Hyundai Accent 2012–2017 problems by year and mileage
4th generation (RB)
NHTSA data through 24 September 2026611 complaints, 311 with mileageMethod
A DO NOT DRIVE recall covers part of this generation — check the VIN before driving it home.
Which year is yours? Tap it to see what breaks on it.
The 2012 Hyundai Accent
Close- Median failure report
- 60,000 mi
- Complaints filed
- 153
- Recalls naming this year
- 2
Most reported on the 2012
- Engine36 reports
- Electrical system24 reports
- Brakes20 reports
2 recall campaigns name the 2012: Service brakes, hydraulic — antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip; Equipment — electrical. Not every car in a campaign is affected — check the VIN at NHTSA. Recall repairs are free.
The 2013 Hyundai Accent
Close- Median failure report
- 45,000 mi
- Complaints filed
- 141
- Recalls naming this year
- 1
At least 40% of the complaints about the 2013 were filed after 2020, and most complaints filed since then carry no odometer reading. The median here rests on the earlier reports and likely understates the mileage these failures happen at.
Most reported on the 2013
- Engine34 reports
- Hydraulic brake circuit24 reports
- Electrical system18 reports
1 recall campaign names the 2013: Service brakes, hydraulic — antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip. Not every car in a campaign is affected — check the VIN at NHTSA. Recall repairs are free.
The 2014 Hyundai Accent
Close- Median failure report
- 76,000 mi
- Complaints filed
- 79
- Recalls naming this year
- 1
At least 40% of the complaints about the 2014 were filed after 2020, and most complaints filed since then carry no odometer reading. The median here rests on the earlier reports and likely understates the mileage these failures happen at.
Most reported on the 2014
- Engine18 reports
- Brakes12 reports
- Hydraulic brake circuit12 reports
1 recall campaign names the 2014: Service brakes, hydraulic — antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip. Not every car in a campaign is affected — check the VIN at NHTSA. Recall repairs are free.
The 2015 Hyundai Accent
Close- Median failure report
- 62,000 mi
- Complaints filed
- 70
- Recalls naming this year
- 2
At least 40% of the complaints about the 2015 were filed after 2020, and most complaints filed since then carry no odometer reading. The median here rests on the earlier reports and likely understates the mileage these failures happen at.
Most reported on the 2015
- Airbag system26 reports
- Engine20 reports
- Electrical system10 reports
2 recall campaigns name the 2015: Service brakes, hydraulic — antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip; Air bags — frontal. Not every car in a campaign is affected — check the VIN at NHTSA. Recall repairs are free.
The 2016 Hyundai Accent
Close- Median failure report
- 50,000 mi
- Complaints filed
- 100
- Recalls naming this year
- 0
At least 40% of the complaints about the 2016 were filed after 2020, and most complaints filed since then carry no odometer reading. The median here rests on the earlier reports and likely understates the mileage these failures happen at.
Most reported on the 2016
- Engine32 reports
- Airbag system29 reports
- Electrical system26 reports
The 2017 Hyundai Accent
Close- Median failure report
- 51,000 mi
- Complaints filed
- 68
- Recalls naming this year
- 0
At least 40% of the complaints about the 2017 were filed after 2020, and most complaints filed since then carry no odometer reading. The median here rests on the earlier reports and likely understates the mileage these failures happen at.
Most reported on the 2017
- Engine23 reports
- Airbag system21 reports
- Problems owners could not categorise16 reports
Each tile shows the median mileage at which that model year’s failures were reported. † marks a year whose median likely understates the mileage: much of its reporting came after 2020, when most complaints stopped recording an odometer reading. The 2014 reports latest and the 2013 earliest, but part of that gap is age: the 2013 has had 1 more year on the road to accumulate mileage.
The short answer
“Is the 2012–2017 Hyundai Accent reliable?”
- Median of reported failures
- 55,000 mi
- 90% of reports came by
- 120,000 mi
- Reports with mileage
- 311
- Recalls
- 3
At least 40% of this generation’s complaints were filed after 2020, and most complaints filed since then carry no odometer reading, so the median likely understates the mileage these failures happen at.
Most reported
- Engine26.7% of complaints · median 89,000 mi
- Airbag system19.3% of complaints · median 52,000 mi
- Electrical system15.1% of complaints · median 54,000 mi
Owners filed 611 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012–2017 Hyundai Accent; the engine leads with 26.7% of them, and half of the 311 that record an odometer reading came by 55,000 miles. A count like this can’t rate reliability on its own: NHTSA records what owners chose to report, not how many of each car were sold.
Failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 22,000 and 90,000 miles.
