2026 Hyundai KONA
Recalls, most-reported problems, crash-test ratings, fuel economy and what a 2026 Hyundai KONA is worth — from official NHTSA and EPA data. 7 on record.
2026 Hyundai KONA at a glance
Included: that car's specs and build sheet, model-year recall campaigns and a fair price.
2026 Hyundai KONA recalls 3
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Kona Electric and 2024-2026 Kona vehicles. The seat belt buckle in the rear center seat may fail to properly restrain an occupant during a crash.
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 …
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.
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…
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…
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 (VIN…
Source: U.S. NHTSA, checked 4 Nov 2026. A campaign covers the model year; to see whether a particular car still needs the repair, check its VIN on NHTSA.gov or ask a franchised dealer.
2026 Hyundai KONA common problems
The most-reported problem areas across all 10 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — and what to check before you buy.
2026 Hyundai KONA MPG & running costs
Source: U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov. The EPA lists 6 versions of this model year; combined is shown as a range and the other figures are averages.
Estimated 5-year cost to own
A rough guide to what running a 2026 Hyundai KONA costs over five years and 75,000 miles.
How this is estimated: fuel is the U.S. EPA annual cost at 15,000 miles a year. There aren't enough comparable listings to estimate depreciation for this model, so it is left out. Not included: insurance, maintenance, repairs, taxes, registration and finance costs. Treat it as a comparison guide, not a quote.
Dimensions & weight
Manufacturer-reported figures for the 2026 Hyundai KONA — ranges cover the 4 body / drivetrain versions on record. Source: Transport Canada vehicle specifications via NHTSA.
Investigations & service bulletins
Manufacturer service bulletins 7
Technical notes the manufacturer sent to dealers about known issues and fixes. Useful to mention to a mechanic — they are not recalls and repairs may not be covered.
Some vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil consumption. This bulletin outlines the combustion chamber cleaning procedure for vehicles diagnosed with this condition. All internal combustion engines consum…
Bulletin 26-EM-016H TSB · Engine · Oct 2026Certain vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil consumption. This bulletin provides the inspection and repair procedures for vehicles exhibiting this condition. All internal combustion engines consume engi…
Bulletin 26-EM-015H TSB · Engine · Oct 2026The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has identified the presence of substandard and dangerous driver’s-side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile Safety System Co., Ltd. (DTN). These inflators were not suppl…
Bulletin DTN DL · Air Bags · Apr 2026The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued an urgent safety advisory regarding dangerous, counterfeit driver‑side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile Safety System Co., Ltd. (DTN), that have been iden…
Bulletin DTN DCS · Air Bags · Apr 2026Some vehicles may exhibit a loss of connectivity or interruptions in the middle of using Bluelink functions. This may be due to an occasional disconnection on Verizon’s communication network. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to verify Bluelink Data Commu…
Bulletin 26-01-035H TSB · Electrical System · Apr 2026Some 2019MY and newer vehicles equipped with a front view camera may illuminate certain warning lights and trigger DTC C272246 fault code for the front camera. In the following cases, the front camera auto-calibration range may be exceeded while driving: • If…
Bulletin 26-AD-001H TSB · Exterior Lighting, Forward Collision Avoidance, Lane Departure · Feb 2026This bulletin provides information regarding condensation related to the accumulated moisture in the headlamp, rear combination lamp, daytime running lamp (DRL), or fog lamp. This TSB illustrates the various causes of condensation inside the lamp assembly. Lam…
Bulletin 25-BD-012H TSB · Exterior Lighting · Nov 2025Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, listed for the KONA ICE FWD. Model-year data, not specific to one car.
Canadian recalls 3
Transport Canada recall campaigns for the 2026 Hyundai KONA. Relevant if the car was first sold in, or imported from, Canada.
Seats And Restraints
Issue: This recall is for certain rear center seat belt buckles that were installed during production or sold as a replacement part. On certain vehicles, the bracket that secures the rear center seat belt buckle may not have been manufactured properly. As a result, the seat belt could detach in a crash. Safety Risk: A seat belt that detaches in a crash could increase the risk o…
Transport Canada #2026337 · Jul 2026Steering
Issue: On certain vehicles, the front steering knuckle(s) may not have been manufactured properly. As a result, the knuckle(s) could crack and/or break and cause a loss of steering control. Safety Risk: A loss of steering control could create the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: Hyundai will notify owners in writing and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to ins…
Transport Canada #2026050 · Feb 2026Visual System
Issue: On certain vehicles, a software problem could cause the instrument panel cluster to reboot while driving. As a result, you may not be able to see certain information about the vehicle, including the speedometer, fuel gauge, tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS), warning lights and malfunction tell-tales. Note : For the Santa Fe model, this recall only affects the hybrid…
Transport Canada #2026033 · Jan 2026Source: Transport Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Recalls Database.
About the Hyundai KONA
The Hyundai Kona is a subcompact crossover SUV produced by the South Korean manufacturer Hyundai. The first-generation Kona debuted in June 2017 and the production version was revealed later that year. The current, second-generation model was revealed in December 2022 and launched in 2023. It was developed first as a battery-electric model before being adapted for petrol and hybrid variants, which are offered depending on the market. Depending on the market, the Kona is positioned above either the Venue or the Bayon and below the Tucson in Hyundai's crossover SUV line-up. The battery-electric version, called the Kona Electric or Kona EV, was first launched in South Korea during the first hal…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Describes the model line in general, not this model year specifically.