2018 Hyundai Kona Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Kona years
- About as many complaints as other years 5th of 9 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- None on file
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 75 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Hyundai Kona. That ranks 5th out of 9 Kona model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is engine (42 complaints, 56%), typically at around 54,000 miles. Complaints mention 9 crashes, 10 fires, 12 injuries. There are no safety recalls on file for this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
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- 75owner complaints
- 0safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 9complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2018 Hyundai Kona problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 42 | 56% | 54,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 25 | 33% | 11,442 | — | — |
| Power Train | 11 | 15% | 41,500 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 8 | 11% | 28,785 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 4 | 5% | 54,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 3 | 4% | 97,373 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | 4% | 25,947 | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 3 | 4% | 1,317 | — | — |
| Structure | 3 | 4% | 7,400 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 3 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 3 | 4% | 850 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 2 | 3% | 3,040 | — | — |
| Back Over Prevention | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 1% | 1,100 | — | — |
| Lane Departure | 1 | 1% | 1,100 | — | — |
| Steering | 1 | 1% | 44,894 | — | — |
| Suspension | 1 | 1% | 3,400 | — | — |
| Tires | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2018 Hyundai Kona recalls (0)
No safety recalls are on file for the 2018 Hyundai Kona.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Loss of Motive Power (DP22003) — opened Sep 12, 2022, closed Dec 12, 2023.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
car had an engine knock at 110,000 miles and took it to a repair shop and said they are pretty sure it was an engine rod and that the whole engine needed to be replaced still waiting to get it to the dealership to see what they are going to do due to this car being a leased car and it will not run…
I purchased a 2018 Hyundai Kona, and it has had one major issue after another. It burns an excessive amount of oil, the engine misfires, and now the turbocharger is failing. Iâve already spent approximately $2,300 repairing the air conditioner and engine, and I canât afford thousands more in…
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH, there was a loud clunking sound coming from the engine bay, followed by grinding gear sounds. The vehicle lost drive power, causing the driver to coast over to the side of the road, where the vehicle…
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while driving it began to smoke, a noise was hear, put in neutral to coast down a hill and had to pull the parking break to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with defective piston oil rings, and…
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Koa. The contact stated that while the daughter was driving the vehicle began to sputter and jerk before stalling. During the failure the oil warning light flashed off and on. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine had failed due to…
Other Hyundai Kona years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Kona | 10 | 3 |
| 2025 Kona | 28 | 1 |
| 2024 Kona | 52 | 4 |
| 2023 Kona | 66 | 1 |
| 2022 Kona | 101 | 0 |
| 2021 Kona | 120 | 1 |
| 2020 Kona | 161 | 2 |
| 2019 Kona | 194 | 1 |
| 2018 | 75 | 0 |
See all Hyundai Kona problems by year, every Hyundai model, or the Hyundai VIN decoder.
Similar Hyundai models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2018 Hyundai Kona?
Owners most often report engine, unknown or other, power train problems. The top one, engine, accounts for 42 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2018 Hyundai Kona?
No safety recalls are on file for this model year.
Was the 2018 Hyundai Kona a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Kona model years, the 2018 has about as many complaints as a typical year. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.