2020 Hyundai Venue Problems and Top Complaints – Is Your Car A Lemon?

Powertrain & steering issues are among the top complaints from vehicle owners

Updated on Author: Brian Jones

Updated on Author: Brian Jones

Was your vehicle recalled for seat belt pretensioner issues? Read our post on the Hyundai & Kia Seat Belt Pretensioner Recall.

The 2020 Hyundai Venue was meant as a smaller model, with the automaker claiming it would bring “big city hustle.” However, the average customer can’t find anything nice to say about the model, claiming it has dangerous exterior lighting, a malfunctioning powertrain and defective steering.

Click on other model year to view more problems:  2021   2022

Don’t be stuck with a lemon. You have legal rights to cash, return or buyback.

The law makes Hyundai pay legal fees.

We've fixed thousands of lemon problems. Message or call 877-795-3666 today.

NHTSA Complaints for the 2020 Hyundai Venue

Complaint CategoryNumber of Complaints
Unknown Or Other
8
Seat Belts
4
Vehicle Speed Control
3
Exterior Lighting
2
Steering
2
Power Train
2
Electrical System
2
Exterior Lighting:headlights
1
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:pedals And Linkages
1
Lane Departure: Assist
1

Problems with the Exterior Lighting

When it comes to seeing clearly at night, the vehicle must have vibrant lighting, which is something the Venue seems to forget.

Here’s an important Edmunds review worth reading, “It’s very unsafe driving at night as the headlights cut your visibility on anything other than straight roads. I can’t see more than a few feet in front of me. Not safe and no one at Hyundai will respond.”

For now, Hyundai doesn’t have a lot to offer about lighting problems. The only communication is Service Bulletin #20-BD-014H, which talks about condensation in the headlamps. Yet, the automaker claims this isn’t a problem and tells customers to run the engine with the lights on to get rid of it. Soon, customers will have to jump through hoops and turn upside down just to make the car work as intended. How ridiculous.

Problems with the Powertrain

The transmission is just as unreliable as the exterior lighting.

That’s shown in this Edmunds review. “I’ve owned this car since January of 2020, I’m extremely disappointed with this car. The car is not designed for people over 6ft tall. The transmission had to be replaced at 19k miles. I had heard good things about newer Hyundai’s after hearing terrible things about older ones. The newer ones are just as bad as the older ones in my book. No reliability. Other car of the same price ($23k) will last you longer.”

Again, there isn’t a lot to talk about from Hyundai. The company has chosen to keep everything hush-hush. Instead, Service Bulletin #20-AT-016H only discusses how the transmission warranty repair works, probably because the company is trying to get out of fixing defects. With so many waiting for repairs, it only makes sense that the automaker is trying to make excuses.

Problems with the Steering

Controlling the vehicle should be paramount, but there are some serious issues with the 2020 Hyundai Venue.

Here’s one NHTSA complaint. “I believe that the Lane Assist Feature malfunctioning and cause the vehicle to collide head on with oncoming traffic. The car took over control of the steering and instead of nudging the car to the right during a curve on the road it overpowered the driver and pulled the car left into traffic at 40 mph.”

Sadly, Hyundai hasn’t released any information about steering or the advanced safety systems that could be causing troubles. Instead, the automaker is leaving people in the dark. For now, the only hope that Hyundai owners have is that they could jump ship to another brand and leave this automaker in the dust. Let someone else deal with this level of “big city hustle” failure.

Your Lemon Law Legal Rights

Think you have a lemon? Sit back and let the experts work out your lemon case at no cost to you. The law makes Hyundai pay legal fees. You may be able to get your lemon out of your life. Every year, auto manufacturers buy back, replace or pay cash settlements to thousands of ‘lemon’ owners like you.

