1997 Hyundai Accent GT from North America - Comments

We have had continuous electrical problems with this car.

At 12,000 miles the rear lights shorted out.

At 26,000 miles the starter went out

At 32,000 miles voltage regulator went out, taking two tries and a consultation from the home office for our dealer to fix it.

At 41,000 miles there was a crack in the gas tank.

At 68,000 miles we had to replace the spark plugs and wires twice in seven months.

There is an inherent engineering problem with the electrical system in the 1997 Hyundai Accent.

We purchased this car for our daughter hoping that a new car was better then a used car. Boy were we wrong. Our daughter has been stranded three times now, and we never know when we are going to get a call from her on the side of the road with a broken down Hyundai Accent. We hesitate to sell the car because we would hate to inflict this pain on anyone else.

We will never purchase a Hyuandai again.

I have a 1997 Accent GT and it has 101,000 Km's on it. I just wanted to comment on this posting because it is really inaccurate. The car has a 1.5 DOHC 16V and does not come with a 2 litre. I think it would be better if you knew a little more about this car before you bad mouth it.

I have owned an Accent Gt since 1996 and its not as bad as you present it. I live in Peru (South America) and roads an gasoline here are the worst in this continet. With holes bigger than a soccer ball (in all the dimensions) and fuel of 97 octanes with a price of 4 dollars per gallon (4 liters), its not easy to keep a car fine. But I have done it, and my Accent have never failed. I don't know how your daughter drive, but the car is a really good machine for the price you're paying for. As the previous comment, better knew it before talking about it... and remember, it has a 1.5 DOCH 16 valve engine (they called the "alpha" engine) with 102 bhp.

I totally understand your problems with the Accent; I have a 2001 GL with automatic transmission. I bought the car new because it had a great warranty and I THOUGHT a new car was better than a used one too. My transmission has been replaced twice now and I was also stranded in another state in the middle of the road. I was stuck for eight hours because my car was towed to the dealer and no one would rent me a car because I am not 25. This will be my last Hyundai EVER!!!

I myself driver a 97 Hyundai Accent GT. I myself find this car to drive like a dream. Never broken down on me at all. It runs clean and smooth and has a very high performance in my opinion. I bought the car used at 68,000 miles and have put another 5,000 miles on it since then and it never failed me. I find this car to be more of a racing vehicle then a passenger vehicle. Can jump this car to 60 in like 8 seconds and cruise it to 80+ without even feeling a change in the ride of the car. I would recommend this vehicle highly to any teen that wants to have a car that looks and runs sporty and will last them a good while.

This car's electrical system is terrible. Have broken down SIX times --- each time, I've had to have the battery and alternator replaced. This stupid car is like a computer with a very small amount of memory: It runs fine if you are not operating the headlights, A/C or CD player. Otherwise, the car just can't handle it and shorts out, causing me to completely lose power. I'm tired of it. Selling it immediately.

I own a 1997 Accent GT and I LOVE it. I bought it in 1999 with 14,000 miles on it and have only taken it in once for a tune up. I get the oil changed regularly and keep the tires rotated and aligned. I have never had an electrical problem. The only problem I have had was a gas tank that had a crack, and it ended up that the car was recalled for this, but they put in a new tank for free in an hour and I haven't had problems since. The car is a little speed demon and it handles great. Sorry for the people who have had problems, but perhaps it's the driver and the lack of car maintenance, or skilled mechanics, not the car itself.

The electrical problems you poor people are having with the accent is properly a nipped wire earthing against the body / chassis area, but this can be hard to locate.

Had my 1997 Accent for about four years now, it has 245500 miles now although a forth of them are tow miles (I'm an RV'er). So far I have had problems with a noisy front wheel bearing. After the second replacement I replaced the axle & hub with a used assembly and have not had problems since. The rear struts have been replaced twice. Its ready for a tuneup, first one was at 200K, so its showing ware. It's been a good car for the price.

Bought a 97 Accent GL Hatchback, Brand New in 96, we now have 200,000 km's on it and it's still kicking without ANY major issues. Unfortunately there is no resale value and we'll probably drive it till it's scrap, but everyone in the house uses and abuses it. Best car for the money. I'll buy used next time. Remember, this 1.5l engine is the same as the bullet proof Honda Civic's of the late 80s to early 90s.

OK I want to bring you back to comment "30th Mar 2003, 20:02" that talks about his 2001 Accent. I totally hear what you are saying! The new ones are, with the lack of a better word CRAP, but you can't say the 1997's are the same! They are not at all!

I have one with 200,000kms on it, which is 125000 miles at 10 years old. Only complaints are that it is light on the highways (as expected), long throws in the shifter, and the body does rust and dent easy. For the price, I got my money out quite a few years back.

My wife bought a new Accent GSI, thinking it would be like mine, WRONG!

Wish they would make em like they used to! Sorry to hear about your bad luck guys! If you want a cheap old thing to beat up, go Hyundai!!!