2021 Hyundai Accent recalls & complaints
Source: NHTSA, updated daily. Last checked 2026-10-19. Recalls apply to specific VINs — run your VIN to confirm.
4 safety recalls, most serious first
1. Brakes
What's wrong, in plain English: Anything that slows the car down. Treat brake recalls as urgent. The brake master cylinder may have been manufactured with sharp edges that can damage the inner oil seal, resulting in reduced braking performance.
What could happen: Reduced braking performance can cause longer brake pedal travel or extend the distance required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix: Dealers will replace the brake master cylinder, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 10, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 213.
What to do
- Check whether your car is affected: enter your 17-digit VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. A recall covers specific VINs, not every 2021 ACCENT.
- Book a repair at any authorized Hyundai dealer. Quote NHTSA campaign 21V937000 (manufacturer code 213).
- The repair is free. By US law, safety recall repairs cost the owner nothing, no matter the car's age or mileage.
- Manufacturer hotline: 1-855-371-9460.
- Buying this car used? Ask the seller for proof the recall was completed, or run the VIN yourself before paying.
Official wording from NHTSA
Component: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER
Summary: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021 Accent vehicles. The brake master cylinder may have been manufactured with sharp edges that can damage the inner oil seal, resulting in reduced braking performance.
Consequence: Reduced braking performance can cause longer brake pedal travel or extend the distance required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the brake master cylinder, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 10, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 213.
Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
2. Steering
What's wrong, in plain English: If steering fails you can lose control of the car. A bolt in the steering column may not be secured properly, which can cause the steering column to detach from the steering rack and result in a loss of steering control.
What could happen: Loss of steering control can increase the risk of a crash.
The fix: Dealers will inspect and tighten the lower steering column u-joint retention bolt, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 5, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 226.
What to do
- Check whether your car is affected: enter your 17-digit VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. A recall covers specific VINs, not every 2021 ACCENT.
- Book a repair at any authorized Hyundai dealer. Quote NHTSA campaign 22V311000 (manufacturer code 226).
- The repair is free. By US law, safety recall repairs cost the owner nothing, no matter the car's age or mileage.
- Manufacturer hotline: 1-855-371-9460.
- Buying this car used? Ask the seller for proof the recall was completed, or run the VIN yourself before paying.
Official wording from NHTSA
Component: STEERING:COLUMN
Summary: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Accent vehicles. A bolt in the steering column may not be secured properly, which can cause the steering column to detach from the steering rack and result in a loss of steering control.
Consequence: Loss of steering control can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and tighten the lower steering column u-joint retention bolt, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 5, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 226.
Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
3. Seat belts
What's wrong, in plain English: Seat belts may not hold you in a crash. In the event of a crash, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioner(s) may explode upon deployment.
What could happen: An exploding seat belt pretensioner can project metal fragments into the vehicle, striking vehicle occupants and resulting in injury.
The fix: Dealers will replace the seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 24, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 219. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall number 21V-796. This recall is replaced by…
What to do
- Check whether your car is affected: enter your 17-digit VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. A recall covers specific VINs, not every 2021 ACCENT.
- Book a repair at any authorized Hyundai dealer. Quote NHTSA campaign 22V069000 (manufacturer code 219).
- The repair is free. By US law, safety recall repairs cost the owner nothing, no matter the car's age or mileage.
- Manufacturer hotline: 1-855-371-9460.
- Buying this car used? Ask the seller for proof the recall was completed, or run the VIN yourself before paying.
Official wording from NHTSA
Component: SEAT BELTS:FRONT
Summary: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Accent vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioner(s) may explode upon deployment.
Consequence: An exploding seat belt pretensioner can project metal fragments into the vehicle, striking vehicle occupants and resulting in injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 24, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 219. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall number 21V-796. This recall is replaced by NHTSA recall number 22V-354. Vehicles already repaired under this recall will need to have the new remedy completed.
Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
4. Seat belts
What's wrong, in plain English: Seat belts may not hold you in a crash. In the event of a crash, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioners may explode upon deployment.
What could happen: An exploding seat belt pretensioner can project metal fragments into the vehicle, strike vehicle occupants, and result in injury.
The fix: Dealers will secure the seat belt pretensioner(s) with a cap, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 28, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 229. This recall expands and replaces NHTSA recall numbers 21V-796, 22V-069, 22V-2…
What to do
- Check whether your car is affected: enter your 17-digit VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. A recall covers specific VINs, not every 2021 ACCENT.
- Book a repair at any authorized Hyundai dealer. Quote NHTSA campaign 22V354000 (manufacturer code 229).
- The repair is free. By US law, safety recall repairs cost the owner nothing, no matter the car's age or mileage.
- Manufacturer hotline: 1-855-371-9460.
- Buying this car used? Ask the seller for proof the recall was completed, or run the VIN yourself before paying.
Official wording from NHTSA
Component: SEAT BELTS:FRONT
Summary: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Accent, 2021-2022 Elantra, and 2021-2022 Elantra HEV vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioners may explode upon deployment.
Consequence: An exploding seat belt pretensioner can project metal fragments into the vehicle, strike vehicle occupants, and result in injury.
Remedy: Dealers will secure the seat belt pretensioner(s) with a cap, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 28, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 229. This recall expands and replaces NHTSA recall numbers 21V-796, 22V-069, 22V-218, and 22V-123 for Accent, Elantra, and Elantra HEV vehicles. All Accent, Elantra, and Elantra HEV vehicles already repaired under the previous recalls will need to have the new remedy completed.
Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
Useful for owners
- OBD2 code reader — see what the car's computer is reporting
- Compact car fire extinguisher
- 2021 Hyundai Accent owner's manual
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA
Most complained-about parts: Seat belts (6), Wheels / tires (5), Engine (4), Electrical system (2), Brakes (1).
Complaints are unverified reports from owners. A pattern (many complaints about the same part) matters more than any single one.
Read recent complaints (8)
07/01/2025 · Engine
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Accent. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 40 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed; however, the contact was informed there was no fault found with the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired.…
04/26/2025 · Electrical system
Hard time stopping and controlling the vechile
10/01/2024 · Engine
The contact leased a 2021 Hyundai Accent through Enterprise Rent-A-Car. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power for about 5 seconds while accelerating and decelerating through traffic. The contact stated that he was able to duplicate the failure five times and related the failure to the engine; however, the vehicle was no…
05/11/2024 · Wheels / tires
During a tire swap, another lug nut broke off while trying to remove it. This issue has occurred before, and it seems that the faulty lug nut problem is still present. The car has only been serviced at Hyundai dealerships, and the tires were last rotated during a service at an authorized Hyundai dealership before this incident. The affected lug nut this tim…
11/21/2023 · Electrical system
My 2021 Hyundai accent has randomly not started a in more than 10 different times. The lights go on and you can hear it trying to start but it never catches to actually start. It’s under warranty but the dealer says if they can’t see it when it’s happening then they can’t fix anything. I bought a new battery with dealer recommendations but I still hace they…
04/22/2023 · Wheels / tires
This is the fourth lugnut/stud that has failed. This time it was during routine maintenance at an authorized dealership during tire rotation.
04/22/2023 · Wheels / tires
Fifth lug nut failure within a span of less than 6 months. Today during winter to summer tire snow change, front passenger side lug nut broke while it was being removed. This is the 4th incident in my vehicle with regards to the lug nuts. Less than two weeks ago, during routine maintenance at a Hyundai dealership, another lugnut broke and I have also regist…
01/24/2023 · Seat belts
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Accent. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V354000 (Seat Belts) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not ex…