Car is on its 3rd clutch before 30k miles. 2cd clutch not covered under warranty. Put a non-factory high performance clutch & flywheel in the third time.
Battery died at less than 2 years old, had to replace it. Never left the lights on overnight.
Starter had to be replaced before it is 3 years old. Not covered under warranty. dealership blamed it on the non-factory flywheel.
Windows sometimes don't work or get stuck. Was covered by warranty, but is a pain.
Had to take it in for at least 5 recalls, is a pain to do when you have a full time job.
I have always taken care of this car. I keep the inside clean, and get it oil changes and maintenance when it is needed. I have never had anything, but problems with this vehicles clutch and flywheel assembly. When I had to put my third clutch at less than 30k miles, I swore I would never put another factory part in this car. The quote alone was 1600 dollars. I told them no way! I had a racing clutch and flywheel put in for 600 dollars less. I do not race this car, I drive it casually. It does not have the performance of a real sports car, but it looks good and drives well (when it works). The windows have occassionally not worked. I still like the look of the car, I just think bad engineering went into the clutch and flywheel. They cost so much for such a poor part. The car itself did not cost much to own, just a lot to maintain. I am getting rid of this as soon as I can. I have so far told dissuaded least 30 people from buying a hyundai car, and I will continue to tell people never to buy from this company ever!
Hi... I live in Toledo, oh and am recently in the process of replacing my clutch. I also went with an aftermarket performance clutch. I am having a lot of problems right now getting it to work, I have to pump my clutch twice before there is enough pressure to engage the gears. Did you have this same problem when you replaced your clutch? If you did and figured out how to get around it I would really appreciate if you could let me know what the trick to this might be. Thank you.
I bought a 2003 hyundai tiburon and it had 30,000 miles on it by the time I got to 36,000 I blew the clutch and flywheel. it cost 2200 dollars to get fixed. I haven't had any other problems out of it though.
To the above poster regarding your pumping the clutch, it sounds like you might have air bubbles in your clutch line. The clutch fluid is brake fluid, and if you're ever hard on the brakes and "cook" your rotors and pads, then you'll know what faded brakes and boiled over fluid is all about. When this happens in the braking system, you'll have to pump the brake pedals a few times before they "bite". This sounds similar so maybe it's this - try "bleeding" the clutch like the brakes.
Three clutches within 30k? I hate to break it to you, but you obviously have some seriously bad habits riding or slipping the clutch or something. You said you drive it casually, but if you actually installed a racing flywheel and clutch then I highly doubt you putt around town like grandma! My advice would be to suck up your pride and have someone experienced drive with you so they can correct your bad stick shift habits. There is no way your clutch should wear out that fast even if you were just learning to drive stick in this car.
I am getting rid of my 2003 Tiburon GT as soon as my clutch is replaced also. It started going @ 16,000 & service told me it was wear & tear... oh really, that's why they have a technical service bulletin addressing the faulty/poor designed hydraulics with the clutch??? I also heard there's now a class action lawsuit against them with this issue & I am sure if you do a search you can find some interesting info on this. It does however pertain to a specific time period of manufacture for the early 2003 tibs which included my manufacture date, still no dice? So I drove on this like a grandma until the thing went, fighting with them every time I needed an oil change etc... quite exhausting. I never even drove this car hard either... just not my thing. I have driven 2 manual cars to just over 100,000 miles with no clutch issues on either, none of my family's cars have ever needed a clutch replaced & have always had a manual. I do love the styling on this car & seats are quite comfy, stereo sounds good (6-speaker infinity system). It drives/handles quite well (up to about 16,000). Other problems I have had on this car are plastic exterior components continue to need repainting (warrantied for 3 years) gas cap, mirrors, spoiler. My wife had the 2003 4-cylinder (before we got married... I know matching cars?) and her paint also needed continuous repainting. The window motors have been replaced twice on my driver side door, once on passenger side... also twice on each door on the wife's... recall anyone??? Hopefully they have fixed all these issues in the new models, so if you're in the market for a used one, DO NOT get an early model, or expect to drop about $2000 for your clutch, also research the new models on this 'cause it may still be a problem???
My $.02.
I have had a 2003 Hyundai Tiburon GT V6 for 5 months now and have had nothing, but problems with it. At first no longer than 1 week the instrument panel light went out, I had it repaired for $150.00. Then The left headlight and left taillight went out at the same time, the repair man told me it was just the lights that burnt out, but as he was working on it he noticed that all of the wiring to both lights was fried $1,850.00 to repair that. My stock radio also went downhill and finally quit on me. I then decided to just put an after-market stereo in it rather then put stock back in it.
If any one out there has any tips or advice on how to prevent anything else to go wrong with my car e-mail them to me at wdfo_86@yahoo.com I will really appreciate it, thank you.
I just bought a used Hyundai Tiburon with 50k miles. The clutch went out on me with 54k; I don't know if it was the person before me or what, I just know that in most cars, the clutch does not wear out, even at 50k. This car is a cheap piece of crap.
Hi, I'm about to turn 16, and I really like everything I have heard and seen about this car, but I'm not sure if it would be an OK first car. what do you think?
