21st Mar 2005, 18:14

I think the guy talking about shifting into overdrive means passing gear. Nobody touches that button on the stick.

PS Mine clunks too.

6th Apr 2005, 13:20

I have a 2001 accent GL and have had NOTHING, but trouble with it. I have had a new transmission put in at 44,000 miles a new manifold at 51,000 miles, tie rod ends at 37,000 miles those under warranty. Now after warranty as I am the second owner (I bought it when it has 15,000 miles) the timing belt broke at 64,000 miles requiring a new head and it has had numerous other things come up.

Now it is in the shop getting a second tranny put in. I beg to differ with those that have implied that with proper maintenence that we shouldn't be having any problems. I have done the maintenence and continue to have severe problem in spite of it. This car is a lemon and others definitely agree.

10th Sep 2005, 12:17

I think the point is that the parts the car does have - economy engine, transmission, and so on - don't work reliably for the folks posting here. Most of the posters aren't complaining about a lack of expensive parts, like a V6 engine or heated seats. Festivas weren't exactly luxo-mobiles, but a lot of people liked them because the owners thought they worked reliably. Same thing with Tercels. That doesn't explain the old VW bug; people liked it's repairability, which is not a selling point these days except, from what I hear, in Russia.

30th Nov 2005, 09:00

OK, so it seems that many people seem to have problems with the automatic transmissions.

What about the manual? are they by and large reliable? Any common problems with those (for people who know how to drive a stick properly)?

10th Feb 2006, 15:36

2002 Accent:

Great car! A nice ride for the money, very comfortable and a sporty feel, pretty zippy. The only problem I've had with it is the rear drivers' side windows motor had to be replaced, but it was covered under warranty, so it was free for me. 30+ mpg too!

-Mark.

2nd Oct 2006, 16:29

I bought my 2002 Hyundai accent in July,2004. It was used and had 45,000 miles on it. Since the date of purchase I have had problem after, problem with the vehicle. First problem was the transmission, then it was the transmission (again), and finally it was the transmission (again). I took it back to the shop today for the transmission and found out that it needs a new pulse generator as well. Besides the fact that it has a lot of transmission problems, mine seems to be an accident magnet as well. I have had the car for almost 3 years now and it has been in five accidents (the vehicle was only moving in one of them.).

16th Jan 2007, 14:04

I own a 2001 Hyundai Accent, and over all, I have not had any major problems with the car. I have had the pulse generator replaced (shortly after I got the car) and normal wear-and-tear items (brakes, struts, tires, belts, etc.) I am currently having a problem with the speed sensor. However, my mechanic said that speed sensors can go out in any car at any time, and it is not just a Hyundai thing (believe me, I asked). I have almost 70,000 miles on the car. I previously commuted to work, driving over 100 miles a day, and the car did great. Great gas mileage, great up-and-go. I always drive the car with the overdrive on, and do not have any problems with leaving it on. I would buy another Hyundai Accent again if the opportunity presented itself.

30th May 2007, 12:49

This car is a great car for people who are buying a car for the first time, or whatnot. Mine (an automatic 4 door) has been reliable and enjoyable since I bought it. It is going to about 110000 miles and it still just powers through. It is really a great value for the money and I am always racing civics and kicking their a$$

10th Mar 2008, 18:52

Timing belt broke on our 2000 Accent at 63,000 miles. We went through two water pumps before we finally got one that didn't leak... well we came to find out that the pumps were leaking on the timing belt. Oh well. If we had done the scheduled maintenance at 60k it probably wouldn't have happened.

6th Oct 2008, 13:31

I bought my 2002 Hyundai Acccent new, and within the first 30,000 miles I had 3 pulse generators replaced. I was told the pulse generator is a sensor involving the transmission, and rpms etc. Flash forward to last year at 100,100 miles my transmission goes. I was told tough luck. I bought a rebuilt transmission last July with a 1 year warranty. With 26,000 miles on this transmission, and 3 months over the warranty this transmission goes. I will never buy another Hyundai!

29th Nov 2008, 13:51

2002 Accent / Had it for 6 years with only 53K miles on it. The pulse generator seems to be a universal problem. The original pulse generator Hyundai installed must be flawed. I had to have it replaced with the warranty, but haven't had any problem related to it since then. The car's a bit noisy but it's reliable, has great gas mileage and good maneuverability. Don't they recommend (in the owner's manual) to inspect and replace the timing belt at 60K? Sounds like a worthy advice to follow given the number of people in the forum that had the timing belt problem at somewhat over 60K mark. It's a nice entry-level car. Very economical.

1st Sep 2009, 14:26

I have a love/hate relationship with my Accent. I'm used to owning decade old used cars and they all have their share of problems, which are to be expected.

For those of you out there who have had the timing belt issue, I would recommend it be one of the maintenance issues you take care of on a very regular basis! Hyundai engines are interference engines, which means that the pistons and the valves use the same space to do their respective jobs, just at different times. When the timing belt blows on an interference engine, the valves that are in the piston shaft when the belt snaps get crushed by the pistons that are making their way back to the top of the shaft. This requires much more repair work than just a simple belt replacement. It would have cost me 400 or 500 + dollars to replace the valves as well as the belt. I found an entirely new (used) engine with half the amount of clicks on it instead for 300 bucks instead!

On a side note, does anyone have a problem with the car clunking when turning and/or accelerating/decelerating? It's my latest issue with this car and I don't know what to think of it. I'm not sure if it's a suspension problem or a ball joint or the struts??? It's a scary sound when you're unsure of what exactly the problem is. Should I be okay with letting it go for a while, or should I be concerned that something seriously bad is going to happen to the car at a very inopportune time??