Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
Fuel economy
31 mpgcombined; city 30, highway 33; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$10,480U.S. average; Ohio $9,360 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
4 starslowest across the versions NHTSA tested
Recall campaigns
2over its history, 1 replaced by a later one; check a VIN for open onesRepaired under campaign 21V796000? NHTSA's record says it still needs the newer remedy of campaign 22V458000.
Owner complaints
28filed with NHTSA; not adjusted for sales
Problems owners report
Owners have filed 28 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Venue. 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
Unknown or other
13
1
0
0
Electrical system
10
0
0
0
Seat belts
5
0
0
0
Engine
3
0
0
0
Back over prevention
2
0
0
0
Fuel/propulsion system
2
0
0
0
Power train
2
0
0
0
Service brakes
2
0
0
0
Steering
2
0
0
0
Exterior lighting
1
0
0
0
Forward collision avoidance
1
0
0
0
Seats
1
0
0
0
1 more part
Vehicle speed control
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 2 recall campaigns for the 2021 Venue over its history, 1 replaced by a later one. A replaced campaign is listed at the end as history, not as a separate repair. 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.
Repaired under campaign 21V796000? NHTSA's record says it still needs the newer remedy of campaign 22V458000. A repair under the earlier campaign doesn't complete the later one: check the VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Venue vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioners may explode upon deployment.
Risk: An exploding seat belt pretensioner can project metal fragments into the vehicle, strike vehicle occupants, and result in injury.
Remedy: Dealers will secure the seat belt pretensioners with a cap, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 25, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 231. This recall expands and replaces NHTSA recall number 21V-796 for Venue vehicles. Venue vehicles previously repaired under 21V-796 will need to have the new remedy completed.
Replaced by campaign 22V458000, as NHTSA's record says: history, not a separate repair. Cars repaired under this campaign still need the newer remedy.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021 Elantra, Elantra HEV, Venue, Genesis GV80 and 2022 Genesis GV70 vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioner(s) may explode upon deployment.
Risk: An exploding seat belt pretensioner could project metal fragments into the vehicle, striking vehicle occupants and resulting in injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 10, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's numbers for this recall are 211 and 009G. This recall is replaced by NHTSA recall numbers 22V-354 for Elantra and Elantra HEV vehicles, 22V-458 for Venue vehicles, and 23V-094 for Genesis vehicles. Elantra, Elantra HEV, Venue, and Genesis vehicles already repaired under this recall will need to have the new remedies completed.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 65 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2021 Venue, the latest on Oct 7, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: electrical system (42), equipment (8), unknown or other (6), engine and engine cooling (5), power train (3).
NHTSA defect investigations
Opening an investigation isn't a finding of a defect. Outcomes are as NHTSA's summary states them. A recall is shown as an investigation's outcome only where NHTSA's summary names it; other recalls NHTSA's file lists with it are marked as listed, not caused.
Investigation
Part
Opened
Status
Recall query RQ22003 Seat Belt Pretensioners May Rupture · covers 4 makes
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 Venue.
EPA class: midsize cars. EPA greenhouse gas score: 7 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
Venue Front-Wheel Drive
1.6 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (AV-S1)
Regular Gasoline
30 / 33 / 31
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