14th May 2006, 08:53

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.

6th Jun 2006, 15:43

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!

9th Jun 2006, 16:37

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.

11th May 2007, 13:42

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.

14th May 2007, 08:09

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.

10th Mar 2008, 18:57

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.

20th Mar 2008, 23:15

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.

15th Oct 2008, 13:31

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.

18th Feb 2010, 18:53

I have a 2008 silver Tib GT, and am having the same problems with the paint on my trunk lid. Despite the fact that there is an obvious paint issue with the trunk, and that it appears no where else on the car, my Hyundai dealership refuses to accept any responsibility. I ended up getting the trunk painted myself... the autobody shop that did it stripped the trunk layer by layer, and said that it was definitely a manufacturer issue. They took pictures and submitted them to Hyundai for me. Hyundai STILL refuses to do anything. I love the car, but this will be the LAST Hyundai I ever drive.