2019 Hyundai Kona engine problems
126 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the engine on the 2019 Hyundai Kona — 68% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“The vehicle suffered a sudden, severe loss of power while driving, causing the engine to stall unexpectedly. This created an immediate hazard to myself and other motorists on the road, as I was forced to navigate a dead vehicle out of active traffic without power steering or power braking assist…”
filed Jul 16, 2026
“My 2019 Hyundai Kona has been burning oil, I’ve done great upkeep on it, including topping the oil off in between services. This is because it obviously has been burning oil, well recently it started stalling, then starting/turning it over has been acting up. The RPM’s have not been stable at all…”
filed Jun 26, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related recalls
- Piston oil rings may not have been properly heat-treated, which could result in engine…Campaign 21V301000 · Apr 28, 2021
Engine problems in other Kona years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Kona | 2 | 7% |
| 2024 Kona | 8 | 18% |
| 2023 Kona | 7 | 11% |
| 2022 Kona | 32 | 34% |
| 2021 Kona | 74 | 65% |
| 2020 Kona | 100 | 65% |
| 2018 Kona | 41 | 55% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2019 Hyundai Kona
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.