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2018 Hyundai Kona

Gas
Small Sport Utility Vehicle 2WD
4 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-10-26
A
Safety Signal
100 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
RecallsNHTSA campaigns 0
Complaints9 crash · 10 fire · 12 injured reported 75
Crash ratingnot rated by NHTSA —
Fuel economybest combined, EPA 30 mpg
2027202620252024202320222021202020192018

The 2018 Hyundai Kona is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact SUV with 4 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Kona FWD, is EPA-rated at 30 mpg combined. NHTSA lists no recall campaigns for this model year so far (Safety Signal A). Owners have filed 75 complaints, most often about the engine.

Hyundai Kona — photograph via Wikimedia Commons
Hyundai Kona · Photo: Damian B Oh · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
Kona FWDGasFWD1.6L 4-cyl turbo283230$2,250
Kona FWDGasFWD2.0L 4-cyl273330$2,250
Kona AWDGasAWD1.6L 4-cyl turbo262927$2,500
Kona AWDGasAWD2.0L 4-cyl253027$2,500

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 39823, 39824, 39826, 39827.

Emissions & certification

Source: EPA emission certificates
ConfigurationSmog ratingEmission standardWhere it can be sold newSmartWay
Kona FWD5 / 10California LEV-III ULEV70 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 70All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standardsSmartWay
Kona AWD5 / 10Federal Tier 3 Bin 70 / California LEV-III ULEV70All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards—
Kona AWD5 / 10California LEV-III ULEV70 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 70All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards—

Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S.

The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.

Specifications filed with NHTSA

Source: NHTSA vPIC

Dimensions Exterior

Body styleSport Utility Vehicle [SUV]/Multipurpose Vehicle [MPV]
Doors4
GVWR classClass 1C: 4,001 - 5,000 lb (1,814 - 2,268 kg)

Engine Basics

Cylinders4
Displacement2 L

Engine Output

Horsepower147 hp

Fuel Economy

FuelGasoline

Seating

Seating capacity5 seats

Transmission

Drivetrain4WD/4-Wheel Drive/4x4
TransmissionAutomatic
Transmission speeds6

Driver assistance

Standard: Anti-lock brakes, Backup camera, Blind-spot monitoring, Electronic stability control, Forward collision warning, Lane keeping assist, Pedestrian automatic emergency braking

Filed by the manufacturer with NHTSA under the federal vehicle-identification rule and decoded from the VIN pattern — not a manufacturer press kit, so it describes the configurations we could identify rather than every trim (seen: Limited, SE, SEL, SEL with Tech Pkg). Figures for the trim you are looking at may differ.

Dimensions & weight

Source: Transport Canada
Length164.2 in
Width (body, without mirrors)70.9 in
Height59.1 in
Wheelbase102.4 in
Track, front61.4 in
Track, rear61.4 in
Curb weight2,890–3,256 lb
Weight distribution, front/rear56/44

Measured by Transport Canada for its Canadian Vehicle Specifications database, which covers the North American versions of each model — here 3 configurations: 1.6T AWD 4-door SUV, 2.0 AWD 4-door SUV, 2.0 FWD 4-door SUV. Where a range is shown, those versions differ. Width is the body without mirrors, which is why it can read narrower than a brochure figure. Before we used it we checked it against the US manufacturer press kits we hold (27 Sep 2026): wheelbase agreed within 1% on every vehicle we could compare, length on 98%, and the curb weight fell inside the manufacturer's range on 96%. Source dataset. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Licence.

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Factory warranty running out?

The 2018 Hyundai Kona is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. What an extended plan does and does not cover is worth reading before a dealer quotes you one.

What to check before you buy →

Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.

Recalls (0)

Source: NHTSA recall database

No NHTSA recall campaigns are on file for the 2018 Hyundai Kona. New campaigns appear here within a week of NHTSA posting them.

These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.

