The 1997 Hyundai Accent has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 139,932 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 82 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine and engine cooling. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SUSPENSION98V2450001998-10-0664,967 affected
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE FOLLOWING "SALT BELT" STATES: CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, WEST…
Consequence
IF THE FRONT COIL SPRING BREAKS, IT CAN BECOME DISPLACED FROM ITS SEATED POSITION, AND CAN CONTACT A TIRE. TIRE DAMAGE CAN RESULT.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A SPRING GUIDE TO PREVENT A BROKEN COIL SPRING FROM CONTACTING AND DAMAGING A TIRE.
VISIBILITY97V0260001997-02-2674,965 affected
Defect
THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR CIRCUIT BREAKER ELECTRICAL CONTACTS WERE CONTAMINATED DURING ASSEMBLY.
Consequence
THIS CONTAMINATION INTERFERES WITH THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT CONTINUITY AND PREVENTS THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR FROM OPERATING. INOPERATIVE WINDSHIELD WIPERS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO REDUCED VISIBILITY DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REMOVE THE CONTAMINANTS FROM THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR CIRCUIT BREAKER CONTACTS.
Complaints by component
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
10
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
6
AIR BAGS
4
2crashes1injuries
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
4
4crashes3injuries
AIR BAGS:ON-OFF SWITCH ASSEMBLY
3
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
3
SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS
3
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
3
1fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
2
Total complaints82
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 hyundai accent. The contact stated that the door latches on all four doors of the vehicle were detaching. The driver side doors and latches were completely inoperable. The contact would have to enter and exit the vehicle through the passenger door. Neither the dealer…”
“Dear sir I would like to bring the surprising issue in front of you related to hyundai accent I have been driving for more than a year now. I was driving this car on the 401 east highway, ontario, canada on 16th december 2007 at 2.35 p.m. My wife and my little one and a half year daughter were…”
“Dear sir I would like to bring the surprising issue in front of you related to hyundai accent I have been driving for more than a year now. I was driving this car on the 401 east highway, ontario, canada on 16th december 2007 at 2.35 p.m. My wife and my little one and a half year daughter were…”
“Right front coil spring broke hitting rotor cracking the rotor replaced all affected parts at our own expense replaced coil spring,rotor,brake pads. Hyundai says this vehicle not in the recall even though it is registered in the effected area of the recall this could have potentially led to…”
“Right front coil spring broke hitting rotor cracking the rotor replaced all affected parts at our own expense replaced coil spring,rotor,brake pads. Hyundai says this vehicle not in the recall even though it is registered in the effected area of the recall this could have potentially led to…”
“Right front coil spring broke hitting rotor cracking the rotor replaced all affected parts at our own expense replaced coil spring,rotor,brake pads. Hyundai says this vehicle not in the recall even though it is registered in the effected area of the recall this could have potentially led to…”
“The smell of fuel prompted the consumer to make contact with the manufacturer and the dealer since there was a fuel tank recall. Consumer located a crack on the fuel tank. This vehicle was not included in the nhtsa recall 00v314000. *ak”
“Car was returned to hyundai under warranty in january 2002. Reported to have a bad torque converter and starter. Both replaced under warranty. Last week car wouldnt start again. Our mechanic diagnosed same problem. Was told that if car had been properly diagnosed as having extensive transmission…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationEA00001 Opened 2000-01-05 · closed 2001-03-09
PASSENGER AIR BAG RELATED
There is no summary currently available
InvestigationPE99046 Opened 1999-07-07 · closed 2000-01-05
PASSENGER AIR BAG RELATED FATALITIES
ODI IS AWARE OF SEVEN FATALITIES OF CHILDREN (EXCLUDING CHILDREN IN REAR FACING CHILD SAFETY SEATS)THAT WERE CAUSED BY THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAGS IN MINOR OR MODERATE SEVERITY CRASHES INVOLVING MODEL YEAR 1995 THROUGH 1997 HYUNDAI ACCENT VEHICLES.TWO OF THE SEVEN FATALITIES OCCURRED IN PUERTO…
InvestigationRQ00017 Opened 2000-09-16 · closed 2000-10-20
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1997 Hyundai Accent as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.