3KPC24A68ME1303782021 HYUNDAI AccentSE & SEL
2021 HYUNDAI Accent was analyzed across NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, crash test data, and public auction records. There are 4 open recalls on record — these are safety-critical and should be addressed immediately. 16 owner complaints include 1 reported injury, indicating real-world safety incidents beyond normal wear.
Executive Summary
2021 HYUNDAI Accent
2021 HYUNDAI Accent was analyzed across NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, crash test data, and public auction records. There are 4 open recalls on record — these are safety-critical and should be addressed immediately. 16 owner complaints include 1 reported injury, indicating real-world safety incidents beyond normal wear.
- 4 open recalls including safety-critical systems (Brake system recall; Steering system recall)
- 1 injury reported across 16 owner complaints
- Safety Systems is flagged in both recalls and owner complaints — double-confirmed failure pattern
- Vehicle may qualify for lemon law protection based on recall and complaint pattern — consult an attorney
16 owner complaints filed — top areas: Safety Systems (38%), Suspension/Wheels (25%), Engine/Powertrain (19%). 1 injury reported.
Title Brand Check
Mined from auction damage fields and listing titles — not a DMV title history pull
No auction records available. Title brand status could not be verified — request title history from seller or state DMV.
Vehicle Specifications
Decoded from NHTSA vPIC database
- Make
- HYUNDAI
- Model
- Accent
- Year
- 2021
- Trim / Series
- SE & SEL
- Body Style
- Sedan/Saloon
- Vehicle Type
- PASSENGER CAR
- Drive Type
- FWD/Front-Wheel Drive
- Fuel Type
- Gasoline
- Engine
- 4-cyl 1.6L 120 hp
- Doors
- 4
- Manufacturer
- KIA MEXICO S.A. DE C.V.
- Assembly
- MEXICO
- GVWR
- Class 1: 6,000 lb or less (2,722 kg or less)
Safety Intelligence
Composite analysis from NHTSA recall, complaint, and crash data
- ▸Brake system recall
- ▸Steering system recall
- ▸1 complaint(s) involved a fire
- ⚠2 recalls on same component: Safety Systems
- ⚠2 recalls on same component: Exterior/Other
- ⚠Safety system appears in both official recalls and owner complaints
Lemon law eligibility depends on state law, number of repair attempts, and days out of service. Consult an attorney for actual eligibility.
The same components appear in both official NHTSA recalls and owner-filed complaints — a double-confirmed failure signal.
Driver Assistance Features
ADAS equipment data from NHTSA vPIC database
Deferred Failure Risk
Components and defects approaching or past their known service milestones
Water pump failure causes rapid overheating. If the engine overheats even once, head gasket damage is likely — turning a $400 part into a $3,000+ repair.
Degraded transmission fluid destroys clutch packs and solenoids. CVT transmissions are especially sensitive — neglected fluid can result in a $4,000–$8,000 replacement.
Degraded coolant loses corrosion inhibitors and attacks aluminum engine components. Can cause head gasket failure and water pump corrosion.
Worn spark plugs cause misfires that can foul and crack catalytic converters. A $150 tune-up can prevent a $1,200 catalytic converter replacement.
NHTSA Safety Recalls
4 RECALLSNHTSA VIN-specific recall lookup returned no data for this VIN. The 4 recalls below are model-wide and may or may not apply to this exact vehicle depending on production date. Verify at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Average repair completion across 4 recalls is ~71%. Always ask the seller for dealer service records confirming each repair.
Statistical model based on recall age, component type, and manufacturer. Not a repair confirmation. Demand dealer service records.
HYUNDAI completes recalls at a good rate (88%), averaging about 19 months to remedy. Most affected vehicles are fixed.
Avg time to remedy open recall: ~19 months · Source: NHTSA Recall Completion Rate Reports
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER
SummaryHyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021 Accent vehicles. The brake master cylinder may have been manufactured with sharp edges that can damage the inner oil seal, resulting in reduced braking performance.Read full details...
~24% chance this recall was never fixed
Moderate RiskSource: NHTSA statistical model by recall age & component type
SEAT BELTS:FRONT
SummaryHyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Accent vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioner(s) may explode upon deployment.Read full details...
~34% chance this recall was never fixed
Moderate RiskSource: NHTSA statistical model by recall age & component type
STEERING:COLUMN
SummaryHyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Accent vehicles. A bolt in the steering column may not be secured properly, which can cause the steering column to detach from the steering rack and result in a loss of steering control.Read full details...
~24% chance this recall was never fixed
Moderate RiskSource: NHTSA statistical model by recall age & component type
SEAT BELTS:FRONT
SummaryHyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Accent, 2021-2022 Elantra, and 2021-2022 Elantra HEV vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioners may explode upon deployment.Read full details...
