Hyundai Repair: 2001 Hyundai Accent Boiling Battery, hyundai accent, electronic component

Question
At the start of 2.5 hour trip ( all highway ) the airbag light went on and stayed on the whole trip.  When we got home I opened the hood to find a battery that was HOT to the touch and boiling over.  

Have you encountered these problems before?

Q1   Are these two porblems related?

Q2   Do Accents usually have airbag problems?

Q3   What most likely caused the battery issue?

Thanks for your help!

Answer
Air bag problems on your model year Accent are rare.  I'd guess that the problems are related as there's usually one failure that occurs at any given time.  My suspicion is that your alternator is overcharging (voltage too high), causing the battery to boil over and the air bag computer to turn on the warning lamp because the voltage is too high.  If this is the case, it's important to not drive the car.  An overcharging alternator has the potential to destroy every electronic component in the vehicle, possibly costing several thousands of dollars in repairs.