AI Damage2004 Hyundai Accent: common problems
Owners of the 2004 Hyundai Accent filed 33 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and powertrain. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 33
- involving a crash
- 11
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 30% of all complaints
- 2 Powertrain 15% of all complaints
- 3 Steering 12% of all complaints
- 4 Service brakes 9% of all complaints
- 5 Visibility 9% of all complaints
- 6 Electrical system 6% of all complaints
- 7 Engine and cooling 6% of all complaints
- 8 Suspension 6% of all complaints
- Air bags: 10 complaints (30% of all), 8 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 5 complaints (15% of all).
- Steering: 4 complaints (12% of all).
- Service brakes: 3 complaints (9% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Visibility: 3 complaints (9% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 1.5 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- 1.6 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 33 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 10 | 8 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Visibility | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Hood crumbled up, headlight with complete housing destroyed, radiator spilled fluid, engine caught on fire and my head hit windshield. No weather issues. Accident occurred around 12:30 pm. Police report was filed and car towed. Airbags did not deploy.
The air bags failed to deploy. Driver not seriously injured, however the vehicle was total.
Immediately a fire started under the hood. The fire burned through the firewall into the front seat of the car. The gas line shut off should have prevented this and the fire wall should have stopped it. Luckily no one was killed.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 55 mph a vehicle pulled out in front of the vehicle resulting in a crash and the frontal airbags did not deploy. The driver was wearing a seatbelt and sustained minor injuries. A police report was filed at the scene and the insurance agency deemed the vehicle totaled.
2004 hyundai accent experienced two separate incidents of brake failure, one resulting in vehicle veering into a creek.
Sudden acceleration of vehicle while driving on road at regular speed. This has happened now for the third time since october 2017. The latest incident on 4/23/2018.
While driving 35 mph, a severe vibration was felt from the rear wheels. The contact pulled the vehicle over and observed that the rear control arm was severely corroded. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure.
The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 mph, the power steering warning light illuminate. The contact stated that while turning left, the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where an unknown part was replaced but the failure recurred. The failure mileage was unknown.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 6,523 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 18% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Accent has 66 complaints (31 years in the data). This year has 33, below average.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Other years of this model
- Accent 1995142 sources
- Accent 1996101 sources
- Accent 199755 sources
- Accent 199847 sources
- Accent 199961 sources
- Accent 200092 sources
- Accent 2001112 sources
- Accent 2002134 sources
- Accent 200337 sources
- Accent 200549 sources
- Accent 200643 sources
- Accent 200788 sources
- Accent 2008101 sources
- Accent 2009101 sources
- Accent 201087 sources
- Accent 201138 sources
- Accent 2012153 sources
- Accent 2013142 sources
- Accent 201479 sources
- Accent 201570 sources
- Accent 2016168 sources
- Accent 2017128 sources
- Accent 201886 sources
- Accent 2019100 sources
- Accent 202081 sources
- Accent 202167 sources
- Accent 202255 sources
- Accent 99996 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2004 Hyundai Accent?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, powertrain, steering. Total complaints: 33. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: airbags did not deploy (18%), smoke, burning smell, fire (9%), headlights and tail lights (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2004 Hyundai Accent?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2004 Hyundai Accent from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2004 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.