Before-you-buy checklist ↓At your mileage ↓Check this VIN — NHTSA ↗
How many miles does a 2012–2017 Hyundai Accent last?
Complaint records can’t measure how long a car lasts; they show when reported failures happened. On the 2012–2017 Hyundai Accent, half of the 311 complaints that record an odometer reading were filed by 55,000 miles and 90% by 120,000 miles.
10 reports came in past 150,000 miles and 3 past 200,000 — each one proof that an Accent reached that mileage, not that it failed there.
Figure 1 · Hyundai Accent 2012–2017 · 311 reports with mileage
Mileage at failure
Complaints per 10,000-mile bin, 0 to 200,000 miles, equal bins on a linear scale. Tallest bar = 47 complaints.
- Rest of the range
- Median
- 200,000+ — 3 complaints (1.0%), plotted separately
- 10%
- 3,444
- 25%
- 22,000
- Median
- 55,062
- 75%
- 90,000
- 90%
- 120,000
Show the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–10,000 | 47 | 15.1% |
| 10,000–20,000 | 24 | 7.7% |
| 20,000–30,000 | 25 | 8.0% |
| 30,000–40,000 | 17 | 5.5% |
| 40,000–50,000 | 24 | 7.7% |
| 50,000–60,000 | 28 | 9.0% |
| 60,000–70,000 | 25 | 8.0% |
| 70,000–80,000 | 19 | 6.1% |
| 80,000–90,000 | 20 | 6.4% |
| 90,000–100,000 | 16 | 5.1% |
| 100,000–110,000 | 19 | 6.1% |
| 110,000–120,000 | 15 | 4.8% |
| 120,000–130,000 | 6 | 1.9% |
| 130,000–140,000 | 12 | 3.9% |
| 140,000–150,000 | 4 | 1.3% |
| 150,000–160,000 | 3 | 1.0% |
| 160,000–170,000 | 1 | 0.3% |
| 170,000–180,000 | 1 | 0.3% |
| 180,000–190,000 | 2 | 0.6% |
| 200,000+ | 3 | 1.0% |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain. Complaint counts reflect what owners reported and are not a measure of failure rate per vehicle sold.
What this can and cannot tell you: these are complaints owners chose to file, not a failure rate. Popular models accumulate more of them simply by being common. How this is built.
Common Accent problems, and when they happen
Figure 2 · Hyundai Accent 2012–2017
When each system fails
Bar spans the middle half of reports; the notch inside each bar is the median. Miles at failure on a proportional scale — equal distances are equal ratios, not equal miles.
- Brakes66 reports41,00015,000–55,000Brakes: 66 reports, median 41,000 miles, middle half 15,000 to 55,000 miles.
- Airbag system118 reports52,00023,000–75,000Airbag system: 118 reports, median 52,000 miles, middle half 23,000 to 75,000 miles.
- Electrical system92 reports54,00032,000–78,000Electrical system: 92 reports, median 54,000 miles, middle half 32,000 to 78,000 miles.
- Problems owners could not categorise81 reports56,00022,000–90,000Problems owners could not categorise: 81 reports, median 56,000 miles, middle half 22,000 to 90,000 miles.
- Throttle and speed control39 reports56,00024,000–89,000Throttle and speed control: 39 reports, median 56,000 miles, middle half 24,000 to 89,000 miles.
- Engine163 reports89,00053,000–115,000Engine: 163 reports, median 89,000 miles, middle half 53,000 to 115,000 miles.
- Hydraulic brake circuit58 reports102,00078,000–150,000Hydraulic brake circuit: 58 reports, median 102,000 miles, middle half 78,000 to 150,000 miles.
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it in “Where your car sits”
Ordered by median mileage, earliest first. The first 12,000 miles are shaded: that is the boundary this site uses between a manufacturing defect and ordinary wear, not a property of the world.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
All systems in a table
| System | Complaints | Share | Median | 25–75% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 163 | 26.7% | 89,000 | 53,000–115,000 |
| Airbag system | 118 | 19.3% | 52,000 | 23,000–75,000 |
| Electrical system | 92 | 15.1% | 54,000 | 32,000–78,000 |
| Problems owners could not categorise | 81 | 13.3% | 56,000 | 22,000–90,000 |
| Brakes | 66 | 10.8% | 41,000 | 15,000–55,000 |
| Hydraulic brake circuit | 58 | 9.5% | 102,000 | 78,000–150,000 |
| Throttle and speed control | 39 | 6.4% | 56,000 | 24,000–89,000 |
| Steering | 38 | 6.2% | 24,000 | 11,000–50,000 |
| Body structure | 33 | 5.4% | 38,000 | 12,000–60,000 |
| Transmission and driveline | 28 | 4.6% | 43,000 | 11,000–63,000 |
System by system, in words
Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 55,000 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.