NHTSA defect investigations

Engine — Loss of Motive Power closed

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc. and Kia America, Inc. vehicles spanning Model Years (MY) 2005-2021. The Petitioners cited examples of complaints indicating that the subject vehicles were experiencing rapid loss of engine oil due to oil drain plug back outs, resulting in loss of motive power and/or catastrophic engine damage. Additional complaints were provided which alleged that the oil drain pans lack sufficient structural integrity and are

Opened Sep 12, 2022 · closed Dec 12, 2023 · action DP22003 · the investigation’s page →

Hear about a recall before the letter does

The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2018 Hyundai Kona, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.

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Parts & accessories for the 2018 Hyundai Kona

Search by fitment on eBay Motors — OEM take-offs, aftermarket, and the trim pieces dealers no longer stock. The listing and the price are the seller's.

Find parts for this Kona →

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
75complaints filed

9 involved a crash · 10 a fire · 12 injuries · 0 deaths reported

20 per 10,000 built · Hyundai reported 37,506 Kona built (its Early Warning production report to NHTSA)

Filed per year: 2018: 9 · 2019: 4 · 2020: 3 · 2021: 5 · 2022: 5 · 2023: 11 · 2024: 12 · 2025: 14 · 2026: 12

Most-cited components

Engine 45
Unspecified 25
Power Train 11
Electrical System 8
Fuel/Propulsion System 4
Structure 3

In owners' own words

Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, one per problem area. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed.

I have a 2018 Hyundai Kona, with approximately 42,000 miles on it. The right front passenger door began having problems sometime in 2022. When I first inquired about the door at Riverside Hyundai, I was advised that the problem might be covered under warranty. I did not have the problem diagnosed at that time.
Electrical System Sep 30, 2023 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11547495
UNKNOWN. AC stopped working. According to repair shop, alternator belt sliced through the aluminum housing tube and Freon cannot be recharged . It needs total rebuild/reroute of AC tubing as The position and location of alternator belt is too close to the aluminum housing/tubing for cooling system. This is a bad build/design.
Engine Jul 26, 2023 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11534655
Car antenna broke off while driving on the interstate. Possible projectile that can cause an accident. Airconditioning system in the car smells like mildew. Possible prolong exposure that can cause a health hazard. It only happens when the car starts every time
Structure at 14,000 miles Aug 13, 2019 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11243497
When driving at night 98 % of oncoming drivers flash their lights at me to indicate that I had forgotten to dim my lights when in fact I did not have my high beams engaged. I took this issue to the dealership which did it's best to fix the problem but was unable to correct it.
Visibility/Wiper at 600 miles Jan 7, 2019 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11165034
I AM requesting investigation into excess glare from LED headlights on the Kona limited model, year 2018 for those manufactured prior to june. Excessive glare originates from the LED lights and results in consistent "bright beam" flashes from on coming drivers, as they think you have your brights on.
Exterior Lighting at 7,000 miles Dec 23, 2018 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11163177
Fca warnings come on when only northbound on the causeway in louisiana. Happens daily
Forward Collision Avoidance at 1,317 miles Nov 14, 2018 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11151515

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Reported by Hyundai itself: 2 death-or-injury claims on this model year in its quarterly Early Warning reports to NHTSA (49 CFR 579.21): 2 injured, as claimed, not verified — about 5.3 per 100,000 built. Every Kona model year, by year and system → Dated and by system, they are exhibit F of the defect dossier.

When owners reported it

Reported at 17k

miles, typically

Half the 24 owner reports with an odometer reading on file fall between 5,000 and 50,000 miles. That is when problems get reported, which is not the same as when they start — and not a failure rate, because nobody knows how many of these cars never had a problem at all.

Too few readings for a curve — the 24 on file: 8 under 10k, 5 10k–20k, 1 20k–30k, 2 30k–40k, 1 40k–50k, 2 50k–60k, 2 90k–100k, 3 100k–150k.

Odometer readings as filed by owners with NHTSA. Readings under 100 or over 400,000 miles are dropped as data entry rather than history, and a component needs at least 12 readings before a median is shown for it.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

NHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.

Service bulletins & campaigns

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications
Communicationsfiled with NHTSA 96
Most recentmanufacturer date 2026-10-08
Kindsas classified by NHTSA 82 service bulletins, 9 others, 5 service campaigns

Most often about: Electrical System, Equipment, Power Train, Engine, Steering.

