A Letter to Hyundai Owners

The following letter was sent to Excel owners whose vehicles are involved in the reed valve subassembly campaign.

Dear 1986-1989 Model Year Hyundai Excel Owner:

This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Highway Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.

Hyundai has determined that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in 1986-1989 Model Year Hyundai Excels. In these vehicles, deterioration of the reed valve subassembly may lead to a malfunction within the secondary air supply portion of the emission control system. Over time, the screws which attach the reeds to the reed valve plate may rust. if the rusting becomes severe, the screw heads will erode and allow the reeds to separate from the reed valve plate. Corrosion may also occur on the reed valve plate, deforming the reed seats and preventing the reeds from closing properly. Separation of the reeds from the reed valve plate or improper dosing of the reeds will allow hot exhaust gases to flow into the plastic secondary air filter case when the vehicle is being driven. These hot exhaust gases may melt the plastic secondary air filter case, which might cause a fire In the engine compartment

In order to ensure that this does not occur in your vehicle, Hyundai will replace the reed valve subassembly with one whose metal components are fabricated from corrosion resistant stainless steel. At that time, Hyundai will also inspect the secondary air control valve and secondary air filter case for evidence of heat damage. and replace these components if necessary. All of these services will be performed at no charge to you. We apologize for the inconvenience, but must ask that you call your Hyundai Dealer after January 20, 1992, and schedule an appointment to have the work done. We anticipate that the repair will take approximately 30 minutes.

Until you have the repair performed, you should take the following precautions:

^ Prior to driving, open the hood and Inspect the passenger side of the air cleaner for signs of melting or deformation.

^ While driving, be alert to Increased exhaust noise from the engine compartment, suddenly sluggish performance and lack of power. or smoke from the engine compartment.


If you experience either of the above conditions, call your local Hyundai Dealer Immediately.

If the above conditions occur while driving, pull safely off the road, turn the engine off and exit the vehicle, but do not open the hood, If an engine compartment fire should occur, opening the hood could needlessly expose you to the fire.

If you take your vehicle to your Hyundai dealer and they do not respond to this request, we recommend that you call the Hyundai Motor America Consumer Assistance Center. If you are still not satisfied that we have remedied this situation without charge and within a reasonable amount of time, you may wish to write to the Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590 or call the tool-free Auto Safety Hotline at 800-424-9393 (Washington, D.C. residents may call 202-366-0123).