Complaint Data

CategoryElectrical System:horn, Unknown Or Other
DateMar 11, 2023
StateOH
Description
The horn has stopped working. Checked the fuse and it was good still. This is a safety issue.
CategoryVehicle Speed Control
DateMar 06, 2023
StateVA
Description
Was driving at speed down the highway (70+mph) for an extended period of time traveling around 1. 5 hours and then acceleration started having issues. I wouldn't change the pressure on the gas but the rpm gage would go up and down wildly although I hadn't done anything and cause a jerky forward motion. This cued me that something was wrong. Then there was an accident up ahead which caused traffic to come to a stop. When I braked for the complete stop it was a hard brake although I pressed lightly on the brake. Then when I got up to speed again (70mph) I tried to accelerate above 70 to keep up with traffic and I couldn't get the car to go faster. I floored the gas pedal but there was nothing happening. Luckily I was able to make it to the far right lane and coast up an exit ramp to put on my hazards. Once I stopped in the shoulder on an exit ramp I was in park and tested the gas. There was nothing happening. I turned off the car and then restarted and hit the gas and the car accelerated but when I pushed the gas again it wouldn't accelerate. Once the car was turned on you could only hit the gas once to make the car accelerate otherwise the gas pedal did nothing. This was extremely dangerous traveling on the highway and could get someone killed. I was lucky there was an accident and traffic slowed down. My car has less than 20k miles on it so I'm extremely surprised that such a serious issue occurred. I have now found out other venue users have reported similar issues in online forums. Please take this report seriously!
CategoryUnknown Or Other, Visibility/wiper
DateFeb 17, 2023
StateTN
Description
The glass windshield of my 2020 hyundai venue sel began cracking in two different locations obstructing my view while driving. I was not able to locate any chips from road debris in the cracks. They both start from the frame of the vehicle. I've seen other reports of 2020 models with the same windshield issue that appears to be a quality issue of the windshield.
CategoryEngine, Vehicle Speed Control
DateFeb 12, 2023
StateIL
Description
I was driving my car on the way back from a trip, about an hour away. While driving about 70 mph on the highway, my car started to feel like it was lurching forward, and the rpms started shooting up and down uncontrollably. I tried to write it off as faulty cruise control or the shoes I was wearing, so I switched both of these things. Finally, the rpm shot up to 7000 without warning or cause. I drove 45 mph the rest of the way home as to ensure my safety. No dash lights or warnings had been given to signal that something was wrong with the car. Upon getting pretty close to home, I stopped at a red light. My car sounded as if it had shut down. The light turned green, and despite pressing the gas, the car did not move. Only at this point did the battery light and oil light come on. After restarting the car, no lights remained, and I was able to continue home. I took it to a private mechanic, who stated that he could not recreate the problem but that he believed it was a transmission issue. He advised I take it to hyundai, which I did. They also told me they drove the car and could not recreate the issue. I was assured my car was fine. Despite this, every day I drove to work or school, I could feel my car doing the same thing. It seems as if every time I tried to maintain speed, the rpm would shoot up and down uncontrollably and gain speed on its own. Finally, as I was returning from a friend's apartment, every time I hit the brakes, I could feel my car sputtering, as if it was about to give out. When I would try to accelerate, I would have to use a lot of pressure on the acceleration to get the car to even go, and it could not gain speed. Once stopped, it was incredibly hard to get the car to move at all. Luckily, I was only a few minutes from home, as if I was much further, I do not believe I would have made it.
CategoryPower Train, Vehicle Speed Control
DateJan 25, 2023
StateMD
Description
Initially experienced a strange minor revving of rpms up and down when I had sustained pressure on the gas pedal at highway speeds. The gas pedal slowly became less responsive and, after a short time, I lost all ability to accelerate the vehicle and needed to pull over on the shoulder of the highway. The sudden loss of acceleration was a clear threat to safety. Luckily, I had the car positioned in the right lane of the highway, so getting over to the righthand should was easier than it could have been. No warning lights showed up on the dash. The vehicle underwent a "perfect" multipoint inspection at my local hyundai dealership the day before the incident with no identified issues. The vehicle is now back at the same dealership for diagnosis. It is likely a critical failure of transmission or software. The car only had about 26,300 miles at the time of the incident. The contact stated that after several times, the dealer was able to identify the issue but not the cause of it. The dealer submitted a warranty request to hyundai to get a new transmission.
CategoryElectrical System, Power Train
DateJan 14, 2023
StateLA
Description
My vehicle started to hesitate as I merged or turned. Then my car completely stopped but it was still cranked. The dealership stated it was transmission issues but no warning lights came on.
CategorySuspension
DateDec 12, 2022
StateNY
Description
The contact owns a 2020 hyundai venue. The contact stated while driving 50 mph, there was a grinding noise coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but no failure was found. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that no cause for the failure was found. The failure mileage was 16,202.
