1990 Hyundai Excel problems & reliability
38 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1990 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.
6 complaints report injuries (7 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 8 | 21% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 8 | 21% |
| Power Train | 6 | 16% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 5 | 13% |
| Visibility | 4 | 11% |
| Wheels | 3 | 8% |
| Equipment | 2 | 5% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 5% |
| Suspension | 2 | 5% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 17 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The clutch fork broke, jamming the transmission. Also, causing the clutch to become inoperable. Please give any further details. *ak”
Power Train · filed Oct 27, 1999
“While driving about 40 mph another vehicle crossed consumer's vehicle and consumer crashed into it. Upon impact, driver's air bag did not deploy. *ak”
Air Bags · filed Jun 11, 1999
“While proceeding up a slight incline during the commuting hour, the car lost all power and I came close to being hit in the rear. After about 30 seconds I regained some power and was able to proceed. The car was idling rough and I had to keep my foot on the accelerator at all times to keep it running. I had it turned…”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Feb 27, 1999
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- SCISSOR JACK FAILURE
Preliminary Evaluation PE95060 · opened Dec 9, 1995 · closed Mar 21, 1996
- CHARGING SYSTEM FAILURES
Preliminary Evaluation PE94043 · opened May 27, 1994 · closed Oct 31, 1994
- TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION
Engineering Analysis EA92032 · opened Oct 13, 1992 · closed Oct 29, 1993
- TRANSMISSION LOCK-UP
Engineering Analysis EA91039 · opened Sep 24, 1991 · closed Oct 13, 1992
- PASSENGER BRAKE
Preliminary Evaluation PE91053 · opened Feb 26, 1991 · closed Jun 5, 1991
Technical service bulletins
7 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1990 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
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 1990 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 1990 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.