The 1986 Hyundai Excel has 5 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 1,747,747 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 17 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the power train. Last updated July 5, 2026.
THE MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS MAY LOCK UP FROM INSUFFICIENT LUBRICATION OF THE GEARS IN THE TRANSMISSION CASE. THIS CAN CAUSE THE DRIVE WHEELS TO SEIZE AND THE VEHICLE TO COME TO A SUDDEN STOP.
SUDDEN STOPS WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING CAN CAUSE VEHICLEOCCUPANTS TO BE THROWN AROUND IN THE CAR, AND CAUSE LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROLWHICH COULD RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT.
HYUNDAI WILL PERFORM A COST FREE TRANSMISSION OIL CHANGE.
DETERIORATION OF THE REED VALVE SUBASSEMBLY MAY LEAD TO A MALFUNCTION WITHIN THE SECONDARY AIR SUPPLY PORTION OF THE EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM. THE SCREWS WHICH ATTACH THE REEDS TO THE REED VALVE SUBASSEMBLY MAY RUST, AND IF THE RUSTING BECOMES SEVERE, THE SCREW HEADS WILL ERODE AND ALLOW THE REEDS TO SEPARATE FROM THE…
THE MELTING PLASTIC AIR FILTER CASE MAY LEAD TO A FIREIN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT.
REPLACE THE REED VALVE SUBASSEMBLY WITH ONE WHOSE METAL COMPONENTS ARE FABRICATED FROM CORROSION RESISTANT STAINLESS STEEL.
IF CRUISE CONTROL MAIN SWITCH IS IN THE ON POSITION WHEN ENGINE IS STARTED, SYSTEM CAN BE AFFECTED BY A SHORT DURATION VOLTAGE DROP CAUSED BY OPTIONAL HI-POWER (H340) RADIO.
THIS COULD CAUSE ERRATIC CRUISE CONTROL OPERATION, WHICHCOULD RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT.
REPLACE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE.
VEHICLE MAY FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE BRAKE FADE AND RECOVERY PORTION OF FMVSS 105.
THERE MAY BE A LOSS OF BRAKING EFFICIENCY DURINGREPEATED HARD APPLICATION OF BRAKES WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH WITHOUT PRIORWARNING.
REPLACE FRONT BRAKE PADS WITH NEWLY DESIGNED SEMI METALLIC BRAKE PADS.
A COTTER PIN IN THE BRAKE PEDAL TO BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER LINKAGE ASSEMBLY MAY BE MISSING. THIS PIN ACTS AS A RETAINER FOR THE BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER PUSHROD CLEVIS PIN. CONSEQUENCE OF…
INSPECT AND INSTALL BRAKE LINKAGE COTTER PIN AS NECESSARY.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Brake failure.”
“Engine caught fire upon impact.”
“Transmission failed due to nut inside transmission within input shaft, havinb the ability to backoff, allowi ng discontinuence of power. *sd”
“Passenger and drivers side doors will not close properly, when driving will come open. Tt”
“Transmission failed prior to recall, recall repairs refused due to lack of maintenance records. *ak”
“Has always had a clicking sound which presents an electrical system problem. Tt”
“Replaced battery cable/wiring. *ak”
“Alternator failed, causing vehicle to stall. *ak”
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SUMMARY OF INFORMATION FROM MANUFACTURER: HYUNDAI HAS AGREED TO RECALL1986 AND 1987 EXCELS FOR NONCOMPLIANCE.ANALYSIS: ODI'S INQUIRY TO OVSC ABOUT THE 1986 MODEL'S PERFORMANCEIN THE FMVSS-105 COMPLIANCE TEST, PROMPTED OVSC TO TEST THE 1987 MODEL,AND FOUND IT TO BE OUT OF COMPLIANCE. BASED ON OUR INVESTIGATIONS,…
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Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1986 Hyundai Excel as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.