CategorySeat Belts:front:warning Light/devices
DateOct 01, 2022
StateNY
Description
Driver seat belt sensors alarm when fastened. Passenger seat belt alarms with any item on seat. Also tire pressure light remained on after a general service check up.. I was given a 2 month wait appointment to have light turned off. It remained on until unexplained break down where it was towed to koppel hyundai. Also after vacuum of inside triggers seat belt alarm even when fastened. Koppel is offended with the tone I have used and deliberately schedules months ahead. When I explain I couldn't take appointments so far out due to work and family obligations. Repeated reports claim could not duplicate. I managed to video seat belt malfunctions and called them. They did not respond to messages or emails. Until I contacted cooperate for the 3 or more time. They encouraged koppel to give another repair attempt date 2 months wait. They had my car overnight twice and requested a 3rd unknown number of days. I decided to have my car serviced in staten island on date posted on car windshield during last maintenance. Mechanic said to much oil was in car. And that my oil was not due until 22 or 240000 miles. I called for them to drain and received again 2 months wait appointment even with knowledge they made the error. Hyundai koeppel said that they changed maintenance service from 12000 miles to half. Without my knowledge. After the car shut down and was towed. Representatives attempted to have me sign another repair which said couldn't be duplicated. The tow person had to open shift lock release to load vehicle. I refused and signed for horns replacement only. I have become overwhelmed with this particular hyundai and intend to have staten island evaluate at 220000 miles.
CategorySeat Belts
DateSep 29, 2022
StateFL
Description
The contact owns a 2020 hyundai venue. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 22v458000 (seat belts) however, the parts to do the recall repair were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. The vin was unavailable.
CategorySeat Belts
DateAug 30, 2022
StateNY
Description
The contact owns a 2020 hyundai venue. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 22v458000 (seat belts) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
CategorySeat Belts
DateAug 23, 2022
StateVA
Description
The contact owns a 2020 hyundai venue. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 22v458000 (seat belts) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
CategorySeat Belts
DateJul 08, 2022
StateIA
Description
Nhtsa recall number22v458000.... Dealership wont look or fix the car. Keeps saying "remedy not available"
CategoryUnknown Or Other
DateApr 07, 2022
StateCA
Description
One incident of unintended acceleration, other incident of deceleration to the point of stopping, gear jumped from drive to neutral in one incident. Acceleration by itself while driving several times. Lane keep assist while driving is abrupt with a lot of force, unpredictable at times. I'm at risk every time I drive this car, I cross myself, for safety and protection before I drive. The car was inspected by the dealer technician and an independent tech hired by hyundai corporation findings were not reproduced. No warnings, the incidents just happened/happens. There are others observations that I expressed concern about but were not taking in consideration
CategoryAir Bags
DateMar 17, 2022
StateCA
Description
I was involved in a multi-car accident in the express lane on a busy fast freeway during rush hour on a friday night. I was hit hard from the rear, which shoved my car into the car in front of mine, so a double impact. Unknown speed of the driver at fault, but estimate to be at or around the limit of 65mph as traffic was coming to a slower speed and driver did not stop. No indication of my airbags being defective but they did not deploy I the accident and I suffered injuries as a result, including a broken rib from the seatbelt. The emts at the scene were shocked the airbags did not deploy and encouraged me to get this evaluated as it is a 2020 vehicle. The vehicle was totaled, and has been taken by my insurance. No warning lights or indications popped up but the accident happened very suddenly and quickly.
CategoryExterior Lighting, Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings, Lane Departure: Assist
DateFeb 07, 2022
StateVA
Description
The lane departure system is great though it moves the wheel quite a bit. My issue is, when the vehicle is passing an intersection with active lane departure on, it pulls the vehicle toward medians and forces the driver to pull it back into the center of the lane. Active forward collision assistance has not worked when vehicles have flown by directly in front of the car. I have manually stopped the vehicle every time. The lights on the 2020 model are low, and the “top lights” are actually only turn signal or hazard lights. This has caused other drivers to assume my lights are “off” and flash their high beams at me on numerous occasions, especially when driving at night. Which impairs my vision as a driver on a consistent basis. This vehicle should have top lights… I drive quite a bit so these are consistent issues I have observed over the past year of owning this vehicle from new. Thank you!
CategoryService Brakes, Hydraulic:pedals And Linkages
DateOct 25, 2021
StateCA
Description
