Hyundai Tiburon Power Train Problems
Owners have filed 314 complaints with NHTSA about power train problems on the Hyundai Tiburon across 11 model years. The 2003 model year has the most (164). The words owners use most often: “clutch flywheel” (12% of reports).
- 314power train complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 4mention a crash
- 2mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- $2,900typical repair cost reported by owners
- 26%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Clutch flywheel: mentioned in 38 of 314 complaints (12%)
- Manual transmission: mentioned in 29 of 314 complaints (9%)
- Wear tear: mentioned in 18 of 314 complaints (6%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical power train repair on the Hyundai Tiburon at $2,900, and half of them between $2,400 and $3,300.
Based on 65 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2003–2013), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do power train problems happen?
Based on 263 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 314 complaints, 4 mention a crash, 2 an injury.
Hyundai Tiburon power train complaints by model year
| Model year | Power Train complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 Tiburon | 2 | 11% | 80,000 |
| 2007 Tiburon | 19 | 45% | 48,800 |
| 2006 Tiburon | 42 | 66% | 32,000 |
| 2005 Tiburon | 18 | 42% | 24,148 |
| 2004 Tiburon | 39 | 48% | 31,500 |
| 2003 Tiburon | 164 | 50% | 31,000 |
| 2001 Tiburon | 7 | 19% | 70,000 |
| 2000 Tiburon | 2 | 3% | — |
| 1999 Tiburon | 6 | 23% | 93,500 |
| 1998 Tiburon | 6 | 23% | 84,500 |
| 1997 Tiburon | 9 | 25% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
Power train:automatic transmission
Model years: 1999
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions. The automatic transmission pressure control solenoid valve seals do not remain sufficiently elastic, resulting in transmission fluid leakage. This leakage can result in reduced pressure application to the clutches, brake, and kickdown servo, allowing them to slip.
Risk: Such slippage can cause premature deterioration of the friction element surfaces and could cause the vehicle not to accelerate, or not accelerate as expected, when the driver presses the accelerator pedal.
Fix: Dealers will replace the pressure control solenoid valve.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
My clutch is slipping already. Ive owned the car for six months and the previous owner repaced the cluch, and he o ly owned the car for 10 months. My previous standard transmission car went through 1 clutvh in the 15 years i owned it. Something must be defective. I do not know what the situation…
The contact owns 2008 Hyundai Tiburon. The contact stated while driving 30 mph, the hydraulic clutch was depressed and ceased in the depressed position. The contact was able to switch lanes and pulled the vehicle into a parking lot. The vehicle was restarted however, the failure persisted. The…
Clutch went out, i have a manual transmission, and the clutch would pop out of gear then just went out. This is not due to driver . I was driving luckily at 30mph when it was like it had no gear shift at all had to push it to the side and have it towed.
Clutch fails to disengage. This is most dangerous when vehicle is parked in gear(as when parked on a hill with the rear of the front wheels turned to curb, and an attempt is made to start vehicle by pushing clutch pedal down and activating ignition, the vehicle may start with clutch engaged, and…
Harmonic balancer shedded causing the camshaft to break stalling out while trying to enter a highway ramp.the car just stopped while partially on the highway and ramp to enter causing a close call from behind.a car was speeding up to enter the highway and had to lock up his breaks almost smashing…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Hyundai Tiburons have power train problems?
No. NHTSA has 314 owner complaints about power train for the Hyundai Tiburon. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Hyundai Tiburon power train?
Yes: 1 safety recall list power train. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
How much does it cost to fix power train problems on the Hyundai Tiburon?
Owners report a typical cost of $2,900 (half paid between $2,400 and $3,300), from 65 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about power train problems on the Hyundai Tiburon?
The most frequent phrase is “clutch flywheel”, in 38 of 314 complaints, followed by “manual transmission” (29).
Other Hyundai Tiburon problems
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