2016 Hyundai Veloster

Typical pattern

6% of complaints about the 2016 Hyundai Veloster came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2016 vehicle — around the middle of the 199 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 5.5 yr in service. The most-reported system is engine (131 complaints), typically at 6.7 yr or about 81,500 miles.

Complaints: 300
Median age at failure: 5.5 yr
Median mileage: 32,000 n=144
Crash / fire / tow: 15.7% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

20V746000 2020-12-01

Engine

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Veloster, 2012 Santa Fe, 2011-2013 Sonata Hybrid, and 2016 Sonata Hybrid vehicles. The connecting rod bearings inside the engine may wear prematurely, which over time can result in engine damage.

A damaged engine can increase the risk of a fire or it can cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

In owners’ own words

Engine 3,300 mi 5 mo in service

THIS BRAND NEW CAR BREAKS DOWN ON MY TEENAGER. IT HAS DONE SO ON ME AS WELL. HAD IT INTO THE DEALER AND AUTO SHOPS AND THEY CNT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. THIS CAR LEA VES MY KID STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. NOT SAFE. GOES INTO LIMP MODE AND STALLS.

Engine 2,800 mi 11 mo in service

ACCELERATING BY ITSELF, LUNGING IN STOP/GO TRAFFIC.MOTOR REVS INTO PASSING GEAR ALL THE WAY TO 6500 RPM .BUT STAYS IN THE CURRENT SPEED, AND SOMETIMES WILL HOLD AT CERTAIN RPM EVEN IF NOT ON GAS , VERY LAGGY IN REV I FEEL I'M DRIVING OLDER CAR WITH MESSED UP TRANSMISSION

Engine 500 mi 1.1 yr in service

WHEN THE CAR IS STOPPED AT A LIGHT OR IN TRAFFIC WITH THE FOOT ON THE BREAK WHEN YOU RELEASE YOUR FOOT OFF THE BREAK THE CAR LURCHES FORWARD - MUST BE SOMETHING WITH THE NEW DUAL CLUTCH 7-SPEED TRANSMISSION. PLEASE HYUNDAI FIX THIS BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT OR KILLED

Electrical system 5,000 mi 7 mo in service

MY 2016 HYUNDAI VELOSTER WILL UNLOCK RANDOMLY WHILE IT IS IN MOTION. IT MORE COMMONLY UNLOCKS AT 45MPH OR HIGHER. EVEN AFTER IT UNLOCKS IT CONTINUES TO TRY AND UNLOCK SO I AM CONSTANTLY HEARING THE CLICK IT MAKES WHEN IT UNLOCKS

Other Veloster model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2016 Hyundai Veloster

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Veloster model years

How to read this