1989 Hyundai Excel problems & reliability
68 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1989 Hyundai Excel. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
2 complaints report injuries (2 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 24 | 35% |
| Visibility → | 23 | 34% |
| Electrical System → | 11 | 16% |
| Power Train → | 10 | 15% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 3% |
| Seat Belts | 2 | 3% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 3% |
| Suspension | 2 | 3% |
| Equipment | 1 | 1% |
| Fuel System, Other | 1 | 1% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 13 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Consumer was traveling about 30mph on highway, and she noticed that vehicle was hesitating/poppying, and didn't have any speed. Also, smoke was coming from underneath vehicle. Vehicle was on fire. *ak”
Electrical System · filed Jan 29, 2001
“While driving on a local road, traveling 45 to 50mph, looked down and spilled food. Went off the road, hit a tree and driver's side seat belt didn't retract or hold. Didn't contact dealer or manufacturer. *ak”
Seat Belts · filed Apr 4, 2000
“Defective fuel pump can cause large amount of fuel to be pushed out of a hose near the air conditioning compressor. This could have resulted into a fire. There should be a recal. *ak”
Fuel System, Gasoline · filed Jan 30, 2000
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- CHARGING SYSTEM FAILURES
Preliminary Evaluation PE94043 · opened May 27, 1994 · closed Oct 31, 1994
- HEATER CORE FAILURE
Preliminary Evaluation PE94003 · opened Jan 14, 1994 · closed Jun 10, 1994 · led to recall 94V103001
- TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION
Compliance Investigation C92001 · opened Sep 28, 1992 · closed Oct 29, 1993
- AUTO SHOULDER BELT FAILURE
Engineering Analysis EA91048 · opened Nov 19, 1991 · closed Oct 26, 1992
- TRANSMISSION LOCK-UP
Engineering Analysis EA91039 · opened Sep 24, 1991 · closed Oct 13, 1992
- TRANSMISSION LOCKUP
Preliminary Evaluation PE91083 · opened Jun 10, 1991 · closed Sep 24, 1991
- ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES
Engineering Analysis EA91024 · opened May 3, 1991 · closed Jan 7, 1992 · led to recall 91V225000
- PASSENGER BRAKE
Preliminary Evaluation PE91053 · opened Feb 26, 1991 · closed Jun 5, 1991
Technical service bulletins
8 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1989 Hyundai Excel.
This bulletin provides information regarding condensation related to the accumulated moisture in the headlamp, rear combination lamp, daytime running lamp (DRL), or fog lamp. This TSB illustrates the various causes of…
23-BD-002H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 30, 2023
This bulletin provides the inspection procedure and repair guidelines for certain vehicles listed below.
21-EM-003H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 10, 2021
This bulletin describes the procedure to inspect and identify fluid which may appear around the brake caliper area.
20-BR-002H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 30, 2020
This bulletin provides tire vibration service procedures, including how to optimize vehicle vibration performance. For all wheel/tire balance claims, the â Tire Balance Data Sheetâ must be fully completed including…
20-SS-004H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 19, 2020
This bulletin provides information on identifying dealer stock vehicles with either: â ¢ A Battery SOC alert - low Battery State of Charge (SOC) at or below 50%. â ¢ A 30 Day alert - vehicle has not started and reported…
20-EE-003H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 23, 2020
The Blind Spot Detection (BSD) or Blind-Spot Collision Warning (BCW) is a system that measures the speed of and distance from the following vehicles by using two magnetic wave radar sensors attached in the rear bumper…
19-BE-011H-1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 4, 2019
Shift condition caused by short circuit in inhibitor switch. *tw
9740002 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 1997
Excels equipped with heater cores manufactured by mando may experience coolant leakage from the heater valve stem assembly. *tw
9501002 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 1995
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1989 Hyundai Excel in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1989 Hyundai Excel?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.