This could be something really simple such as low transmission fluid level, or it could suggest a major internal failure of the transmission. In between those extremes are things like a problem with the transmission’s valve body, or even something mechanically wrong with the shifter mechanism that pokes through the floor into the cabin.

A transmission specialist is your best bet, as chances are they’ve seen this exact problem on the same make and model many times over, and will be able to pinpoint the problem quickly.

At more than 10 years old, your car is well and truly out of warranty, even though it hasn’t covered a huge distance. You could certainly contact Hyundai Australia’s customer service department and ask the question. In my experience, Hyundai has taken its customer complaints very seriously and has a good track record of putting things right.

Most of this series of Hyundai Accents had a conventional automatic transmission which seems pretty good on the reliability front. But if your car is a Series 2 Accent, then it might be fitted with the company’s CVT transmission. These have been known to give trouble due to input shaft failures, and this could certainly cause the death rattle you’re hearing. Again, though, you’re a long way out of the five-year warranty your car was sold new with.

This is not an unknown problem with this make and model. Sometimes the stereo system will start by losing sound on the FM radio, then progress through to the CD player and even the Bluetooth system. Eventually, you won’t be able to get any noise out of the unit at all. Apparently, it’s a glitch in the unit’s electronics and cant’ be fixed via a reset.

The advice is not to buy a second-hand unit from a wrecked car, as the same problem is likely to occur down the track. The good news is that there are companies in Australia that have developed a fix for this and can return your stereo to full working order. You can find them online.

The other solution would be to ditch the original stereo and fit something new with better quality sound and maybe even features like an integrated reversing camera.