2019 Hyundai Kona: hesitation when accelerating

Filed Oct 26, 2025 · Engine · CA

My Kona has been stalling/hesitating when accelerating. It has been happening for a little over a year. It got very bad and the check engine light came on. I had it towed to Hyundai dealership and they said it was the fuel injectors so I paid to have those replaced, they said my warranty didn’t cover it. Replacing the fuel injectors made the car drivable but it was still stalling/hesitating but Hyundai said it was working properly. So I took it home. I have been driving it and it just keeps stalling and hesitating more and more. It is stalling and hesitating and has lack of power when I try to accelerate. I am afraid one day I’ll stall in traffic and get hit or cause an accident. I have also just realized my Kona has been using excessive oil. I just had an oil change mid August and today had to add at least 3 quarts. Even when I had my oil changed, the shop said I barely had maybe a quart in there, when it was just changed in May. We do not see any oil leaking out from anywhere. I have no choice but to use it to get around and Hyundai said it was working properly. I have recently looked online and I seen a lot of other owners reported the same issues. I have contacted Hyundai but they say theres nothing they can do. I am not sure where to go from here.

Filed Jun 17, 2025 · Engine · ME

This vehicle was sold to me advertised as a certified pre-owned by Somersworth Hyundai in New Hampshire. They have since shut down and I now see that they have a long history of bad reviews and scamming. When I had my first issue with this car, I brought it in thinking that it was covered by a certified pre-owned situation only to find out that it was not. I had a rare, bizarre, and expensive transfer case replacement done and was forced to pay out of pocket. Now, my check engine light has been flashing for about a month. It also started having a slight stutter or shudder in low speed acceleration. It hesitates or feels like I let off the gas for a split second even though I didn't. This happens everyday. I had the spark plugs replaced and that did not turn the flashing check engine light off. The service shop that installed the new spark plugs printed out an the federal safety agency recall bulletin on my vehicle for piston oil rings that may not have been properly heat treated which could result in engine damage. Consequences being damaged engines may stall and increase the risk of a crash. As well as oil leaks may leak on to hot exhaust components increasing the risk of a fire. Hyundai dealership and Hyundai corporate. Both say there are no open recalls on my exact vehicle. It is not included in this recall. I need the diagnostic process including knock test performed on this vehicle.

Filed May 31, 2025 · Electrical, Engine · NY

I purchased my car [XXX]. I started experiencing hesitation with the car about a year and half. December 1, 2023 brought the car in because the check engine light had been on but was off by time I brought it in to the shop. They said there was a crack in the oil pan gasket. Resealed the oil pan. Brought car back in January 26, 2024 check engine light on. I asked if they could replace the throttle body because I took the car to a mechanic that I knew and he suggested they try replacing. Their notes stated idle air control filter and RPM higher than expected. Brought car in June 21, 2024 and asked if they could please look the car over before my 3 year warranty was up which the woman said would expire July 1, 2024. I stated the car was not taking off correctly when at a light there was hesitation the same problem as before and they always said there was not an issue when they test drove the vehicle. [XXX} I'm traveling up [XXX] at 72mph when my check engine light comes on, the car starts shaking and the speedometer dropped to 69 i got nervous and turned the hazards lights on. Had the car towed. February 10th find out the engine went now I'm at 105,000 miles and no warranty. I had called Matthew's Hyundai when I was at 95,000 miles and asked to speak with a manager to no avail I get a financial manager who tells me come on Caroline it's time to trade the car in. I had called to see if my car was still under a 100,000 mile warranty but never called back. He had a sales woman call me back that day and I decided not to return there. I had the car towed to another dealership where they said the engine was no good. On top of all this my oil would be unusually low. I dealt with Hyundai customer care my claim was denied due to high mileage. I had also found out recently that the 2019 Hyundai Kona had a recall on the engine. When I looked it up my car was experiencing what they described in the recall. I ended up accepting a used engine for $9,000 INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5

Filed May 29, 2025 · Engine · 44,000 miles · GA

The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated while responding, and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that a dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the oil level as low and the engine needed to be replaced. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 21V301000 (ENGINE). The vehicle was currently at the dealer to be repaired; however, the contact was unaware of the exact repair to be performed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 44,000.

