Problems · NHTSA complaints

2021 Hyundai Ioniq Plug-in Hybrid problems

Owners filed 18 complaints about the 2021 Hyundai Ioniq Plug-in Hybrid with NHTSA between Oct 2021 and May 2026. The most-cited component is electrical system (9).

Complaints
18
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Electrical system9
  2. Service brakes5
  3. Forward collision avoidance5
  4. Vehicle speed control3
  5. Seat belts1
  6. Engine1
  7. Back over prevention1
  8. Other / unknown4

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 11, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20212
20228
20232
20242
20253
20261

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Electrical system

9 reports
“Auto Hold/EPB lights come one while driving. Deactivates cruise control of on. Turns off auto hold. Ongoing issue with many reports but no recall or dealership knowledge. Ongoing issue since purchase.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 31, 2025Electrical system, Service brakesODI 11677617

Service brakes

5 reports
“The "Auto Hold" feature on my Hyundai Ioniq malfunctioned, displaying a dashboard warning: "AUTO HOLD conditions not met. Press brake pedal." This message randomly appears while driving or stopping, and it deactivates the Auto Hold and Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) functions. In some cases, the car rolls after stopping because the system fails to hold the vehicle. This issue compromises vehicle safety, especially on inclines or during stop-and-go traffic. It puts me, passengers, and other drivers at risk. The problem has occurred multiple times and is unpredictable. It appears to be linked to a faulty brake switch or sensor, as noted in Hyundai’s TSB 23-BR-001H. I discovered this issue is affecting many other Hyundai Ioniq owners, as seen in this discussion: [XXX] The dealer has not yet inspected the vehicle, but the symptoms match the TSB. No accident has occurred, but the safety risk is serious due to brake failure behavior. There were no visible warning lights before the issue started, just the "Auto Hold" message when the failure happens. I bought the car from a used car dealer when it had 39,000 miles. Now it has around 74,000 miles. I’m not sure if it’s…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 15, 2025Unknown or other, Service brakes, Forward collision avoidanceODI 11673623

Forward collision avoidance

5 reports
“I’m driving with cruise control on the highway at 65 and all of a sudden it shuts off. The check cruise system light comes on along with a triangle with an exclamation point in the middle of it in the lower left side of dashboard and the letters EPB lights up on the lower right side of dashboard.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 6, 2023Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Forward collision avoidanceODI 11536725

Vehicle speed control

3 reports
“During a highway trip that was bumper to bumper traffic at approximately 15mph, the car suddenly would not accelerate while operating on gasoline (not electric). The engine revs would increase to maximum without movement from the car (as if the car was in neutral). After checking the gear lever to make sure it was still in D, tried to accelerate again and engine rev high without movement. Eventually car came to stop with brakes, and the car could move on electric power (in hybrid mode), pulled over and turned off the car to visually inspect. After not identifying anything, turned on car and operation resumed to normal and would accelerate on gas power.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 20, 2022Vehicle speed control, Forward collision avoidanceODI 11474908

Seat belts

1 report
“Installing a car seat and the belt buckle failed. The plastic part split and no longer holds the belt together. This was under regular pressure with standard leverage that the car seat design calls for. Nothing was ever on top of the buckle and it is not damaged in any other way at all other than the failure. They refused to replace it via warranty.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 26, 2026Seat beltsODI 11740246

Engine

1 report
“The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid. The contact stated that upon depressing the accelerator pedal, there was an abnormal ratting sound coming from the vehicle, and the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The contact stated that the check engine and oil warning lights were illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with connecting rod bearing failure. The contact was then provided an estimate for an engine replacement. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number. The vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer and was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was 73,020.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 8, 2025EngineODI 11659724
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 11, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.