NHTSA Complaint #11142197 — 2013 HYUNDAI VELOSTER

AS I WAS DRIVING MY 2013 HYUNDAI VELOSTER TURBO HOME FROM WORK ON 10/16/18, I PULLED ONTO THE FREEWAY ON RAMP AND BEGAN ACCELERATING. I FELT A LARGE SHUDDER/VIBRATION, HEARD A LOUD METALLIC BANG, AND SAW SMOKE BEGIN POURING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER, SHUT THE ENGINE OFF, GOT OUT OF THE VEHICLE, AND POPPED THE HOOD. SMOKE BEGAN POURING OUT FROM THE ENGINE BAY. I OBSERVED THAT A MIXTURE OF OIL AND ANTIFREEZE HAD SPRAYED ON MANY OF THE ENGINE COMPONENTS AND WAS STREAMING OFF THE ENGINE ONTO THE PAVEMENT. I LOOKED UNDER AND BEHIND THE CAR AND FOUND INTERNAL ENGINE COMPONENTS SUCH AS PIECES OF THE ENGINE BLOCK, PISTON, WRIST PIN, ETC. I ALSO WAS ABLE TO LOOK UNDER THE CAR AND NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A LARGE HOLE IN THE ENGINE BLOCK WHERE AN INTERNAL COMPONENTS HAD SHOT OUT OF THE ENGINE AND THE OIL FILTER HOUSING WAS SNAPPED OFF OF THE ENGINE BLOCK AND DANGLING BY THE OIL LINE. AFTER RESEARCHING THE ISSUE ON THE INTERNET FORUMS, I FOUND THAT CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE WAS VERY COMMON FOR 2013 HYUNDAI VELOSTER TURBO CARS. THE FAILURES OFTEN INVOLVED INTERNAL ENGINE PIECES BLOWING OUT OF THE ENGINE, DESTROYING THE ENGINE, AND SPRAYING THE ENGINE AND GROUND DOWN WITH OIL AND ANTIFREEZE. I FOUND REPORTS OF APPROXIMATELY 20+ OF THESE ENGINE FAILURES ON THIS PARTICULAR FORUM (VELOSTERTURBO.ORG), BUT TO MY KNOWLEDGE THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL BY HYUNDAI FOR THIS ISSUE. I RECOMMEND THAT THE NHTSA OPEN UP AN INVESTIGATION INTO THIS ISSUE AS THIS COMMON CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE CAN HAVE SEVERE SAFETY CONSEQUENCES DUE TO INTERNAL ENGINE COMPONENTS BEING EJECTED FROM THE ENGINE AT HIGH SPEED, ENGINES CATASTROPHICALLY FAILING AND CAUSING THE ENGINE TO LOSE POWER IMMEDIATELY WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN, AND THE RISK OF FIRE DUE TO HOT COMPONENTS BEING DOUSED IN OIL.