NHTSA lists 2 safety recalls and 101 owner complaints for the 2009 Hyundai Accent. Most complaints involve air bags (27) and visibility/wiper (13). The EPA rates it 29 mpg combined.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2009-2011 Hyundai Accent vehicles manufactured March 1, 2009, to February 11, 2011. In the affected vehicles, the brake light switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning brake light switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning brake light switch may also prevent the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position.
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 Accent, model year 2007-2011 Azera, Sonata and Sante Fe,2006-2011 Tucson, 2009-2011 Elantra Touring, 2007-2010 Elantra, 2008-2011 Veracruz, 2009-2011 Genesis, 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, 2007-2008 Entourage, and 2006-2008 Tiburon vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Hyundai recalled 1,059,824 model year 2007-2009 Accent and Tucson, model year 2007-2010 Elantra, model year 2007-2011 Santa Fe, model year 2008-2009 Veracruz, model year 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, and model year 2011 Sonata vehicles. In September 2013, Hyundai informed the agency that it was adding more vehicles to this campaign, representing an additional 652,512 units. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 1,712,336. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake transmission shift interlock feature, preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.
Verbatim excerpts from NHTSA complaints, by component
Air bags
27 reports4 crashes
“WHEN THE CAR IS STARTED, THE AIR BAG LIGHT TURNS ON AND WON'T TURN OFF. RESTARTED SEVERAL TIMES SINCE AND THE AIR BAG LIGHT STILL STAYS ON. ANOTHER ISSUE THAT I NEVER REPORTED IS BOTH DRIVER AND PASSENGER SUN VISORS WON'T STAY UP. I REPLACED THE DRIVER SIDE, BUT THIS IS VERY DISTRACTING TO A DRIVER TO HAVE THE VISOR DROP DOWNAND FEEL THIS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A SAFETY CONCERN. THE REST OF THE INFORMATION IS ABOUT THE AIR BAG LIGHT BEING ON, NOT THE VISORS.”
Owner complaint to NHTSA·Filed Dec 9, 2019·Air bags, Unknown or otherODI 11287928
Visibility/wiper
13 reports1 crash
“"HYUNDAI RECALL" A COUPLE YEARS AGO I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND MY DRIVER SIDE SUN VISOR FELL DOWN AND BLOCKED MY VIEW OF DRIVING. IT WAS AN UNCOMFORTABLE SITUATION BECAUSE I HAD TO HOLD UP THE VISOR WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE REST OF THE WAY HOME, THANKFULLY IT WAS NOT A MUCH MORE DANGEROUS SITUATION. EVENTUALLY WHEN I GOT HOME, I TRIED TO FIX IT MYSELF, AND IT HELD UP FOR A WHILE, BUT EVENTUALLY FELL OFF AGAIN, SO I ENDED UP HAVING TO RIP IT OFF ALTOGETHER SINCE IT WAS SUCH AN IMPAIRMENT WHILST DRIVING. A FEW MONTHS LATER THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO THE LEFT SIDE VISOR AND LUCKILY I WAS AT MY GRANDPAS HOUSE AND HE FIGURED OUT HOW TO TAKE THE VISOR OFF WITHOUT RIPPING IT OFF, SO THE WIRING CLIPS ARE STILL INTACT. NOW THAT I AM MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT CARS I WAS JUST GOING TO BUY NEW VISORS AND TRY TO FIX THE PROBLEM MYSELF, BUT THEY ARE OUT OF MY PRICE RANGE, AND FRANKLY THIS IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE THAT HYUNDAI SHOULD PAY TO FIX. AFTER DOING SOME LOOKING ONLINE, I DISCOVERED THAT THERE ARE MANY OTHER DISSATISFIED HYUNDAI CUSTOMERS THAT HAVE HAD THE SAME SAFETY ISSUE WITH THE SUN VISOR. ALL I WANT IS FOR HYUNDAI TO FIX THE PROBLEM AT THEIR EXPENSE.”
Owner complaint to NHTSA·Filed Dec 30, 2017·Visibility/wiperODI 11057679
Service brakes
12 reports
“MY BRAKE LIGHTS WORK THEN THEY DONT I HAVE REPLACED FUSES BULBS I DONT KNOW WHAT ELSE TO CHECK THEY WAS WORKING YESTERDAY TODAY I WAS TOLD MY BRAKES LIGHT WASNT WORKING AFTER ALMOST GETTING REAR ENDED. I WAS STOPPING AT A RED LIGHT. THIS ISNT THE FIRST TIME IT HAS HAPPENED”
Owner complaint to NHTSA·Filed Oct 1, 2020·Exterior lighting, Service brakesODI 11362312
How many recalls does the 2009 Hyundai Accent have?
2 safety recalls as of Nov 9, 2026, according to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at a dealer. Check your VIN to see whether your car is included and whether the repair was done.
What are the most common 2009 Hyundai Accent problems?
Owners filed 101 complaints with NHTSA. The most-cited components are air bags (27), visibility/wiper (13), service brakes (12). Complaints are unverified owner reports and aren't adjusted for how many cars were sold.
What MPG does the 2009 Hyundai Accent get?
The EPA rates the 2009 Hyundai Accent at 29 mpg combined, depending on engine and drivetrain (2 versions rated).