Most common 1996 Hyundai Accent problems
Share of the 101 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Hyundai Accent complaints by model year
Best Accent years: 2020, 2018, 2021. Years to avoid: 2012, 1995, 2002, 1996. Compare all years →
1996 Hyundai Accent recalls (4)
Suspension › Front › Control arm › Lower arm
On certain passenger vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of…
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the front lower control arms and, if necessary, will replace one or both front lower control arms if structural damage has occurred. Owner notification will begin on June 10, 2003.
Suspension › Front › Springs › Coil springs
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles originally sold or currently registered in the following "salt belt" states: connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, and…
Remedy: Dealers will install a spring guide to prevent a broken coil spring from contacting and damaging a tire.
Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer › Motor
The windshield wiper motor circuit breaker electrical contacts were contaminated during assembly.
Remedy: Dealers will remove the contaminants from the windshield wiper motor circuit breaker contacts.
Suspension › Front › Control arm › Lower arm
Through contact with road hazards and curbs, the lower control arm assembly can shift from its original position.
Remedy: Dealers will reinforce the lower control arm member assembly attachment to the underbody.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 3 possible defects involving the 1996 Hyundai Accent:
Passenger air bag related fatalities
Odi is aware of seven fatalities of children (excluding children in rear facing child safety seats)that were caused by the deployment of the front passenger air bags in minor or moderate severity crashes involving model year 1995 through 1997 Hyundai accent vehicles.two of the seven fatalities occurred in puerto rico.this preliminary evaluation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis forfurther investigation.
Front suspension lower control arm
On December 18th, 2002 Hyundai America technical center, inc. (Hyundai) submitted a defect information report regarding approximately 47,000 1995 and 1996 Hyundai accent vehicles registered in salt belt states.according to Hyundai, these vehicles were manufactured with front suspension lower control arms with an interior partition wall.the partition wall restricts the coverage of paint to the interior surfaces of…
Passenger air bag related
There is no summary currently available
What 1996 Hyundai Accent owners say
Suspension all 24 →
Tl contact owns a 1996 Hyundai Accent. While driving 15 MPH, the contact lost control of the vehicle and it stopped suddenly. The suspension split in half due to corrosion and the lower control arm collapsed. He was able to place the vehicle in reverse and drove back into his driveway. The manufacturer stated that they were unaware of NHTSA campaign id number 02V341000 (suspension:front:control arm:lower arm). The contact stated that he would replace some of the parts and would take the vehicle to the dealer for additional repairs. The current and failure mileages were 109,477. Updated 03/06/08.
My car with VIN: [redacted] has the problems specified in recall #02V341000 lower control arm. The lower control arm has broken when turning the steering wheel. I checked with the manufacturer at [phone] and they said that the recall does not apply to this vehicle. However, the car meets all the conditions as described on the recall description:the car was made in the period stated in recall and is owned in the applicable regions.
Transmission & drivetrain all 22 →
Manual transmission fails to shift into 2nd gear, 4th gear, or reverse. (into any of the down shifting positions) there seems to be no pattern to predict when this problem will appear. I've experienced problems on surface streets, freeways, and when just starting the car or mid trip.
Automatic transmission will drop out of gear into neutral while car is in drive usually around 35 to 40 MPH. This condition does not register when car is on electronic diagnostic devices. On atleast three occasions prior to the first, transmission completely failed. It had been placed on a device, with no problem found. The second, supposedly new transmission began having the same trouble, again it could not be diagnosed by machine. Because no one wanted to help I gave the car up. When I purchased the car I was told it was new by the dealership, it took the Hyundai corporation 2 yrs to send me a warrenty card and put the car in my name. When the original problem started w/the transmission I found out that the car had previously belonged to someone in california who May or May not have had the same trouble. …
Air bags all 21 →
Was in a car crash where the front end of my vehicle struck the drivers side of another vehicle. Was travling at aproximately 35mph. No airbag deploy. Filed a claim with Hyundai and was told the airbags were not supposed to deploy. Then sold the car to a friend of mine. She then repaired the vehicle and aproximately 6 weeks ago, she was t-boned in the same vehicle. The jaws of life were needed to get her out of the vehicle. No airbag deploy.
Consumer was traveling about 55mph on highway and a tractor was changing lanes, and he didn't have any room. Tractor ran into consumer's vehicle, and driver's side airbag didn't go off. Consumer was injured in accident, manufacturer sent consumer a letter stating that the airbag system was not at fault.
1996 Hyundai Accent engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5L 4-cyl | 5-speed manual | FWD | 24 / 33 / 28 |
| 1.5L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 23 / 33 / 27 |
EPA ratings. Class: Compact car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1996 Hyundai Accent a good car?
Based on 101 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 1996 Accent rates use caution: 1.4× as many complaints as a typical year of the Accent at the same age. It is one of the Accent years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 1996 Hyundai Accent?
The suspension — 24 complaints, 24% of all complaints for this model year, most often about front › control arm › lower arm. Next are the transmission & drivetrain (22) and air bags (21).
How many recalls does the 1996 Hyundai Accent have?
There are 4 recalls for the 1996 Hyundai Accent, the most recent from December 20, 2002 (lower arm). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Hyundai Accent?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2020, 2018 and 2021. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2012, 1995, 2002 and 1996. See the full Hyundai Accent years comparison.
At what mileage do 1996 Hyundai Accent problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 98,000 miles; 17% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.