RoadVitals

1998 Hyundai Accent

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
47
Latest Mar 15, 2014
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
1
Latest Oct 2, 2000
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
1
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
6

Overview

Our database contains 47 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1998 Hyundai Accent, most frequently naming the engine, fuel system and electrical categories. 1 safety recall has been issued covering this model year; 1 NHTSA investigation names it; and 45 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

1 campaign cover this model year

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
00V314001

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

Oct 2, 2000
66,086 units potentially affected
The defect: VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: ACCENT GT MODEL VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH DOHC ENGINES MANUFACTURED FROM DECEMBER 19, 1996 THROUGH JUNE 30, 1997; 1998 ACCENT MODEL VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM MAY 6, 1997 THROUGH JUNE 25, 1998; 1997 SONATA VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM AUGUST 1, 1996 THROUGH JULY 9, 1997 AND 1998 SONATA VEHICLES PRODUCED FROM JULY 9, 1997 THROUGH APRIL 24, 1998. THE EVAPORATIVE EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEMS MAY APPLY EXCESSIVE VACUUM TO THE FUEL TANKS DURING THE CANISTER PURGE CYCLE. MINOR FUEL TANK DISTORTION COULD RESULT. A SMALL CRACK COULD DEVELOP ON THE UPPER FUEL TANK SURFACE. THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT WOULD THEN ILLUMINATE AND, IN SOME CASES, THE VEHICLE DRIVER COULD NOTICE A GASOLINE ODOR.
The risk: FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE CAN RESULT IN A FIRE.
The remedy: DEALERS WILL PRESSURE CHECK THE VEHICLE'S FUEL TANK TO DETERMINE IF IT HAS CRACKED. IF IT IS CRACKED, A NEW FUEL TANK WILL BE INSTALLED. A NEW FUEL FILLER CAP THAT DECREASES THE AMOUNT OF VACUUM INSIDE THE FUEL TANK WILL ALSO BE INSTALLED. NOTE: THE 1997-1998 SONATA FUEL TANKS HAVE ALSO EXPERIENCED CRACKING. HOWEVER, AT THIS TIME, THE CAUSE FOR THE CRACKING HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED. THIS PORTION OF THE CAMPAIGN WILL BEGIN AFTER HYUNDAI HAS DETERMINED THE CAUSE AND CORRECTIVE PROCEDURE.
HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANYView on NHTSA.gov

Safety investigations

NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.

RQ00017ClosedRecall Query

FUEL TANK CRACKING

Opened Sep 16, 2000
Closed Oct 20, 2000

There is no summary currently available

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGESLed to recall 00V095002

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

View all 47
Fuel system
Filed Mar 15, 2014

ON YOUR WEB SITE I FOUND OUT THERE IS A RECALL ON MY CAR(FUEL TANK)IF MY MECHANIC FIX IT WILL THE MANUFACTURE REIMBURSE ME. IT IS A EMERGENCY BECAUSE IT LEAKS OUT NOW. *TR

NHTSA ID
10572585
Incident
Mar 14, 2014
Mileage
178,543 mi
Fuel system
Filed Apr 9, 2008

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 HYUNDAI ACCENT. THE CONTACT SMELLED A STRONG ODOR OF RAW GASOLINE IN HER VEHICLE. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE MECHANIC AND THEY STATED THAT THE GASOLINE FUEL SYSTEM STORAGE TANK ASSEMBLY WAS CRACKED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE DEFECT WAS ON RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE PREVIOUS OWNERS HAD THE RECALL ALREADY REPAIRED; THEREFORE, THEY WOULD NOT REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT BELIEVES THAT IF THE VEHICLE IS EXPERIENCING THE SAME FAILURE AS BEFORE, THEN IT WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED WITH A DEFECTED PART. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS BELOW 100,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 117,000.

NHTSA ID
10223786
Incident
Apr 1, 2006
Mileage
100,000 mi
ElectricalTransmission
Filed Mar 1, 2007

WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS (50-75 MPH) THE OVERDRIVE WOULD DISSENGAGE. IN TURRN THE RPM WOULD RAMP UP. THIS WOULD HAPPEN RANDOMLY. SOMTIMES PULLING OFF AND TURNING CAR OFF AND STARTING IT AGAIN TEMPORARILY FIXED PROBLEM. FINALLY, WE TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC. HE FOUND THAT THE WIRING UNER THE STICK (AUTOMATIC) WERE BARE AND TOUCHING. HE FIXED THE WIRING AND NEVER HAD A PROBLEM SINCE. I HAVE NOTED MANY OTHER ENTRIES WITH SIMILAR PROBLEM. *JB

NHTSA ID
10183909
Incident
Jul 11, 2004
Mileage
50,000 mi
ElectricalTransmission
Filed Jan 20, 2005

DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY DOING 50 MY RPM IS AROUND 4000 A FEW MONTHS LATER DECEMBER 2003 TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED. NOW JANUARY 2005 RPM IS ACTING UP AGAIN, I HAD MY CAR CHECKED OUT AT THE GARAGE WHERE MY TRANSMISSION WAS PUT IN AND THEY SEE NO PROBLEM WITH IT AT ALL, THEY THINK MAYBE IT IS ELECTRICAL???? DEALERSHIP SAID THEY HAVE HAD NO COMPLAINTS ON THIS....I HATE CARS!!!! *JB

NHTSA ID
10107646
Incident
Dec 1, 2003
Seat belts
Filed Jan 19, 2005

THE REAR SEAT BELTS DON'T EXTRACT. DRIVERS SIDE HAS BEEN REPLACE THREE TIMES, JUST REPLACED AND WITHIN A WEEK WAS DOING IT AGAIN. *NM

NHTSA ID
10107534
Incident
Oct 12, 2003
Mileage
55,000 mi
Fuel system
Filed Oct 3, 2004

A CRACK WAS PRODUCED IN THE FUEL TANK. AS A RESULT, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND FUEL FUMES SEEPED THROUGH THE PASSENGER'S COMPARTMENT.*AK *TC

NHTSA ID
10095115
Incident
Sep 5, 2004
Mileage
79,000 mi
Fuel system
Filed Aug 19, 2004

A RECALL NOTICE WAS RECEIVED, AFTER TAKING THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR THE FUEL FILTER CAP REPLACEMENT, THE DEALER REFUSED TO REPLACE THE FUEL FILTER CAP SINCE THERE WAS NO CRACK IN THE FUEL TANK. THE MANUFACTURE REFUSED TO COOPERATE. *AK

NHTSA ID
10089293
Incident
Aug 17, 2004
Mileage
62,000 mi
Engine
Filed Apr 4, 2004

I HAVE BEEN TO THE DEALER FOR RECALL AND REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND EACH TIME I WOULD STATE HOW THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON, THE CAR JERKS AND THEN IT RESUMES NORMALLY AS IF NOTHING EVER HAPPENED. I HAVE NOTICED NUMEROUS PEOPLE HAVE COMPLAINED OF THE SAME ISSUE AND THEIR DEALERSHIPS ALL SAY THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF SUCH A PROBLEM AND IT HAD NEVER BEEN REPORTED BEFORE. NHTSA NEEDS TO GET ON THE CASE AND NOTIFY WHOMEVER NEEDS TO BE NOTIFIED. *NM

NHTSA ID
10064529
Incident
Apr 3, 2004
Mileage
73,000 mi

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

23-BD-002H

VISIBILITY

This bulletin provides information regarding condensation related to the accumulated moisture in the headlamp, rear combination lamp, daytime running lamp (DRL), or fog lamp. This TSB illustrates the various causes of condensation inside the lamp assembly. Lamp assembly replacement is NOT necessary in most cases. This condition can be eliminated by turning on the lamps with the engine running for several minutes or during normal driving operation.

22-EM-010H

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Follow the guidelines outlined in this bulletin to inspect and clean or replace certain components of the engine intake system accordingly during engine short block or sub-assembly replacement.

22-GI-006H

TIRES

Effective June 2, 2008, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 110 (FMVSS 110) established a threshold for correcting load carrying capacity information indicated on tire placards when vehicle weight has been increased before retail sale. This limit is the lesser of 1.5% of GVWR or 100 pounds. If the total added weight exceeds the lesser of the limit, a label must be added to the driver-side B-pillar within 25mm (1 inch) of the original tire placard.

21-AT-006H

POWER TRAIN

Hyundai approves only the ATF, DCT gear oil and IVT gear oil specified in the vehicle’s owner’s manual.  Use of other ATF may result in improper shift quality or other drivability conditions.  Use of other DCT and IVT gear oil may result in reduced durability. Hyundai does not approve the use of any aftermarket ATF or gear oil additives.

21-EM-004H

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING; EQUIPMENT

This bulletin provides the service procedure for engine connecting rod bearing clearance testing. Perform the procedure outlined in this bulletin to fulfill the Bearing Clearance Test inspection requirements to determine next required steps.

21-BR-002H

EQUIPMENT; EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY; SERVICE BRAKES

This bulletin provides best practice recommendations when performing brake service procedures.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Hyundai Accent by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2022162054.5
2021164155.2
2020124163.4
2019291050.5
2018191056.1
2017680049.8
2016990042.8
2015692161.9
2014791155.2
20131401153.6
20121532158.4
2011381041.6
2010871040.6
20091012050.4
20081011043.4
2007883156.6
2006433152.0
2005491046.9
2004330047.2
2003370046.6
20021341046.9
20011122054.9
2000924055.8
1999611051.1
1998Viewing471148.6
1997552359.0
19961014363.0
19951425466.1
1994000—
1993100—
1992000—
1991200—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.