  • 26-EM-016H TSB Service bulletin
    2026-10-08 · Engine
  • 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 consume some engine oil during normal operation, depending on driving conditions and mileage, and this procedure should only be performed when dee
  • 26-EM-015H TSB Service bulletin
    2026-10-07 · Engine
  • Certain 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 engine oil as part of normal engine operation. Oil consumption rates may vary based on mileage, operating conditions, driving habits, and mainte
  • 26-EE-003H TSB Service bulletin
    2026-04-18 · Electrical System
  • Some vehicles may exhibit difficulty starting in cold weather. This bulletin provides the procedure to perform an inspection on the starter magnetic switch for potential freezing and, if necessary, replace the starter magnetic switch (solenoid) assembly.
  • 11032523 Other
    2026-04-10 · Air Bags
  • The 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 supplied, approved, or authorized by the vehicle manufacturers and have primarily been found in vehicles that previously experienced a crash and
  • 11032522 Other
    2026-04-10 · Air Bags
  • The 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 identified in U.S. vehicles following prior crashes, theft, or non‑certified airbag replacements. These inflators are not approved for use, may
  • 11027047 Other
    2025-12-19 · Air Bags
  • A Class Action settlement regarding the TRW Airbag was recently decided. Based on the Class Action, customers are eligible for certain settlement benefits. Please see attached for details. Impacted vehicles are also noted below. For further information regarding settlement benefits and contacts, please review the dealer notification per the attached. It is also available on Hyundaidealer.com under
  • 11027045 Other
    2025-12-19 · Air Bags
  • Hyundai has settled a class action lawsuit that alleges that certain Hyundai and Kia Class Vehicles (defined below) contain defective ZF-TRW airbag control units (“ZF-TRW ACUs”) that are vulnerable to a condition called electrical overstress, which may cause the vehicles’ airbags and other safety features to fail during a collision. Hyundai has not been found liable for any claims alleged in the l
  • P33 OL Other
    2025-12-19 · Electrical System
  • In response to this trend, we engineered a software upgrade that addresses the social media theft method and made it available to owners of eligible models free of charge at authorized Hyundai dealers since early 2023. In addition to the anti-theft software, we’ve developed a new zinc-reinforced ignition cylinder protector hardware upgrade that can be installed at the ignition cylinder location

A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.

Diagnostic trouble codes on file

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints

Codes documented against this model year in the federal record. A code appearing here does not mean this vehicle will set it — it means the code is part of this nameplate-year's documented history.

CodeWhat it meansMost often filed underWhere it appears
P0301
P0301 on Hyundai →
Cylinder 1 is misfiring.Engine · Ignition coils →1 owner report
P0705
P0705 on Hyundai →
A fault in the transmission range sensor — the module cannot tell which gear position is selected.Electrical System · Battery →1 bulletin
P0706
P0706 on Hyundai →
Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.Electrical System · Battery →1 bulletin
P0707
P0707 on Hyundai →
Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.Electrical System · Battery →1 bulletin
P0708Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.Electrical System · Battery →1 bulletin
P0880
P0880 on Hyundai →
Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.Power Train1 bulletin

Generic codes (the second character is 0 or 2) mean the same thing on every vehicle sold in the United States. Manufacturer-specific codes (1 or 3) mean whatever the automaker assigned, and no honest source can define them for you — which is why the ones here carry the evidence instead of a definition. A code is a link when enough separate federal documents name it across the catalogue to be worth a page of its own; the rest are listed here, where the vehicle is the context that makes them mean something.

Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.

At the New York inspection station

Source: New York State DMV

In New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2018 Hyundai Kona failed the emissions check on 1.7% of first inspections — lower than the 3.0% for every 2018 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 2.3% (every 2018 vehicle: 1.9%).

New York inspections 1.7%

failed emissions

1,493 initial inspections of 1,469 vehicles.