To 19:54. I've never owned a Tiburon, but I've been in the motor trade for two decades and have sold several of these. It's not really bad, and given you can pick one up for the right price, this car may be ideal for you. Have this car seriously tested, or buy from a respected dealer even if more costly. Don't go for the decide immediately deals, even if the price is low.
This car is mechanically pretty sound, but not bulletproof, but clutches are a known weak spot on manuals. Also check for paint defects that are common. Look out for cheap resprays to cover up bad paint. Brakes are often gone so check them as well as parts in front suspensions. Engines are pretty bulletproof and transmissions should last as well. Go for the manuals as they are sportier, get better mpg and are more solid even if clutches are a weak spot.
So I work at a dealership, and I just bought a 2003 Tiburon GT with 66K miles for 10,400, and I could tell it had issues with the power steering, clutch, and sometimes the car fails to climb in RPM's and feels like it stalled, but is still on. It also stalls when the clutch is in, and when I do accelerate, it's stuttering during acceleration. The owner told me he was going to pay for everything to be fixed, and if he does, should I keep it or sell it, or return it?
I have owned my 2003 Tiburon GT since Jan of 2006. Recently, I had some issues with various electrical parts. I took it to the dealer to have them look it over, and was told that the wire going to the front fuse box (the one under the steering column) melted to the fuse box, and melted the fuse box. They had to replace the entire fuse box and it cost me $950. Has anyone heard of anything like this in this car? The manager at the dealer told me that he has never seen anything like this. There is nothing that I can find online either. This seems to me like it would be a manufacturing defect. Seriously, how often do electrical parts melt each other in cars? Is this not as uncommon as I think it is? If anyone knows anything, I'd really appreciate some help with this. They fixed the part, but they don't know why it happened. And they say that they have no way of finding out.
August 24, 2007.
We have a 2003 Hyundai and it has been a nightmare. We are putting in our 3rd clutch. We just found out that our five speed car has a six speed clutch in it. Our air bag light stays on, every time we had it into the dealership they would tell us not to put anything under the seat. Our back up lights have went out, again no longer covered under warranty. I will never own this make or model of car again.
Hi, I've had my 2003 Tiburon Gt for 4 years. I have only had few problems. however, the problems that I have had are extremely annoying. I have had to replace my battery twice. Obviously the electrical system design was not very thought out. Also, I have had problems with the driver side window. Sometimes it rolls up, sometimes it doesn't. The car was very nice to drive when it was new, but now is a pain. I wouldn't suggest buying this car to anyone.
My brother has a 2004 Tiburon GT v6. I maintain all of my cars myself. It is a nightmare to work on. The clutch has failed twice since he has had it. When he bought the car it had 35k, now it has 62k. My bro knows how to drive a manual. The driver side window motor/actuator have both failed. And gues what? There is an interference timing belt to deal with. Just to compare: I have a 1) 1998 BMW 328i 240k on is second clutch, a 2000 BMW 540i 135k (original clutch) and a 1985 BMW 535i (450k). All of these BMW's run great and are SIMPLE to work on when compared with the Tiburon. ALSO the amount of help I can get from other BMW enthusiast from across the country is amazing. Parts are also MUCH cheaper if bought right. And did I mention ALL of them are amazing to drive? Even the old 85 model? Forget cheap asian FWD garbage. If you want a good used sports car, and you don't mind doing some work youself, AND you know how to take care of a car, consider a BMW.
I had a 2003 Hyundai Tiburon V6 Automatic and traded it in on a 2005 Tiburon V6 Automatic. I did so much driving with the 2003 I put almost 50,000 miles on it in a year and a half, and that's why I traded it in; not for any problems.
I loved the 2003 Tiburon. It was great to drive.
The only bummers: I had oxygen sensor problems (warranty replacements three times) and the left driver window motor failed (another warranty replacement). But I knew it was totally redesigned, essentially a new model car when I bought it, and figured there would be some problems here or there. That's the great unknown with any entirely new model of car.
Except for the small items indicated above, I had only two other problems: the intermittent wiper lever didn't work properly, and the high beams had a tendency to click on by themselves when I hit a bump at night. Annoying, but not terrible... I would have had these fixed, but the dealership I am closest to were kind of sluggish about fixing intermittent problems (I live in New Hampshire), and I decided to live with them until I had an outright failure (which was what they told me I should do anyway. I said, oh, to hell with it). When I traded the car in in CT (got a much better trade-in than with the local dealership), once the deal was done I told the salesman about the two small problems with these items and made sure he knew to address these before the car was sold off the lot. (It's a hot car in CT if not in NH; it was sold three days later, when it was still in the detailing shop.)
By the way, I had snow tires on my 2003 and it was great in the snow. I'm not kidding! VT and NH driving conditions did not intimidate this car (with proper snows), and did not intimidate me. Ran very well. People are always surprised to hear this--especially at the dealership. Get creative, put good snow tires on your 2003 Tiburon! I'm telling you! The front wheel drive and snows do a fine job.
I was pleased enough with the overall car to buy the 2005, and it's been great too; an improved version of the car I had. I would absolutely recommend the Tiburon, if it suits your style of driving and your desire for a great-looking car. I love this style of car (my previous car was a 1995 Mazda MX3), and would buy another Tiburon in a heartbeat. So there's some opinion balance for you.