2003 HYUNDAI TIBURON Complaints

I HAVE A 2.7L V6 TIBURON FROM 03 AND CURRENTLY HAVE MY CAR IN THE SHOP FOR A NEW CLUTCH AT 22.5K MILES ON IT. AT FIRST I WAS SHOCKED AND CONVINCED THAT THEY WOULD FIND SOMETHING ELSE WRONG WITH THE CAR THAT CAUSED THE CLUTCH TO WEAR PREMATURELY. HOWEVER, THEIR ASSESSMENT WAS THAT I ABUSED THE CLUTCH WITH ABNORMAL DRIVING CAUSING IT TO OVERHEAT. THEY ALSO COMMENTED THAT THERE WAS NO UNUSUAL WEAR ON THE TIRES BUT THEY NOTICED A COLD AIR INTAKE (HATED THE SILENT WINE OF STOCK) WHICH POINTS TO HARD DRIVING. THEY THEN PROCEEDED TO TELL ME THAT THE CLUTCH IS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AFTER 12K MILES AND THAT IT WOULD BE $2,200 TO FIX. THIS IS MY SECOND MANUAL TRANSMISSION VEHICLE IN 13 YEARS AND I DROVE MY PREVIOUS ONE AROUND 100K MILES WITHOUT EVER HAVING TO REPLACE THE CLUTCH. I KNOW HOW TO DRIVE STICK AND I DON'T RIDE THE CLUTCH OR DRIVE LIKE A MANIAC SO I WENT ONLINE LOOKING FOR SIMILAR PROBLEMS OTHER PEOPLE MAY HAVE HAD. SURE ENOUGH THERE IS AN ABUNDANCE OF THREADS ABOUT THE 03 CLUTCH PROBLEMS WITH MANY OF THEM WEARING OUT AROUND THE SAME MILEAGE AS MINE. AS I CONTINUE TO READ UP ON IT I FIND THAT THEY DID CHANGE THE CLUTCH THEY WERE PUTTING INTO THE 03 TIBURON'S VERY QUICKLY AND YET THEY MAINTAIN THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE OLD ONES. IT IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION WITH THESE CLUTCHES GOING OUT SO OFTEN AND EARLY. HYUNDAI KNOWS THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE CLUTCHES THEY PUT IN THE 03 TIBURON AND REFUSES TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS CLUTCH I'M CONVINCED IT IS A BAD PART, NOT BAD DRIVERS CAUSING THIS PROBLEM. THERE IS EVEN A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT IN THE MAKING OVER THIS ISSUE. *NM

I AM HAVING SEVERE ISSUES WITH THE MANUAL CLUTCH ON MY 2003 HYUNDAI TIBURON. MY VEHICLE HAS ONLY 23,000 MILES AND IS EXPERIENCING SEVERE CLUTCH SLIPPAGE. I HAD THE CLUTCH EXAMINED AT 12,000 MILES AND WAS TOLD THAT EVERYTHING WAS FINE. NOW HYUNDAI IS TELLING ME THAT THEY BELIEVE THAT THE CLUTCH PLATE IS "GLAZED" AND WILL LIKELY NEED TO BE REPLACED. HYUNDAI STATED THAT THIS IS DUE TO "NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR" AND IS NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT ALMOST ALL OF THE 2003 HYUNDAI TIBURON'S HAVE THIS SAME ISSUES AND MANY HAVE HAD TO BE REPAIRED SEVERAL TIMES AND STILL EXPERIENCE CLUTCH FAILURE. *NM

BOUGHT A USED 2003 HYUNDAI TIBURON WITH 18,484 MILES ON IT. IT HAS BEEN DRIVEN RESPONSIBLY FOR 10,000 MILES AND NOW GEAR OIL COMBINED WITH CLUTCH DUST IS LEAKING FROM ONE OF THE GEAR BOX SEALS. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN AT HERB CHAMBERS HYUNDAI ON SOUTHBRIDGE ST. IN AUBURN, MA SAYS THIS WILL REQUIRE A CLUTCH AND SEAL REPLACEMENT WITH THE LIKELIHOOD OF A FLYWHEEL REPLACEMENT AS WELL. FOR ALL OF THIS, THE ESTIMATED COST IS $322 PARTS AND $900 LABOR. I FIND THIS UNACCEPTABLE FROM A CAR COMPANY KNOWN FOR ITS WARRANTY AND A SAFETY HAZARD TO OWNERS EXPERIENCING THIS SAME ISSUE. IT IS UNHEARD OF FOR THIS TO HAPPEN SO PREMATURELY IN A VEHICLE AND MAY BE IGNORED BY OTHER OWNERS. *JB

BEGAN HAVING TROUBLE SHIFTING FROM ANY GEAR TO ANY OTHER GEAR WITHOUT "DOUBLE CLUTCHING." TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE CLUTCH WAS BAD. FOLLOWING THE ADVICE OF THE DEALERSHIP I ORDERED AN AFTERMARKET CLUTCH AND AN AFTERMARKET FLYWHEEL. THE DEALER RECOMMENDED DOING THIS BECAUSE OF DURABILITY ISSUES WITH THE STOCK SETUP. ONCE THE DEALER BEGAN THE REPLACEMENT OF THE CLUTCH AND FLYWHEEL ITSELF THEY THEN DETERMINED THAT THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION (6 SPEED) NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. ACCORDING TO THE DEALERSHIP, THE HYUNDAI REGIONAL REP. WANTED TO GO AGAINST A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN AND SIMPLY FIX THE PROBLEM WITH THE TRANS ITSELF. THE DEALER ACTUALLY HAD TO FIGHT WITH THE REP TO FOLLOW HYUNDAI'S OWN TSB. THE DEALERSHIP ITSELF WAS GREAT AND DEFIANTLY HONEST ABOUT THE CLUTCH PROBLEMS ON THE 03 TIB V6 6SP, BUT I STILL FEEL THAT HYUNDAI NEEDS TO OWN UP TO THE ISSUE AND REIMBURSE PEOPLE FOR AFTERMARKET CLUTCHES BECAUSE THE STOCK SYSTEM IS NOT BUILT TO HANDLE THE KIND OF STRESSES THAT THE ENGINE EXERTS ON IT. I HAVE ONLY OWNED MANUEL TRANS CARS AND DRIVE MAINLY HIGHWAY MILES. I HAVE NEVER HAD TO REPLACE A CLUTCH BEFORE 130,000 MILES... MY TIBURON'S REQUIRED CLUTCH, FLYWHEEL AND TRANS REPLACEMENT AT ABOUT 40,000 MILES... EVEN THOUGH THE TRANS ITSELF WAS COVERED BY WARRANTY, IT STILL COST OVER $1000 FOR PARTS AND LABOR TO THE CLUTCH ITSELF (FAR CHEAPER THAN THE $2000 OR SO IT COSTS TO BUY THE STOCK SETUP). HAVING A CLUTCH AND TRANS GO AT 40,000 MILES IS UNACCEPTABLE, KNOWING THAT THIS IS NOT UNUSUAL FOR THE TIBBY ONLY MAKES THE ISSUE MORE UNACCEPTABLE. *JB

MY CLUTCH WENT OUT AT ONLY 37,000 MILES AND IT WAS NEVER ABUSED OR ANYTHING LIKE THIS IT WENT OUT WITH JUST ME DRIVING ON THE ROAD NORMALLY UNDER NO HARSH CONDITIONS AND I COULDN'T CONTROL MY CAR AND SPEED UP TO STOP AT A SAFE STOP SO I BARELY MADE IT INTO A NEARBY NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE IT WAS TOWED. *JB

