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2002 Hyundai Accent Recalls & Complaints

1

open safety recall on record

Serious

163 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 1.98 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious02V167000

Structure:Frame And Members

OCCUPANT'S HEAD THAT CONTACTS THE A-PILLAR DURING A CRASH COULD EXPERIENCE AN INCREASED RISK OF A HEAD INJURY AS A RESULT OF THIS CONDITION.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL INSTALL NEW ENERGY MANAGEMENT BRACKETS TO SUPPORT THE A-PILLAR COVERS AND INCREASE THE ENERGY ABSORBING PERFORMANCE OF THE A-PILLAR IN THE RELEVANT AREA. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN OCTOBER 28, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT HYUNDAI AT 1-800-633-5151.

CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 201, "OCCUPANT PROTECTION IN INTERIOR IMPACT." DURING TESTING, THE 3-DOOR HATCHBACK EXCEEDED THE PERFORMANCE CRITERION IN THE STANDARD MIDWAY ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE WINDSHIELD SUPPORT PILLAR (A-PILLAR).

Complaint volume

163 this model-year 8 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

30Crashes
3Fires
36Injuries
11Deaths

Across 163 complaints. Severity Index 1.98.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Power Train · Automatic T…18 · 11%Fuel System, Gasoline15 · 9%Air Bags · Frontal11 · 7%Vehicle Speed Control9 · 6%Fuel/Propulsion System7 · 4%Engine And Engine Cooling6 · 4%Unknown Or Other5 · 3%Suspension5 · 3%
  1. Power Train:Automatic Transmission — 18 reports
  2. Fuel System, Gasoline — 15 reports
  3. Air Bags:Frontal — 11 reports
  4. Vehicle Speed Control — 9 reports
  5. Fuel/Propulsion System — 7 reports
  6. Engine And Engine Cooling — 6 reports
  7. Unknown Or Other — 5 reports
  8. Suspension — 5 reports
  9. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components — 4 reports
  10. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine — 4 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

1995 (5) · 1996 (4) · 1997 (2) · 1998 (1) · 1999 (1) · 2000 (4) · 2001 (2) · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 (1) · 2006 (3) · 2007 (3) · 2008 (1) · 2009 (2) · 2010 (1) · 2011 (1) · 2012 (2) · 2013 (1) · 2014 (1) · 2015 (2) · 2016 · 2017 · 2018 (1) · 2019 (1) · 2020 (4) · 2021 (4) · 2022 (2)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

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