Home » Theme Parks » Universal Studios » Universal Orlando

Universal Closes Deadly Epic Universe Coaster After Mechanical Failure

in Universal Orlando

Posted on by Jess Colopy 10 Comments
A drop on Stardust Racers at Epic Universe.

Credit: Martin Lewison, Flickr

The Universal Epic Universe roller coaster that made headlines last year after a guest died in an accident on board has closed indefinitely after a serious malfunction on both tracks. Photos and videos posted on social media over the weekend show Stardust Racers after both racing ride vehicles got stuck in an area of the track where it’s nearly impossible to reset.

Stardust Racers Malfunctions on January 18

The Stardust Racers attraction at Universal Epic Universe in Orlando, Central Florida
Credit: Martin Lewison, Flickr

On Sunday, multiple Universal Orlando Resort guests shared footage and images of Stardust Racers after the Celestial Park roller coaster double valleyed. Amid high winds in Central Florida, both racing ride vehicles got stuck after a drop and failed to ascend the next lift hill. This clip from X (formerly known as Twitter) user @Eltororyan shows the cars rocking back and forth after the incident:

Both sides of Stardust Racers just valleyed.

Aerial footage from @AmusementInside showed the motionless ride after the malfunction occurred:

Double valley at Stardust Racers Epic Universe. 💔

Fortunately, no riders were on board Stardust Racers when the malfunction occurred, so an evacuation wasn’t necessary. However, because the ride vehicles couldn’t be reset easily, the roller coaster remained closed through Sunday afternoon and into Monday. From Redditor u/Bearmay33:

Stardust double valleyed. Closed for the day

stardust double valleyed. Closed for the day
byu/Bearmay33 inUniversalOrlando

Repair Timeline

Stardust Racers at Night in Epic Universe
Credit: Universal

There are a few different theories for how Universal Orlando Resort plans to repair Stardust Racers. X user @coastersnbrews suggested that the engineering team may need to disassemble the trains in the valley and then reassemble them to reattach them in the loading area, which could mean a lengthy attraction closure.

A different view of the double valley on Stardust Racers at Epic Universe. We see a lot of peeps asking how they plan on getting the train back to the station? So they actually have to obv get everyone off safely, then they take the train apart and rebuild it. Quite the task for the maintenance staff.

This actually isn’t the first time Universal Orlando Resort has dealt with a valley on Stardust Racers. Before Universal Epic Universe opened last year, engineers used a crane to lift a stuck train out of the roller coaster during the testing phase. From @Bioreconstruct:

An aerial look back to March 8, 2025 when a crane was used to lift a Stardust Racers train out of a valley.
Arrows at a yellow device that attached to the train for lifting up the track.
This was before Epic Universe opened to guests.

It would seem that Universal plans to repeat this process. @ThemeParkJJ spotted a crane near Epic Universe on January 19:

She’s back!

Universal Orlando Resort hasn’t said how long Stardust Racers will remain closed following the double valley malfunction on Sunday, January 18.

2025 Tragedy at Universal Epic Universe

This Stardust Racers issue is just the latest to make headlines. On September 17, 2025, the Universal Epic Universe roller coaster abruptly closed after a guest died on board. An investigation into the tragedy revealed that 32-year-old Kevin Rodriguez Zavala died of “multiple blunt impact injuries” on board the Universal Orlando Resort attraction. His death was ruled an accident.

Guests ride Stardust Racers at Epic Universe
Credit: Universal

According to witnesses, Zavala lost consciousness sometime during the roller coaster ride. His family maintains that, although he was born with spinal atrophy and used a wheelchair, his disabilities were unrelated to his death. Zavala was a theme park enthusiast who had been on several roller coasters without issues.

Stardust Racers reopened on October 4, 2025, after a thorough investigation into the incident. An attorney for Zavala’s family called for the ride to remain closed.

“Stardust Racers is evidence in an active death investigation,” said Ben Crump. “Reopening the ride before our experts can examine every component is unadulterated spoliation of evidence, a grave risk to public safety, and puts profit over people’s lives. Universal reportedly told employees the ride functioned as intended. If that is accurate, then the design itself is deadly. We are demanding that Universal pause the reopening, preserve all evidence, and allow our experts to inspect it. If they refuse, we will address Universal’s callous actions in court.”

Have you visited Universal Epic Universe yet? Share your favorite memories with Inside the Magic in the comments! 

in Universal Orlando

Tagged:epic universe

Jess Colopy

Jess Colopy is a Disney College Program alum and kid-at-heart. When she’s not furiously typing in a coffee shop, you can find her on the hunt for the newest Stitch pin.

View Comments (10)