2020 Hyundai Accent problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (2) · Vehicle Speed Control:cruise Control (1) · Vehicle Speed Control (1)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Hyundai Accent model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (4)
Seat Belts:front 2022-05-19 · campaign 22V354000 · 230,233 vehicles
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.
Risk: An exploding seat belt pretensioner can project metal fragments into the vehicle, strike vehicle occupants, and result in injury.
Fix: 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 r
Seat Belts:front 2022-04-01 · campaign 22V218000 · 6,240 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Elantra and 2020 Accent vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front driver and passenger-side seat belt pretensioners may explode upon deployment.
Risk: Exploding seat belt pretensioners can project metal fragments into the vehicle, strike vehicle occupants, and result in injury.
Fix: 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.
Seat Belts:pretensioner 2022-02-09 · campaign 22V069000 · 354 vehicles
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.
Risk: An exploding seat belt pretensioner can project metal fragments into the vehicle, striking vehicle occupants and resulting in injury.
Fix: 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.
Latches/Locks/Linkages:trunk Lid:latch 2021-08-06 · campaign 21V619000 · 348,158 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Sonata, 2016-2018 Sonata Hybrid, 2018-2020 Accent, and 2016-2017 Azera vehicles. The trunk latch may become damaged, preventing the opening of the trunk from the inside. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 401, "Internal Trunk Release."
Risk: A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (69)
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.
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
Electrical System 2025-12-19 · P33 OL · Other
in response to this trend, we engineered a software upgrade that addresses the social media theft method and made it available to owners of eligible models free of charge at authorized hyundai dealers since early 2023. in addition to the anti-theft software, we’ve developed a new zinc-reinforced i
Electrical System 2025-12-15 · 25-01-089H DCS · Other
upon customer's request only, the technical service bulletin (tsb) 25-01-089h provides the service procedure for installation of a key cylinder reinforcement protector assembly and two anti-theft decals on the front windows. this repair procedure is being provided in addition to the previous anti-th
Showing the 6 most recent of 69 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-08-17 · Seats“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, t…”
2025-08-12 · Structure:body:door:handle:exterior · 26,500 mi“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 …”
2025-05-30 · Engine · 🔥 fire“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 buildi…”
2024-11-13 · Fuel/Propulsion System“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…”
2024-04-22 · Vehicle Speed Control:cruise Control · 103,300 mi“the contact owns a 2020 hyundai accent. the contact stated that the cruise control button had fractured. while driving with the cruise control engaged, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated. there were no warning lights illuminated. the local dealer was not contacted. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and open…”
2022-08-31 · Seat Belts“the contact owns a 2020 hyundai accent. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number 22v354000 (seat belts) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. the local dealer was contacted and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of tim…”
2022-06-27 · Vehicle Speed Control“my vehicle does the same thing as nhtsa id number: 11423521 and now i know not to bother taking it in for service for this issue. i was validated when i read that complaint as i have and continue to experience the same non-responsive issue when i accelerate from a complete stop ever since the vehicle was purchased 2020 february. this form asks fo…”
2021-07-08 · Structure:body:hood · 42,000 mi“the contact owns a 2012 hyundai accent. the contact stated while driving approximately 55-60 mph, the hood was released without warning and cracked the front windshield. the local dealer was not contacted. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 42,000.…”
2021-07-06 · Engine“i owned a 2017 elantra and now i own a 2020 accent. both cars had the same on and off problem. when i am at an intersection and have to step on the gas to get thru the intersection quickly, when i step on the gas nothing happens. i have to pump the gas several times to get going. in the old days we called this vapor lock. this has happened numerous…”
2021-07-03 · Unknown Or Other · 💥 crash“as i went to take a turn the vehicles electric power steering went out causing loss of control of the vehicle. the electric power steering is faulty and others should know about this major safety defect. again what exactly happened was as i was turning the steering wheel became extremely difficult to turn then all of a sudden it turned extremely ea…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.