The engine accounts for 26.7% of complaints (163 reports, 77 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails late — a median of 89,000 miles, considerably beyond the vehicle's overall median. That pattern is consistent with normal service life rather than a defect, though it matters for anyone buying an example already near that mileage. The middle half of these reports falls between 53,000 and 115,000 miles.
A single system taking 26.7% of all complaints is a concentration worth noting. It means that for this generation, most of what owners reported came back to one area of the car rather than being distributed across many small faults.
The airbag system accounts for 19.3% of complaints (118 reports, 71 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 52,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 23,000 and 75,000 miles.
The electrical system accounts for 15.1% of complaints (92 reports, 49 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 54,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 32,000 and 78,000 miles.
Problems owners could not categorise accounts for 13.3% of complaints (81 reports, 32 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 56,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 22,000 and 90,000 miles.
The brakes account for 10.8% of complaints (66 reports, 27 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 41,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 15,000 and 55,000 miles.
The hydraulic brake circuit accounts for 9.5% of complaints (58 reports, 13 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails late — a median of 102,000 miles, considerably beyond the vehicle's overall median. That pattern is consistent with normal service life rather than a defect, though it matters for anyone buying an example already near that mileage. The middle half of these reports falls between 78,000 and 150,000 miles.
Known problems with the 2012–2017 Accent
Brakes - Electrical 2012–2015
Anti-lock Brake System module internal brake fluid leak causing an electrical short and engine-compartment fire, which can occur while parked as well as while driving. Root cause identified as the material formulation of the ABS module O-ring rubber, which deteriorates and allows internal leakage. Hyundai Safety Recall 251 / NHTSA 23V-651 covers certain 2012-2015 Accent vehicles built 5 March 2011 to 31 October 2014; the interim remedy is an ABS fuse replacement and owners were told to park outside pending repair.
Engine - Intake 2012–2017
1.6L Gamma GDI intake valve carbon deposits from direct injection, causing rough idle and misfire at higher mileage; also high-pressure fuel pump tick.
Before you buy a 2012–2017 Accent: the 3-minute check
Generated from 311 mileage-tagged complaints, 3 recall campaigns, 2 documented problem areas. Print this page — the checklist survives print.
- Run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. 3 campaigns cover this generation; an open recall is a free repair you can make the seller's problem.
- Check brakes - electrical on 2012–2015 cars. Anti-lock Brake System module internal brake fluid leak causing an electrical short and engine-compartment fire, which can occur while parked as well as while driving. Root cause identified as the material formulation…
- Check engine - intake on 2012–2017 cars. 1.6L Gamma GDI intake valve carbon deposits from direct injection, causing rough idle and misfire at higher mileage; also high-pressure fuel pump tick.
- End with a pre-purchase inspection of this car. Aggregate data describes the population; the example in front of you has its own history.
For a buyer, failures on this generation are spread rather than concentrated: the middle half falls between 22,000 and 90,000 miles, with a median of 55,000. There is no single mileage threshold to watch, which means condition and maintenance records are more informative than the odometer.
On inspection, the engine and the airbag system are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. The airbag system in particular shows a median failure mileage of 52,000, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.
None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.
Accent problems by mileage: where your car sits
Type your odometer reading, or read the common mileages in the table. Your marker lands on the timing chart above and on the curve below.
| System | Middle half of reports, mi | At 60k mi53% below | At 90k mi74% below | At 120k mi90% below | At 150k mi97% below | At 200k mi99% below |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 53,000–115,000 | in window | in window | earlier | earlier | earlier |
| Airbag system | 23,000–75,000 | in window | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier |
| Electrical system | 32,000–78,000 | in window | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier |
| Problems owners could not categorise | 22,000–90,000 | in window | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier |
| Brakes | 15,000–55,000 | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier |
| Hydraulic brake circuit | 78,000–150,000 | later | in window | in window | earlier | earlier |
| Throttle and speed control | 24,000–89,000 | in window | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier |
Figure 3 · Hyundai Accent 2012–2017 · 311 reports with mileage
Share of reports below each mileage
Share of mileage-tagged reports filed at or below each odometer reading. Steps rise only at bin edges, by exact counted shares.
- 60,000 mi — 53% of reports below
- 90,000 mi — 74% of reports below
- 120,000 mi — 90% of reports below
- 150,000 mi — 97% of reports below
- 200,000 mi — 99% of reports below
- Median — the staircase crosses the 50% line here
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it above
The staircase tops out at 99%: the remaining 1.0% of reports (3) came above 200,000 miles.
