The 2001 Hyundai Accent: A Customer Review

We bought the 2001 Hyundai Accent from a dealership that was less than professional and did not exhibit what most people would call integrity. We went to Automax, which was located in Oklahoma City at the time. About a week after we bought this car, I saw in the obituaries that a 17-year-old girl had just bought the same car. She was hit by a truck in the passenger rear and was killed, despite being in the driver seat. That inspired me to look into the safety ratings of this vehicle, and they were very low. A professional used the words "tin can" to describe our car. Not a good feeling!

My fingernails could barely touch the door while rolling the windows up or down and the material would scrape off. You could practically look at the car crooked and it would dent. That's an exaggeration, but seriously, very minor encounters damaged the body severely. I got into the car with a plastic umbrella and it scraped the door as I was putting it at my feet. I didn't even feel it touch the door but it had. After only 2 years of ownership, the body looked so sad that I saw people from our apartment complex standing around our car laughing at it. People in the grocery store parking lot routinely approached me to give me discount body repairs. My car was crying out for help I guess. We had never even been in an accident. A body bumping into the car would dent it.

I read online that the engine is designed to fail in less than 8 years, despite Hyundai giving a 10 year warranty. Our engine did fail, but it appeared to be caused by the oil change people not changing the oil. We will never know the truth on that. Either way, we bought the car in March 2001 and it was dead in November 2007.

As for the interior, it was very cramped. We had 2 car seats back there and it was a nightmare. We had a 2 door so we had to fold in half every time we got them in or out. The ride was also very bumpy to say the least. Passengers would complain of motion sickness and migraines on long trips because of how rough a ride it was. The foot area and the trunk space was less than desirable as well.

There was nothing that I liked about this car. If you are a parent looking for a good, cheap car for your kids. Please don't get this one. Splurge a little on a better company and rest easy at night knowing they will be safe!