Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2016 Hyundai Accent owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Accent. The contact stated that she recently purchased the vehicle from a private seller. When the contact drove the vehicle for the first time, there were no issues or warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. However, when the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for an inspection, it was discovered that the airbag module warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 143,000.
I brought my vehicle to Victorville Hyundai to address the official manufacturer safety warranty extension, Campaign Z01, which covers a defective passenger side Occupant Classification System (OCS) airbag sensor. My vehicle currently has 129,000 miles. The dealership and the service manager refused to perform the necessary safety diagnostic or inspection unless I signed a pre-authorization contract agreeing to pay a out-of-pocket fee of $219. The manager explicitly stated that this fee would be charged if they found that the sensor was contaminated with "outside water or dust." While I confirmed that the vehicle has never sustained any liquid spills or water intrusion, the vehicle is driven in the High Desert area and naturally contains standard environmental dust due to its age and mileage. …
The airbag light in my vehicle has been randomly turning on and off sporadically, several times a month. When I had my local dealership check the codes, they reported that there were several passenger-side airbag related codes that were stored and that they didn't know why they were going off at all. They were able to observe the light turning off and on at random. There have been no other known issues with the car. This airbag issue occurs when I am driving, parked, with someone/something on the passenger seat, and without. The codes stored were the following: b1764, b1767, b1493, b1603, b1490. Dealer notes were: "cleared codes and tried to get them to reset and would not reset put 100lbs in pass seat and buckled it and went on test drive no codes pending no light on moved seat front and back no codes. unable to further diag"
Dashboard light for passenger side airbag goes on/off randomly. Took to Coastal Hyundai 4/8/18 they verified code but found no problem. They just cleared the code. 7/15/21 same problem. Took to Wallace Hyundai in Stuart Fl. Was told passenger seat needs to be replaced for a couple thousand dollars but would check if corporate would pay a portion. Followed up but never heard back. I heard there was a recall on this but when I enter VIN it states no recall. This is a safety issue when I have passengers. The vehicle was still under warranty when I first had the problem and don't feel I should have to pay anything.
The airbag SRS light started to blink on and off and now stays on full time. I took the car to the dealership and they ran diagnostics and got code B1440 and B1774. They stated the entire passenger seat cushion must be replaced with the MAT sensor. This is a common problem per this website and there is no recall issued for some reason. Please investigate this issue as it was a common problem with earlier models 2006 through 2011 and later models are still having the same issue. This is a costly fix and it is suspicious that this sensor failed right after the warranty expired.
Since I've had this car, there has been an issue with the airbag light appearing on the dash and the light that illuminates the passenger airbag isn't lit during this time. It seems to be caused by the use of the passenger door. Sometimes it works as it should and other times it doesn't. Dealership won't do anything about it because there is no code. So if someone sits in the seat, I won't know if they are safe or not in an accident. This is a safety issue and should be fixed.
The air bag warning light comes on frequently while I am driving and the passenger side air bag does not always turn off when there is not a passenger sitting in the passenger seat like it should. It is to the point where I am afraid to drive my car after spending a ridiculous amount of money on our family car. Please help us. Thank you in advance.
The car facing Air bag light ON few days ago. Mechanical Shop inspect the car the scan shows code B1490 ( PODA ( Passenger Occupant Detecting System) Sensor (Bladder) defect Contact the Hyundai Customer care to check if there is any extend warranty on the this part, they said NO, open case # 21683569
The passenger seat airbag seat sensor does not work properly. The sensor wiring gets loose making the airbag system not work. It's a common problem in this make and model. So I don't understand why it hasn't been recalled yet.
This reports a recurring Safety Restraint System (SRS) airbag warning light issue for no apparent reason other than potentially defective components. Please investigate this! Any issues with the SRS system of a vehicle by default puts the safety of the vehicle's passengers at risk. The SRS airbag warning light first turned on randomly in June 2023 and remained on for a few weeks every time the car was on or being driven. (I am the second owner of the car, and this happened a year after purchase; I do not know if the original owners also had issues with this SRS warning light.) This SRS warning light turned itself off randomly a few weeks later. I had scheduled with a Hyundai Service Dept. to diagnose the issue for the price of $184.50 but ended up cancelling since the SRS light turned itself off 2 weeks before my appointment. The rough phone estimate by this Hyundai Service Dept. …
Airbag complaints in other Accent years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2016 Hyundai Accent?
NHTSA has 30 complaints about the air bags of the 2016 Hyundai Accent, 29% of the model year's 102 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2016 Hyundai Accent airbag problems?
No. NHTSA lists no air bags recall for the 2016 Hyundai Accent. 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 2016 Hyundai Accent airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 62,000 miles, and 14% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 0 fires and 5 injuries to air bags 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.