Here is a copy of my letter to hyundai describing a serious design flaw that risks driver safety: dear sirs: I've owned my venue for just over a year, and overall I like it very much. However, I need to inform you of a major design flaw that can cause serious injuries to the occupants, or worse, cause fatalities. In a nutshell, the at-rest accelerator position is some two inches lower than the brake pedal's. This creates a gap between them, making safe braking extremely difficult. For example, rather than the natural motion of shifting my foot from the accelerator to the brake, my foot goes under the brake pedal and traps it. In order to brake, I must free my foot from the brake gap, bend my leg back, put my foot over the brake, and apply the brake. Making matters worse, on several occasions freeingmy foot from under the brake has caused me to accidentally nick the accelerator and thrust the car forward. Thank god, so far I've been lucky, but one day my luck is going to run out and the result a serious ( or fatal ) accident that would be my fault... All due to the issue I've described. According to my dealership's service department, the pedals are not adjustable, which rules out either raising the accelerator or lowering the brake pedal. I am attaching photos of the pedals. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a shot that pictured them side by side. Thank you for considering my warning seriously. I don't want any venue driver to be harmed in any way. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
CategoryUnknown Or Other
DateOct 22, 2021
StateNY
Description
The contact owns a 2020 hyundai venue. The contact stated while driving 55-60 mph, the vehicle would inadvertently change gears and there was a discrepancy between the vehicle speed and the odometer. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact also stated that the vehicle was shuddering. The contact was able to continue to drive the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that no issues were found. The contact stated while driving 65 mph, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle inadvertently decelerated to 10 mph. The contact veered to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that as she restarted the vehicle, the check engine warning light and the power train warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic who advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer for diagnosis. The contact stated that while she was driving that same day, the failure reoccurred, and the vehicle stalled. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the residence, then it was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 9,000.
CategoryElectrical System, Steering
DateJun 26, 2021
StateMA
Description
The horn on my steering wheel has stopped working for the second time even after malfunctioning and broken part was replaced a few months ago. I noticed now that I once again have no horn sound when pressing on the steering wheel. The car is up for inspection in july and I have to take it back to the dealership once again to diagnosis this problem.
CategoryUnknown Or Other
DateFeb 12, 2021
StateMA
Description
Horn does not sound or work at about 8,900 miles.
CategoryExterior Lighting:headlights
DateJan 27, 2021
StateNY
Description
Tl* the contact owns a 2020 hyundai venue. The contact stated while driving at night, she was unable to see the roadway clearly due to the headlights being very dim. The contact stated she was able to safely drive to her residence. The vehicle was taken twice to the local dealer riverhead hyundai (1800 old country rd, riverhead, ny 11901, (631)369-0600) where it was diagnosed with needing the headlights to be adjusted. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100.
CategoryExterior Lighting
DateJan 21, 2021
StatePA
Description
This new car is not equipped with interior dome lighting in front. Thus when it is dark, no courtesy light comes on upon entry and it's hard to see where to put the key into the ignition. This could be a serious problem if anyone suspicious is lurking around, if you are stuck on the side of the road at night, or if you are lost. There is a light in the back, but it is very dim and provides no help. When I bought the car I neglected to check for it, as I thought that all cars today came equipped with front lighting. The dealership said it is not possible to put one in as it was not manufactured with one. I'm surprised it is legal to sell new cars with such an important fixture missing.
CategoryUnknown Or Other
DateJan 08, 2021
StateCA
Description
Vehicle abruptly turned to the right knocking my hands off the steering wheel. Vehicle went up a curb and hit a retaining wall. No obvious reason why the vehicle would take control of the steering and over riding my input or if it was a mechanical failure of a ball joint etc, too much damage underneath to verify if it was before the crash or after the crash. It was raining heavily at the time, not sure if that caused an issue with the sensors or electronics.*dt consumer stated while driving between 15-20 mph adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist were both not on. Vehicle suddenly turned to the right. Warning lights on the dash did not come on and consumer ended up having a flat tire. Dealer was not notified.
CategoryUnknown Or Other
DateOct 16, 2020
StateCA
Description
Forward collision-avoidance assist is not working! I noticed online, others are reporting the same issue. Videos online from hyundai's own site states there should be 3 warnings when approaching a moving or stationary car/object. We took the car in for diagnosis and they say then cant reproduce the problem. Not sure how can a non working system be reproduced. A 2020 civic has this system and is overly sensitive, this one does not even work. We are concerned since the car is great but this safety system is a gimmick.
CategoryElectronic Stability Control, Steering, Unknown Or Other
DateSep 05, 2020
StateIL
Description
I believe that the lane assist feature malfunctioned and cause the vehicle to collided head on with on coming traffic.. The car took over control of the steering and instead of nudging the car to the right during a curve on the road it overpowered the driver and pulled the car left into traffic at 40 mph.*dt*jb

