2000 Hyundai Tiburon 2.0L I4 from North America

Summary:

A lemon in most regards that looks good to the eye, but stinks to the nose

Faults:

Radio replaced (would not eject CDs) (16,000 miles).

Headlights burn out far too frequently (every 5,000 miles or so).

Generally shoddy workmanship... numerous fittings/seals are loose or on their way out...rattles/hums/are prevalent.

Wheel bearings on their way out the door, car also eats tires like a racecar. I'm on my third full set at 65,000 miles, due to "impact bursts" and wear issues.

Dropped 2nd cylinder due to melted sparkplug (30,000 miles).

Thermostat malfunctioned (60,000 miles and WEEKS after warranty expired).

As-yet-unresolved random stalling problem (current, my technicians and the deal technicians cannot diagnose this issue).

General Comments:

This is a fun car to drive.

This is an awful car to own.

I have discovered that Hyundai service departments are, across the board, awful. 3 days just to have my car looked at for it's stalling problem: apparently, their bulletproof warranty is bringing in plenty of repeat business... to their SERVICE DEPARTMENT!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 19th December, 2005

15th Feb 2006, 16:24

Couldn't agree more, this is a lemon and a half! I can't afford to keep fixing the darn thing.

15th Mar 2006, 09:07

It is almost as if you were talking about my own car.

The car looks great, but the materials used inside are cheap. The rugs are always out of place because the plastic holders came out years ago. There is an air conditioning plastic grid that keeps falling on the passenger side. The tires are expensive, hard to find and the car eats them too quickly. At least one headlight burns every year since I got the car and the fog lights just stopped working.

I also noticed that the inside covers on the doors are of a different color in my car (one gray and one black). Some of the screws that hold the plastic pieces inside the car were so tight that the plastic is broken.

The seat belt was a nightmare for years, until Hyundai decided to replace it for free. But even then, I had to wait for months until the service department finally got the parts.

The service department actually tried to discourage me from getting the seat belts replaced, telling me that the fix was a huge and ugly piece of metal to guide the belt.

The thermostat has broken twice, or this second time my car is actually overheating. I brought my car for service today to check, but they had moved and did not notify me.

Other than that, the car drives well, and from what I have read here I could have had even more problems. The service department had treated me well, until today.

Now I am worried I will never be able to get any money for my car when I decide to get rid of it.

2000 Hyundai Tiburon SE 2.0 DOHC from North America

Summary:

Great ride, lots of fun

Faults:

Numerous wheel bearings have failed on all corners, however this may be due to my 17" wheels and my driving habits.

General Comments:

Love this car! so much personality, handles like a race car and has ample pep. the exterior is so unique most people have no idea the make, some even think it's a Honda...arrrrg!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd September, 2005

2000 Hyundai Tiburon from North America

Summary:

Cool car with major bugs

Faults:

Unbelievable stuff, but all true, I have two inches of warranty paperwork.

Had to have alarm and radio replaced within the first month.

Continuous electrical problems with radio, speakers, mirrors, windows.

Car noise solved with replacing entire exhaust system??

Both windows have slipped of their tracks.

Technicians have taken 3 tries each time to balance tires before it was done correctly.

Car started to get stuck in one gear while driving on the freeway, replaced entire transmission. The day I went to pick up the car their service drive was so full that someone hit my car in the Service drive and it was in the body shop for a week.

Transmission problem came up again just recently and some cylinodes were replaced. This week it started to get stuck on one gear again.

General Comments:

The 2 or so months it goes without incident are filled with driving a pretty cool car that gets up and goes and rocks with a good stock radio.

It does have excellent handling at high speeds. I hate to get rid of it, but I can't handle knowing the entire service department by name.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 28th June, 2003

1st May 2005, 11:18

I was just curious, did you have a 5spd manuel or an automatic?

15th May 2005, 15:42

Since he said they replaced solenoids I would have to assume an automatic.