~34% chance this recall was never fixed
Moderate RiskSource: NHTSA statistical model by recall age & component type
Recall Intelligence
Detailed analysis of recall history and severity
⚠ One or more recalls have been open for over 5 years — may never have been repaired on this vehicle.
Recall Remedy Effectiveness — Complaints Continue After Fix
RECALL DIDN'T FIX ITOwner complaints filed AFTER recall remedies were issued for the same components
83% of complaints about "SEAT BELTS:FRONT" were filed AFTER recall campaign 22V069000 (2022-09-02) — the recall remedy may not have fully resolved the issue.
Continuing complaints after a recall may indicate an inadequate fix, a new failure mode, or that many vehicles never had the recall performed. Verify recall completion status directly with NHTSA.
1 injuries reported across 16 complaints — elevated injury rate for this class of vehicle.
This vehicle shows 4 lemon law indicators. Eligibility depends on state law, number of repair attempts, and days out of service — consult a lemon law attorney.
Complaint Intelligence
16 complaints analyzed across 5 system categories
32% of complaints filed in Apr & Aug — may indicate temperature-sensitive or weather-related failures.
Owner Complaints
HIGH VOLUME16 safety complaints filed with NHTSA
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Accent. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 40 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed; however, the contact was informed there was no fault found with the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Hard time stopping and controlling the vechile
The contact leased a 2021 Hyundai Accent through Enterprise Rent-A-Car. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power for about 5 seconds while accelerating and decelerating through traffic. The contact stated that he was able to duplicate the failure five times and related the failure to the engine; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact returned the vehicle to Enterprise Rent-A-Car and `informed them about the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
During a tire swap, another lug nut broke off while trying to remove it. This issue has occurred before, and it seems that the faulty lug nut problem is still present. The car has only been serviced at Hyundai dealerships, and the tires were last rotated during a service at an authorized Hyundai dealership before this incident. The affected lug nut this time was on the front passenger side.
My 2021 Hyundai accent has randomly not started a in more than 10 different times. The lights go on and you can hear it trying to start but it never catches to actually start. It’s under warranty but the dealer says if they can’t see it when it’s happening then they can’t fix anything. I bought a new battery with dealer recommendations but I still hace they problem. I only have 25,300 miles on this 2 year old car.
This is the fourth lugnut/stud that has failed. This time it was during routine maintenance at an authorized dealership during tire rotation.
Fifth lug nut failure within a span of less than 6 months. Today during winter to summer tire snow change, front passenger side lug nut broke while it was being removed. This is the 4th incident in my vehicle with regards to the lug nuts. Less than two weeks ago, during routine maintenance at a Hyundai dealership, another lugnut broke and I have also registered a complaint here.
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Accent. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V354000 (Seat Belts) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
UNKNOWN (RECALL SEATBELT)
The studs and the lug nuts have consistently cross-threading and corrosion issues in a barely-year-old vehicle. I have had to visit the dealer twice to have this problem fixed and paid out of pocket. This started to happen ever since my last service at a Hyundai dealership. I suspect that this is because of low quality or defective lugnuts/studs that are being used, which is causing the lugnuts to be stuck and break off while trying to remove them. 2 of the lugnuts and studs in the vehicle had to be broken off to be removed last week (11/28/22). Yesterday (12/04/2022) during a tire change, another lugnut/stud broke off during removal. Hyundai should look into this faulty lugnuts/stud problem and have it resolved.
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Accent. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V354000 (Seat Belts) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. The consumer stated the dealer fixed the recall.
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Accent. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V354000 (Seat Belts) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
I've been trying for about 6 months to get this recall corrected. I've called several dealers and no one has the parts. Isn't it ridiculous that they are suggesting I park the car outside my garage because it is dangerous to park it inside, BUT it's OK if I drive it???? When will these parts be available?
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Accent. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V354000 (Seat Belts) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Engine compartment fire. Vehicle towed to Hyundai dealer in Bremerton wa
The car seems to have sort of an alignment problem. Steering keeps going to the left and I constantly have to pull steering to the right. Even with both have on steering wheel the car goes to the left lane. If I make a left turn the steering seems to want to stay to the left and I get the feeling the car is going to flip over. It's like there is a gap in the steering wheel. A miscommunication between the steering and front axle kind of. They tried to fix it three times without any success, and now they are ignoring me, they don't answer my calls. I only drive it to work because I have to. The dealer says it's not that bad. Well maybe it's not that bad to drive it around the block but to drive it one hour everyday is a problem for me, even my right hand and arm start to hurt after half hour of constant dragging. Dealer told me all there accents drive the same. Well for me it means they all have same problem probably. Mechanics told me they get lot of cars with same problem. I am sure they are aware of it. I even took a video while driving to demonstrate defect and definitely it's not safe to drive. They tried to align the car three times at two different dealers with no success. Dealers repair files attached.
