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Hyundai · NHTSA safety record

2021 Hyundai Accent

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

Owners have filed 16 safety complaints about the 2021 Hyundai Accent with the US government. Of those, 1 mentions a fire, 1 person was injured and no death is recorded. 4 recall campaigns are open against it.

The most complained-about system is the seat belts, named in 6 complaints, 38% of the total.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers August 2021 to July 2025 · How this is counted

What is on file

16 complaints on file

16

Complaints

0

Describe a crash

1

Mention fire

1

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
SEAT BELTS 6 · 38%
WHEELS 5 · 31%
ENGINE 4 · 25%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 · 13%
SERVICE BRAKES 1 · 6%
STEERING 1 · 6%
0 4 8

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 16.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2022 at 7.

8 6 4 2
21 22 23 24 25

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2021 to 2025.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2021 Hyundai ACCENT, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test 4 DR FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 11.3%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

4 on file

SEAT BELTS:FRONT

22V354000 · May 19, 2022

The defect
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Accent, 2021-2022 Elantra, and 2021-2022 Elantra HEV vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioners may explode upon deployment.
The risk
An exploding seat belt pretensioner can project metal fragments into the vehicle, strike vehicle occupants, and result in injury.
The 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.

Hyundai Motor America · up to 230,233 vehicles across all model years covered

STEERING:COLUMN

22V311000 · May 6, 2022

The defect
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Accent vehicles. A bolt in the steering column may not be secured properly, which can cause the steering column to detach from the steering rack and result in a loss of steering control.
The risk
Loss of steering control can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and tighten the lower steering column u-joint retention bolt, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 5, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 226.

Hyundai Motor America · up to 2 vehicles across all model years covered

SEAT BELTS:FRONT

22V069000 · February 9, 2022

The defect
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Accent vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioner(s) may explode upon deployment.
The risk
An exploding seat belt pretensioner can project metal fragments into the vehicle, striking vehicle occupants and resulting in injury.
The 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.

Hyundai Motor America · up to 354 vehicles across all model years covered

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER

21V937000 · December 2, 2021

The defect
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021 Accent vehicles. The brake master cylinder may have been manufactured with sharp edges that can damage the inner oil seal, resulting in reduced braking performance.
The risk
Reduced braking performance can cause longer brake pedal travel or extend the distance required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the brake master cylinder, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 10, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 213.

Hyundai Motor America · up to 76 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations

1 on file

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Seat Belt Pretensioners May Rupture

RQ22003

Closed recall query · opened August 8, 2022 · closed May 26, 2023 · led to recall 23V094000

the seat belts

On August 8, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Recall Query (RQ) based on 3 incidents alleging front seat belt pretensioners that may rupture during deployment, on model year (MY) 2020-2022 of various Hyundai and Kia Models, resulting in 3 injuries (note: one incident occurred outside the U.S. and its territories).Between October 2021 and March 2023, Hyundai and Kia have filed the following 11 safety recalls for pretensioner rupture: NHTSA Recall No. 21V-796, 22V-069, 22V-123, 22V-127, 22V-218, 22V-354, 22V-447, 22V-458, 22V-816, 23V-094, and 23V-210.Hyundai/Kia have stated that the abnormal deployment of the pretensioners is due to over-pressurization of the pretensioner pipe that can cause metal fragments to enter the vehicle occupant compartment, which can result in injury to vehicle occupants.The various makes/models covered by the above recalls include approximately 405,900 certain 2020-2022 Hyundai Accent, 2021-2022 Hyundai Elantra and Elantra HEV, 2021-2022 Hyundai Santa Fe HEV, 2022-2023 Hyundai Santa Fe PHEV, 2020-2022 Hyundai Venue, 2021-2023 Genesis G80, 2023 Genesis G80 EV, 2023 Genesis G90, 2023 Genesis GV60 EV, 2022-2023 Genesis GV70, 2021-2023 Genesis GV80, 2021-2022 Kia Sorento HEV, and 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV.In response to ODI's investigation, in December 2022, Hyundai notified ODI that they would be conducting testing to validate subject vehicle seat belt pretensioners. This evaluation included sled testing and software testing which was performed by Hyundai and its suppliers. The tests were intended to evaluate pretensioner deployment characteristics based on the unique deployment signature of the subject and peer vehicles. ODI met with representatives from Hyundai on several occasions during the investigation to discuss testing progress and data. As a result of the testing, Hyundai was able to simulate the pretensioner failures. It was determined by Hyundai during testing, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioners may explode upon deployment in the event of a crash which can cause metal fragments to enter the vehicle occupant compartment.Hyundai thus notified ODI of their decision to proceed with a safety recall, to expand the scope of the previous safety actions.In view of the recall actions taken by Hyundai and Kia, ODI concerns have been addressed. The agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances.

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

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

STEERING

1 injured

The car seems to have sort of an alignment problem. Steering keeps going to the left and I constantly have to pull steering to the right. Even with both have on steering wheel the car goes to the left lane. If I make a left turn the steering seems to want to stay to the left and I get the feeling the car is going to flip over. It's like there is a gap in the steering wheel. A miscommunication between the steering and front axle kind of. They tried to fix it three times without any success, and now they are ignoring me, they don't answer my calls. I only drive it to work because I have to. The dealer says it's not that bad. Well maybe it's not that bad to drive it around the block but to

NHTSA complaint 11431287, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

fire

Engine compartment fire. Vehicle towed to Hyundai dealer in Bremerton wa

NHTSA complaint 11456438. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Accent. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 40 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed; however, the contact was informed there was no fault found with the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA complaint 11670511. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
Hard time stopping and controlling the vechile

NHTSA complaint 11656989. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
The contact leased a 2021 Hyundai Accent through Enterprise Rent-A-Car. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power for about 5 seconds while accelerating and decelerating through traffic. The contact stated that he was able to duplicate the failure five times and related the failure to the engine; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact returned the vehicle to Enterprise Rent-A-Car and `informed them about the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA complaint 11617490. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

WHEELS
During a tire swap, another lug nut broke off while trying to remove it. This issue has occurred before, and it seems that the faulty lug nut problem is still present. The car has only been serviced at Hyundai dealerships, and the tires were last rotated during a service at an authorized Hyundai dealership before this incident. The affected lug nut this time was on the front passenger side.

NHTSA complaint 11588250. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
My 2021 Hyundai accent has randomly not started a in more than 10 different times. The lights go on and you can hear it trying to start but it never catches to actually start. It’s under warranty but the dealer says if they can’t see it when it’s happening then they can’t fix anything. I bought a new battery with dealer recommendations but I still hace they problem. I only have 25,300 miles on this 2 year old car.

NHTSA complaint 11556330. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

WHEELS
This is the fourth lugnut/stud that has failed. This time it was during routine maintenance at an authorized dealership during tire rotation.

NHTSA complaint 11518462. 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 17 2 —
2020 12 4 —
2019 31 1 —
2018 19 1 —
2017 68 0 —
2016 101 0 —
2015 70 2 —
2014 79 1 —
2013 141 1 —
2012 153 2 1
2011 38 1 —
2010 87 1 —

Other 2021 Hyundai models

Palisade 439 Santa FE 166 Sonata 134 Elantra 131 Kona 117 Tucson 79 Sonata Hybrid 55 Elantra Hybrid 29

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Hyundai on this site — 205 vehicles.

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. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

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