2023 Hyundai Nexo Safety Report

The 2023 Hyundai Nexo has a very limited safety data set due to only 5 total NHTSA complaints, with no reported crashes, fires, injuries, or deaths. This makes a comprehensive safety assessment challenging based solely on complaint volume. However, a critical safety concern has emerged regarding its hydrogen fuel system. The vehicle is subject to one recall (NHTSA Campaign Number 23V-806) concerning the thermally activated pressure relief device (TPRD) in the fuel tank. This device, designed to vent hydrogen gas in overheating situations, may break and cause a hydrogen leak, significantly increasing the risk of a vehicle fire and potential injury. Complaint patterns, despite the low volume, directly reflect this recall. Multiple complaints reference the fuel/propulsion system and the TPRD, with one owner reporting a hydrogen leak after the recall repair, leading to the vehicle being declared unsafe. Another complaint highlights the inherent risk of hydrogen fuel, noting that fires or damage to the fuel system could result in an explosion. This indicates that while the overall complaint count is low, the nature of the complaints points to a severe, albeit potentially rare, safety defect related to the vehicle's unique fuel system. NHTSA crash test ratings are not available for the 2023 Hyundai Nexo (Overall=N/A, Frontal=N/A, Side=N/A, Rollover=N/A), which further limits the ability to assess its structural crashworthiness. The lack of crash test data, combined with the critical fuel system recall and related complaints, suggests that while direct crash performance is unknown, the primary safety concern revolves around the integrity and potential hazards of its hydrogen propulsion system. The emergency braking system also received one complaint, indicating a potential, though infrequent, issue with driver assistance features.

Our recommendation: Given the critical recall concerning potential hydrogen fuel leaks and the lack of NHTSA crash test ratings, potential buyers should exercise extreme caution and ensure all recall repairs have been completed and verified before considering a purchase.