2012-2017 Hyundai Accent Brake Job Guide: Symptoms, Costs and the Right Parts

By Core Brake Parts Tech Team — Circleville, OH warehouse

A brake job on a 2012-2017 Hyundai Accent almost always starts at the front: the front pads do most of the stopping and wear out first, and the front rotors usually go with them on the second pad change. The rear is the part owners get wrong, because depending on year and trim your Accent has either rear disc brakes with pads or rear drum brakes with shoes, and the parts are not interchangeable.

How the Brakes on This Accent Are Built

This generation of Accent (Hyundai's RB platform) uses a vacuum-boosted hydraulic system with a tandem master cylinder and a single 9-inch booster, according to the factory service specifications. Every trim has ABS with Electronic Brake-force Distribution and Brake Assist, which Hyundai lists as standard equipment in the 2014 Accent brochure.

The front brakes are the same on every trim: a ventilated front disc with a single-piston sliding caliper. The rear is where the split happens. The 2012 launch cars were road tested with four-wheel disc brakes as standard, but by the 2014 model year the brochure lists rear disc brakes as a feature of the SE and of the upgraded GLS equipment, which means the base cars on 14-inch steel wheels rolled on rear drums. The simple test: look through the rear wheel. If you see a rotor and a caliper, you have rear discs. If you see a closed cast-iron drum, you have shoes inside.

The front pad set on this Accent is shared with the 2012-2017 Kia Rio, which is why many replacement pad boxes list both cars. That also makes parts easy to find, but always confirm the rear type before ordering anything for the back axle.

Symptoms Your Accent Is Due for a Brake Job

• High-pitched squeal on light braking that goes away with firmer pressure. That is usually the pad wear indicator touching the rotor and telling you the front pads are near the end.
• Grinding or a scraping metal sound. The pad friction material is gone and the backing plate is cutting the rotor. At that point the rotors are almost always scrap.
• Pulsation in the pedal or steering wheel when stopping from highway speed. This points to uneven rotor thickness, most often on the front.
• Pulling to one side. A sticking caliper slide pin or a seized caliper piston on one front wheel is the common cause.
• A low or soft pedal, or a handbrake lever that pulls up too far. On drum-equipped cars this often means the rear shoes have worn and need adjustment or replacement.
• Brake warning light on the dash. Check the fluid level first. Fluid drops as pads wear, so a low level with worn pads is expected; a low level with new pads means a leak.

The Accent is a light car and the factory brakes are sized for it, but it is also often driven in city traffic, which is hard on pads. Road testers noted a lot of nose dive under hard braking on the 2012 car, so the front axle does a large share of the work and wears faster than the rear.

Front vs Rear: What Wears and in What Order

Front axle. Expect to replace front pads first, and rotors at the first or second pad change. The front rotor is a relatively thin ventilated disc, and once it is worn close to its limit or has developed thickness variation it will not hold up to resurfacing. Most shops simply replace front rotors with the pads on this car, and that is usually the better value. Browse replacement brake pads and brake rotors for the Accent.

Rear axle, disc-equipped cars. The rear solid rotors and pads last much longer than the fronts. The weak spot on rear discs is the caliper slide pins and the parking brake mechanism, so clean and lubricate the pins whenever the rear pads come off.

Rear axle, drum-equipped cars. Shoes can last a very long time, but the drums collect brake dust, the wheel cylinders can start to seep, and the self-adjusters can stick. Pull the drums at every front brake job to inspect them. If a wheel cylinder is wet, replace it before fitting new brake shoes, or the fluid will contaminate the new linings.

What to Replace at the Same Time

• Rotors with pads when the rotor is scored, blued, grooved or near its minimum thickness stamped on the rotor.
• Hardware and clips. New abutment clips and slide pin boots keep new pads from sticking and squealing. A brake hardware kit is inexpensive and worth fitting every time.
• Calipers only if a piston is seized, a boot is torn or the caliper is leaking. Replace them in axle pairs. See brake calipers.
• Brake fluid. DOT 3 or DOT 4 per the factory specification. Fluid absorbs moisture over time, so flushing it during a brake job is good practice, especially if it has turned dark.
• Drum hardware on drum cars: springs and adjusters are cheap and tired springs cause dragging or uneven shoe wear.

How Hard Is the Job, and What Drives the Cost

A front pad and rotor job on this Accent is one of the more approachable brake jobs a home mechanic can do: two caliper bolts per side, a caliper bracket, and the rotor. Torque the caliper and bracket bolts and the wheel lug nuts to the values in the factory service manual, and use a torque wrench rather than an impact gun on the lug nuts to avoid warping the new rotors. Rear discs are similar, with the added step of dealing with the parking brake. Rear drums take more time and patience because of the springs and adjusters.

What decides the final bill is simple:

• Pads only vs pads and rotors. Adding rotors raises the parts cost but usually saves a second trip.
• One axle vs both. Most visits are front-only; the rear adds parts and labor.
• Extra parts found on inspection such as a seized caliper, a leaking wheel cylinder or a fluid flush.
• Labor rate, which varies by shop and region far more than the parts do.

Doing the front axle yourself removes the labor portion entirely, and a complete pad and rotor kit is the cleanest way to make sure everything matches.

Check the ABS Recall Before You Start

NHTSA campaign 23V651000 covers certain 2012-2015 Accent models: the ABS module can leak brake fluid internally and short, which can cause an engine compartment fire whether the car is parked or driven. The dealer remedy is a replacement ABS fuse at no cost, and until it is done the owner is advised to park outside and away from structures. Run your VIN through Hyundai or NHTSA before a brake job, because this is a free repair and it involves the same hydraulic system you are working on.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my Hyundai Accent have rear disc or drum brakes?

It depends on year and trim. The 2012 launch cars had four-wheel discs, while later base cars on 14-inch steel wheels used rear drums and the SE and upgraded GLS kept rear discs. Look through the rear wheel: a rotor and caliper means discs, a closed drum means shoes.

Do Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio brake pads interchange?

The front pad set for the 2012-2017 Accent is also listed for the 2012-2017 Kia Rio. Always confirm fitment for your exact vehicle before ordering.

What brake fluid does a 2012-2017 Accent use?

The factory specification calls for DOT 3 or DOT 4 brake fluid. Do not use DOT 5 silicone fluid.

Should I replace rotors every time I replace pads on an Accent?

Not always, but often. If the rotor is below the minimum thickness stamped on it, scored, or causes pedal pulsation, replace it. Many owners replace front rotors with every second pad change at minimum.

Why is my Accent's brake pedal pulsing?

Uneven rotor thickness, usually on the front rotors, is the most common cause. Replacing the rotors and torquing the lug nuts evenly in a star pattern fixes it.

Sources

1. Hyundai Accent (RB) service specifications - brake system - front and rear disc sizes, drum diameter, master cylinder, booster and DOT 3 or DOT 4 fluid
2. 2014 Hyundai Accent brochure - rear disc brakes on SE and upgraded GLS, standard ABS with EBD and Brake Assist, base cars on 14-inch steel wheels
3. MotorWeek 2012 Hyundai Accent road test - four-wheel ABS disc brakes at launch and nose dive under hard braking
4. NHTSA campaign 23V651000 summary - 2012-2015 Accent ABS module fire recall and fuse remedy
5. KFE Brake Systems 2014 Accent GS with rear drum brakes fitment - drum-equipped trims and shared Accent / Kia Rio front pad fitment