2016 Hyundai Veloster: sudden loss of power

Filed Jun 8, 2026 · Engine · TN

2016 Hyundai Veloster with 1.6L Gamma engine experienced repeat catastrophic engine failure consistent with the federal safety agency Recall 20V746000 / Hyundai Recall 198 for connecting rod bearing failure. Failure #1: At 124,036 miles, engine developed loud knocking noise increasing with RPM, check engine light, and DTCs P0300 (random misfire) + P0303 (cylinder 3 misfire). Dealer repair order documented "broken intake valve on cylinder 3." Engine was replaced at my expense because Hyundai stated VIN was not covered under Recall 198, despite failure mode matching the recall. Failure #2: Hyundai replacement engine failed at 164,410 miles (40,374 miles on replacement engine). Identical symptoms returned: loud metallic knock that increases with RPM, same DTCs P0300/P0303, misfire cylinder 3. Vehicle is currently inoperable. Safety Concern: the federal safety agency Recall 20V746 states connecting rod bearings "may wear prematurely, which over time can result in engine damage" and "can increase the risk of a fire." Both of my engines suffered catastrophic internal damage at ∼40k-50k mile intervals with identical codes and cylinder 3 failure. A broken intake valve is engine damage directly caused by bearing wear allowing piston-to-valve contact. This is a pattern defect. My VIN was excluded from the recall, yet suffered the exact failure twice. The replacement engine supplied by Hyundai had the same defect. This presents a safety risk of sudden engine stall, loss of power, or fire while driving. Requested Action: Investigation into why VINs experiencing the exact failure mode are excluded from Recall 20V746, and assistance obtaining remedy from Hyundai.

Filed May 11, 2026 · Transmission · SC

I was driving down the highway when I lost all power to my engine and had to coast off and exit. Prior to the incident there was no indication of a problem. White smoke began coming out of my exhaust. I brought the car to a dealership and they told me that I would need a timing job and a new turbo. They said that my car was starved for oil, regular maintenance had been kept up with on the vehicle.

Filed Apr 28, 2026 · Engine · TX

I was driving on the highway when suddenly the car lost power and the engine light started flashing. I was able to coast into a gas station. The car would no longer start and I was stranded. The next day, we drove back to where the car was stranded and attempted to get it started again, but we were unsuccessful. We had the car towed to a mechanic shop where we were told that the entire engine was blown and needed to be replaced. We had the car towed to the local Hyundai service center so they could inspect the engine. We discovered that the make, model, and year of our Veloster had been subject to an engine recall and these cars were given an extended warranty to 15 years/150,000 miles. Hyundai inspected the engine and refused to provide assistance under the extended warranty/recall. Replacement of the engine is going to cost close to $10,000.

Filed Apr 11, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · OK · crash · 1 injury

Incident Description: I purchased a 2016 Hyundai Veloster (VIN: KMHTC6ADXGU255844) in May 2025. Shortly after purchase, the vehicle began exhibiting serious mechanical issues, including engine knocking, excessive oil consumption, stalling, misfiring, and loss of power. Despite these ongoing issues, the vehicle is listed as having Recall 198 completed. However, the symptoms associated with that recall continued and progressively worsened. The vehicle ultimately stalled in traffic while I was making a turn, resulting in an accident. In a separate incident, after exiting the vehicle and believing it to be in PARK, the vehicle moved unexpectedly and ran over me, causing serious physical injuries including fractures. Prior to these incidents, the vehicle had ongoing mechanical issues that were not properly resolved. The vehicle also required repeated jump-starts and became unreliable to operate. Additionally, there are discrepancies in the service records. The vehicle was towed to a dealership on or about June 8, 2025 and remained there until approximately July 15, 2025. However, the documentation provided reflects only a limited number of service days and consolidates multiple visits into a single summary. Due to these inconsistencies and the continued presence of failure symptoms, I am unable to verify that recall-related repairs were properly performed. These incidents raise serious concerns about engine failure and possible unintended vehicle movement, both of which present significant safety risks.

Filed Jan 12, 2026 · Engine · TX

As I was driving to work one day my 2016 Veloster suddenly lost power on the expressway at expressway speeds. Now that in itself is very dangerous seeing as how there were big rigs around me. Luckily I managed to make it off of the expressway traveling slower than I turtle.i was almost rear ended on various occasions. I parked right away and left to work. I came back later that day and cranked her over and it started,but now with the check engine light blinking. So I attempted to drive it a little and it worked but now I've come to find out that it is in protect mode.I took it to my local Hyundai dealership (Hyundai of pharr) in pharr Texas and was told that Hyundai would not honor their extended warranty because whatever is wrong with it is not covered according to them. So a while back there was a class action lawsuit in California against the Hyundai Corporation of which I was a part of. When it was time for settlement I had a choice of monetary gain or and overly extended warranty on my 2016 Veloster that covered engine and transmission for I believe was 10 more years. So I chose the warranty but Hyundai still won't cover it. I guess I have to wait for my car to catch on fire before they submit the warranty and even then they will blame something else. So here I am,telling my story.

