YearToAvoid

2006 Hyundai Accent Problems, Recalls & Reliability

Verdict

Good

Complaint Index

12/100

#16 most-complained of 18 Accent years

Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology

The 2006 Hyundai Accent has 43 owner complaints and 3 safety recalls on file with NHTSA. Its Complaint Index is 12 out of 100 — #16 highest of 18 Accent model years (verdict: Good). The most reported problem area is airbags (23 complaints, 53% of the total). Complaints report 2 crashes, 1 injury, and 1 death.

Complaints
43
Recalls
3
Crashes / fires
2 / 0
Injuries / deaths
1 / 1
NHTSA overall rating
Not rated
EPA combined MPG
28.5
26 city / 32.5 hwy

Top 2006 Hyundai Accent problems

NHTSA owner complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Airbags23 (53%)
  2. Visibility & Wipers11 (26%)
  3. Electrical System4 (9%)
  4. Brakes3 (7%)
  5. Other2 (5%)
  6. Engine1 (2%)
  7. Fuel System1 (2%)
  8. Seat Belts1 (2%)
  9. Structure & Body1 (2%)
  10. Transmission & Powertrain1 (2%)
2006 Hyundai Accent complaints: complaints filed per month5Feb 2006Oct 2008Nov 2009Mar 2011Nov 2013Oct 2014Aug 2015Nov 2017
48 complaints filed with NHTSA from Feb 2006 to Sep 2020; peak Jul 2014 (5).

2006 Hyundai Accent recalls

3 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

  1. NHTSA 13V113000Apr 1, 2013Electrical System1,712,336 vehicles

    Exterior lighting:brake lights:switch

    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.

    Risk: Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of Park without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. The safety recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's recall campaign number is 110.

  2. NHTSA 09V280000Jul 21, 2009Electrical System3,011 vehicles

    Exterior lighting

    Hyundai is recalling 3,011 model year 2005-2007 elantra, tucson, sonata, azera and accent vehicles. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to fail to illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause the brake lights to remain illuminated when the brake pedal is released. A defective stop lamp switch may also affect the operation of the brake-transmission shift interlock feature so the transmission would not be able to be shift out of the "park" position. It may also cause the electronic stability control (esc) malfunction light to illuminate, and it may not deactivate the cruise control when the brake pedal is depressed.

    Risk: Any of these malfunctions could lead to a crash.

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the stop lamp switch free of charge. The recall began on september 2, 2009. Owners may contact hyundai of puerto rico customer service at 1-787-999-4310.

  3. NHTSA 09V122000Apr 15, 2009Electrical System532,633 vehicles

    Exterior lighting:brake lights:switch

    Hyundai is recalling 532,633 my 2006-2007 accent, entourage, sonata, my 2007 azera, elantra and santa fe, my 2005-2007 tucson and my 2007-2008 veracruz vehicles. The stop lamp switch in the affected vehicles may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause the brake lights to remain illuminated when the brake pedal is released. A stop lamp switch malfunction may also affect the operation of the brake-transmission shift interlock feature so the transmission shifter would not be able to be shifted out of the park position. It may also cause the electronic stability control (esc) malfunction light to illuminate, and it may not deactivate the cruise control when the brake pedal is depressed.

    Risk: Any of these malfunctions, alone or in combination, may lead to a crash.

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the stop lamp switch free of charge. The recall began on june 29, 2009. Owners may contact the hyundai customer assistance center at 1-800-633-5151.

2006 Hyundai Accent fuel economy and fuel cost

City
26 MPG
Highway
32.5 MPG
Combined
28.5 MPG
Annual fuel cost (EPA)
$2,275
15,000 mi/yr
Fuel
Regular
Current regular gas
$4.32/gal
national avg.

EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.

2006 compared with other Accent years

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)0255075100’05’06’07’08’09’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2005Good41491—
2006Good1243328.5
2007Caution6588328.5
2008Caution59101128.5

All Hyundai Accent years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2006 Hyundai Accent a reliable year?
Judged by NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, the 2006 Hyundai Accent ranks #16 of 18 among Accent model years (Complaint Index 12/100, verdict: Good). It has 43 complaints and 3 recalls on file. This reflects reported safety-related problems, not an overall reliability rating.
What are the most common problems with the 2006 Hyundai Accent?
The most reported problem areas are airbags (23 complaints), visibility & wipers (11 complaints), and electrical system (4 complaints). The median mileage at the time of failure in complaints that report it is 61,000 miles.
Does the 2006 Hyundai Accent have any recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2006 Hyundai Accent, most recently reported 2013, covering electrical system.
What is the fuel economy of the 2006 Hyundai Accent?
EPA rates the 2006 Hyundai Accent at 28.5 MPG combined (26 city / 32.5 highway), with an estimated annual fuel cost of $2,275. Where several configurations exist, the median is shown.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.