1989 Hyundai Excel

The 1989 Hyundai Excel is not directly represented in the year-by-year federal record, but the 1990 model year—the closest successor—logged 53 complaints, 2 recalls, and 5 investigations, indicating that early-generation Excels carried significant reliability concerns. Across the generation, complaints trended downward from 53 in 1990 to 29 in 1993, then spiked to 48 in 1994 before dropping sharply to single digits from 1995 onward, while recalls and investigations also faded after 1994. The 1989 model year falls at the very start of this arc, and its own top complaint areas—Engine & Engine Cooling (48), Visibility (37), and Electrical System (17)—along with 27 fire complaints and 2 crash complaints, suggest it shares the same early-generation issues seen in 1990. The data does not specify root causes for these complaints, but the high volume of engine and fire reports is a clear red flag. Given that later model years (1995–1998) show far fewer complaints and zero recalls, the 1989 Excel is a poor choice for a used car buyer seeking reliability.