Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
Fuel economy
22–30 mpgcombined; city 20–28, highway 27–34; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$10,830–$18,290U.S. average; Ohio $9,680–$17,240 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA overall safety rating
Not ratedNHTSA has no overall rating for this year
NHTSA's VIN data lists no trims for the 2021 Veloster, so these are the versions EPA tested, by its names. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.
Owners have filed 29 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Veloster. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Lane departure
16
0
0
0
Steering
8
0
0
0
Electrical system
3
0
0
0
Engine
3
0
0
0
Fuel/propulsion system
2
0
0
0
Power train
2
0
0
0
Unknown or other
2
0
1
0
Seat belts
1
1
0
0
Wheels
1
0
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2021 Veloster over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
Hyundai 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.
Risk: A loss of drive power can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers 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.
Hyundai 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.
Risk: Loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers 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.
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.
Risk: 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.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 75 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2021 Veloster, the latest on Oct 8, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: electrical system (39), equipment (10), engine and engine cooling (9), power train (7), air bags (5).
NHTSA hasn't opened a defect investigation that covers this model year.
Maintenance
Oil
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2021 Veloster.
See used 2021 Hyundai Velosters for sale on: Autotrader · CarMax
These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.
Specs
EPA class: compact cars. EPA greenhouse gas score: 4–6 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
Veloster Front-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline
27 / 34 / 30
Veloster Front-Wheel Drive
1.6 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic (AM-S7)
Regular Gasoline
28 / 34 / 30
Veloster Front-Wheel Drive
1.6 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Manual 6-spd
Regular Gasoline
26 / 33 / 29
Veloster Front-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl
Manual 6-spd
Regular Gasoline
25 / 33 / 28
Veloster N Front-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Manual 6-spd
Premium Gasoline
22 / 28 / 25
Veloster N Front-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic (AM-S8)
Premium Gasoline
20 / 27 / 22
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data