IllustrationCONSUMER VEHICLE JERKS INTO HIGHER GEARS. TRANSMISSION SOMETIMES SLIPS OUT OF GEAR AND DRAGS. *TS THE VEHICLE ALSO MADE A LOUD NOISE WHICH WAS FOLLOWED BY A FAST JERKING MOTION. *NM
2003 Hyundai Accent
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2003 Hyundai Accent do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 64.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Accent years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
70–25K
625–50K
450–75K
375–100K
0100–150K
1150K+
21 reports with mileage · 16 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Air Bags. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
12 crash reports1 fire reports8 injury reports
What owners actually said
37 reportsI WAS TRAVELING SOUTHBOUND IN THE RIGHT LANE OF A TWO-LANE ROAD IN PHOENIX. A VEHICLE TRAVELING NORTHBOUND ON THE SAME ROAD WAS ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN ONTO A SIDE STREET. THE VEHICLE (A FORD EXPLORER) TURNED LEFT IN FRONT OF ME AND CAUSED ME TO COLLIDE WITH THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF THAT VEHICLE. MY CAR (HYUNDAI ACC…
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I WAS TRAVELING SOUTHBOUND IN THE RIGHT LANE OF A TWO-LANE ROAD IN PHOENIX. A VEHICLE TRAVELING NORTHBOUND ON THE SAME ROAD WAS ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN ONTO A SIDE STREET. THE VEHICLE (A FORD EXPLORER) TURNED LEFT IN FRONT OF ME AND CAUSED ME TO COLLIDE WITH THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF THAT VEHICLE. MY CAR (HYUNDAI ACCENT) WAS HIT ON THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE AND THE FRONT OF THE CAR WAS SERIOUSLY DAMAGED AND WINDSHIELD CRACKED. MY AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE I HIT HAD MINIMAL DAMAGE, YET ITS AIRBAGS DID DEPLOY. I WENT TO THE ER WITH CHEST AND NECK PAINS. THE X-RAYS SHOWED SWELLING TO MY NECK AND A BRUISED UPPER CHEST. THE CAR WAS DECLARED TOTALED BY A CLAIMS ADJUSTER.
THE KEY WILL TURN IN THE IGNITION , BUT THE ENGINE FAILS TO TURN OVER. THEREFORE, THE VEHICLE WOULDN'T START. WHEN THIS OCCURRED THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHERE THE ECM CHIP WAS REPLACED. THE ECM CHIP WAS REPLACED TWICE, AND I CURRENTLY BEING REPLACED FOR THE THIRD TIME. *AK
WHILE DRIVING THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. DEALERSHIP INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THERE WAS NO MODULE INSTALLED. THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM WAS NOT DETERMINED. *AK
THE VEHICLE'S RIGHT REAR SPINDLE OR CARRIER ASSEMBLY FAILED. *NM *JB
WHILE DRIVING, STOPPING AT A STOP SIGN, AND WHEN PULLING OUT ANOTHER VEHICLE SPEEDING HIT CONSUMER'S VEHICLE. UPON IMPACT, AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. CONSUMER SUSTAINED INJURIES. *AK THE VEHICLE WAS HIT ON THE LEFT FRONT CORNER. *TC
WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION. UPON IMPACT, BOTH FRONTAL AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. DRIVER SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES, AND WAS TRANSPORTED TO A HOSPITAL. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A GARAGE, AND WAS TOTALED. *AK. THE VEHICLE THAT CONSUMER'S VEHICLE HIT WAS GOING 25-30 MPH. *POLICE REPO…
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WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION. UPON IMPACT, BOTH FRONTAL AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. DRIVER SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES, AND WAS TRANSPORTED TO A HOSPITAL. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A GARAGE, AND WAS TOTALED. *AK. THE VEHICLE THAT CONSUMER'S VEHICLE HIT WAS GOING 25-30 MPH. *POLICE REPORT AND PICTURES WERE ENCLOSED. *AK
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE WAS RUNNING ROUGH.CONSUMER APPLIED THE BRAKES AND PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO CORROSION. *AK
VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISON AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH. AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE FRONT END DAMAGE FOLDED UP THE QUARTER PANELS AND THE HOOD. *JB
TRANSMISSION SLIPS IN LOW GEARS WITH LOW ACCELERATION. AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS DOES NOT CONTINUE INTO HIGH GEAR AND ENGINE RUNS AT HIGH RPM. NO PARTS REPAIRED DEALER SAYS NOTHING IS WRONG.*AK
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.