Hyundai began selling the 3-door Accent hatchback in the United States during the spring of 2006. The Accent is a “net-build” vehicle with no built-in adjustments, but adjustments can be made with aftermarket parts.
Front Suspension
The front suspension is a McPherson strut setup. The lower control arm isolates harshness and vibration with a large bushing in the front. Always inspect this bushing for damage. Look for any separation of the rubber from the metal.
Always make note of tire wear. If a customer does not rotate the tires, the stock tires would wear the inside edges. This is normal.
Like most new vehicles, the Accent does not have any built-in adjustments for caster and camber, but they can be made by installing cam bolts on the strut.
Too much positive camber will result in a car that will pull or drift depending on the amount of cross camber. Hyundai recommends the cross caster should be less than 0.5 degrees.
Hyundai recommends checking SAI with an alignment system that can perform a caster sweep. It is useful for checking for damaged components when the SAI difference between left and right sides is more than 1 degree. If SAI is lower on one side of the vehicle, it may indicate a bent lower control arm. If SAI is higher on one side of the vehicle, it may indicate damage to the upper strut mount.
Rear Suspension
The rear suspension on the 2006-2011 Accent is a trailing beam axle. The previous model used a multi-link set up. While this setup is almost bullet-proof, the axle can be tweaked by moderate impacts with curbs and potholes.
There are no built-in adjustments for toe or camber. Adjustments can be made by installing a shim between the axle and wheel-bearing hub.
It is recommended by Hyundai to check thrust angle and set back before performing adjustments in the front. Failing to do this could result in an off-center steering wheel.
Steering
The Accent uses electric power steering called MDPS (Motor Driven Power Steering). The system requires a scan tool for the initialization of replacement parts and the calibration or absolute steering position (ASP) reset of the steering position sensor after a toe adjustment. The steering position sensor is a light sensor that uses three wheels with shudders to determine the position. Two sensors measure the steering angle, while another measures straight ahead.