MeasureThe 2018 KonaEvery 2018 vehicleBehind it
Failed the emissions check1.7%3.0%1,488
Failed the safety inspection2.3%1.9%1,493
Air-bag warning lamp stayed lit0.20%0.22%1,493
Miles driven a year8,50210,002odometer at inspection
Average odometer70,46782,833odometer at inspection

New York’s emissions test on these model years is an on-board diagnostics check: it fails a car whose check-engine light is on or whose self-tests have not finished. First inspections only, so a car that failed and came back is counted once; private and special plates, not taxis, livery or commercial plates. A rate appears only where at least 200 inspections stand behind it. “Every 2018 vehicle” is every 2018 model-year car, SUV and pickup inspected in the same window, all makes. This is the state’s record of test results, not a reliability score by itself. Source: New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Vehicle Inspections (data.ny.gov, Open NY terms).

Common questions about the 2018 Kona

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Does the 2018 Hyundai Kona have any recalls?

No NHTSA recall campaigns are on file for the 2018 Hyundai Kona. New campaigns appear here within a week of NHTSA posting them, and a clean sheet on a recent model year often just means the vehicle is new.

How safe is the 2018 Hyundai Kona?

NHTSA has not published a crash-test rating for the 2018 Hyundai Kona yet. On the recall record WhichTrim grades it A (100/100), which measures open and severe recalls rather than crash protection.

What is the fuel economy of the 2018 Hyundai Kona?

Across the 4 EPA-rated configurations of the 2018 Hyundai Kona, the best EPA combined figure is 30 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.

What are the dimensions of the 2018 Hyundai Kona?

Transport Canada measured it at 164.2 in long, 70.9 in wide (body, without mirrors), 59.1 in tall, on a 102.4 in wheelbase. Curb weight: 2,890–3,256 lb depending on configuration. Those are its measurements of the North American versions; every figure is in the table above.

What do owners complain about on the 2018 Hyundai Kona?

Owners have filed 75 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Hyundai Kona, most often about engine, unspecified, power train. Of those, 9 involved a crash, 10 a fire, 12 reported injuries. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.

How clean is the 2018 Hyundai Kona?

The EPA smog rating for the 2018 Hyundai Kona is 5 out of 10. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Its configurations were certified to different standards — California LEV-III ULEV70, Federal Tier 3 Bin 70 — which the table above lists per configuration.

Are there service bulletins for the 2018 Hyundai Kona?

The manufacturer has filed 96 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2018 Hyundai Kona, most often covering electrical system, equipment, power train. The most recent is dated 2026-10-08. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.

How does the 2018 Hyundai Kona do at state inspection?

In New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2018 Hyundai Kona failed the emissions check on 1.7% of first inspections — lower than the 3.0% for every 2018 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 2.3% (every 2018 vehicle: 1.9%). The figures are New York State DMV’s own inspection records, first inspections only, and the table above sets each one against every vehicle of the same model year.

What we hold, and what an empty row means

Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.

DataHeldSourceWhat it covers — or what empty means
Fuel economy & configurations4 configurationsEPA certification recordsEvery configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures.
Emission certificates4 configurationsEPA emission certificatesSmog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new.
RecallsnoneNHTSA recall campaignsNo campaign has been filed. Because the register is complete, an empty row here means there is nothing to find — not that we are missing it.
Owner complaints75NHTSA complaint databaseAlso complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold.
Crash ratingsnoneNHTSA NCAPNHTSA has not tested this model year. Cars are selected for testing, so untested is not unsafe.
Service bulletins96NHTSA manufacturer communicationsEverything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall.
Investigations1NHTSA Office of Defects InvestigationOpen and closed defect investigations, with the agency's own narrative.
Driver-assist crash reportsnoneNHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like.
Specifications filed with NHTSA11 fieldsNHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patternsWhat the manufacturer filed under the federal VIN rule — a configuration, not the full trim ladder.
Measured dimensions7 fieldsTransport Canada, Canadian Vehicle SpecificationsLength, width, height, wheelbase, track and curb weight, measured on the North American versions.
Trims, pricing & equipmentnoneManufacturer press kitWe have not transcribed a press kit for this model year yet. This is our gap, not the manufacturer's — the one row here where an empty cell means we are behind.

Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly.

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