2011 Hyundai Accent problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (7) · Vehicle Speed Control (5) · Air Bags (4)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Hyundai Accent model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
27 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (1)
Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch 2015-09-08 · campaign 15V566000 · 99,500 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2009-2011 Hyundai Accent vehicles manufactured March 1, 2009, to February 11, 2011. In the affected vehicles, the brake light switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning brake light switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning brake light switch may also prevent the shifter
Risk: Failure to illuminate the brake lights during braking or the inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake switch, free of charge. The recall began on October 21, 2015. Owners may contact Hyundai's customer service at 1-855-671-3059 or by visiting www.HyundaiUSA.com/Campaign131. Hyundai's number for this recall is 131. This recall is an expansion of 13V-113.
Service bulletins (51)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Back Over Prevention: Warnings 2026-10-15 · 26-GI-004H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some hyundai vehicles may be equipped with a parking distance warning (pdw) sensor(s) that may trigger various dtcs and display warning messages on the instrument cluster, resulting in the pdw sensor(s) failing to detect nearby objects or triggering multiple false alarms. this condition may be a res
Engine 2026-10-08 · 26-EM-016H TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil consumption. this bulletin outlines the combustion chamber cleaning procedure for vehicles diagnosed with this condition. all internal combustion engines consume some engine oil during normal operatio
Engine 2026-10-07 · 26-EM-015H TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certain vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil consumption. this bulletin provides the inspection and repair procedures for vehicles exhibiting this condition. all internal combustion engines consume engine oil as part of normal engine operatio
Air Bags 2026-04-10 · DTN DL · Other
the national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa) has identified the presence of substandard and dangerous driver’s-side airbag inflators manufactured by jilin province detiannuo automobile safety system co., ltd. (dtn). these inflators were not supplied, approved, or authorized by the vehi
Air Bags 2026-04-10 · DTN DCS · Other
the national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa) has issued an urgent safety advisory regarding dangerous, counterfeit driver‑side airbag inflators manufactured by jilin province detiannuo automobile safety system co., ltd. (dtn), that have been identified in u.s. vehicles following prior
Exterior Lighting 2025-11-06 · 25-BD-012H TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information regarding condensation related to the accumulated moisture in the headlamp, rear combination lamp, daytime running lamp (drl), or fog lamp. this tsb illustrates the various causes of condensation inside the lamp assembly. lamp assembly replacement is not necessary
Showing the 6 most recent of 51 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-08-06 · Service Brakes“the vehicle is subject to safety recall 13v-113 (campaign 131) for problems relating to the brake light switch. the recall repair was attempted in 2016 but the defect has recurred (current symptoms include but is not limited to: brake lights sporadically staying on with car off, key removed and all doors securely closed. this condition has caused …”
2025-02-25 · Unknown Or Other“upon opening my driver side door the handle came off in my hand. i went to open the rear driver passenger side door and that handle came off in my hand. a repair shop went to open the rear passenger side door that handle came off. my fourth attempt i went to open my passenger side door and that one opened but loose. i have to get on passenger side …”
2024-04-23 · Engine“my car is experiencing the same issue as the recall on the engines for sonatas and elantra in my year. my vehicle experienced a stall while in a drive thru the oil light illuminated and ever since then i have a ticking sound in the engine. …”
2023-07-03 · Steering“key ignition locked, key would not turn and steering wheel locked while driving. previously checked by auto nation hyundai in savannah, ga. they could not get it to lock up. drove a few weeks and it locked up again while driving and would not unlock. hyundai could not get it unlocked or the key to turn. advised this is a major expense. needs a ne…”
2023-01-03 · Engine“the recall issue showed at the inspection center and this vehicle has not been in an incident …”
2020-05-11 · Air Bags · 💥 crash“airbags didn't deploy after getting hit in the front end. *tr…”
2019-08-06 · Engine · 67,000 mi“my 2011 hyundai accent has a persistent problem with ignition coil failure like other complaints found on the nhtsa website. i have had to replace every ignition coil. the first when the vehicle was under warranty, all others after the warranty expired at cost of over $1000. hyundai also replaced the spark plugs at the same time. my car only has 67…”
2019-02-03 · Engine · 40,000 mi“as with many others, have engine coils going bad, which can lead to many other problems if not addressed quickly. i bought this car 18 months ago @ 33000 miles. it now has just turned over to 40000 miles. first time i ever had s cool go bad in 45 years of car ownership. then find it's a habitual issue with this vehicle.…”
2018-12-19 · Vehicle Speed Control · 35,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2011 hyundai accent. as the contact began to drive, the vehicle accelerated uncontrollably to 50 mph without warning. the contact moved the gear shifter into neutral and powered off the engine to stop the vehicle. the vehicle was pushed onto the curb and towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the throttl…”
2018-11-03 · Unknown Or Other · 96,783 mi“the engine light comes on and i have fixed everything from the mechanics to everything else it still pops up and the mechanic told me i am having a missfire sound while in motion it would blonk and at times it would stay on and come off…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.