Home›Hyundai›Veloster›2021

Hyundai · Compact car

2021 Hyundai Veloster

Gas

Compact Cars
6 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11

Safety Signal

69 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record

Recalls1 critical3

Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA29

Crash ratingNHTSA overall—

Fuel economybest combined, EPA30 mpg

2022 2021 2020 2019 2017 2016

The 2021 Hyundai Veloster is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact car with 6 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Veloster, is EPA-rated at 30 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for this model year, 1 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of D. Owners have filed 29 complaints, most often about the lane departure.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov

Configuration	Powertrain	Drive	Engine / motor	City	Hwy	Comb	Annual fuel*
Veloster	Gas	FWD	2.0L 4-cyl	27	34	30	$2,100
Veloster	Gas	FWD	1.6L 4-cyl turbo	28	34	30	$2,100
Veloster	Gas	FWD	1.6L 4-cyl turbo	26	33	29	$2,150
Veloster	Gas	FWD	2.0L 4-cyl	25	33	28	$2,250
Veloster N	Gas	FWD	2.0L 4-cyl turbo	22	28	25	$3,100
Veloster N	Gas	FWD	2.0L 4-cyl turbo	20	27	22	$3,500

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 42538, 42540, 42541, 42539, 42928, 42927.

Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.

Recalls (3)

Source: NHTSA recall database

▲high

Fuel System, Gasoline

262-023G

54,647 vehicles

ProblemHyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2022 Veloster N, 2019-2023 Genesis G70, 2022-2023 Elantra N, and Kona N vehicles. The fuel pump may fail, which can result in a loss of drive power.RiskA loss of drive power can increase the risk of a crash.FixDealers will update engine control module software. In addition, dealers will inspect and replace the fuel pump assembly, as necessary. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning September 9, 2024. Some interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed September 3, 2024. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's numbers for this recall are 262 and 023G.

NHTSA campaign 24V528000reported Jul 11, 2024Hyundai Motor America

▲high

Power Train

236

56,148 vehicles

ProblemHyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Santa Fe, Sonata, Veloster N, 2022 Santa Cruz, Elantra N, and Kona N vehicles. The vehicle's "fail-safe" limited-mobility drive mode may be impaired, when prompted by a transmission oil pump malfunction, which can result in a complete loss of drive power.RiskLoss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.FixDealers will inspect and replace the transmission, as necessary. Dealers will also update the transmission control unit software. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 10, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 236.

NHTSA campaign 22V746000reported Oct 6, 2022Hyundai Motor America

!critical

Engine

203

158,493 vehicles

ProblemHyundai 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.RiskA 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.FixDealers 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.

NHTSA campaign 21V301000reported Apr 28, 2021Hyundai Motor America

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database

29complaints filed

1 involved a crash · 1 a fire · 0 injuries · 1 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2021: 3 · 2022: 14 · 2023: 4 · 2024: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2026: 4

Most-cited components

Lane Departure16

Steering8

Engine3

Electrical System3

Fuel/Propulsion System2

Unspecified2

What owners describe

“The power steering motor fails at random and without warning, creating an imminent wreck hazard. At any time, the wheel will lose all power steering and simultaneously illuminate a red steering wheel warning on your dashboard. It takes significant force to turn the wheel once this happens. Secondly, when turning, a nor…”Sep 4, 2026 · Electrical System · NHTSA owner report

“The power steering system fails at random sometimes on the highway and off. This is very dangerous as it is very difficult to maneuver the car when I do not have the power steering working especially at highway speeds. This issue has not been reproduced as of yet or inspected. When I am driving first a lane departure o…”Aug 1, 2026 · Steering · NHTSA owner report

“Complete power steering loss while on the highway. When resetting the car, the issue is resolved only to have power steering fail moments later”Jun 18, 2026 · Steering · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

NHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.

Other Veloster model years

2022 Hyundai Veloster

2 recalls · 36 complaints

2020 Hyundai Veloster

2 recalls · 26 complaints

2019 Hyundai Veloster

3 recalls · 45 complaints

2017 Hyundai Veloster

0 recalls · 49 complaints

2016 Hyundai Veloster

1 recalls · 221 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

JSON for this page · API