2013 Hyundai Accent Electrical Problems

My name is [XXX] and I am filing a complaint against The Auto Factory in [XXX] . In December 2024 I purchased a 2013 Hyundai Accent (VIN: [XXX] ) from this dealership. I financed the vehicle and have been making my payments on time every month. Recently the car developed a serious engine problem and is no longer drivable. While looking into the situation I discovered that my vehicle has been under an active federal safety recall since November 2023 — more than a year before I bought it. The recall (NHTSA Campaign #23V651000) involves a brake system defect that can cause an engine fire while the car is parked or being driven. Owners are advised not to park near homes or buildings. The dealership never told me about this recall. It was never fixed before they sold it to me. I had no idea I was buying a car with a known fire risk. When I called the dealer to address this, the representative told me they are “not responsible for the car after this long.” The defect existed over a year before I even purchased the vehicle. I am now making loan payments on a car I cannot drive and cannot safely park near my home. I have sent the dealer a formal complaint in writing and a Chapter 93A demand letter requesting a buyback or full loan payoff. They have not responded in good faith. I am asking the Attorney General’s office to investigate this dealer’s sales practices and help me reach a fair resolution. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11737034

Incident

May 11, 2026

Due to the recall of the ABS fuse I believe it has caused a electrical short and that's why my junction box does not work, also I had problems with slow acceleration almost causing me to get hit.

NHTSA ID

11590648

Incident

May 10, 2024

Recall 23V651000 has been in place for over six months and a remedy is still not available. I have suffered hundreds of dollars in damages due to having to continue to park my vehicle outside, including having to replace the fuel sending unit after a failed siphoning attempt as well as exterior body and paint damages due to weather conditions. Please press Hyundai to release a remedy as soon as possible!

NHTSA ID

11579903

Incident

Mar 28, 2024

I was driving and I tried to stop and couldn’t and someone ran the stop sign and I hit them and totalled my car and I just got off the phone with the investigator and they said it was due to my abs. And I seen the abs light on my dash and when I took it to bridgt breaks they told me it was fine

NHTSA ID

11554379

Incident

May 10, 2023

Bought my car in 2021 and had actuators for windows replaced, now in 2023 I need passenger actuator replaced again. My heater is stuck on 4 and continuously blows and cant be turned off. The summer was ok but wasted gas because I had to have the air conditioner on or else eventually nothing but heat will blow out and so its not in my face the air has to blown in "feet" only mode and eventually starts to really burn while I'm driving. No coverage cause its considered "cosmetic" even though the whole panel needs to be replaced not just the knob. My car is also apart of the Hyundai recall #251 but when calling my local dealership they told me I had no remedy for any type of recall so that ment I had no recall. I called Hyundai Customer Service and asked about the notice to dealers, the notice lets dealers know that owners of effected vehicles are eligible for substitute transportation if they do not want to continue driving their car. I let him know what my local dealer told me, and how she didn't even let me know about the recall or the alternate transportation choice that's available to me and he just told me that they know about the recall so they should help just ask for a manager next time. I have my check engine light on now after hearing a ticking noise like other complaints, hot air constantly blowing and now I have to worry that whatever is wrong could also effect the problem that is considered to be likely to cause my car to catch fire! Please let dealers know just cause there's no remedy yet for the recall, please at least let people be aware that they are at risk of having their car catch on fire especially when they call and ask specifically for the information!

NHTSA ID

11548765

Incident

Oct 6, 2023

The AEB light came on in car. Car was brought home 15 min later and parked in driveway. 3 hours later the car went on fire. The fire department inspected and said it was a mechanical issue. The car was totaled by the insurance company the next day. The engine was burned and the fire department disconnected the battery after fire out.

NHTSA ID

11533027

Incident

May 25, 2023

THE DRIVER SEAT BELT WILL UNBUCKLE ON ITS OWN WHILE DRIVING. THE LIGHT WILL GO ON TO CHECK THE ELECTRICAL WIRING, THE SPEAKER ON THE PASSENGER SIDE GOES IN AND OUT.

NHTSA ID

11386043

Incident

Dec 29, 2020

Mileage

149,189 mi

CAR WOULD RANDOMLY SHUT OFF OR STALL WHILE BEING DRIVEN; CAR WOULD NOT START UP OR TURN OVER RIGHT AFTER THE INCIDENT OCCURS. HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES AFTER BRINGING IT TO THE HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP; GETTING THE CAR BACK AND SAYING THAT THEY CAN'T REPLICATE THE PROBLEM WHILE IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. THE CAUSE OF THIS INCIDENT IS UNKNOWN.

