2021 HYUNDAI Veloster

Recalls, Specs & Safety Report

Expert Verdict
Good Reliability

This 2021 model shows good reliability, primarily driven by a below-average recall rate for the HYUNDAI brand.

Key Factor:below-average recall rate

📋Why This Matters

Powertrain issues affect both daily reliability and long-term ownership costs. Unexpected stalling creates inconvenience at best and safety hazards at worst.

Insurance companies review vehicle reliability data when setting premiums. Models with elevated recall rates often see adjusted pricing.

Focus Area:powertrain reliability
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Expert Analysis

  • 📈
    Recall Trend:No Change in recalls
  • ⚠️
    Primary Risk Area:Warning
  • ⚖️
    Vs Brand: Better than avg (1.7)
    📝
    Summary:

Safety & Reliability Score

91/100

Score Breakdown

Recall Impact-8
Complaint Impact-0.55
Investigation Impact-0

Technical Specifications

Key specifications for the 2021 HYUNDAI Veloster

Model Year2021
MakeHYUNDAI
ModelVeloster
Fuel TypeGasoline
Body ClassPassenger Vehicle

Safety History Timeline

Jan21
NEWProduction
Jan21
RECALLRecall Issued
Dec21
ISSUEFirst Report

Consumer Complaint Analysis

⚠️

Most Reported Issue

6 complaints (55% of total)
➡️

Complaint Trend

Stable
No trend data

Safety Incidents

No critical incidents

Complaint Severity Distribution

Breakdown of 11 consumer complaints by severity level.

🟡Medium
4(36%)
🟢Low
7(64%)
Good News: No critical or high-severity complaints reported for this vehicle.

Mileage Failure Analysis

⚙️Engineering Insight

Based on consumer reports, issues for this vehicle tend to peak around the 0-20k mileage range. The average reported failure mileage is 9,025 miles.

📊 Mileage data extracted from 4 of 11 complaints (36% coverage)
0-20k
4 reports (100%)
20k-40k
0 reports (0%)
40k-60k
0 reports (0%)
60k-80k
0 reports (0%)
80k-100k
0 reports (0%)
100k+
0 reports (0%)
* Analysis based on mileage data extracted from consumer complaint descriptions. Actual failure rates may vary.

🛠️ DIY Diagnosis Center

Experiencing an issue? Select a symptom to find official manufacturer solutions (TSBs).

Primary Risk Areas

ENGINE

Official Safety Recalls (1)

Campaign: 21V301000

ENGINE

Summary

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Elantra, 2019-2021 Kona and Veloster vehicles equipped with 2.0L Nu MPI engines. The piston oil rings may not have been properly heat-treated, which could result in engine damage.

Consequence

A damaged engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash. In addition, oil may leak onto hot exhaust components, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the engine, free of charge. In addition, Hyundai will deploy Piston Ring Noise Sensing System (PNSS) software. Owner notification letters were mailed August 24, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460.

Additional Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America

NHTSA Investigations

0 investigations

No active investigations for this vehicle.

Consumer Complaints

11 total complaints

Consumer-reported issues submitted to NHTSA for 2021 Veloster.

Common Reported SymptomsAI Analysis

Warning55%
Stall27%
Accident9%
Engine/Powertrain🔶 Medium
STEERING,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

high pressure fuel pump needed to be replaced twice before 1k miles the car just stalled out of no where .. now the car needs a new wheel berrings at 10k miles .

Other🔵 Low
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE

Constant False positives, already took to dealership and issue still persists

Other🔶 Medium
LANE DEPARTURE

This car came with summer tires(Pirelli P-Zero summer tires), so I decide to change to all-season CONTINENTAL EXTREME CONTACT DWS06 PLUS with the same size as OEM tires which is 235/35/19. I got my new tires installed on the morning of Feb 27, 2021, next day my blind spot system started to acting up without any error message on the dash. The indicator on both sides of the mirrors stays on while no vehicle around me, sometimes they remain off when there is a vehicle around.

Engine/Powertrain🔶 Medium
ENGINE

The first oil change, December 2020, no oil was in the vehicle, it was under the recommended miles. Second oil change, April 2021, cut the recommended miles down and again no oil was in the vehicle. May 28, 2021 Leaving a parking lot, the Veloster began to cut out and stall. Within 2 miles it died completely, three times. There was no oil in the Veloster. No lights or warnings came on, until I was leaving the dealership. I continue to have issues with the motor dragging, not shifting properly and trying to die. The recall was closed on the Veloster for the oil rings not being heat treated properly, without Hyundai actually fixing the problem. I have been told the whole time the stalling and cutting out is not connected to the oil ring issue.

Engine/Powertrain🔵 Low
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

No warning lights came on during the whole time this happened ... purchased this car with 98 miles on it.... I had the car for 7 days .. mind you i did not use the special features of the car like launch control or NGrin Shifting ... i did not take the car past 4k RPM as per the manual ... @ 1100 miles exactly i had just filled up with gas and as i pull out the car dies on me ... i go to start it .. it keeps trying to turn over .. and over and over ... till i smelt gas .... so i put the car into neutral and roll back to the curb i could see the trail of gas left behind it .... so i had it towed to a different dealer as the one who sold it to me .. was not a option to take it to on the app... so the dealer calls me and tells me its the HIGH PRESSURE FUEL pump ... but funny thing is , that It had all ready been replaced before they sold me the car..... witch they did not disclose to me .... as soon as the dealer who sold me the after i filed a formal corporate complaint had the car towed to thier shop where it currently sits and its been over 2 weeks waiting on a part ... but the fact is this is the second time they have had to replace the pump or line and the car only has 1100 miles on it .....

