Steering, seatbelt, airbag, and electrical issues are all causes of complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
The Hyundai Accent, a fifth-generation sedan since 2018, is in its final year. Now, the Korean automaker is urging customers to buy the Elantra or Sonata or to switch to the new Venue, an entry-level SUV. After promoting the intuitive safety features of the 2021 Accent model, they are not saying much about the MY 2022. But like many 2021 owners, those who have bought the 2022 model are concerned about some basic elements that aren’t safe. These include malfunctioning seat belts that may explode and steering wheel columns that aren’t properly secured. There are also complaints about faulty electrics and airbags that don’t deploy.
Click on other model year to view more problems: 2019 2021
Hundreds of thousands of Hyundai vehicles have been recalled because of faulty front seat belt pretensioners that may explode. These include 2020-2022 Hyundai Accent models. So, it’s not surprising that top complaints to the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) about the 2022 Accent relate to seat belt malfunctions. Fortunately for drivers, none of these report the failure the recall warns about. This states that, “In the event of a crash, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioners may explode upon deployment.” And if this does happen, the explosion can result in metal fragments being projected into the vehicle, striking occupants, and resulting in injury.
Additionally, there are airbag and steering problems that appear to go hand-in-hand with seat belt issues. Complaints to the NHTSA also indicate problems with the electrical system, back-over prevention, engine, and suspension of the Accent.
One unlucky owner has experienced problems with the windshield cracking in 2 places. Additionally, the tires of the 4-month-old sedan had issues with their side walls, causing the car to “wobble.”
In addition to the seat belt recall, there is a second recall that relates to unsecured steering columns in certain 2021-2022 Accent vehicles.
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Electrical System | |
| Seat Belts | |
| Air Bags | |
| Steering | |
| Suspension | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Back Over Prevention | |
| Electrical System:instrument Panel:speedometer/odometer | |
| Engine | |
| Engine And Engine Cooling |
The recall that affects the Accent is NHTSA Campaign Number 22V354000. Issued on May 19, 2022, it also affects 2021-2022 Hyundai Elantra and Elantra HEV vehicles. But, as we point out in a post titled Hyundai & Kia Seat Belt Pretensioner Recall, the 2019 Accent, and Elantra, as well as 2020-2022 Hyundai Venue, and 2021-2022 Kia Sorento Hybrids, including the 2022 plug-in Hybrid, are also affected.
As we point out, it’s a major problem that has been an issue for some time now. Recall 22V35400 states that it “expands and replaces” 4 other recall numbers. Problematically, all Accent and Elantra vehicles repaired under the earlier recalls “will need to have the new remedy completed.” But, it has come to our attention that there are dealerships that aren’t able to honor the recall due to a lack of parts, which you will see in one of the complaints quoted below.
Even though Hyundai dealers haven’t been instructed to stop selling all affected models, there is a notification to dealers to stop selling 2020-2022 Hyundai Venue vehicles produced from September 17, 2019, to June 2, 2022. This includes the 2020 launch model. However, the notification states that “there are new vehicles currently in dealer stock.” There is no obvious indication why the early Venues should be more dangerous than Accents and Elantras with the same seat belt pretensioner problem.
NHTSA Action Number RQ22003 under the 2021 model shows that there is an open investigation into certain 2020-2022 Hyundai and Kia models. Oddly, it only affects 2020 Hyundai Accent vehicles, even though it mentions 22V354000, the recall that affects 2020-2022 Accents.
The investigation reveals that Samsong (not Samsung) is the supplier of the pretensioners. It also states that “in the event a pretensioner defectively ruptures, it can release shrapnel resulting in abrasions or other injuries.” As of August 8, 2022, the NHTSA Office of Defects was only aware of 3 incidents that involved faulty seatbelt pretensioners. All had resulted in rear-seat passengers being injured.
NHTSA Campaign Number 22V311000, dated May 6, 2022, recalls 226 2021-2022 Accent vehicles that have a bolt in the steering column that may not be secured properly. This could “cause the steering column to detach from the steering rack and result in a loss of steering control,” which can increase the risk of a crash.
Dealers will inspect and tighten the lower steering column u-joint retention bolt, as necessary, free of charge.
There is one complaint quoted here that states this problem probably caused a crash.
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These issues are varied but sometimes interlinked. For example, a complaint lodged with the NHTSA in October 2022 refers to seat belt, steering, and airbag problems. The owner’s 2022 Hyundai Accent SEL was traveling on a highway when it moved “into the left lane, then onto the left shoulder, and finally stopped in a ditch.” When it crashed, the airbags didn’t deploy. “I am having the steering column checked and airbags checked as I have read on several websites online that this is one of the recalls on my car (the steering column may loosen and may cause a crash). The insurance (company) changed the at-fault clause to not at fault after they verified the information online about the steering column being defective.”
The damage amounted to $13,197, and the sedan was still in the auto repair shop 38 days later because parts for the Korean-made car weren’t readily available. The seatbelts were fixed when the Accent had its last oil change, but the owner states “I did not receive a notice about the steering column. The auto body shop will tow my car to Hyundai to check the steering column after my car is fixed as they told me Hyundai would have to fix this.”
An owner from Maryland had issues with the seat belt and airbag warning lights. The complaint states that the seat belt warning light system is too complicated. Regardless of whether the seat belt is fastened or not, it stays on for about 6 seconds when the ignition is switched on. When the seat belt is unfastened, a warning chime sounds for about 6 seconds. If you still don’t fasten the seat belt and drive over 6 mph, the warning light stays on. If you drive over 12 mph, the seat belt warning chime sounds for about 100 seconds and the light blinks. “Worse yet, as far as I can tell, the front passenger seat belt when unfastened will not show at all!”
Additionally, the passenger side airbag light shows that the airbag isn’t engaged for about 50-75% of the time when a lumbar support “seat” is used. The owner’s wife has a back problem and uses this kind of support. “Instead of a simple sensor based on weight, Hyundai got ‘cutesy’ and uses some sort of ‘electro-magnetic’ sensor which is awful when my wife is occupying the passenger seat.”
He wants Hyundai to fix the issue by installing a commonly used, “simple sensor based on weight.“
In May 2022, an owner from New York attempted to have the seat belt recall done, but the parts weren’t available.
Electrical system problems are also varied. In a complaint filed as an electrical system and back-over prevention problem, an owner from New York highlights several issues in an Accent with only 400 miles:
The local dealer test-drove the sedan and said it “was working as designed.”
An owner from California states in a complaint that the sedan “jerks while driving and can’t move.” Like the dealer in New York, the Hyundai dealer involved here said there were “no issues.” But, not surprisingly, the issue recurred several hundred miles later. At the time, the owner was traveling on a freeway with his family and children.
This time, the dealer stated that the cylinder and power plugs were misfiring. They kept the car for a week and replaced the parts.
“But I was not comfortable (or) feeling safe (enough) to drive that car” because they couldn’t guarantee it wouldn’t happen again. The complaint also states that the dealer couldn’t provide a root cause or reason for the malfunction. They were telling him “to take the car and drive and see if any issues arise. But I need assurance from them that it will not happen again.” He said he didn’t want to risk his life driving a faulty car.
If you think your 2022 Hyundai Accent is a lemon, Lemberg Law will be happy to assess your problems to see if you have a legitimate claim. We have helped many lemon car owners get settlements from automakers because their vehicles were indeed lemons.
All you have to do is call our Helpline or fill out a contact form and we’ll get back to you.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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