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Hyundai · NHTSA safety record

2016 Hyundai Accent

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

99

Complaints

7

Crashes

3

Fires

8

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2016 Hyundai Accent have filed 99 safety complaints with NHTSA between April 2016 and April 2026. The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 32 of them (32%). The typical failure was reported at 48,945 miles, the median across the 50 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

No recall campaign was matched to this year, make and model. That is not the same as a clean vehicle: recalls are issued against production ranges, and the only reliable check is your own VIN.

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 99.

ENGINE 32 32%
AIR BAGS 28 28%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 26 26%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 15 15%
STEERING 10 10%
SERVICE BRAKES 7 7%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 7 7%
STRUCTURE 6 6%
SEATS 5 5%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 4 4%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 4 4%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 3 3%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2022 at 15.

2016 2022 2026
2016 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

3 injured · crash · towed · 9,800 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2016 HYUNDAI ACCENT. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE COLLIDED WITH AN ELK. ALL THE AIR BAGS IN THE VEHICLE FAILED TO DEPLOY AND THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE BACK AND HAD BROKEN GLASS IN HER HAIR. THE FRONT SEAT PASSENGER SUSTAINED CUTS FROM THE BROKEN WINDSHIELD GLASS AND BACK PAIN. THE REAR PASSENGER SUSTAINED HEAD AND BACK INJURIES THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. ALL OCCUPANTS WERE WEARING SEAT BELT RESTRAINTS. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND DEEMED A TOTAL LOSS. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE

NHTSA complaint 10980408, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed

I WAS IN AN ACCIDENT WITH MY 11 YEAR OLD SON. A WOMAN RAN A RED LIGHT AND WE HIT THE CAR IN THE SIDE COMPLETELY MASHING OUR FRONT END. THE AIR BAGS NEVER DEPLOYED AT ALL NONE OF THEM.WE WERE CROSSING THE INTERSECTION ON A GREEN LIGHT!!

NHTSA complaint 11144304. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY

1 injured · crash · towed

MY VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A COLLISION YESTERDAY THAT BROKE BOTH HEADLIGHTS, BUCKLED HOOD, KNOCKED THE ENGINE IN TO THE TRANSMISSION, AND BUSTED THE FRONT FAN AND COOLANT. THE AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY AND NEITHER DID THE SEAT BELT LOCK. THE DRIVER WAS INJURED WITH HIS LIP, NOSE AND FOREHEAD BUSTED BECAUSE THE SAFETY FEATURES DIDN'T WORK ON THIS VEHICLE.

NHTSA complaint 11145123. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed

FRIDAY JUNE 5,2020 I FAINTED BEHIND THE WHEEL AND REAR ENDED ANOTHER DRIVER AND MY AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY WHICH RESULTED IN AN SLIGHT HEAD INJURY

NHTSA complaint 11327650. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

crash · towed

I got into an accident and my airbags did not go off... my face hit the steering wheel and my hand is broken because the airbags didn't deploy

NHTSA complaint 11730627. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The engine failed and requires a full engine replacement. The vehicle is currently at ALM Hyundai West, 1990 Thornton Rd, Lithia Springs, GA 30122, and is available for inspection upon request. Hyundai Motor America has already approved the engine replacement under a goodwill authorization, implicitly confirming the failure is manufacturer-related. The engine failure left the vehicle undrivable, forcing me to operate rental vehicles and arrange multiple tows across three dealerships over nearly two years. An engine failure at under 100,000 miles on a well-maintained vehicle poses a direct safety risk a sudden engine failure while driving at highway or city speeds could result in loss of

NHTSA complaint 11730695, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

fire

I was driving up a hill on interstate 8 in California and all of a sudden i heard a bang under the hood and see sparks and flames and my hyundai was on fire right there on the freeway. No clue why.

NHTSA complaint 11705165. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Engine is failing, oil leaking in the engine that messed up my catalytic converter and O2 sensors now it’s just sluggish , doesn’t accelerate properly, doesn’t idle nearly .

NHTSA complaint 11702589. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
The vehicle made a loud catastrophic noises stopped running and couldn’t be restarted. Towed car to dealership where it was inspected and denied coverage based on owner not original owner. This 1.6L Gamma GDI Engine is part of the larger Hyundai and Kia Engine Litigation II (Case No. 8:18-cv-02223). The settlement provides a 15-year/150,000-mile extended warranty for said engine.

NHTSA complaint 11691000. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
The Emergency brake light, ABS light, and esc light all come on while driving & speedometer goes to 0. The speedometer also stops tracking mileage when these lights come on. This used to happen on & off, but now it’s almost permanent. Hundreds are reporting the same exact issue online, but mechanics cannot figure out what the problem is. Me and countless others have taken the vehicle to mechanics multiple times with no resolve and thousands of dollars worth of diagnostics that are incorrect and don’t resolve the issue. It is dangerous because we don’t know how fast we’re going, and we don’t know if your abs, emergency brakes, & esc are all working properly. This issue is impacting Hyundai

NHTSA complaint 11676043, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Hyundai Accent

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2022 16 2 —
2021 16 4 —
2020 12 4 —
2019 29 1 —
2018 19 1 —
2017 68 0 —
2015 69 2 —
2014 79 1 —
2013 140 1 —
2012 153 2 1
2011 38 1 —
2010 87 1 —

Other 2016 Hyundai models

Tucson 1,616 Sonata 720 Elantra 290 Santa FE 235 Veloster 221 Sonata Hybrid 131 Genesis 96 Santa FE Sport 66

Every Hyundai on this site — 201 vehicles, 276 recall campaigns and 3 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst