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What 93 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Hyundai Accent 5

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (93)Crash / fire / injury (9)Engine (28)Airbags (27)Electrical system (24)Steering (9)Brakes (7)Body & structure (6)Speed control (6)Seats (5)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (4)Fuel system (4)

7 of 93 complaints match · Brakes · clear filters

Sep 9, 2023Seat beltsWheelsBrakes

The car was rented by a Turo host with defectuous brakes and worn-out tires. During 3 weeks and 3400 Mi, forward disk brakes produced a thud of metallic grinding without effective braking at each brake. Forward tires were measured 2/32" and 'Replace Tire' marking were noticed on the treads. Rear tires were measured 3/32" and 'Replacement Tire Monitor' marking were noticed on the treads. A rear tire exploded on a straight line, between 55 and 60 Mph, the burst fortunately did not cause any swerve and the vehicle was able to be stopped on a few meters. During the journey, the driver's seat belt sometimes unlocks unexpectelly, even if initial locking has been checked by pulling on the buckle.

NHTSA ODI 11543603

Apr 1, 2020Speed controlBrakes

MOST DAYS OF THE WEEK, UPON START UP, I GET 3 LIGHTS THAT COME ON AND MOST OF THE TIME DO NOT GO OFF, THE 3 LIGHTS ARE: BRAKE LIGHT, ABS LIGHT, AND TRACTION CONTROL. WHEN THEN CAR IS IN MOTION, THE SPEEDOMETER DOESN'T MOVE AND MY GAS GAUGE WILL CHANGE NUMBERS WHILE IN MOTION. IN MOTION, I FEEL LIKE THE BRAKES ARE TOUCHY BUT I DON'T FEEL THE BRAKES GRIPPING LIKE THE LIGHTS SHOWN AND DON'T FEEL ANY DIFFERENCE IN SPEED OR GEAR SWITCHING.

NHTSA ODI 11319909

Oct 31, 2018AirbagsBrakesCrash1 injury

I WAS IN AN ACCIDENT WITH MY 11 YEAR OLD SON. A WOMAN RAN A RED LIGHT AND WE HIT THE CAR IN THE SIDE COMPLETELY MASHING OUR FRONT END. THE AIR BAGS NEVER DEPLOYED AT ALL NONE OF THEM.WE WERE CROSSING THE INTERSECTION ON A GREEN LIGHT!!

NHTSA ODI 11144304

May 29, 2018BrakesElectrical systemTraction Control System

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 HYUNDAI ACCENT. WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL INDICATORS SUDDENLY ILLUMINATED. ALSO, THE SPEEDOMETER WOULD NOT OPERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURES. THE LOCAL DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000.

NHTSA ODI 11098455

May 3, 2018Brakes

WHILE DRIVING THE CAR AROUND TOWN, COULD SMELL THE BRAKE PADS AS IF THE BRAKES WERE SEIZING. THE NEXT DAY, WE WERE DRIVING THE CAR ON THE HIGHWAY AND THE BRAKES WERE SEIZING AGAIN AND WORE DOWN TO THE POINT WHERE THE HUB CAPS MELTED OFF THE CAR. THE FRONT TIRES WERE EXTREMELY HOT, THE BRAKES WERE MUSHY AND WHEN DRIVING THE CAR THERE WAS A BUFFETING SOUND AS IF THE BEARINGS WERE BURNED OUT. TOWED THE VEHICLE TO THE NEAREST DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME THE ENTIRE FRONT END WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE CAR HAS 15K MILES NOTE - WE TOW THIS VEHICLE BEHIND AN RV HOWEVER THE BRAKING SYSTEM WAS NEVER MODIFIED OR TOUCHED!

NHTSA ODI 11091519

Nov 14, 2016Speed controlBrakes

I'VE HAD MY 2016 HYUNDAI ACCENT 5-DOOR SINCE FEBRUARY 2016. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, I HAVE NOTICED TWO ISSUES. THE FIRST IS THAT COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP, WHEN PRESSING ON THE BRAKE PEDAL IT FEELS LIKE SOMETHING IS HITTING THE GROUND BENEATH MY FOOT ON THE UNDERSIDE. DEALERSHIP FOUND NOTHING BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T DUPLICATE IT. THE SECOND IS WHEN AT A STOP SIGN, ETC., AND YOU START TRYING TO INCREASE THE SPEED, THE ENGINE HAS A HARD TIME GAINING SPEED AS QUICKLY AS IT SHOULD. I HAVE TO PRESS THE ACELERATOR TO THE FLOOR BOARD TO GET MOVING. I KNOW THAT MY VEHICLE ISN'T ONE WITH A HUGE ENGINE BUT STILL IT SHOULDN'T STRUGGLE TO GAIN SPEED EVERY SINGLE TIME! I'M NOT VERY HAPPY ABOUT THIS AND WILL BE TAKING IT BACK TO CHECK BOTH THE BRAKES AND ENGINE.

NHTSA ODI 10925964

Jun 21, 2016BrakesEngine

I'VE HAD MY 2016 HYUNDAI ACCENT 5-DOOR SINCE NOVEMBER 2015. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, I E NOTICED TWO ISSUES. THE FIRST IS THAT COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP, THE BRAKES MAKE A STRONG SOUND, WHICH I WAS TOLD AT THE DEALERSHIP THAT THERE ARE NO PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKES. THE SECOND IS WHEN AT A STOP SIGN, ETC., AND YOU START TRYING TO INCREASE THE SPEED, THE ENGINE DOESN'T GAIN SPEED AS QUICKLY AS IT SHOULD. I KNOW THAT MY VEHICLE ISN'T ONE WITH A HUGE ENGINE BUT STILL IT SHOULDN'T STRUGGLE TO GAIN SPEED EVERY SINGLE TIME! I'M NOT VERY HAPPY ABOUT THIS AND WILL BE TAKING IT BACK TO CHECK BOTH THE BRAKES AND ENGINE.

NHTSA ODI 10875480

Working with the data? Download all 93 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 25, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2016 Hyundai Accent 5 verdict →