Faults:

Less than 3 months after we purchased the Accent the the front brakes went totally out. We took the vehicle to the dealership for service and it had to have the whole front brake assembly replaced. Since that time the front brake assembly has had to be replaced an additional 3 times at our cost.

6 months after purchase the widow seals went bad.

And also at the same time the alarm shorted out.

General Comments:

This car has generally been very unreliable. And has poor gas mileage for an "economy" car.

Faults:

The throttle sensor went out at 22,000.

General Comments:

The service centers are awful.

They've had my car for 3 days and it is still not fixed.

They said this is going out on several of the cars.

General Comments:

Windows are very loud due to poor weather striping.

Have to remember to re-lock trunk hatch after each opening.

Rear window wiper rests right in view

Wheels are too small.

Drivers seat does not go back to same position after accessing back seat.

Small size of the car is perfect for city parking & gas mileage.

Handles very well.

The engine is quite peppy.

The exterior styling is very sharp.

Intermittent wipers are a great in San Francisco weather.

Interior is very pleasing however I would prefer a light in the glove box instead of the ashtray.

The white-faces speedometer is very sporty and fun.

Rear spoiler adds to the overall look of the car.

Faults:

Nothing so far has gone wrong with my car. I got a call back for my "PVC" valve, but it was under warranty.

General Comments:

The manual transmission is a hoot, it shifts like a dream. If at all possible don't get the manual, it sucks the life out of this little car.

The independent sport tuned suspension is hard and allows the driver to really feel what is going on below the wheels.

The rack and pinion steering with power assist is great and allows for maximum cornering at high speeds.

The interior is new and fresh, and is roomy once you get in, when looking at the outside of the car it appears to be much smaller.

Wind and road noise do become noticable, but not until around 110/120 km/h.

The brakes could have been a bit better when stopping suddenly from high speeds - it may cause a little panic.

Four wheel discs would have been nice on the "GSi" model.

Faults:

I just bought car. I have no comment.

General Comments:

I looked all around for a decent affordable car. I think I found it. The Hyundai Accent. I know Hyundai had lots of problems in the past and I throughly inspected the car and read numerous car reviews. I chose Hyundai because the car had all the features I wanted in a car and for such an affordable price!

I paid a little over $8400 for the car and it included A/C, power steering, power brakes, 4 doors, a digital clock, 60/40 rear folding seat, plush carpet, dual mirrors, passenger side mirror and the best warranty in the business. My dealer even threw in lifetime oil changes. Can you imagine all that for such a low price!

The warranty was the real clincher. 100,000 powertrain, 60000 bumper to bumper, 100000 rust and free roadside assistance. If you have an accident, warranty repair breakdown, flat tires, lock your keys in the car etc, they will come and help you. Free of charge! If you're away with your car and it breaks down, they will reimburse you for your hotel bills, food etc to the tune of $100 a day for 3 days while a dealer services your warranty breakdown.

This car is a wonderful deal. I haven't driven it much so I don't know its reliability too well, but I'm confident it will do well. No company would warrant so much for so long if it wasn't confident of its product.

Personally, I think the Accent sedan is much better looking than the ECHO and probably is just as reliable. It's a lot cheaper too.

I think Hyundai has learned from its failures and is earnestly trying to win back its buyers by offering great deals. A lot of car companies start out with problems and they resolve them. Hyundai is a huge conglomerate, in real estate, shipbuilding, shipping and on and on. They've got the resourses to turn this around and make Hyundai into another Honda. But it's hard to convince buyers and critics. Time will tell. So far I'm thrilled with my new car.

The car I described is the 2001 Hyundai Accent GL- 4 door. I bought the car at Millenium Hyundai in Hempstead NY. They advertise heavily in Newsday.