2020 Hyundai Kona Engine

Vehicle suddenly began shutting off upon braking and/or acceleration at any speed, idling very hard, and/or barely starting or dying immediately after starting and making a very loud whining noise while driving on an interstate. A mechanic ran a diagnostic test on it and determined that it was a P1327 code and recommended it be taken to dealership for full engine failure. This particular code was known by Hyundai to occur on certain models and years, including Kona 2019-2021, as early as 2022 and while a recall campaign was initiated, no recall to date has been issued. No warning indicators on dash occurred in advance or even after the vehicle began malfunctioning (i.e., no check engine indicator, etc.). Vehicle is available at dealership upon request.

The engine shut down when the car stops at a red light or stop sign. There are metal shavings in the oil due to issues with the pistons.

I purchased a used 2020 Hyundai Kona with the Nu 2.0L engine. I drove the vehicle regularly without issue for several years, including two days before the incident. On the day of the incident, I attempted to start the vehicle but it ran irregularly. I shut off the vehicle after a few seconds and restarted. The vehicle stalled seconds after starting. On subsequent attempts it failed to start at all. I learned of Recall 203 (defective piston rings), which affects this model year and engine. I contacted Hyundai, who recommended I visit a dealer. Upon inspection, the dealer recommended engine replacement. Hyundai denied engine replacement under Recall 203, on the grounds that the recall was "closed" during an inspection in 2021 (prior to my ownership) despite the defective part not being replaced. This engine, with defective and recalled part, has now experienced sudden and unexpected failure. Hyundai has been uncooperative and I have been without a vehicle for nearly a month.

The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was a knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who replaced the turbocharger, but the failure persisted. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The vehicle was later examined by an independent mechanic who determined that the pistons were faulty. No further information was available. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failures. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V301000 (ENGINE). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 127,000.

Vehicle showed these warning lights while stalling out at stop signs: FCA, ESC, and DBC. She was able to turn off the car and restart it. We took it to a Hyundai dealership and ran a diagnostic test where they found nothing wrong. They noticed her oil was low, so they topped it off. This was on a Monday. By Saturday, she had this issue again where she stalled out at a stoplight in the center lane of a 4 lane busy road and had to coast to a parking lot where she restarted the car. We then personally checked the oil again, she was almost out of oil!! We added more full synthetic oil. We googled the issue and saw other 2020 Kona's have this issue. I spoke with Hyundai Consumer Affairs to get advice but they said without any open recalls or extended warraties they couldn't help. They suggested the lengthy process of a repeated oil consumption test at the dealership. We are now taking it to an engine shop today (8-29-25) where he will try to put a syntheic blend in after taking out the full syntheic out. The mechanic said sometimes this helps the oil consumption. We will see how the car runs with the blend. He mentioned that his research shows older models had this issue and Hyundai replaced some engines.

The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact stated there was a pinging sound inside the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for a multi-point inspection, and it was confirmed that the oil level was extremely low. The contact stated that an oil consumption test was performed. The vehicle had consumed ¾ quarts of oil in a month. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to seek legal assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 22,000.

2020 Hyundai Kona wirh 22,000 miles, original owner, great condition(except oil usage). First consumption test used 3/4 qt. in 1,000 miles. Seems convenient that Hyundai says 1 qt & the dealership came up with 3/4 so there is no problem. BULL! No oil light came on to warn of low oil.

Car is losing power. Car is stopping in the middle of the road. Car was towed to my Personal mechanic on June 21,2025 who has ran a diagnostic on vehicle & vehicle is throwing out an Engine Failure Code. Check Engine light is blinking ; car is making odd "knocking type" noises. First appeared June 20, 2025. Car is not safe to drive due to losing power. Vehicle is now being towed to the dealership (after multiple calls) and the loss of power is concerning/dangerous if vehicle looses power with traffic around. I feel I won't be able to get the vehicle and myself off the road safely before an accident/injury/fatality occurs. I will upload a copy of the diagnostic report

Recall 203 was done on vehicle immediately upon purchase in 2021. Recall 974 was done and CNDS software installed in 2022. Engine stalled and check engine light came on at the end of February. Took car in March 11th to the dealership was told that the engine would need to be replaced due to code P1327. Said there was piston noise. Told me none of it is covered and that I would be out of pocket almost $9,000.00 with a car that is 5 years old. Have a case open with Hyundai Consumer Affairs (Case#[XXX]) and have not heard anything back from them. I am needing to know if this should be covered. According to my research it should be. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

While driving the car it stalled and all dash lights came in. After about 20 mins it started back up and I proceeded down the road. After a few minutes the engine light came on blinking. I got the car to a local mechanic who placed it in the diagnostic machine. It came back code engine-pistons. I have a Hyandai 2020 Kona MPI-NU 2.0l engine but it was not included in the recall of the same vehicles.