Steering/Suspension🔵 Low
STEERING

Around 6000 miles the steering wheel froze while coming from a long highway trip and tried to veer me across 3 lanes into a wall. Had to man handle it off the roadway up the off ramp. Turned the car off, then turned it back on, and it was like nothing happened. Took it to the dealer and they couldn't find anything, because they say there was no code. Well, same thing just happened again while I'm out of state. Another icon appears on the screen and my steering wheel locked up at 65 miles per hour, surrounded by 18 wheelers. Had to grip the wheel again like superman and thread between 2 trucks to make it to the right shoulder. Hurried up to turn the car off and turn it back on quickly to avoid being hit from behind by any other vehicles. It worked. Car started and acted like nothing happened again. I continued on my long trip carefully and cautiously. This was the second time at 15,000 miles on car now. I googled it and saw on other car forums the same problem, but no one has complained yet. I have to make another appointment, but I'm sure they will say the same thing. This is a big safety issue that hyundai need to figure out and fix. I love my car, but its trying to kill me, and possibly others around me. So please investigate this issue. Thanks.

Other🔵 Low
LANE DEPARTURE

1. What failed - BSM monitoring fails to an always on state 2. Safety affected - Visibility out of the Veloster N is already quite poor, BSM also failing makes lane changes uncertain 3. Yes it's a known issue 4. No 5. The only warning is that the BSM in the mirrors stays on constantly and doesn't respond to cars in the blindspot

Other🔶 Medium
LANE DEPARTURE

- Blind spot monitoring system - It rarely works and if it does work, it warns me of vehicles when none are around. I believe this could cause an accident if someone is not warned of a vehicle in the blind spot. - Yes, it was recalibrated by the dealer but it was not fixed. - No

Other🔵 Low
LANE DEPARTURE

I recently switched on winter tires for my 2021 Hyundai Veloster N. This car comes with stock summer tires and they would be unsafe for winter conditions in New England. After switching on the winter tires, the blind spot monitoring system has started registering a lot of false positives, especially at low speeds. I verified this issue is strangely caused by the tire change because if I put my stock summer tires back on the car, the false positives go away. Other 2021 Veloster N owners have already submitted similar reports to NHTSA so I am helping out by highlighting this issue as well. Once a driver such as myself becomes acclimated to the blind spot monitoring system, having constant false positives is dangerous and I am getting subconsciously trained to ignore the warnings. Also turning off the system is not a good option either because I am too used to the system being on and might momentarily forget that the system is off and mistake that as nothing in my blind spot. Switching tires on my other vehicles with blind spot monitoring does not pose any such issues, I want to note that here. It seems to be exclusive to Hyundai and this model also as reported by other Veloster N owners.

Other🔵 Low
LANE DEPARTURE

Blind Spot Warning no longer works correctly after replacing stock Pirelli high performance summer tires with All-Season tires. The system constantly detects a vehicle on the passenger side, even when nothing is there. Numerous other Veloster N owners have reported this issue on the "velostern.com" forum site. I drive my car 300+ miles a week and depend on the Blind Spot Warning system while driving on busy highways, especially now that it is dark out so much. I have taken the vehicle to the dealership and they also could not figure out the issue. They claim to have spoken with Hyundai Tech Support and they said to replace the radar unit. This was on 11/16/21. The radar is still on back order with not estimated date of arrival. This car is not even a year old with 10,000 miles and a safety system that I depend on for safety has stopped working after replacing the tires.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there any recalls for the 2021 HYUNDAI Veloster?

Yes, the 2021 HYUNDAI Veloster has 1 recorded recall from NHTSA. These recalls cover various components including ENGINE.

Is the 2021 HYUNDAI Veloster safe to drive?

The 2021 HYUNDAI Veloster has 1 recall. If you own this vehicle, check with your dealer to ensure all recall repairs have been completed. Most recalls have free remedies available.

Where can I check if my 2021 HYUNDAI Veloster has open recalls?

You can check for open recalls by visiting NHTSA.gov and entering your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), or by contacting your local HYUNDAI dealer.

📊Year-over-Year Context

➡️Stable Pattern

Compared to earlier years, the 2021 model shows stable reliability patterns. No meaningful structural change detected in recall frequency between adjacent model years.

🎯Risk Areas & Recommended Actions

Based on recall data, these components require verification:

1

Engine

Issue: presents fire risk under certain conditions

If you already own this vehicle: Contact your dealer immediately to confirm engine recall is complete. Recall repairs are always free.

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If you are evaluating a used example: Request VIN and verify all engine recalls are completed before purchase.

Campaign:21V301000
💡Visit NHTSA.gov or contact your HYUNDAI dealer to verify recall completion status.

🧭What This Means for You

This information is especially relevant for drivers who rely on stop-and-go traffic or frequently use auto start-stop systems.

If you're unsure, we recommend starting with a VIN check or consulting a certified mechanic.

🔑

If You Own This Vehicle

  • Verify all 1 recalls have been completed using your VIN at NHTSA.gov or through your HYUNDAI dealer.
  • If any recalls are open, schedule service immediately—recall repairs are always free.
  • Consider setting up VIN-specific alerts to receive notification of future recalls.
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If You're Buying Used

  • Request the VIN before purchase and verify recall status at NHTSA.gov.
  • This model year shows favorable reliability metrics compared to alternatives.

This page is designed to help you decide, not alarm you.

Compare with Similar Vehicles

Data sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Last updated: January 10, 2026.