2000 Hyundai Accent GLS review from India

There are a lot of minor engineering and design defects in the Hyundai Accent sold in India. I have discovered the following defects in the first 5 months after buying my Accent GLS -

1. Right side rearview mirror control stopped working within a week.

2. Left side rearview mirror control stopped working after a month.

I have talked to 2 other owners of Accent and both of them had the side rearview mirror controls stop working multiple times - this seems to be a common defect in Accent.

3. Within one week, the gear stick started wobbling while shifting from 1st to 2nd - adjusted during 1st service.

4. From day one, difficult to engage reverse gear - service manager at the factory workshop told me there is no solution to this problem except to race the engine a bit and then try engaging reverse again.

5. From day one - the horn was very troublesome -horn-pad had to be adjusted during the first service.

6. Both inside front door panels vibrate and make a very irritating sound while playing high-bass music.

7. Cover of front left speaker vibrates badly while playing loud music.

8. Front speakers are under-powered - can't handle a high-power music system.

9. Front seats are EXTREMELY uncomfortable during long drives. There is no lumbar support for the lower back. Seats seem to have been designed for small-built Korean-sized people not more than 5 feet in height.

10. Within two months of purchase, the airconditioning vent in my car started pulling in air from the outside even when fully closed. Adjusted by Hyundai.

11. Right rearview mirror replaced during the first service, stopped working again within 15-20 days.

12. Left-rear seat belt jammed permanently after being used just on one trip. Fixed by Hyundai.

13. Fourth month - right front automatic window stopped working. Entire motorized mechanism had to be replaced.

These defects speak volumes about Hyundai's attention to detail and their engineering. Korean engineering is not comparable to German (Corsa) or Japanese (Baleno) engineering after all.

I really hope that the engine, suspension, gearbox etc. don't have any such problems that start surfacing in a few months.

Read more details here:

http://www.geocities.com/mohit_gupta/hyundai_accett.html

Buy the car only for the looks - it looks bigger and more expensive than other cars in the category. But watch out -- quality really stinks. There are too many minor, irritating, recurring defects to take away the fun of owning a new car and make you repent at leisure.