Filed Dec 4, 2024 · Engine · 40,000 miles · NH

The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle made an abnormal knocking and clicking sound. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced engine hesitation intermittently, and the failure became permanent. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. The contact had noticed that the oil level was significantly low, and the oil was significantly black at 500 miles after an oil change. The contact stated that on other occasions, the oil was significantly black while at the normal full. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 20 MPH uphill, the vehicle stalled and started rolling backwards. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle lost power steering and braking functionality, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle. The vehicle then slowly rolled back off the road and struck a small tree. The contact did not sustain any injuries. The vehicle was restarted after an hour and half. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled while driving 10 MPH on another occasion and was able to restart after 15 minutes. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the fault codes were cleared; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where DTC: P0301 was retrieved. The dealer diagnosed that cylinder #1 had a misfire due to the valve cover gasket leaking oil into cylinder #1. The dealer determined that the valve cover gasket, the spark plugs, and the oil filter needed to be replaced. Additionally, the dealer recommended an engine restoration and fuel induction service. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 21V301000 (Engine); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

Filed Oct 31, 2024 · Engine · TX

In line with the federal safety agency recall notice 21V301000, affecting 2019 Hyundai Kona's for piston oil ring defects, I believe the Date of Manufacture (DoM) range should be extended. Currently, the recall notice indicates vehicles manufactured between 11/2/2018 and 9/1/2020 are impacted, however my vehicle, with the indicated VIN, was manufactured 10/31/2018, two days before the indicated start date on this recall notice. My vehicle has been experiencing many of the same indicated symptoms of the faulty piston oil ring, such as abnormal knocking/rattling from the engine during acceleration, hesitation and engine dying randomly (while in motion), and significant oil consumption (half of the engine's capacity in just 2-3K miles. Given the symptom matches and the fact that my vehicle's DoM is within 2 days of the indicated recall start point, I believe it should be included in the above mentioned recall notice.

Filed Jul 22, 2024 · Driver assistance, Electrical · MD · crash

Driving on the highway [XXX] ) during rain. Traffic moving stop and go slow. Before I knew what had happened, my car hit the back bumper of a Chevy Suburban. My car gave no auto warning, the windshield wipers barely worked, and I believe the electric systems had stopped. Radio and air-conditioning. [XXX] My car bumper and grill were messed up. And I received pain in my right shoulder. The Suburban had a trailer hook-up jammed inside my front bumper grill; my vehicle received all the damage. The other driver's vehicle had no harm. My vehicle damage to the car was over a thousand dollars. And I was left with a shoulder injury. Car insurance paid for the damage to my 2019 Hyundai Kona SUV's all-wheel drive, with me paying a portion. After work was completed, all the electrical systems, including air conditioning, lights, wipers, and radio, didn't work. Fuse work was checked and found, but no power was getting into the system to operate functions that required electricity. The car started up, but the side lights but not the front lights, air conditioning, and the issue of tight steering now. The car tech stated they only installed a new bumper, and the grill did not work on the areas that are now not working. Tech said the lights and wipers were working but are not working now. Driving the vehicle will be limited based on these issues. The fuses appear good, but no power is getting into the box that powers the various items that are not working. I believe this car is a Lemon, and the dealership was aware of these issues and never told me the car had recalls. According to the internet, the tech who replaced my bumper stated that these issues are what the 2019 Hyundai Kona vehicle. Today (7-22-24), I drove my car from the auto shop with a new bumper and with hesitation and fear because the wipers and lights were not working, the air conditioning was out, and it is about to rain. The tech stated they were working earlier but are not working now. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMA

Filed Aug 18, 2022 · Engine · 35,000 miles · CO

The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated during acceleration and a burning odor was detected. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.

Filed Jul 22, 2020 · Engine, Transmission · 300 miles · FL

A couple hundred miles after purchasing a new kona, I had started having acceleration issues going from a dead stop into first gear .as the car starts to go, this is under 5 MPH, the car then hesitates as if someone is hitting the brakes. I have almost been rear ended several times due to this. It is a sporadic issue. I have had it into hyundai 3x now for this. All 3 x hyundai states they can not repair unless it happens while test driving . Of course this has not happened. So they have " reset" my driving computer 2x hoping it will stop. This is a serious issue and there are many kona owners out there documenting this issue on blogs. I have 3 service reports claiming there is an issue, but it is not being found. I have written to hyundai to open a case report. I am reporting this to the federal safety agency t with hopes of either resolving this issue or bring light to a potential safety hazard from hyundai. Thank you, [xxx] redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).