More than 4,000 Hyundai Kona SUVs could have a serious safety issue.
There’s a new recall campaign for the latest Hyundai Kona SUV, specifically affecting the 2026 model year. According to what the automaker told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the cars could have improperly cast steering knuckles installed. In rare cases, those knuckle assemblies could crack when subjected to high-input driving maneuvers, and if that happens…drivers no longer have steering.
In total, the recall affects 4,555 units built between October 31, 2025 and December 22, 2025. After reviewing its manufacturing records, Hyundai estimates about 6% of the vehicles in the recall population (or ~275 vehicles) have the defect. Hyundai first noted the issue on January 5 of this year, thanks to a “Speak Up for Safety” report that prompted an investigation into cracked steering knuckles. That probe revealed the supplier had contamination inside the casting mold that could reduce the structural strength of the knuckle.
As a result of this safety recall, cars in the recall population that are in dealer stock — about 3,775 according to a notice Hyundai sent out — are under stop-sale until they are inspected and repaired.
Hyundai says its supplier repaired the assembly mold on October 16, so vehicles with a build date later than what Hyundai noted in the recall report shouldn’t have this issue.
While affected Konas are VIN searchable now through the NHTSA database (recall number 26V-069) or Hyundai’s own recall website (recall number 295), the automaker won’t send notices out to owners until April 6, 2026. From there, Hyundai will instruct owners to bring their vehicles to their local dealer, where technicians will inspect and replace problematic front steering knuckles, free of charge. All the vehicles should still be under manufacturer warranty, but Hyundai will repair the issue regardless of warranty status, and reimburse owners who paid to fix the issue out-of-pocket, if any owner actually had to do that.