I BOUGHT A 2003 TIBURON 6/15/05, FOR $14,000 8/27/05 STARTED MAKING GRINDING NOISES, SMOKING,SOUNDED LIKE ENGINE BLEW UP. TOWED TO ROMERO MOTORS, ONTARIO, CLOSEST HYUNDAI DEALER. I HAD ORIGINAL WARRANTY & EXTENDED WARRANTY. ROMERO MOTORS SAID REPLACE CLUTCH $1,400. I COULD NOT AFFORD IT & TOOK TO MY MECHANIC. OPENING ENGINE HOOD THERE WERE METAL SHAVINGS ALL OVER ENGINE, AND IT CUT TRANNY CASE IN HALF. I CALLED CLAREMONT FORD/MAZDA (PURCHASED CAR THERE)AND WAS INSTRUCTED TO BRING IT TO THEM. THEY TOWED IT TO ROMERO MOTORS. I CALLED CLAREMONT FORD/MAZDA AND WAS ADVISED TO CALL ROMERO MOTORS. AGAIN, I WAS TOLD BY ROMERO MOTORS IT WAS CLUTCH WEAR N TEAR ITEM & CLUTCH TOOK OUT TRANSMISSION/NO COVERAGE UNDER WARRANTY. NEW ESTIMATE $3,400.00, AND TO MY HORROR CHARGED $818 TEAR DOWN FEE TO PUT CAR BACK TOGETHER. I AGAIN TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC, PURCHASED $920 IN PARTS TO FIX PROBLEM PAID MY MECHANIC TO FIX. 100% HYUNDAI PARTS. IT RAN A WEEK AND GEARS WENT OUT, THIS TIME I TOOK IT TO A DIFFERENT DEALERSHIP, GLENDORA HYUNDAI, WHERE I HAD BOUGHT PARTS THEY GAVE ME ESTIMATE OF $2,700 GEAR SHIFT INSTALLED BACKWARDS TEARING UP TRANSMISSION AGAIN. I HAVE KNOWN THIS MECHANIC FOR 24 YEARS AND HE TOLD ME HE PUT THE SHIFTER IN EXACTLY THE WAY HE TOOK IT OUT. GLENDORA HYUNDAI SAID THAT THEY RECEIVED NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT ROMERO MOTORS ALL THE TIME, THAT ROMERO'S MECHANICS HAD PROBABLY JUST THROWN MY CAR BACK TOGETHER, NOT BOTHERING TO PUT EVERYTHING WHERE IT BELONGED, BROKEN PARTS WERE LEFT ON FRONT SEAT. SO IT WAS VERY POSSIBLE THAT THE GEARSHIFT WAS IN BACKWARDS. THIS CAR COST ME $4,700, WAS DOWN FROM 8/27/05 UNTIL ONE WEEK AGO. I HAVE PICTURES OF THE CLUTCH AND TRANNY CASE SHOWING DAMAGE, CLOSE TO SAWING INTO PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE BAR AND THEY CITED ROMERO MOTORS. MY LIFE HAS BEEN ONE BIG NIGHTMARE SINCE 8/27, NOW I'M FINDING OUT THIS IS HYDRAULIC PROBLEM AND WILL HAPPEN EVERY 5,000 TO 10,000 MILES. 8JB

DEALER HAS BEEN GREAT. CORP REP=BAD. PURCHASED BRAND NEW ON DEC 31 02, AND DRIVEN 3400 MILES BEFORE CLUTCH RELATED PROBLEMS WERE FIRST INTRODUCED. I WAS TOLD IT WOULD BE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY AND MADE AN APPOINTMENT A MONTH LATER. THAT WAS THE EARLIEST I COULD BRING IT IN AND BE LEFT WITHOUT A CAR FOR 3 DAYS. CAR HAD APPROXIMATELY 11,400 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. I BROUGHT THE CAR IN WITH THE DEALER THEN WARRANTED THE CLUTCH DISC, FLYWHEEL, PRESSURE PLATE AND THROW OUT BEARING, BUT REPLACED THEM WITH THE SAME PARTS AS BEFORE, WHICH WAS REALLY A TEMPORARY FIX TO THE GENERAL PROBLEM BEING DESIGN FAILURE, BEING THERE ARE NUMEROUS PART NUMBER CHANGES FROM 02-04. THAT NIGHT I CONTACTED THE DEALER AGAIN, AND REPORTED THAT THE ISSUE WAS STILL NOT FIXED, AND THERE WAS STILL NOT A SMOOTH ENGAGEMENT AND THAT THE CLUTCH WAS STILL JUDDERING. THE SERVICE SAID DRIVE THE CAR FOR 2 WEEKS AND MAKE SURE IT WASN'T ME NOT BEING USED TO THE NEW CLUTCH PUT IN THE CAR. I DROVE IT FOR 2 WEEKS, AND CALLED BACK ONLY TO BE DENIED WARRANTY FROM THE CORPORATE REPRESENTATIVE AT THE TIME(SHE IS NO LONGER THERE)(NOT BY THE DEALER) I HAVE NOW HAD JUDDER AND MILD RANDOM SLIPPAGE AND HAVE DEALT WITH THIS FOR THE PAST 70,000 MILES. I DID UNDER DEALERS ADVICE TAKE OUT A VALVE LOCATED IN THE SLAVE CYLINDER TO ALLOW MORE HYDRAULIC FLUID THROUGH AT ONE TIME IN ORDER TO ALLOW FOR BETTER ENGAGEMENT AND LESS WEAR TO THE CLUTCH. THE VALVE IS NOT IN THE CLUTCH SLAVE CYLINDER IN THE 04 AND NEW CARS. *JB

