Car Defect Radar
Get the report
Built from NHTSA complaints and recalls collected for this model, generated October 26, 2026. Totals reflect what has been collected, not every complaint ever filed.
Confirm 4 recalls before you buy.

Ask the seller for proof the repair was completed, or run the free VIN check. Recall repairs are done at no cost by a dealer.

Recalls

4 total · 4 to confirm

Safety issues the manufacturer must repair for free. A recall means confirm the fix was done, not walk away.

Seat belts recall

Confirm it was repairedRecall 22V354000 · May 2022

An exploding seat belt pretensioner can project metal fragments into the vehicle, strike vehicle occupants, and result in injury.

Remedy
Dealers will secure the seat belt pretensioner(s) with a cap, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 28, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 229. This recall expands and replaces NHTSA recall numbers 21V-796, 22V-069, 22V-218, and 22V-123 for Accent, Elantra, and Elantra HEV vehicles. All Accent, Elantra, and Elantra HEV vehicles already repaired under the previous recalls will need to have the new remedy completed.
Status
Remedy available. Confirm by VIN that this repair was completed.
What to do
Enter the VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to confirm this car was repaired.

Seat belts recall

Confirm it was repairedRecall 22V218000 · Apr 2022

Exploding seat belt pretensioners can project metal fragments into the vehicle, strike vehicle occupants, and result in injury.

Remedy
Dealers will replace the seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed on May 31, 2022. A second notice will be sent once remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 223. This recall is replaced by NHTSA recall number 22V-354. Vehicles already repaired under this recall will need to have the new remedy completed.
Status
Remedy available. Confirm by VIN that this repair was completed.
What to do
Enter the VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to confirm this car was repaired.

Seat belts recall

Confirm it was repairedRecall 22V069000 · Feb 2022

An exploding seat belt pretensioner can project metal fragments into the vehicle, striking vehicle occupants and resulting in injury.

Remedy
Dealers will replace the seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 24, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 219. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall number 21V-796. This recall is replaced by NHTSA recall number 22V-354. Vehicles already repaired under this recall will need to have the new remedy completed.
Status
Remedy available. Confirm by VIN that this repair was completed.
What to do
Enter the VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to confirm this car was repaired.

Safety recall

Confirm it was repairedRecall 21V619000 · Aug 2021

A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.

Remedy
Dealers will replace the trunk latch base, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 4, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 208.
Status
Remedy available. Confirm by VIN that this repair was completed.
What to do
Enter the VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to confirm this car was repaired.

Owner complaints by system

12 total

Unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA, grouped by the part of the car. Useful for spotting patterns. Open a group to read recent examples.

Engine & powertrain

Minor
3

Most reports here involve sudden stalling.

sudden stalling 2
A recent report: I purchased my 2020 Hyundai Accent from Shirlie Slack Mitsubishi, in Fredericksburg, Virginia on [XXX]. It wasn't long after purchasing that I began experiencing difficulties with it. The car will…
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I purchased my 2020 Hyundai Accent from Shirlie Slack Mitsubishi, in Fredericksburg, Virginia on [XXX]. It wasn't long after purchasing that I began experiencing difficulties with it. The car will shut off when it comes to a complete stop or even if I s for a brief moment to switch gears, for example when parallel parking. Some days it would happen less often, maybe once or twice per trip then other days it would happen every time I came to a complete stop, shutting off in bumper to bumper traffic on the highway even. Because of my warranty through my dealership and Hyundai, I cannot take it anywhere else to have work done on it. Therefore I have been to this Hyundai for this issue three separate times now. The West Broad Hyundai in Richmond, Virginia. I even tried taking it to a different Hyundai in Richmond and they denied me, saying that I was already in the system at the West Broad location, and that I had to take it there. I have yet to see improvement after having it serviced any of the times. In fact one time after picking it up from Hyundai the problem occurred on my way way home. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11624896 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Electrical & infotainment

Worth reading
2

Most reports here involve unintended acceleration.

unintended acceleration 1fire 1
A recent report: 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…
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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 structural damage to the building. The fire department and police department were called. Unknown if a police report was filed. The fire department filed a report. The vehicle was parked at the residence. The contact notified her insurance company and declared the vehicle a total loss. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11664017 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Steering, suspension & tires

Worth reading
2

Most reports here involve loss of steering. Of these, 1 mention a crash, 1 mention an injury.

loss of steering 2
A recent report: Power steering went out

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11527232 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Airbags & seat belts

Worth reading
3

Most reports here involve airbags not deploying. Of these, 1 mention a crash, 1 mention an injury.

airbags not deploying 1airbags deploying unexpectedly 1
A recent report: Airbag light turned on my dashboard and when I took it to the dealership -regional Hyundai in broken arrow in Oklahoma I was told by the rep that helped me that there is a defect in the passenger…
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Airbag light turned on my dashboard and when I took it to the dealership -regional Hyundai in broken arrow in Oklahoma I was told by the rep that helped me that there is a defect in the passenger airbag and that it would cost me about 1700.00 usd to fix it. If I chose not to fix it then if I get into a car wreck the passenger airbag would deploy, this is a risk hazard for lives and there is no reason why a fairly new car, 2020 should have issues with the airbags. This is a potential risk that passengers should not experience in the case of an unfortunate wreck

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11681215 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Structure & body

Minor
2

Most reports here involve other issues.

other issues 2
A recent report: The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Accent. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the exterior passenger's front and rear door handles detached while attempting to open the doors. The…
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The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Accent. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the exterior passenger's front and rear door handles detached while attempting to open the doors. The contact was able to reattach the door handles for the front and rear passenger doors. The contact stated that the interior door handle also detached. The contact had to roll down the window and use the exterior door handles to exit the vehicle. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 26,500. The VIN was not available.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11680188 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Is 12 complaints a lot? They were filed between 2020 and 2025, roughly 2 a year, which is fewer than the typical model in this dataset. We do not have sales figures for this model, so treat this as a rough volume, not a rate per car on the road. Popular, high-volume models naturally collect more complaints over time.

How does it compare with other years? The 2020 has 12 complaints on file, fewer than the 2019 (30) and fewer than the 2021 (16). Of the 13 model years of the Hyundai Accent we cover, the 2012 has the most (153). Older model years have had longer to collect complaints.