NHTSA ID

11331337

Incident

Mar 11, 2020

Mileage

52,600 mi

ALL THREE BRAKE LIGHTS WENT OUT. WE TRIED EVERY BASIC FIX BUT OUR PERSONAL MECHANIC SAYS POWER IS NOT GOING THROUGH THE CONTROL MODULE AND WE WILL NEED TO HAVE IT SPECIALLY REPAIRED BY A HYUNDAI PROFESSIONAL. WE RECIEVED A CITATION BECAUSE OUR BRAKE LIGHTS UNKNOWINGLY WENT OUT AND NONE OF THE OBVIOUS FIXES SUCH AS BULBS, FUSES, OR BRAKES SWITCH REPLACEMENT AMMENDED THE ISSUE. WE ARE AT A LOSS AS TO HOW TO FIX THIS BUT SAW RECALLS ON OTHER HYUNDAI MODELS BUT NOT THIS ONE. WE ARE THINKING THIS IS A SIMILAR PROBLEM. THIS HAS LITERALLY RUINED OUR LIVES. WE 100% DEPEND ON THIS VEHICLE AND NOW WE HAVE NOTHING.

NHTSA ID

11289154

Incident

Dec 13, 2019

AS I GO UP A HILL OR RAPIDLY ACCELERATE ON AN INCLINE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WILL COME ON. THE PROBLEM POINTS TO THE KNOCK SENSOR (CODE P0326) BEING AT FAULT. THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN OFTEN BUT WHEN IT DOES IT IS DISCONCERTING. I REPLACED THE KNOCK SENSOR WITH A NEW OEM PART, BUT IT TOO ACTS THE SAME AS THE OLD ONE. I CALLED THE DEALER AND THEY WANT TO CHARGE ME $90 TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM AND THEN ANY LABOR/PARTS NEEDED TO REPAIR IT. HOWEVER, I HAVE READ SEVERAL REPORTS ONLINE ABOUT A SOFTWARE UPDATE, FLASHING THE ECU HAS FIXED THE PROBLEM. IF THIS IS SO, SHOULDN'T THIS BE A REASON FOR A RECALL?

NHTSA ID

11121621

Incident

Aug 19, 2018

Mileage

97,000 mi

OCCASIONALLY, WHEN GOING TO USR MY VEHICLE, I WILL TRY TO UNLOCK THE CAR WITH MY FOB AND NOTICE IT WON'T RESPOND. UPON STARTING MY VEHICLE, THE ENGINE TURNS OVER BUT MY ELECTRONICS DON'T FULLY ACTIVATE. MY CLOCK IS OFF, THE RADIO DOESN'T TURN ON, AND I CAN'T USE THE DOME LIGHTS. HOWEVER, MY DASHBOARD INFORMATION PANEL DOES DISPLAY MY ODOMETER, FUEL, AND TEMP GAUGE, AND I CAN SCROLL THROUGH THE DISPLAY OPTIONS, BUT THEY HAVE ALL RESET. MY TELLTALE WARNING LIGHTS COME ON BRIEFLY LIKE A NORMAL START, AND WHEN THEY GO AWAY MY TPMS TELLTALE REMAINS FLASHING, INDICATING IT'S NOT GETTING A SIGNAL FROM MY TIRES. FINALLY, THOUGH MY ENGINE SOUNDS LIKE IS RUNNING, I CAN'T PUT MY VEHICLE IN GEAR. MY ONLY FIX HAS BEEN TO LET THE VEHICLE SIT WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING FOR ANY WHERE BETWEEN 2 AND 20 MINUTES, TURN THE VEHICLE OFF, AND RETRY. ONCE IT FINALLY DECIDES TO TURN ON NORMAL, THE CLOCK WILL DISPLAY, ALTHOUGH RESET, MY TPMS NO LONGER DISPLAYS, AND I CAN GET INTO GEAR. TIME SITTING SEEMS TO NOT EFFECT IT BECAUSE IT CAN SIT FOR DAYS AND WORK NORMAL OR HOURS AND ACT UP. MY ONLY POSSIBLE EXPLANATION SEEMS TO INVOLVE THE WEATHER AFTER GETTING VERY COLD OR EXCESSIVE PRECIPITATION, BUT EVEN THAT ISN'T NECESSARILY GOING TO GUARANTEE THIS PROBLEM. IT MAY JUST BE PURE RANDOMNESS AND IT DOESN'T SEEM RIGHT AT ALL.

