Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power windows, windshield, wipers, mirrors, sunroof).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 Hyundai Accent owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Accent. While driving approximately 40 MPH, the driver's side sun visor suddenly came down and obstructed the contact's view. The contact lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a guardrail while attempting to avoid a collision with a second vehicle. During the incident, the driver sustained an injured lower back and neck. Medical attention was not received. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer (jim hudson Hyundai, 310 greystone blvd, columbia, sc 29210) were contacted and did not assist. The VIN was invalid. The failure mileage was 35,000.
Drivers side sun visor assembly design allows it to fall down and flap thereby causing myself the driver and owner to have an accident. Hyundai refuses to acknowledge this defect as a serious safety issue. I could have been killed!!!!! I was driving in heavy traffic on a U.S. Interstate in south carolina.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Accent. The contact stated that the sun visor was attached by a thin wire that caused it to slightly detach from the roof of the vehicle. The sun visor obstructed the view of the driver. The failure occurred to both front sun visors. The contact took the vehicle to Hyundai of auburn (823 opelika rd, auburn, al 36830; [phone]) who diagnosed that the mechanism that held the sun visors in place and the sun visors themselves needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 38,000. The consumer stated the visors were due to be repaired. The consumer stated the visors were repaired.
Critical: drivers sunvisor unexpectedly fell out of it's mounting while traveling at night on a very narrow 2-lane bridge. Darned near got me killed!!!. This is a serious hazard and a very poor & dangerous design flaw. Replacement units are very expensive and equally flawed. Yes, my vehicle was in motion @ about 45 MPH and had I not had quick reflexes, I could have either slammed into the bridge rail or head -on with an oncoming vehicle. Please get this corrected because it is a widely reported problem by many Hyundai vehicle owners in addition to other years & models. Thank you
Drivers side sun visor would not stay up, then just fell all the way out, had to have the light disconnected, not under warranty Hyundai dealer said, no recall for this specific auto. Driving when this happened.
This issue directly affects the sun visor of the vehicle. When driving down the highway, attempting to move the sun visor down to block the sun resulted in the plastic sheathing to break that covers the metal tube inserted into the sun visor. As the plastic is what keeps the sun visor up and out of the way, the sun visor now falls and blocks the visibility of the driver, regardless of position. It has become increasing difficult to drive now that the driver no longer has a sun visor that will stay in the correct position, and it continues to block the direct view of the driver. For now, the driver has removed the sun visor just to have some visibility when driving. I have heard many complaints from other drivers of this model as well, and these same visors are put in 06-11 Hyundai accents. …
Sun visors are broken on both the driver and passenger sides. I've been looking on the web this morning and am amazed by how many other people seem to have the same issue with their visors. It's really quite problematic as these both don't function properly now and hinder visibility from inside this rather small car. The driver side visor is hanging from what looks like some type of cord on the left hand side. I am unable to secure it back up and it is constantly flapping around. I live in texas and the sun is brutal here while driving, and the visor is really necessary for a safe trip. I have at times had to hold it up with one hand while I'm driving to be able to block the sun and see the road. The passenger visor has a different problem and is no longer able to be adjusted, so I have it tacked up behind the rearview mirror with the extension that slides out on the right. …
Power control for the passenger window very erratic. When lowered, the control will not raise the passenger side window until the switch has cooled off. Problem recently worked on at local Hyundai dealership; however, fix did not last for 24 hours. Switch will not respond from either the driver's control or the passenger side. Also have the problem with the sun visor that so many others have submitted complaint about. The visor on the driver's side literally fell in my face while I was driving. Currently I have the visor taped up; but, it will still fall down both startling the driver and obstructing the view. This is a safety hazard. The piece is broken and the estimate to repair is ridiculous. I purchased the additional warranty so eventually the window switch problem will be resolved; but, the dealership is telling me I will have to pay for the visor. …
Both sun visors on driver and passenger side of vehicle fail to stay in place. The visor on the driver's side dropped down without warning while I was driving, hitting me on the top of the head, and hanging in partial obstruction of the windshield. When I pushed it to the side it obstructs my vision on the left and hangs haphazardly. The faulty visors are a safety hazard which are a result of a product defect beyond my control. I am a member of a growing number of dissatisfied Hyundai owners who have experienced similar problems with their sun visors. These problems pose a significant safety risk to Hyundai drivers whose vision while driving May be obstructed by these faulty visors. These experiences and safety concerns/complaints are logged back as far as 2008 and can be accessed at this url http://howtomendit.com/answers.php?id=157121.
While driving my car the sun visor came out of the socket and would not stay. This was a shock and could have caused an accident due to unexpected internal failure/defect of car part that was not caused by the driver, anything living, dead, real or unreal. This has happened to the drivers side and was fixed by a Hyundai dealer a few months back, now the passenger side sun visor is doing the same. I would have taken it back to the dealer but when the drivers side sun visor was replaced I was told that the warranty for something like this was up. What's going on with these sun visors, are they programmed to give out after a period of time? This is not OK!
Window & Wiper complaints in other Accent years
Frequently asked questions
How common are window & wiper problems on the 2008 Hyundai Accent?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the windows, wipers & sunroof of the 2008 Hyundai Accent, 24% of the model year's 101 complaints. The component named most often is rear window wiper/washer (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 Hyundai Accent window & wiper problems?
No. NHTSA lists no windows, wipers & sunroof recall for the 2008 Hyundai Accent, though it has 1 recall for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2008 Hyundai Accent window & wiper problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 38,000 miles, and 19% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 2 injuries to windows, wipers & sunroof problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.