12th Apr 2009, 06:43

I bought my 2003 Tiburon GT new in 2002. Now, I have 120k miles.

Early on, I had to change batteries twice. The biggest horror moment came when my right turn lights went out. Service Manager told me to go to newtiburon.com with step by step directions on how to fix the turn light problem, or it would cost a lot of money. Well, the newtiburon.com directions were so complex (I think it said I had to go in, past the fuse box about 3 layers, to bring out a soldered-in motherboard. I would have had to remove, and replace the 47 cent worth item by soldering, then reinstalling/soldering layers.) I called the Service Manager and told him I was ready to come in and throw money at him; he said $1500. What could I say? I comfort myself by thinking that that Hyundai part must have been on a motherboard with other doohickeys that were ABOUT to burn out, so this is Hyundai's way of...

I love this car. My gas cap's paint is just now chipping. No rust. Leather driver seat is wearing in the lower left seatback, from where I brush up against the seatback because there is no entry assist handle! I keep thinking about buying another Hyundai, but I just paid it off (with stimulus money). I need to keep it because I really love my car, and I really love not having a car payment and having lower insurance payments. Engine light comes on and off whenever it feels like it. Cheap original tires. For the price, this was a great deal.

8th Jul 2009, 23:30

This isn't a 03 Tiburon, it is a 06.

I don't have the problems you people are saying, maybe it was noted and fixed.

I have a auto so no clutch issues, but read that even the 06 Tibby's have the same clutch problems.

My complaint is when I start my car it has a squeak noise, it goes away after the car warms up, but is annoying and had it in the shop 4 times for this.

My sunroof is OK but sometimes acts like it's going to get stuck when trying to open it with the auto open, so I do have a problem associated with you people, but more important than that, is any one having a problem with the squeak noise??

13th Jul 2009, 13:10

To the Mustang buyer who's friend is going to a questionable dealer...

I am a senior technician for a Hyundai dealer. And if your friend's dealer says that you must buy all of those things there or void you warranty, then either that dealer is mistaken on the warranty policy or they are dishonest. Either way I would look for another dealer.

You DO NOT have to buy services from the dealer to maintain you warranty, but you DO have to do them. An example would be a timing belt; if you break a timing belt at 80,000 miles and it destroys the valves and/or entire engine, and you HAVE NOT replaced the timing belt then yes, your warranty is null, but if you could provide a receipt from a garage or if you replaced it yourself a receipt for the parts then your warranty would be good. (providing of course if the instillation was correct...)

Another example would be if your engine throws a rod at 90k and you never had the dealer change the oil; as long as you've kept the receipts for you oil changes, you're fine. So if you don't want to pay the high dealer costs of maintenance, it's OK to perform your own or take it to a garage that you trust, just be sure to keep ALL of your documentation.

And more importantly, DO THE REQUIRED MAINTENANCE!!! Oh one more thing, there is one maintenance item that MUST be purchased at the dealer, automatic trans fluid. Ours is a special blend called Hyundai SP-III that can only be purchased at the dealer. DO NOT PUT ANY OTHER TRANS FLUID IN YOUR CAR OR IT WILL DESTROY THE TRANSMISSION AND YOUR WARRANTY WILL BE VOID!!! Believe me, I can test to see exactly what type you've used and if I see anything other than SP-III, then I will not warranty the trans; the reason is because I send all transmissions to Hyundai for refurbishing, and if they see it, I get charged back 5 grand!!! Which comes out of the tech's paycheck. Ouch.

M.O.C

The Hyundai Tech.

5th Aug 2009, 08:45

I too have a 2003 Tiburon GT; 2 clutch replacements in 3 years, boat load of electrical problems, window and sunroof issues, and just 1 week ago it got stuck in first gear. This is by far the worst car I have ever purchased, never again will I buy a Hyundai or foreign car, I am going back to good old American gas sucking cars. Sorry everyone here has some issues with their Tibby, good luck resolving your issues.

7th Aug 2009, 07:05

Well I am having very similar problems as everyone else here, and am now scrambling to get my car paid down for trade in, otherwise I am about to spend a lot of money on repairs. I bought the 03' GT in 2005 and here is my list of problems that I have endured.

1. Gas cap peeling

2. Doors freezing during the winter time (one time couldn't get in my car until later in the evening when I sat outside with a blow dryer for an hour!!)

3. Driver's side window motor replaced

4. Keyless does not work (and only worked for a week when I bought it)

5. Cannot lock the passenger side door (and sometimes cannot unlock it with the key)

6. I am constantly fixing the alignment

7. Speakers will screech every so often and unpredictably

8. Right now my front brakes are trashed and being replaced

9. A few months ago I had to have a new sensor put in, because one day when I turned the key, the car just wouldn't turn on

10. The bearings are about to go

11. Back wiper goes off track on a fairly consistent basis

12. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, I have 63,000 on my car and my clutch is going out. When I took my car to the Hyundai dealer a few months ago he had slipped and said this was a common problem with this car, but then immediately retracted and tried blaming it on my driving. I have had to drive a baby in this car, so I am pretty sure I drive like a grandma. Not too mention that since I've turned 16 how many years ago, I have been driving a manual car, so I am pretty sure I know how to do drive this car responsibly and efficiently.