OWNED MY 2003 HYUNDAI TIBURON FOR ABOUT 36 MONTHS. DURING THAT TIME I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE CLUTCH AND FLYWHEEL TWICE. THIS IS RIDICULOUS. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS SINCE 1967 AND HAVE NEVER BURNT A CLUTCH. AND I AM NOT ALONE. THERE ARE HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF DOCUMENTED CASES ON THE NET AND PERHAPS EVEN THOUSANDS. EACH REPAIR COSTS $1500-$2000. THE FIRST REPAIR IN NOVEMBER 2004 COST ME $1800. BOTH FAILURES HAPPENED IN TRAFFIC AND BOTH TIMES HAD TO TAKE EVASIVE MANEUVER TO PREVENT AN ACCIDENT. THE LAST TIME I ENDED UP IN A HIGHWAY DITCH TO PREVENT A 40 FT TRAILER FROM RUNNING MY CAR OVER. SOMEBODY BETTER TAKE A LOOK AT THIS CAR BECAUSE IT DEFINITELY HAS CLUTCH / FLYWHEEL PROBLEMS PROBABLY CAUSE BY POORLY DESIGNED HYDRAULICS. THE WAY THE HYDRAULICS ARE DESIGNED CAUSES THE FLUID TO BE RESTRICTED IN ONE DIRECTION LEADING TO SMOOTHER SHIFTING, BUT IT IS THIS "SMOOTHER SHIFTING" (SLIPPING) THAT APPARENTLY IS CAUSING THE EXCESSIVE HEAT AND BURNING UP THE CLUTCHES AND FLYWHEELS. IS THERE SOMEONE OUT THERE IN GOVERNMENT THAT CARES ENOUGH TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM? CORPORATE GIANT HYUNDAI IS NOT STEPPING UP TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. AT THE RATE OF THESE FAILURES, HOWEVER, I'M DESTINED TO HAVE ANOTHER ONE. I AM REALLY "AFRAID" TO DRIVE IT. IS ANYONE GOING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS? OR ARE THEY GOING TO ALLOW CORPORATE GIANT HYUNDAI TO RIP OFF THE CITIZENS OF THIS COUNTRY? I WILL BE CONTACTING MY US SENATOR AND WILL BE CONTACTING THE HEADS OF THE SENATE COMMITTEES THAT OVERSEE THE NHTSA. I'VE NOTICED THAT COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN FILED HERE FOR QUITE SOME TIME AND NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE, NOT EVEN AN INVESTIGATION. *** THERE IS ONLY SPACE IN THIS COMPLAINT FOR ONE FAILURE "DATE." MY FIRST FAILURE OCCURRED IN NOVEMBER 2004, AND THE SECOND FAILURE OCCURRED IN DECEMBER 2005 (REPAIRED IN MARCH 2006). WHY SO LONG IN REPAIRING? I REFUSED TO PAY FOR IT UNLESS HYUNDAI DID SOMETHING. I HAVE RECORDS OF ALL THE REPAIRS IF NEEDED. *NM

NORMAL ADULT DRIVING OF VEHICLE. PRE-MATURE FAILURE OF CLUTCH AT 40K MILES. HAD TO HAVE INDEPENDENT TRANSMISSION SHOP REPLACE CLUTCH AT MY EXPENSE. *NM

HAD TO REPLACE MY CLUTCH AFTER 25K MILES. I AM COMPLAINING ALONG WITH THE OTHER HYUNDAI TIBURON OWNERS. *JB