Owners have filed 1,655 complaints on the Hyundai Accent, covering 1995–2022. The system named most often is Air Bags (317 reports). Worst years by volume: 2012, 2013, 2002; cleanest: 2020, 2021, 2022. 218 reports describe a crash, 63 a fire, 3 a death. On average the car was 5.1 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Hyundai Accent
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 1,655 Accent complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Air Bags 317 Read
Driving in idaho, the car started to slide on snow and slush hitting a guard rail head on, causing the vehicle to careen from the right to the left side of the road. Leaving the road caused the car to flip on the roof, where the engine caught fire. Only the driver curtain airbag deployed, resulting in the driver and…
Takata recall on 11/29/2015 driving on pennsylvania turnpike going 60-65 mph vehicle in front stopped. Impact totaled car. Hood crumbled up, headlight with complete housing destroyed, radiator spilled fluid, engine caught on fire and my head hit windshield. No weather issues. Accident occurred around 12:30 pm. Police…
Violent deployment driver's air bag , caused driver to crash into curve and then a tree. The hat gases eminating from the air bag burned driver's arms and front of her blouse. Also the window on the driver's side broke; and the windshield on the passenger's side also cracked
Service Brakes 153 Read
My 17 yr old son was driving his 2018 Hyundai Accent home from work, and was merging onto the freeway and when he realized the cars in front of him dead stopped he slammed his brakes but was unable to stop in time. Happens all the time right? It should just have a little front end damage, when the vehicle in front of…
When stopping abruptly, going at 15-20mph on a main street in stop and go traffic, no snow or rain, the brake pedal pushes back as if something is stopping the pedal from going down, it makes a loud grinding noise, and doesn't stop the car let alone slow it down. This has happened to me 3 times already, one resulting…
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Accent. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle in the garage, approximately four hours later the contact was awakened by the dog and discovered flames coming from the garage. The fire department was called to the home and extinguished the flames. During the incident the home…
Electrical System 149 Read
I was driving my 2022 Hyundai Accent (VIN [XXX] ) when the brakes suddenly failed without warning. When I pressed the brake pedal, the vehicle did not slow down properly resultina in a crash Immediately after the crash, the vehicle caught fire According to the fire department report, the fire originated in the engine…
My 2018 Hyundai Accent caught fire in motion on the way to get gas on June 21, 2021. The car had no recalls and no electrical issues prior to the explosion. Fire department ruled the accident as electrical, I had the vehicle for 6 months. A loud explosion sound came from the hood, it started smoking and we pulled the…
The system that malfunctioned was the brake light(s) and/or electrical components which started a fire in the trunk of my car on 2 separate occasions. On one of the occasions, the top break light in my trunk apparently blew out without my knowledge, it wasn't until my two kids in the backseat started to smell smoke…
Power Train 141 Read
I was in an accident on october 14, 2013 where I struck a deer head on at 50mph and the airbags did not deploy. I wrote to hyundai and complained, and after their "investigation", they determined that I was not entitled to any assistance. Well, two nights ago, on wednesday, december 18, 2013, I struck and went under a…
Consumer was traveling about 65mph on highway and noticed that vehicle was swinging left to right. She heard a noise, then left and right axles broke. Vehicle was towed
I live in las vegas nevada, this vehicle overheats and shuts the air conditioner off when it reaches 75% on the temperature gage. Anytime the outside temperature is above 100+ degrees the car will reach 75% while driving in about 30 minutes, if the car is stationary it'll get there in about 10 to 15 minutes. Hyundai…
Engine 132 Read
Engine compartment fire. Vehicle towed to Hyundai dealer in Bremerton wa
The contact owned a 2020 Hyundai Accent. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, smoke was emitting from the vehicle. The contact was inside her residence and noticed the smoke from her window. Unknown if the air bags deployed. The contact stated that the fire spread to another parked vehicle and caused…
Was driving on the highway to a friends house, while i was driving a another vehicle was telling me to pull over and that there was smoke and fire underneath the car, i pulled over and crossed the bridge where there was light, once i got across i got out of the car and saw fire coming from the hood, i tried to put it…
Suspension 106 Read
I was driving and all of a sudden my car was shaking and I lost my traction control and I could not stop my car with brakes. I have ABS and Traction control warning lights on in my vehicle
While driving on interstate in phoenix at noon on a dry and clear day, traffic stopped abruptly. I rear-ended a full sized pickup truck. The front end went mostly under the truck, shattered the upper half of the bumper and headlights, folded the hood in half. The windshield was also broken. My head hit the steering…
The front lower control arms have rusted through completely and caused an accident with no injuries or major damage. Driving 25 miles per hour on small road when control arm failed and caused loss of control
Steering 71 Read
My car, a 2022 Hyundai Accent Sel, left the right lane I was traveling in on a highway and continued into the left lane, then onto the left shoulder, and finally stopped in a ditch. The airbags did not deploy. I am having the steering column checked and airbags checked as I have read on several websites online that…
I'm not sure.*dt
Takata recall while driving the car I would notice that the streering wheel would sway to the right or left instead of being firmly it seemed as if it was not stable enough. I went to the dealer on several occasions but, they couldn't find anything wrong with it. In november 2016 there was a crash from a dui…
Engine And Engine Cooling 64 Read
While traveling about 40mph on highway another vehicle made a sudden stop in front of consumers vehicle, and a rear end collision occurred, upon impact, drivers side air bag did not deploy. Dealership was aware of problem.*ak also the engine caught on fire
The contact stated while the vehicle was parked in a parking lot with the engine running, smoke erupted from underneath the hood and the engine compartment. The fire department was alerted, and extinguished the flames. The police were not alerted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who was unable to determine the…
Vehicle was serviced on engine manifold. A couple days later, while at a stop light, vehicle caught on fire without warning dealer has been notified
Accent years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Air Bags,seat Belts | 2 | 1 | |
| 2021 | Electrical System,engine | — | 1 | |
| 2020 | Air Bags | 2 | 1 | |
| 2019 | Air Bags | 1 | 1 | |
| 2018 | Air Bags | — | 4 | |
| 2017 | Air Bags | 7 | 3 | |
| 2016 | Air Bags | 7 | 3 | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | 6 | 10 | |
| 2014 | Air Bags | 12 | 8 | |
| 2013 | Air Bags | 12 | 8 | |
| 2012 | Air Bags | 12 | 8 | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | 4 | — | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | 6 | 1 | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 10 | 1 | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 8 | 1 | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 7 | 2 | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | 10 | 2 | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | 10 | — | |
| 2002 | Air Bags | 20 | 1 | |
| 2001 | Air Bags | 16 | 3 | |
| 2000 | Air Bags | 12 | 1 | |
| 1999 | Air Bags | 13 | 2 | |
| 1998 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 1997 | Air Bags | 6 | — | |
| 1996 | Air Bags | 10 | 1 | |
| 1995 | Air Bags | 19 | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 723 |
| Average complaints per series | 2.3 |
| Worst single series | 12 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 5.1 years |
A model average of 2.3 hides a worst series at 12. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
- No ads, on every page
- No ads, no tracking — and much more
How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Accent?
By complaint volume, 2012, 2013, 2002 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Accent years are the cleanest?
2020, 2021, 2022 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Hyundai Accent have?
1,655 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1995–2022. Of those, 218 describe a crash and 63 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.