NHTSA ID

11082483

Incident

Apr 2, 2018

Mileage

72,000 mi

I HAVE A 2013 HYUNDAI ACCENT GLS , ON 5/18/17 AFTER PARKING AND TURNING OFF THE CAR FOR ABOUT FIVE MINUTES I GOT BACK IN AND TRIED TO START IT UP, AND IT WOULD NOT EVEN MAKE AN ATTEMPT TO TURN ON, IT JUST SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY. THIS HAPPENED AGAIN A WEEK LATER ON 5/26/17, I STOPPED AT A GAS STATION SHUT OFF THE CAR, AND AFTER FILLING UP I GOT IN MY CAR TRIED STARTING IT UP AND AGAIN IT WOULD NOT START UP, IT SEEMS TO SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY. THE SECOND TIME THIS OCCURRED I PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL, AND IT STARTED UP. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE IT ON THE INTERSTATE FOR FEAR THAT IT MAY SHUT DOWN WHILE DRIVING IT. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE THAT CAN CAUSE THE LOSS OF LIVES.

NHTSA ID

10992050

Incident

May 18, 2017

I HAVE HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE RIGHT TURN SIGNAL FOR OVER A YEAR NOW. WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT WHEN EVER I FLIP UP THE TURN SIGNAL TO MAKE A RIGHT HAD TURN THE HIGH BEAMS ON THE HEADLIGHTS GO ON. THIS ALWAYS HAPPENS NOW. WHEN THE TURN IS COMPLETED AND THE TURN SIGNAL GOES OFF THE LOW BEAMS GO BACK ON. AS MENTIONED THIS FIRST STARTING EVERY SO OFTEN AND HAS DETERIORATED TO THE PINT IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME NOW.

NHTSA ID

10903319

Incident

Jul 20, 2015

Mileage

103,000 mi

I WAS DRIVING ON A STREET WHEN I WENT TO MAKE A STOP. I WAS GOING ABOUT 15-20MPH AND HAD 3 CAR LENGTHS ROOM AHEAD OF ME. I TRIED TO PRESS ON THE BRAKES TO MAKE A STOP, AND THE BRAKES DID NOT WORK. THE BRAKES ENDED UP SHAKING AND THE BRAKE PEDAL KICKED BACK AT ME. IT SEEMED AS IF ABS KICKED IN PREMATURELY, OR ESC KICKED ON PREMATURELY. MY WHEELS LOCKED UP CAUSING MY CAR TO SLIDE INTO THE CAR AHEAD OF ME. I AM NOT A MECHANIC SO I AM NOT SURE WHICH. I HIT A VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO A THIRD PARTY DEALERSHIP WHO RAN A DIAGNOSTIC ON MY VEHICLE AND SAID WITHOUT A DOUBT THAT MY PRIMARY PRESSURE CENSOR MALFUNCTIONED, AS WELL AS A BRAKE SWITCH ERROR OCCURRED. THE MECHANIC SAID THIS IS WITHOUT A DOUBT THE REASON THE BRAKES MALFUNCTIONED. I TRIED TO CALL HYUNDAI, WHO TOLD ME THEY COULDN'T GET THE VEHICLE IN THE SHOP & TO KEEP DRIVING IT FOR ANOTHER 2 WEEKS UNTIL I COULD GET IT IN THEIR SHOP. I CALLED HYUNDAI OF AMERICA & THEY KEEP PASSING ME OFF. FINALLY I GOT A HOLD OF A CLAIM PERSON, WHO SAID I NEEDED TO GET CERTAIN PAPERWORK IN WITHIN 30 DAYS OF THE INCIDENT IN ORDER FOR THEM TO INVESTIGATE. NOW THAT THE PAPERWORK IS IN, THEY SAY IT WILL TAKE ANOTHER 6-8 WEEKS TO MAKE A DECISION (THEY HAVE SAID NOTHING ABOUT INSPECTING THE VEHICLE). I AM NOW TERRIFIED TO DRIVE AND WILL NEVER EVER OWN ANOTHER HYUNDAI AGAIN! WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER, AND I DO HAVE PROOF FROM A MECHANIC THAT THIS IS NOT MY FAULT. PER THE SERVICE GUYS IN HYUNDAI, THEY SAID THEY CAN NOT DUPLICATE THE ISSUE (THEY ONLY DRIVE IT FOR 2 MILES) SO THEY WILL NOT BE PUTTING MORE TIME OR MONEY INTO FIGURING IT OUT.