Who are we? We are Lemberg Law, a Consumer Law Firm

Lemberg Law is a consumer law firm helping victims of bad manufacturing and run-arounds from auto companies. We are ranked A+ by the BBB. Call our Helpline today!  There is no charge unless we win.


Share your story

Does this ring a bell? Have you had a bad experience too? Sound off and share your experience with other visitors in the comment box below.

Brian Jones

About the Author:

Brian Jones spent more than 20 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.

See more posts from Brian Jones
3 COMMENTS
  • Donna

    Purchased Venue 2020 in 2020 and since and almost immediately I’ve had problems with Driving assistance. I don’t use because it almost caused a crash. I have had problems with gas, key, emissions, repeated failing Back up camera screen. Lost steering control on certain bridges and roads. There has been 3 unexplained breakdowns, 2 required towing, Inaccurate gas/mileage reading. Horn fuse, Headlight fuse blown. After maintenance service software fails to updates, or possible service incomplete, Which caused seatbelt and TPS malfunction. Multiple failure to duplicate reported from Hyundai service center. I don’t dare go far in this car….

  • Kevin

    I love my venue. They will work the kinks out

  • larry h

    i Have a 2021 Venue and Last winter drove for texas to Ohio. I love this car. Have had no problems. Headlights are very bright. I turn off steering assit. No problems. Very very good gas mileage.

Leave a Reply or Comment

Write a comment below to share online. Or, instead you can to our legal team.

Please select your star rating.

Briefly describe your experience Briefly describe your experience

What’s your name? What’s your name?

What’s your phone number? Please enter a valid phone number

Want to know if you could sue? Get a free legal evaluation Lemberg Law?

Get Your No-Obligation
Case Evaluation

Send a secure message to our legal team.

What’s your name? What’s your name?
What’s your email address? What’s your email address?
What’s your phone number? What’s your phone number?
Briefly describe the problem Briefly describe the problem
Confidentiality Guarantee: We keep your information completely confidential and will not send you spam or sell your information.