2013 Hyundai Veloster: engine knocking or ticking

Filed Apr 22, 2026 · Engine · NE

The car goes into limp mode in the middle of driving on the interstate or usually at higher speeds and loses speed quickly. This has put me at high risk for accidents when traveling between cities and has left me stranded on dangerous parts of the interstate at times. I have taken it to my Hyundai dealer I bought the car from and they said there is a knock in the engine and the whole engine would need replaced and I cannot afford that ($12k) but the car only has 125k miles on it and I want to keep it for as long as possible because it’s my baby. I do not think it has been inspected by anyone but my dealer yet but I am willing to let anyone look at it in order to get it fixed without paying an arm and a leg. The car did have some issues prior to this issue that were recalled and fixed, but this happened out of nowhere and when it does happen the engine light flashes and it goes into limp mode. The light currently stays on because of the O2 Sensor though, but that is not a big issue. I have to use a OBD2 Scanner to clear the engine knock code every time it goes into limp mode in order to drive it properly and even then it will go back into limp mode eventually. My car started having issues probably a year or two ago. I also want to note I know a girl who used to have the exact same year, make and model of car as me and had the exact same issues of going into limp mode and such so it is not just a random issue of mine.

Filed Jul 18, 2025 · Engine · FL

While driving under normal conditions at approximately 65 mph, the engine emitted a sudden “bang” and severe knock. Over the following week, the vehicle stalled several times. Inspection revealed one piston crown was chipped, which then scored the cylinder wall and caused an oil leak. No other pistons or bearings showed wear. This failure pattern is consistent with low‐speed pre-ignition events documented in numerous online owner reports—many describing identical piston or rod breakage in 2013–2015 Veloster Turbos under Recall 19V204000, which addresses exactly this defect. The vehicle was partially disassembled for inspection, and Hyundai dealers have refused to perform the federally mandated Recall 19V204000 remedy. Instead, they deceptively insist on treating this as a warranty work request—despite me having told them more than five times (on multiple recorded calls), in two portal updates, and via certified letters, that this is a safety recall issue, not a warranty claim. Their refusal has forced me to incur several thousand dollars worth of expenses and spend dozens of hours pursuing a remedy. Hyundai representatives have repeatedly argued that this engine malfunction may stem from previous accident damage. However, the vehicle’s only collisions occurred in June 2014, when it sustained moderate to severe front-end damage at approximately 1,000 miles and was subsequently repaired at a certified dealer, and in 2019, when it incurred rear-end damage under 30,000 miles. The piston-crown failure I experienced in 2024—at 90,000–95,000 miles—cannot be attributed to either of those incidents. Its nature and timing are fully consistent with low-speed pre-ignition, the exact defect addressed by Recall 19V204000. An 11-page CARFAX report and full call‐recordings are available upon request.

Filed Jun 25, 2025 · Engine · NH

Vehicle Info: 2013 Hyundai Veloster VIN: [XXX] Odometer: 75,000 miles Problem Description: My check engine light began flashing and the vehicle entered limp mode. Diagnostic codes showed P1326 and U1103, which are linked to a known Theta II engine defect involving rod bearing failure. Hyundai issued a 15-year / 150,000-mile warranty extension and settled a class-action lawsuit to cover these failures. However, my request for coverage was denied due to “time in service” despite being well below the mileage limit (only 75k miles). This is a serious safety concern that may result in sudden engine failure. I am requesting that the federal safety agency investigate Hyundai's denial and handling of such cases INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Jun 25, 2025 · Engine · NH

My 2013 Hyundai Veloster (VIN: [XXX] ) has the known P1326 fault related to the Theta II engine defect. Despite a rod bearing test that passed, the engine now requires replacement, confirmed by the dealer, who quoted me $8,494. Hyundai refuses to assist, even though I am under the 150,000-mile extended warranty. This is a safety risk and fits the class-action defect criteria. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Sep 16, 2024 · Engine · FL

A connecting rod bearing failed in the engine leading to catastrophic engine failure with the connecting rod breaking through the wall of the engine block causing a hole and undriveable vehicle. According to my research, this issue has been recalled in adjacent model years (2015-2016) but not in my model year (2013) that has the same engine. This issue has already been confirmed in these engines, but Hyundai states my car is not included in the recall. This was a safety risk because the engine failure breached the engine wall which could have ignited engine oil and caused a fire. The engine may have also failed at a critical driving moment when acceleration was needed and stranded the car in an unsafe position. Yes, the problem was reproduced at the dealer's service center because the failure occurred while they were test driving my vehicle. Since the service center tech was the one driving the car when the incident occured, I do not know if there was a fire or not and the speed they were traveling, etc. The vehicle has been inspected by the dealer service center and confirmed that this is the issue that caused the problem. The dealer even suspected this was going to happen as they had foreknowledge of the issue occurring on other vehicles that had already been recalled for this issue. The only prior warning of this issue is that I had some misfires on the engine a few days before which is what prompted me to bring it in for service. The misfires temporarily illuminated the "check engine" light but then the light went back out again. I had no idea this minor issue would result in such a severe, catastrophic failure.

