1999 Hyundai Accent GL from North America - Comments

The rear struts went out at 35,000 miles and were replaced by the dealer.

This car does not hold an alignment well at all. I am already on my second set of tires for the car. The car does not hold an alignment more than a week before it starts to pull. Last time I took it to the shop I was told by the dealer that the right front camber is out of alignment (but cannot be adjusted), so as far as the dealer is concerned the car is not out of alignment.

The interior door handle on the passenger's side broke & was replaced by the dealer.

The bushings in the sway part squeaked at 35,000 mile. They were replaced by the dealer.

The paint is so cheap on this car, if you brush your keys against the metal when you unlock it, it leaves scratches in the paint. If birds crap on the car and you don't wash it within the same day it happens it fades the paint.

The metal is so cheap that when you close the trunk you risk denting the metal. I have slammed the trunk before to close the trunk and the metal has small dents in it where my hand was. If you lean against the door and have rivets in your jeans you can scratch the paint and dent the door.

Quality is not job one at Hyundai. The Hyundai Accent is a sub-standard car made with sub-standard materials.

Don't buy it!

I'm with you all the way, I don't have anything else to state about this car, you just took the words out of my mouth. Except mine, I had to change the engine at 7000 miles, which is very usual with this type of car. Advise people do not buy it.

Well, I don't know why you completely demolish this car. I have one since 3 years nows, and I did a lot of road trips with it. I did Montreal-LA round trip with no problem. I just come back from a trip to Nova Scotia and everyone in the car was impressed how this car is doing well. It just cost me 150$CA to do 3600km. I never had any mechanical problems. I know a lot of people that have this car and love it.

I have a 1999 Accent. My car has an engine light problem, my door handle has broken out, my heat stopped working, and I had MAJOR gas tank problems with it. It only has 40,000 miles on it! Otherwise it is sharp looking. I replaced the wheels and tires with aftermarket products, and if I may say it is good in the snow, no skidding. I'd say 50/50. It is worth it because of the incredible gas mileage. But it IS a hassle.

An idea to save the paint work, don't sit on your car wearing jeans with studs on.

I have a 99 hyundai accent L this is the lowest model hyundai of that year... it now has 82,000 miles on it and is still going strong... no shakes..no rattles... the engine light has gone on, but I know the reason why... if you top off your gas tank (WHICH YOU SHOULD NEVER DO) it leaves no space for air compression... thus the engine light goes on because it feels that there is a problem with the fuel to air ratio... i have remedied this by taking my gas cap off letting it sit then put it back on and start it once or twice the engine light promptly goes off... the only other time it has gone on is when I exceed 105 MPH... but the light does not always go on and when it does its only when I start it up again... the car runs the same and the light eventually goes off... this car is wonderful compaired to other cars I've owned including a 93 ford escort with 75,000 miles on it... the tranny went aswell as the steering and the ignition... also I owned a honda civic 95...80,000 miles this car was hell... the radiator went... the clutch went... the timing belt went at 85,000 miles... so far I've had no luck until now...

I have owned my 1999 Hyundai Accent GL since I took it off the lot back in 1998. I have had hardly any problems with it whatsoever. The paint is kinda crappy and the metal is pretty thin, but with about 100,000 miles on it, it is still a great car. The only problems I have had with it are the manifold cracked and it has needed breaks and tires. I put new struts on it because I lowered it, but I still have the originals, they are still good. With performance modifications it still gets about 34mpg. I say if you have the chance buy one do, but make sure it's a 5-speed.

I have a 1999 Accent and I have had no problem with it. I have even leaned on it with a pair of riveted jeans and the paint didn't scratch. I am thinking you had to slam you trunk with all you wieght in order to dent it. I have slammed it with my wieght which is 300 lbs and it didn't dent. The brushing of the keys when you unlock will scratch the paint. I have all original parts, and haven't had a problems at 52,000 miles. The car does pull to the right when I floor the gas though, but that is expected. I would recommend this car for people who need good gas mileage.

All you talked about was the paint and the metal of the car. So you buy a car based on how the paint and metal are? I'd take a car that is reliable and dents easily over one that doesn't dent that easily, but has a lot of problems.

I agree, My mom owns a 98 Accent and we've had it for a few years now and saw it go from 13,000 to the 137000 it is at now. We have had only one problem, at 120,000 miles the water pump went out, but it was cheap to get fixed. The door handles are broke, but it is no big deal, you just role down the window and open from the outside. Yeah these cars dent easy, but not any easier than my friends 2001 Nissan, or his Mom's 2006 Chevy Tahoe, or even my Dad's 97 GMC Sierra. It's just the way new vehicles are. I just bought a 99 Accent and I enjoy it. It has just over 90,000 miles on it and no major problems.

I bought my 99 Accent new for only $6495.00. It has been very reliable - never a mechanical problem until now at 101,000 I am finding that the alignment needs frequent adjustments and thus the tires are not lasting as long as they should. Also, it feels like the brakes are slipping. I took it in and was told that the brake pads are excellent, but that the rotors are worn, and that with this model, the rotors are a little different - they would have to be replaced entirely. I was quoted $360.00 by the dealership. I was told I should wait until the brake pads also need to be replaced, but it seems to me that something is not right - I feel metal on metal and hear a slight squeal at times. Once I drove through a deep puddle and briefly afterwards, the brakes did not work at all. I am not sure what to do about this, but I will say that I get excellent gas mileage (39mpg in mixed driving, 44hwy) and have never experienced a problem with the car until now.

I have a 1997 Accent that has been the BEST little car I have ever owned. I bought it used at 29,000 miles and the first thing that I noticed was how good the mileage is. An engine is nothing more than an air pump, so if you make it easier for the air to get in (K&N air filter) and easier to get out (hi flow muffler) it won't have to work as hard and will give you more performance and MPG. I am passing 180,000 miles and about to change my timing belt/water pump for the 3rd time. I keep the oil changed when I'm supposed to and I haven't had any major problems. Hyundai (as well as a lot of other cars of those years) had some clear/coat problems, but nothing major. I also like that I can take the rear seat out and fold down the seat back. I can't believe how much stuff I can haul!!

I owned a 99 Accent until just recently, and replaced it with the 2003 model. The reason I replaced it was the car had a leak that I just could not find. It smelled of an old sweat sock because there was so much water in the trunk and soaked into the seats that I had to remove the back seats. I have had the 2003 model since October and SUP-RISE!...guess who has a wet ass again! I have only owned this car for 3 months, low ks, looks good, with 2 inches of water in the trunk this morning. Does anyone know where the water is coming from? I tried to find the source of the leak 4 times with the mechanics help on the old car and the problem was never solved. I don't want this car to rust from the inside out like the other one. Any help would be appreciated.

I had a water problem also. You can find it by completely covering the inside of the trunk with cardboard, and taking it to the car wash. Spray the water all the way around the seal, then open it up. If it's coming in the trunk, the wet spot will tell you where it's getting in. If it's dry in there, just run it through the automatic wash. And if you don't see it coming in while you're inside, pull out and look around all the seals and door jams.