2003 Hyundai Tiburon GT from North America - Comments

Paint problems.

I own a 2003 Hyundai Tiburon. I am having a problem with my paint job. Shortly after the first year I started noticing dime sized blisters appearing all over the car. It started on the driver side door and then I noticed blisters on the hood and the trunk lid and now on the roof. I went to Hyundai and they told me it was from bird do. That it was my responsibility because I did not maintain the car (wash it enough). This is not true. I am a mechanic and love cars. I was my car constantly and even spot clean it when necessary. Bird do is never left on my car and I mean NEVER! I went to the BBB and they made Hyundai look at the car again with a regional representative. This representative did not even give me a minute of his time. He told the service manager to tell me it was due to bird do. Once again they told me they would not cover the paint job. I have a 2003 Chevy trailblazer that is my wife’s car. She never washes her car. There is constantly bird do on her car. Her paint job is just fine. I took my car to a reputable paint establishment and they told me that the blisters were coming from underneath paint. Not from the environment, but, from a poor prep job. I am still in the process of fighting this with the BBB. I am now ready to go to arbitration. Do not give up. Keep fighting.

Sometimes certain cleaning chemicals can cause paint to deteriorate. Make sure you are using washing detergents that are specifically made for your car's finish.

I understand your point, but even if you lived near the sea (and the car was exposed to endless salt in the air) there is NO reason a car's paint should bubble or degrade after one year.

In fact, Hyundai's new ad campaign for the Sonata points out how Hyundais have superior paint coatings as well as rust resistance.

I think the owner has a car that has inferior paint, and Hyundai should compensate him or at least offer to have the car repainted.

I am having the same problem. I have had my 2003 Tiburon for just a bit over 3 years, and also constantly wash my car. My paint has started to do the same thing. Hyundai tells me that it is not covered under warranty because it is over 3 yrs now. Paint should not do this, and I am not very happy. Class action lawsuit possibly?

I haven't noticed any paint flaws on my Hyundai yet (18 months or so) like these, but I have noticed that in general the paint quality isn't great. I detail cars professionally and I know cheap paint when I see it; compare the reflective qualities of stock Hyundai paint to stock Toyota paint sometime.

Also, the new Sonata, built in Alabama, is painted using a different procedure than the older Hyundais. That might explain the difference.

Bubbling under a NEW PAINT JOB can only be caused by moisture in the paint application process. That means water in the spray line and/or moisture in the ambient air. This happens with cheap paint jobs, however, in rainy Seattle, WA, I had a car repainted with an expensive $3000 paint job and it formed tiny bubbles under the paint after about 18 months. The best thing to do is sell it because the bubbling will get worse as time goes on.

I just wanted to let you know that I have a 2003 Hyundai Tiburon with the same problems. I had been fighting with Hyundai and finally they agreed to repaint my car!

To get my point across I took photos of other peoples Tiburon’s that were having the same problem, and showed them to the Hyundai Rep, to show that it is not just "my Tiburon". They tried to give me the same line with the bird do! I was eventually told that there was a problem with the clear coat being applied to thin.

Good luck to you, and don’t give up!

I have an '05 Tiburon and Accent and was experiencing similar problems within 6 months of purchase with both cars. Hyundai agreed to paint the trouble spots my hood my wife's hood as well and the back under the spoiler of each car. I recently had a bad experience with the body shop bringing the car back, high winds and a swing arm gate at the dealership. In the ensuing discussion with the body shop the paint guy said Hyundai uses crappy paint and they are constantly doing paint jobs on them. He basically said the paint quality is poor and the finish is too thin.

Most hyundai reviews I have read with paint issues claimed to have black paint.

My 2002 elantra seems to be doing just fine...

I will admit that It now has rust for me to fix this summer on the front left and right fenders above the wheel...

However one of those sides got hit... I live in Montreal with some nasty winters and salted roads... car is now 5 years old so no complaints.

Many hyundai delearships are killing the hyundai name by neglecting and refusing to HONOR their damn responsibilities. (pretty sad... I love their cars)

I have a 2003 Tiburon and have noticed many flaws in my paint. There are several chips in the paint that look like it is cracking. The hood looks like it went through a sand storm and has many chips in the paint as well. In the back of the car I notice some bubbling in the paint and my paint is peeling off by the gas cap. I have gone to the dealership several times and they tell me it is bird poop and acid rain.

They'll tell you that nothing is wrong with your Hyundai even if the engine fall off the car. I have the same story, but mine is outside paint warranty. What irritates me is that the former owner complained about the same thing when the car was within warranty.

Hyundai chose not to do anything and the problem was not huge back then. Now this is developing and is visible from meters away. I was able to get the price of this car $800 down since I noticed all these small spots and I thought it was OK.

The few small spots are now many small spots and even two larger areas where paint has fallen off. I hardly washes my car now since I'm afraid the whole paint is coming off. But now I probably need a respray and there is now way $800 is gonna cover that. It just looks like crap and it's not even an old car.

I am the original owner of a 99 blue elantra with severe paint issues that started manifesting themselves 2-3 years into the purchase. They starting with cracks on the bumper and now they are giantic spots all over the vehicle. Dealer has refused to fess up to the issues. I would like to join a class action against Hyundai if one gets underway.

While still bad, to be honest, if you have problems just with the paint you may actually consider yourself somewhat lucky given how many people have problems with the clutches and electrical issues with this car. I agree that all Hyundais have crappy paint, we have a black Elantra, but the Tiburon in particular seems to be particularly bad for reliability. I'm happy with the Elantra, the paint still looks half decent after 5 years of Canadian winters and the car has had no mechanical issues, but after all the negative review's I read here, I would not buy a Tiburon. I don't want to be changing the clutch, sunroof and window motors every 20k.

I am having the same issue with my 05 Tiburon SE. I have had my gas cap repainted as well as both Louvers on the car. I am now having it professionally polished by the head service manager at there sister store. I had my front end resprayed while in Europe in the Army. The front looks ten times better than the factory paint ever did. If a class action lawsuit ensues, count me in.