NHTSA ID

10825331

Incident

Jan 19, 2016

Mileage

45,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING THE CAR IT LOSES ELECTRICAL POWER AND THE VEHICLE STALLS, WHICH CAUSES IT TO LOSE LIGHTS, GAUGES, STEERING, ETC. THE CAR WILL NOT RESTART IMMEDIATELY AFTER STALLING OUT, SOMETIMES UP TO AN HOUR. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION AND HAS HAPPENED OVER 8 TIMES NOW. THE LOCAL HYUNDAI DEALER SAID IT MIGHT BE THE IP JUNCTION BOX OR IT MIGHT BE A LOSE GROUNDING WIRE AND THEY WILL NOT GIVE US A DEFINITE ANSWER FOR A FIX. THE CAR CONTINUES TO LOSE ELECTRICAL AND STALL AND IS NOW UNABLE TO BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY DUE TO THE FACT OF THE MILEAGE IS AT 60,100. I SEE THIS AS A MANUFACTURING FAULT WITH THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND HYUNDAI SHOULD TAKE CARE OF THIS MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AT NO COST TO THE CONSUMER.

NHTSA ID

10778185

Incident

Sep 3, 2015

Mileage

59,992 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 HYUNDAI ACCENT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE SHIFTER WAS NOT READING CORRECTLY AND THE SHIFTER NEEDED TO REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURE WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

NHTSA ID

10748280

Incident

Jun 1, 2015

Mileage

70,000 mi

I EXPERIENCED THEFT IN MY VEHICLE WHICH WAS PARKED IN FRONT OF MY HOME DUE TO A MALFUNCTIONING REMOTE ANTI-THEFT ALARM SYSTEM. I HAVE A HYUNDAI ACCENT 2013 THAT CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING SECURITY FEATURES: POWER DOORS AND LOCKS, WHEEL LOCKS, AIRBAGS, HYUNDAI ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE, REMOTE ANTI-THEFT ALARM SYSTEM, THEFT PROTECTION DECALS ON WINDOWS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10669773

Incident

Jan 1, 2015

Mileage

10,010 mi

ON THURSDAY OCT. 9. 2014 I WENT TO MY CAR PARKED IN DRIVEWAY TO GO TO WORK. I WENT TO TURN KEY HEARD RADIO COME ON THEN AN EXPLOSION. I WENT BACK INTO SEAT LEFT HAND FORWARD. I DID NOT KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON. I REALIZED AIRBAG WAS OUT IN STEERING WHEEL, DID NOT KNOW IF CAR WAS ON FIRE, GOT OUT CALLED 911. BY DIVINE INTERVENTION MY INJURY'S WERE MINOR BURN ON MY ARM WHICH WAS CLEANED UP AT SITE, MY HOME IN DRIVEWAY, FIRE REPORT STATED NOTICED MINOR BURNS ON FACE, I WAS NOT AWARE, UPSET AND IN SHOCK. I WENT UP WITH TOW TRUCK DRIVER TO DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED CAR BRAND NEW ONLY YEAR OLD, UNDER 11000 MILES ON IT. I DEMANDED A CAR TO USE, I WAS CRYING AT DEALERSHIP. MANUFACTURE TRIED TO SAY IT WAS AN INSURANCE PROBLEM WHICH IT IS NOT, CAR BLEW UP IN MY FACE WHEN I STARTED IT. DEALERSHIP CAME THRU AND HAS LET ME USE A CAR FOR TIME BEING. I AM TRYING TO DEAL WITH MANUFACTURE AND IT IS NOT EASY. I DO NOT WANT CAR BACK AND I WANT THEM TO PAY IT OFF. THEY AGREED TO OUTSIDE INSPECTOR AND NOW I FIND OUT I WILL NOT BE ALOUD REPORT. SO NOW I DEMANDED THAT I HIRE SOMEONE AND WE ALL GO INVESTIGATE CAR AT SAME TIME, THEY AGREED, STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME, I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TYPE AIRBAGS THEY USE BUT I HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WENT WRONG AND FOR OTHER PEOPLE. I AM LUCKY TO BE ABLE TO TELL THIS STORY. *TR

NHTSA ID

10649921

Incident

Oct 9, 2014

Mileage

10,900 mi