Filed Dec 10, 2025 · Engine · AL

On March 2024, I had my veloster towed to a certified Hyundai service dealer because it suddenly began losing power, the oil light came on, the engine light flickered, and it began making a whining noise, and then the engine died and wouldn’t crank again. It took them weeks to diagnose it, and they told me the turbo was out in it, and quoted me an absurd amount to replace it. I had the turbo replaced, as well as some gaskets, the coils and spark plugs. It ran fine after that until June 2025 when the oil and check engine light came on and the engine died again while we were coming home from a vacation, 2 hours south of where we live in a tiny town that had no dealership or rental company within 100 miles. We found a small mechanic who said it needed a lower fuel pump. He put one in it and we got back on the road, but it still wasn’t running as well as it should. It don’t have quite as much power, but no dash lights came on. When I got home I took it to another local certified Hyundai service dealer, who said it needed new coils and spark plugs again, so they replaced them. Again it ran fine for a while until the day after thanksgiving this year, 11/25, when the oil light came on again at the end of my road. I took it to another local certified auto parts store who read the codes and found no suggested fix. No certified dealers were open that day, so I took it to Pep Boys where the engine light came on when I pulled in, and who said they thought it needed new timing solenoids, and put them in it. When they finished, they drove it and told me they felt like the turbo was going out and advised I take it to the dealer again. I had it towed to a certified Hyundai service dealer on Monday 12/01/25. They diagnosed it as needing a new turbo (again), a lower oil pan, and an oil switch. Quoted $3550. Over a week later today they told me that after putting it all in and tiring it on that the oil light came back on. They have now diagnosed it as needing an oil pump.

Filed Dec 9, 2025 · Engine · 125,367 miles · NC

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Veloster. While the contact’s wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle suddenly lost power, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle then stalled at a stoplight. The vehicle was restarted and immediately driven to the local dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine compression was abnormal and advised the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that while at the dealer, the service and diagnostic guidelines were not followed regarding the federal safety agency Action Number: EA21003 (ENGINE), and the coverage was denied. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 125,367.

Filed Aug 13, 2024 · Acceleration, Engine · IN

As I was driving on the highway I started losing power and a warning of transmission over heating appeared on screen. I let the car sit and cool down and when I started it up again the same issue persisted, I had the car towed home. My vehicle is available for inspection upon request. My safety was put at risk since I was driving and highway speed and car just slowed down during rush hour traffic. The vehicle has not been expected at this time.

Filed Apr 11, 2024 · Fuel system · HI

Code: P0087 show up when I scanned it. I was driving on freeway and my car lose power suddenly. This could potentially cause accident because it’s was heavy traffic time.

Filed Oct 17, 2023 · Engine · GA

After previous complaint I filed, my engine continued to decline. Began burning a quart of oil approximately every 240 miles and has now almost completely lost power. It will not go above 25 miles per hour. I can not drive it anywhere except within two miles of my house where the speed limit is 25mph. EXCEEDINGLY DANGEROUS! It will die while driving and crank right back up but then die again. As contained in my previous complaint - Check engine light has been flashing since last December, Oil light comes on approximately every 240 miles. Other model years of this car have been recalled due to oil issues - but not this one. Yes the engine has been inspected and everyone agrees the engine is bad but Hyundai refuses to do anything about it due to the car not being included in the previous recall years. PLEASE inspect it. Anytime you want. It's not like I can drive it anywhere. I would drive it straight to a junk yard, but am still paying on it. You should know, if you don't already, that Hyundai is regularly giving owners of cars that have been included in the recall, the runaround on repairing anything. There are multiple facebook groups with literally THOUSANDS of people complaining about the same or similar issues with their Hyundai vehicles and nothing is being done. The MOST disreputable company I have ever dealt with - from the dealer all the way up to corporate. READ SOME OF THESE STORIES TO GET A TRUE UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROBLEM... [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed May 16, 2023 · Fuel system, Transmission · AZ

Sudden power Loss when driving or turning. Engine began making noise check engine light came.on. parked made apt at deaser. ODB reader said was 02 sunsor bank one and camshaft poisition overclocked. Check engine light off when took to dealer. dealer said engine needs replaced 97k miles. Recent synthetic oil change 2 months prior to fail.

Filed Dec 26, 2022 · Engine · CO

I was driving my 2016 Hyundai Veloster Turbo when I started to hear a loud knocking sound coming from the engine. At this time I also noticed a decline in power and the check engine light came on. I made an appointment to bring the car to my local Hyundai dealership to have the car looked at. While en route to the dealership, the car suddenly made a loud bang and a profusion of smoke came out of the engine and engulfed the car, inside & out, making it impossible for not only me to see but also limited visibility for the person following me, which was extremely dangerous. I couldn't see or breathe and had to rapidly exit the car on the side of a busy road with no shoulder. The engine completely failed and the car was not drivable. I had the car towed to the Hyundai dealership where they told me the engine had seized and needed to be completely replaced. Although my VIN is not yet included in engine recall 20V746000, my car has the 1.6 liter GDI Gamma engine included in that recall. In addition, the exact chain of events that I experienced have been described by others whose cars are included in the recall which describes connecting rod bearings inside the engine wearing prematurely (creating a knocking sound and reduced engine power), causing engine damage. I am requesting an investigation into this incident as I feel that my car should be included in the recall. It was a very dangerous incident and I don't want others to needlessly experience this same problem, possibly with more harmful consequences.