1991 Hyundai Excel problems & reliability
38 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1991 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.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train → | 10 | 26% |
| Electrical System | 6 | 16% |
| Visibility | 4 | 11% |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 8% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 3 | 8% |
| Structure | 3 | 8% |
| Unknown OR Other | 3 | 8% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 5% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 5% |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 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 13 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Car began to only do 20 miles per hour after stopping at traffic light or stop sign. Drove fin on road. Than began to drive slowly after two weeks. Had transmission fliud change and drove great for a week then failed. I am ver upset by this motor company for hiding this major defect. My car only had 68,485 original…”
Power Train · filed Mar 30, 2005
“Transfer shaft bearing broke, knocking a hole in the transmission case, causing fluids to leak from transmission, causing complete lock up and destruction of transmission and case. My car was only 3 years old and had 50,000 miles on it. *ak”
Power Train · filed Apr 16, 2004
“Consumer stated the transmission case cracked, due to driving over a dip in the driveway, (consumer no longer owns vehicle)*jb”
Power Train · filed Dec 4, 2002
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 1991 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 1991 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 1991 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.