Complaint & Reliability Timeline
Annual complaints (blue) vs. composite reliability score (amber) — recall years marked in red
The blue line shows 16 total NHTSA complaints filed over 5 years, with the worst year being 2022 (7 complaints).
The amber reliability line averaged 97/100 across the vehicle's life — relatively stable, with the lowest point of 96/100 in 2022.
The recalls (red dashed lines) were issued in the same year or before complaints peaked, suggesting the manufacturer identified and acted on the defect relatively quickly.
Manufacturer Extended Warranties & Special Coverage
1 known program match this vehicle — verify current eligibility with dealer using your VIN
Nu (2.0L) and Gamma (1.6L) GDI engines share similar connecting rod bearing failure modes as the Theta II engine. Hyundai and Kia extended warranty coverage following additional NHTSA investigations.
Coverage eligibility depends on your VIN, original sale date, and current mileage. Always verify with an authorized dealer or manufacturer customer service — programs may have been updated since this database was compiled.
Legal & Regulatory Actions
Known class action lawsuits, settlements, and manufacturer extended warranty programs
5-Year Ownership Cost Estimate
Based on EPA fuel data, standard depreciation, and US average insurance/maintenance costs
Estimates use EPA fuel economy data, AAA 2024 national averages for insurance and maintenance, and a standard depreciation curve. Actual costs vary by location, driving habits, and vehicle condition.
5-Year Total Cost of Ownership
Estimated based on EPA fuel data, risk-adjusted maintenance, and depreciation
Estimated 5-year cost of ownership: $40,859 (~$681/mo). Repair risk buffer is standard due to vehicle risk profile.
Negotiation Ammunition
Use these data-backed findings to negotiate the price down
Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist
Tailored for the 2021 HYUNDAI Accent — specific failure modes your mechanic must check, not a generic list
Recall Probability Forecast
Estimated likelihood of a new recall in the next 18 months based on NHTSA signals
15% baseline recall probability — no strong indicators of an imminent recall.
- ▸Multiple prior recalls — pattern of safety issues on this model
Maintenance Schedule
OEM-specified service intervals for this vehicle
Maintenance intervals vary significantly by make, model, year, engine, and driving conditions. Always follow the manufacturer's official schedule — not generic industry estimates.
Tip: Request the seller's service records and compare against the manufacturer schedule. Missing intervals are a negotiation point.
Auction History
Public sale records from Copart, IAAI, and auction aggregators
Searching Public Auction Records
Checking Copart, IAAI, BidFax, and other sources for 3KPC24A68ME130378. Results appear automatically when found.
Insurance Cost Estimate
Estimated annual premiums based on vehicle profile, theft data, and NHTSA safety ratings
Based on 2024 national avg ($2,011/yr full coverage). Individual rates vary by driver, location & insurer. Always compare 3+ quotes.
Market & Background Signals
Theft risk, fleet history, dealer patterns, and emissions compliance
HYUNDAI Accent has a Very High theft risk — 6.8× the national average. Insurance premiums are likely significantly above class average.
Manufacturer NHTSA Penalty History
Federal fines issued for recall delays and safety violations
HYUNDAI has been fined $131M+ by NHTSA. Most recently in 2022: Failure to promptly recall vehicles with engine fire risk.
State-Specific Legal Protections
What consumer laws apply to this vehicle purchase in your state
Select your state to see what consumer protection laws, lemon law coverage, and title disclosure requirements apply to this vehicle purchase.
Complete Data Table
All decoded fields in a single flattened view
Vehicle Identity
| VIN | 3KPC24A68ME130378 |
| Model Year | 2021 |
| Make | HYUNDAI |
| Model | Accent |
| Trim | SE & SEL |
| Vehicle Type | PASSENGER CAR |
Body & Configuration
| Body Style | Sedan/Saloon |
| Doors | 4 |
| Seat Rows | 5 |
| Drive Type | FWD/Front-Wheel Drive |
| Fuel Type | Gasoline |
Engine
| Engine Cylinders | 4 |
| Displacement (L) | 1.6 |
| Horsepower | 120 |
Manufacturer
| Manufacturer | KIA MEXICO S.A. DE C.V. |
| Assembly Country | MEXICO |
VIN Structure
| WMI (Chars 1–3) | 3KP |
| Check Digit (Char 9) | 8 |
| Model Year Code (Char 10) | M |
| Plant Code (Char 11) | E |
| Sequence (Chars 12–17) | 130378 |
Safety Data
| NHTSA Recall Count | 4 |
| NHTSA Complaint Count | 16 |
VIN Structure Decode
ISO 3779 character-by-character breakdown of this Vehicle Identification Number
Disclaimer: Data sourced from NHTSA public APIs and scraped auction listings. For informational purposes only. Not a substitute for a paid vehicle history report. Retrieved: 7/2/2026, 6:32:55 AM.