The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the turbocharger was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.

Car has extreme oil consumption and power stalls which are related to a recall in 2021 for bad poston rings which werent properly heat protected. I brought in and they said it was checked for recall but engine was never actually replaced. My warning lights come on for oil when this happens. My engine could either seize or I could lose power on highway. Car dealership laughed in my face when brought and told me id have to fork over 10k for a new engine which doesn't seem accurate considering Hyundai manufactured this vehicle with bad piston rings.

I was driving when I heard a rattle below the car. About a mile later, my engine died. Turns out the oil plug fell out causing irreparable damage to my engine. Was fortunate to be able to coast down the bottom side of the bridge I was on to a safe spot off to the side.

The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving approximately 30 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The driver was unable to restart the vehicle and had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic. The contact stated that the mechanic had not diagnosed the vehicle; however, an oil change was performed. The vehicle was repaired; however, the check engine warning light remained constantly illuminated. The contact that the vehicle was taken to a local dealer and two software updates were performed as per the manufacturer recalls on the vehicle, but the contact was informed that the recall repair for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V301000 (Engine) could not be performed. The contact stated that the check engine warning light remained illuminated, and the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The mechanic related the engine warning light being illuminated with the unrepaired recall. The contact was referred to the dealer again for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.

I am the original owner of a 2020 Hyundai Kona equipped with the 2.0L Nu MPI engine. This engine has been subject to known manufacturing defects, including excessive oil consumption, timing component wear, and premature failure. Hyundai has acknowledged that my specific engine falls within the range of engines affected by this defect and has confirmed that it is part of a recall/service campaign group. However, Hyundai is refusing to repair or replace the engine because it passed a vibration test back in 2021. That test was performed over three years ago, and my vehicle is now experiencing major engine problems, including the activation of check engine light with code P0017, which refers to crankshaft-camshaft correlation issues — a known symptom of the engine defect. Hyundai is denying coverage based on a test that is now outdated and irrelevant, despite the fact that the engine is part of the known defect group and is showing signs of failure consistent with hundreds of similar cases. The vehicle is no longer under powertrain warranty, but the root cause of the failure is clearly related to the previously identified defect. Hyundai’s refusal to act puts me, and potentially others, at risk of sudden engine failure due to timing or lubrication problems. This is a potential safety issue if the engine stalls while driving. I respectfully request that NHTSA investigate Hyundai’s use of past vibration tests to deny coverage for active and dangerous engine defects. Owners like myself should not be penalized for a test performed years ago when clear evidence of failure now exists.

Check engine light came on and car lost power while driving.

The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact drove to her destination and while shifting the vehicle into park (P), the vehicle was shaking violently. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic who determined that the engine was losing compression and referred the contact to a dealer. The contact drove the vehicle for several weeks more due to scheduling at the dealer. The contact observed that the vehicle was consuming oil at an excessive rate. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was constantly illuminated, and the vehicle was intermittently stalling. The contact drove the vehicle to a dealer who determined that the cam shaft and timing belt needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact retrieved the vehicle and the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that the vehicle was stalling, and the check engine warning light was constantly illuminated. The contact returned the vehicle to the same dealer who diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed and determined that the piston oil rings in engine cylinder #3 were cracked and damaged the cylinder and the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was notified by the independent mechanic of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V301000 (Engine). The contact contacted the manufacturer and was informed that the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.

