2001 Hyundai Accent

No clear pattern

24.6% of complaints about the 2001 Hyundai Accent arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2001 vehicle, but with only 126 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is power train (20 complaints), typically at 2.2 yr or about 49,800 miles.

Complaints: 126
Median age at failure: 2.1 yr
Median mileage: 60,055 n=50
Crash / fire / tow: 25.4% of reports
Safety recalls: 2

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

02V167000 2002-06-25

Structure:frame and members

CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 201, "OCCUPANT PROTECTION IN INTERIOR IMPACT." DURING TESTING, THE 3-DOOR HATCHBACK EXCEEDED THE PERFORMANCE CRITERION IN THE STANDARD MIDWAY ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE WINDSHIELD SUPPORT PILLAR (A-PILLAR).

AN OCCUPANT'S HEAD THAT CONTACTS THE A-PILLAR DURING A CRASH COULD EXPERIENCE AN INCREASED RISK OF A HEAD INJURY AS A RESULT OF THIS CONDITION.

01V346000 2001-11-06

Speed control

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 1.5 LITER OR 1.6 LITER ENGINES THAT WERE ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF ALASKA, COLORADO, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KANSAS, MAINE, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, MONTANA, NORTH DAKOTA, NEBRASKA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, SOUTH DAKOTA, VERMONT, WISCONSIN, AND WYOMING. WHILE DRIVING AT A STEADY THROTTLE OPENING FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME DURING EXTREMELY COLD AMBIENT TEMPERATURES (BELOW APPROXIMATELY -5 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT WITH HIGH HUMIDITY), MOISTURE IN THE COMBUSTI

MOISTURE IN THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER BLOWBY GASES MAY FREEZE INSIDE THE THROTTLE BODY BORE AND THROTTLE BODY IDLE SPEED CONTROL CIRCUIT RESULTING IN THE THROTTLE VALVE NOT CLOSING FULLY AND A HIGHER THAN NORMAL IDLE SPEED WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS RELEASED.

In owners’ own words

Power train mileage not reported 5 mo in service

VEHICLE WOULD JERK INTERMITTENTLY WHILE COASTING. VEHICLE BEEN IN DEALER SHOP, AND INFORMED CONSUMERTHAT THEY CANNOT DUPLICATE PROBLEM. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS MATTER. *AK

Power train mileage not reported 6 mo in service

WHEN UPSHIFTING AND DOWNSHIFTING, THE GEARS GRIND EVEN IF CLUTCH IS FULLY DEPRESSED. VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN IN AND NEW COMPONENTS WERE INSTALLED UNDER A "CAMPAIGN" BUT THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS AND I WILL SEE THE SERVICE MGR AGAIN TO DISCUSS WHAT FURTHER CAN BE DONE. *AK

Power train mileage not reported 9 mo in service

TRANSMISSION WAS COMPLETELY GONE. VEHICLE WAS JUMPING FROM DRIVE TO NEUTRAL, AND REVVING 200 RPMS BY ITSELF. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER STATED THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. *AK

Suspension mileage not reported 2 mo in service

IGNITION COIL WENT OUT 3 DAYS AFTER VEHICLE PURCHASED. SINCE THEN IT HAS BEEN REPLACED 2 MORE TIMES.ALSO, FRONT END WILL SHAKE, AND ENGINE CHECK LIGHT COMES ON. *AK

Other Accent model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2001 Hyundai Accent

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Accent model years

How to read this