Nothing is smoothed or interpolated. Linear axis, same as Figure 1.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
2012–2017 Hyundai Accent recalls (3)
NHTSA records 3 recall campaigns covering vehicles in this generation. A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator concluded there was a safety defect or a standard was not met, and that a free remedy is owed to owners — including second and later owners.
1 of these carry a severe advisory — NHTSA's do not drive or park outside warnings, which the agency applies only when it considers the risk immediate. If you own one of these vehicles, that is the first thing to check by VIN.
Recall status is specific to the individual vehicle, not the model. Checking a VIN against NHTSA's lookup is free and takes under a minute, and it is the only way to know whether a particular car has had the work done.
Sep 2023 · 2012–2015 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic park outsideAn engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
The defect. Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2011-2015 Elantra, Genesis Coupe, Sonata Hybrid, 2012-2015 Accent, Azera, Veloster, 2013-2015 Elantra Coupe, Santa Fe, 2014-2015 Equus, 2010-2012 Veracruz, 2010-2013 Tucson, 2015 Tucson Fuel Cell, and 2013…
What can happen. An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
The free fix. Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the ABS fuse, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 10…
Jul 2020 · 2012 · EquipmentAn overheated accessory outlet increases the risk of fire.
The defect. Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2011-2012 Hyundai Elantra and Sonata Hybrid, 2012 Accent and Veloster vehicles. The 12V accessory socket outlet may have been over-tightened during installation, possibly disabling the thermal fuse and…
What can happen. An overheated accessory outlet increases the risk of fire.
The free fix. Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the Tire Mobility Kit accessory outlet plug with a direct-to-battery connection wire harness kit, free of charge. The recall began September 28…
Apr 2015 · 2015 · Air BagsIf the ODS fails to detect that the seat is occupied by a child restraint seat, the front air bag will not be…
The defect. Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015 Accent vehicles manufactured September 15, 2014, to February 10, 2015. In very cold temperatures, the occupant detection system (ODS) may not be able to determine if a child restraint seat…
What can happen. If the ODS fails to detect that the seat is occupied by a child restraint seat, the front air bag will not be deactivated and, in the event of a crash necessitating front air bag deployment, the air…
The free fix. Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will correct ODS software, free of charge. The recall began on June 4, 2015. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059. Hyundai's number…
Crashes, fires and injuries owners reported
What owners reported alongside the failure itself, out of 611 complaints against this generation:
- Crashes
- 64 (10.5%)
- Fires
- 43
- Injury reports
- 51
- Fatality reports
- 1
These flags are self-reported by complainants and unverified by NHTSA; one report can carry several flags, so the counts overlap and do not sum to a total. They are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. No chart is drawn here on purpose: overlapping counts spanning very different magnitudes cannot be honestly encoded as lengths.
Accent problems by model year
The 2012 drew the most complaints of this generation, 153, most of them about the engine, and the 2017 the fewest, 68. A typical year drew about 90.
The first year of the generation, 2012, drew more complaints than a typical year. A count like this follows how many cars of each year were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as how often they failed, so it is not by itself evidence of a worse year; what each year's reports name, in its card and row, is the useful part.
| Year | Complaints | With mileage | Median miles | Most reported | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 153 | 90 | 60,000 | Engine (36) | 2 |
| 2013 | 141 | 70 | 45,000† | Engine (34) | 1 |
| 2014 | 79 | 31 | 76,000† | Engine (18) | 1 |
| 2015 | 70 | 38 | 62,000† | Airbag system (26) | 2 |
| 2016 | 100 | 51 | 50,000† | Engine (32) | 0 |
| 2017 | 68 | 31 | 51,000† | Engine (23) | 0 |
What Accent owners reported
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Accent. The contact stated that while the vehicle parked, the contact became aware that there was a fire in the front passenger side of the vehicle, underneath the radio and along the center console. The contact extinguished the fire. The contact stated that fire odor was like an…
2015 · 132,000 miles · Electrical system
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…
2016 · 143,000 miles · Airbag system
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Accent. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to come to a complete stop as intended while the brake pedal was fully depressed. The brake warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact used the parking brake to pull over to the shoulder of the…
2013 · 150,000 miles · Hydraulic brake circuit
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Accent. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds on several occasions, the steering wheel seized. No warning light was illuminated. The brakes locked up, causing a tire blowout. The contact stated that the tie rod was replaced. The contact stated that a neighbor…
2014 · 110,000 miles · Brakes
Built from 311 NHTSA complaints with mileage · snapshot 2026-09-26 · open data · how it is built
Other Accent generations
- Accent 2000–2005 240 reports with mileage, most about the transmission and driveline
- Accent 2006–2011 373 reports with mileage, most about the airbag system