The vehicle shut down while I was driving approximately 40 mph on a major throughway out of town. I was unfamiliar with the area and had to quickly pull over into a resident's driveway. I immediately shut the vehicle down and tried to restart it. It would not turn over, so I waited a few minutes and tried again. The engine then made a noise that almost sounded like "I quit" and would not make any noise when I turned the key after that. I called a local tow company who towed it to Firestone Complete Auto Care which was the nearest open garage. After they ran their diagnostic, they said that the engine had seized and that there was no oil in the reserve. I never had any engine lights light up on the dashboard until the second the car stopped working, when they ALL came on. My mechanic friend says that these engines have computers that time stamp when the warning lights come on, so it will be interesting to know if they use that information. I have contacted Hyundai customer service and because we are not the original owners of the vehicle, they said the powertrain/engine is not covered under the 5 year/60k mile warranty from Hyundai. We do have an extended warranty through a 3rd party company, but they are giving us a difficult time too. We are still waiting to hear if they will cover the replacement of the engine. This is a HUGE safety risk because my vehicle gave no advanced warning that it was needing service/maintenance and just stopped functioning while I was driving. If I had been on a different street or in the middle of a turn, it could have resulted in injury/death of occupants of the vehicle. My oldest son is also just starting to drive. If he were driving this vehicle when this occurred, he may not have known what to do and could have been stranded in the middle of a busy highway, where an accident could have been imminent.

In December 2022 at 10,000 miles my engine would make knocking noises when idle and hesitate to excelerate before jumping, i took it to dealer and there was no oil on the dipstick. None of the warning lights ever Came on. They started an oil consumption test, did a chamber cleaning on the engine and finally after 3 months and 3,000 extra miles they tell me i need a new engine/ ridiculous a new car with 10,000 miles does this!!

The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the message "Service Oil Change" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who discovered metal shavings in the engine oil. The vehicle was later taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the vehicle was previously serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V301000 (Engine). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 72,000.

Came off the frwy and stopped and once I got back and accelerated the car began to make metal grinding sound from the engine drove immediately to the dealership that was less then quarter of a mile away. I left it over night and was told the next day it was not safe to drive at all and there was no loaner cars or rental service. 5 days later a loaner was provided. There was no warning light or alert sound for me to know there was something wrong. The car could had stopped on the frwy and caused a major accident. The dealership determined the short block needed to replaced and took action to have it covered under warranty. The car had 13,500 miles on it at the time and 30 days later a new short block was installed and completed with no extra warranty.

The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that on several occasion while driving at various speeds or coming to a stop, the vehicle stalled and lost motive power. The vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer to be serviced under TSB 22-01-043H (Engine Monitoring Logic) and the mechanic was made aware of the failure; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The contact stated that the failure was recurring and that the Forward Collision Avoidance warning light was illuminated without any vehicles nearby. The contact stated that the vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the camshaft sensor and exhaust sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to a second independent mechanic, who confirmed the diagnosis. The vehicle was then taken to Big Star Hyundai (18100 Gulf Fwy a, Friendswood, TX 77546), where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle remained at the dealer awaiting the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 61,000.

After two years of driving, car seemed to start having engine noises. Felt like loss of acceleration? The vehicle stalled twice after noticing this when in a slower speed. No engine warning light or oil malfunction light ever came on. Our local mechanic said the car was close to being out of oil. Never any evidence of oil on the ground or any type of odor. Dealer was informed of the issue on Nov 9. They said no appointment available until Dec 1, I said the car does not seem safe to drive. Then they changed appointment to Nov 21. No loaner available. Not sure how long this will take to fix if a lot of people are having this type of issue. The car is two years old and with only 12000 miles. We don't go on extensive trips. Mostly drive around town, some highway driving. The servicing was done at dealer at about 6500 miles, they also did something for a "software" recall. And they indicated the next servicing due as 16000 miles. I'm reading some horror stories online, as when there's a problem Hyundai tries to get out of doing the work under their 10 yr warranty. Never, ever had a car that "might need a new engine" (dealer's words) after 12000 miles. Unsafe! Not sure I even trust a "new engine."

The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, she heard an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The contact than noticed that the checking engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and the oil warning light flashed twice on the instrument panel. The contact was able to pull into a service station and had the vehicle towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that whenever the last oil change was performed, the drain cap was not replaced, causing severe damage to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the failure was not similar to the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V301000 (Engine). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 18,000.

My car has been burning oil and knocking and I repeatedly took it back to the dealer with concern that these symptoms are similar to a recent recall on Hyundai Kona engine due to engine failure. Recently I had an inspection (which passed) and as I was driving away from the dealer the engine light came on and I took the car back and the mechanics told me the car is in engine failure! Engine failure can result in dangerous stalling seizing of engine, oil leaks and fires according to the recall information. It is inconceivable to me that my car (2020 Kona) is not included in this recall when I am having the same issues, and this has gone on for three months during which myself and my family (and other drivers on the road) were in danger.