is the 2026 Hyundai Kona safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2026 Hyundai Kona earns 4 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
How do I check if my Kona has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Hyundai dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Sep 27, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 26, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: KONA.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.