Filed Sep 8, 2024 · Steering · NC

On going issue since 2016 with the failure of the rubber coupling in the motor driven power steering (MDPS) assembly. Loose steering, knocking noise, worsening overtime. Known issue with the Hyundai Elantra and recall issued for the same part and issue on the Elantra. But not for the Veloster, service department acknowledged identical part usage in Veloster and MDPS assembly is failing in the Veloster with same safety issues. But since no recall have been issued full cost of replacement passed to consumer. $5 dollar rubber coupler, +$500 labor.

Filed Aug 29, 2024 · Engine, Fuel system · FL

One night I was driving on the highway and my check engine light came on. At first I thought it was weird because I had just gotten the car from a dealership three weeks prior. I pulled into a gas station and checked my oil which was low so I added some oil that I had bought. As I was driving home the car suddenly developed a tick and started to lose power. The turbo stopped working. I was pretty concerned about this so the next morning I decided to top off the oil and I decided to take the car into a shop. The first shop heard the engine knock and told me that my crankshaft might be going bad but I wanted a second opinion so I took it to a trusted shop who heard the engine knock and told me the engine would need to be replaced. I called the warranty company and they inspected it at the shop and said the engine would need to be torn down for diagnosis. I had to agree to pay for the shop to tear down the engine if it would not be covered. The shop found metal shavings in the oil pan. Once the engine was apart, they said that the rod bearing was bad. The car and engine are available for inspection.

Filed Aug 19, 2024 · Engine · CA

Car hit 100k miles engine is knocking and mechanic says engine is blown. Researched the issue and found many other people having same issue. Hyundai issued a recall for this year's veloster but is saying my car does not fall under the category even though it is one of the issued problems with vehicle

Filed Apr 9, 2024 · Driver assistance, Engine · VA

Unknown but it threw the abs light on and off and then the oil change light come on and it stared ticking after it shut off and then I turned it on and the ticking got worse and louder and steering was cliking so I parked it and it would not go over 20 mph or pull a hill so It’s been parked ever since

Filed Sep 12, 2023 · Engine · FL

On 8/2123 my son had left school, once on the major road his car would not accelerate. As he was turning, at a light, to get off the major road his car went limp and could barely move. An on coming car just missed him. I opened a claim with hyundai because they have a open case with their engines. They verified that the car is on the list for the extended warranty of the engine. Towed the car to a dealership and based off their diagnostic they say it's not the rod bearings it could be the camshaft or crankshaft and therefore the car is not qualified for the extended warranty. It is clear that they are covering themselves to not replace my engine. My son almost got into a major accident due to their faulty engine.

Filed Jun 14, 2023 · Engine, Locks · 127,000 miles · FL

The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Veloster. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, there was a knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the camshaft and timing belt was faulty. The vehicle was not yet repaired. Additionally, the contact stated the front passenger’s side wheel was shaking and vibrating abnormally while driving, the hood release latch was unsecure, and the passenger’s side door handle had detached. The contact stated that the windows would randomly roll up and down without input from the driver. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 127,000. The VIN was not available.

Filed May 5, 2023 · Engine · NV

On 9/27/2022, I wrote a letter to the federal safety agency (which was published in a PDF) outlining the reasons why all Veloster's (2011-2014) equipped with 1.6 L GDI engines are having Detonation And Catastrophic Failures. To sum it up, the real reason is the compression ratio is "much higher" than recommended for use with Regular 87 Octane Fuel. The compression ratio in the Base Model is: 11:1 and the Turbo Equipped Model is: 10:1. A compression ratio of 11:1 is "boarder line" for 105 Octane Race Fuel. The 11:1 compression ratio creates a Higher Combustion Chamber Temperature, which ignites the fuel air mixture before the Piston Reaches TDC. This causes excessive pressure on the Pistons and Rods, because the cylinder is firing while the Piston Is In It's Upward Travel. While even though the compression ratio is lower for the Turbo Model, the Turbo Boost creates a higher cylinder pressure. That higher cylinder pressure combined with the detonation issues caused by the Low Octane Fuel, creates excessive pressure on the Pistons And Connecting Rods. This is what is causing these engines to fail! Hyundai has since installed a Dual CVVT Phase Regulator which lowers the Compression (by bleeding off Cylinder pressure) when the Knock Sensor detects Detonation. This is on all replacement GDI Engines. Many of the Hyundai And Kia Models use these same engines. Many of those models have already been recalled, but due to "Under Performing Sales" ours have not. The Veloster did not really "take off" until 2015. That's why the 2015-2016 Models (with the same engine) have Engine Recalls. If you have heard a Continuous Engine Knock your Engine already has Internal Engine Damage, but everyone who owns one of these Veloster's (that is still in running condition) should Immediately switch to Premium Fuel. Premium Fuel will help Prevent Detonation, And Temporarily Prevent Engine Failure. All of these Engines need to be Immediately Recalled, to provide for The Safety Of Our Family And Ourselves!