2002 Hyundai Accent from North America - Comments

I own a 2002 Accent which I bought about 3 and a half years ago or so, used. Right off the lot the Transmission blew. Then the acceleration problems started. More recently I had to get my spark plug coil package replaced due to the CEL light coming on. I had to get this done 3 times before the dealership told me I needed a new computer in my car. This is going to cost me about 1000.00 on top of the 400.00 I already put into the spark plug issues. So now I have the CEL flashing at me constantly till I get that done. Also, after replacing all of my belts at 60,000 miles as recommended, they do nothing, but whine and screech now. My breaks have been replaced 3 times and it still makes me uncomfortable because the pedal still goes all the way to the floor, one day I'm going to slam into the back of someone. I still owe about 3,000 on the car (yes, I got screwed), but I'm looking to get a new one because I'm irritated and feel unsafe. Off to Honda I go.

I will never again buy a Hyundai.

The fact is, any car with automatic transmissions are already bad. Furthermore, you clearly got a used car, it was most likely a good car when it started and the original owners may have "trashed" it to the point where all these repairs are needed - maybe that's why they sold it?

To the previous comment.

What exactly do you mean by that statement that," All cars with automatic transmissions are already bad."? What kind of statement is that? Just because yo might prefer a manual, don't say that automatics are all bad. I have two cars, one is an auto and one is a 4-speed. And both have their eccentricities. You might want to leave your "opinions" out and just stick to facts if you are going to post info on this site.

Oh, and you are probably right about the rest of your comment. Except that I am a Technician for a Hyundai dealer and have to agree that Accent auto transmissions have weak clutches, very weak clutches, and if you don't keep fresh fluid in them (every 30k miles) then they don't last very long.

Also if you replace one, be sure to flush the cooler lines before you run it (most people don't do that and more tranny fun ensues).

We generally own 3 to 5 cars at a time. We've owned lots of automatics and lots of manual transmissions. We have had far more problems with standard shift cars than with our automatics. We've now switched to all automatics and all domestics. None of our imports lasted very long regardless of what transmissions they had. Our 5-speed Honda Civic was a nightmare.