"How reliable is the 2004 Hyundai Accent?"

"Based on 40 NHTSA complaints, the 2004 Hyundai Accent has a median complaint mileage of 36000 miles. The most common issue is AIR BAGS."

"What are common problems with the 2004 Hyundai Accent?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2004 Hyundai Accent is AIR BAGS, accounting for a significant portion of the 40 total complaints filed."

2004 Hyundai Accent: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 40 complaints

Total Complaints

36,000mi

Median Mileage

AIR BAGS

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

10,020 25th Percentile

36,000 Median Mileage

71,069 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS

STEERING

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

TIRES

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)

POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"ENGINE TIMING PULLEY BECAME DISMOUNTED FROM CRANKSHAFT - RESULT IS ENGINE REPLACEMENT"

"I PURCHASED HYUNDAI ACCENT 4DR COUPE AND WAS SURPRISED AT THE INSTABILITY CAUSED BY THE TINY TIRES IT COMES EQUIPPED WITH. I WAS FURTHER DISTURB WHEN I DISCOVERED THAT HYUNDAI WAS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND PUT LARGER WHEELS AND TIRES ONT HE GT VERSION FO THIS CAR TO INCREASE STABILITY. THE BASIC C..."

"WHILE DRIVING TRANSMISSION DOWN SHIFTED ON ITS OWN. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE ,AND DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT COMPUTER NEEDED TO BE RESET, AND RESET IT, BUT THE PROBLEM STILL OCCURRED. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

AIR BAGS 6 complaints

25th: 19,500 mi Median: 31,000 mi 75th: 67,250 mi

STEERING 4 complaints

Median: 2,466 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

PA: 5 CA: 5 MD: 3 NY: 3 CO: 3 KS: 2 NC: 2 TX: 2 OR: 2 ME: 2

Who Files Complaints?

37.5%

Original Owners

62.5%

Second+ Owners

Hyundai Accent — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1995	197	71,725	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL	38
1996	142	98,000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL	18
1997	82	73,900	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE	9
1998	72	52,500	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY	8
1999	66	72,000	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	17
2000	115	61,000	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	21
2001	148	58,027	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL	28
2002	163	40,000	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	30
2003	45	32,080	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL	14
2005	76	66,000	EXTERIOR LIGHTING	15
2006	49	61,000	AIR BAGS	2
2007	113	70,000	AIR BAGS	12
2008	135	55,000	AIR BAGS	15
2009	128	71,000	AIR BAGS	9
2010	119	60,000	SERVICE BRAKES	9
2011	51	47,549	ENGINE	5
2012	217	63,000	ENGINE	18
2013	203	42,000	ENGINE	27
2014	98	71,500	ENGINE	15
2015	98	54,000	AIR BAGS	9
2016	156	48,945	ENGINE	13
2017	96	48,791	ENGINE	9
2018	21	999	ENGINE	0
2019	37	54,000	ENGINE	3
2021	22	-	SEAT BELTS	0
2022	29	-	SEAT BELTS	3

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28