Credit: UniversalLess than a year after the grand opening of Universal Epic Universe, Universal Orlando Resort’s third theme park, one of its roller coasters has already made headlines for several technical issues and a tragic accident that left one man dead. Now, Stardust Racers has malfunctioned again.
History of Issues on Stardust Racers
Stardust Racers made headlines most recently in late January, when high winds in Central Florida caused the attraction to “double valley.” Both roller coaster trains got stuck after a steep drop and failed to ascend the next lift hill. Unfortunately, Universal Orlando Resort had to bring a large crane into the park to manually lift the trains out of the valley and back onto the loading platform and/or maintenance bay. The roller coaster was closed for nearly four days.
The incident followed a tragedy on the roller coaster last September, when 32-year-old Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, who had spinal atrophy and used a wheelchair, died of “multiple blunt impact injuries” after losing consciousness during the ride. His death was ruled an accident, but Zavala’s family said that he was an avid theme park enthusiast who had been on several roller coasters without issue. They sued Universal Orlando Resort and maintained that Zavala’s disability had nothing to do with his death.
Stardust Racers eventually reopened, and the lawsuit was dismissed after a private agreement between Zavala’s family and Universal Orlando Resort. Court documents didn’t indicate any monetary settlement between the parties.
Following Zavala’s death, Universal Orlando Resort updated its rules for several roller coasters, including Stardust Racers. Guests must now be able to transfer a few steps into the ride vehicles without assistance on many of the Central Florida vacation destination’s most intense attractions.
Latest Roller Coaster Malfunction at Universal Epic Universe
On Sunday, February 8, Stardust Racers experienced another malfunction, forcing the ride to partially close. The wait time shot up as only half of the dueling roller coaster was operating, making for a pretty uninteresting “race.” X (formerly known as Twitter) user @kdodgers24 shared this video of the attraction:
Im incredibly sad Stardust is only one sided again. But look how incredible the ops are
Im incredibly sad Stardust is only one sided again. But look how incredible the ops are pic.twitter.com/j31uZ7LjOh
— RockNstardust🎸✨ (@Kdodgers24) February 8, 2026
Fortunately, the broken side of the ride reopened shortly before 4:00 p.m., according to the same Universal Epic Universe guest:
WE ARE BACK BABY
WE ARE BACK BABY pic.twitter.com/kbKQuee1VX
— RockNstardust🎸✨ (@Kdodgers24) February 8, 2026
Universal Orlando Resort didn’t share any public information about the malfunction on Stardust Racers on Sunday.
Has a ride malfunction impacted your visit to Universal Orlando Resort? Share your story with Inside the Magic in the comments!