IllustrationVEHICLE DOES NOT SHIFT OUT OF SECOND GEAR, RESULTING IN STALLING. CONSUMER IS CONCERNED THAT THE VEHICLE WILL STALL IN TRAFFIC WHICH MAY CAUSE A REAR END COLLISION. *AK
1998 Hyundai Tiburon
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1998 Hyundai Tiburon do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 39.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Tiburon years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 4 of 26 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
3 crash reports0 fire reports1 injury reports
Power Train complaints
6 reports1998 HYUNDAI TIBURON, AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLES: CAR PURCHASED NEW IN 1998. EXPERIENCED ENGINE STUMBLE REFERENCED IN TSB 98-36-008, BUT NO ONE COULD EVER FIND ANYTHING WRONG. SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL. CURRENTLY HAVING PROBLEMS WITH ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND TRANSMISSION- CAR DOWNSHIFTS AND GETS STUCK IN 3RD GEAR WHEN HEADLIGHTS ON AN…
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1998 HYUNDAI TIBURON, AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLES: CAR PURCHASED NEW IN 1998. EXPERIENCED ENGINE STUMBLE REFERENCED IN TSB 98-36-008, BUT NO ONE COULD EVER FIND ANYTHING WRONG. SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL. CURRENTLY HAVING PROBLEMS WITH ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND TRANSMISSION- CAR DOWNSHIFTS AND GETS STUCK IN 3RD GEAR WHEN HEADLIGHTS ON AND TURN SIGNAL ACTIVATED (TSB 98-40-006?) STILL DEALER CAN FIND NOTHING. I HAVE SEEN NUMEROUS STORIES ON INTERNET FORUMS AT HYUNDAIPERFORMANCE.COM, YET HYUNDAI REFUSES TO INFORM ITS CONSUMERS OF THESE ISSUES. THIS SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED AND A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED. SERVICE DEALER IGNORED REQUESTS TO RETURN MY CALLS CONCERNING ITS STATUS. *LA
I BOUGHT THIS CAR IN MARCH OF 2002 AND THE TRANSMISSION WENT 6 WEEKS LATER. THE PROBLEM I WAS TOLD WAS THAT THERE WAS A "SHIFT FLARE" IN MY AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. I WAS SOLD THE CAR WITH THE REMAINDER OF THE POWERTRAIN WARRANTY AND THEN HYUNDAI PROCEDED TO GIVE ME THE RUN AROUND FOR 4 WEEKS SAYING I NEEDED PROOF THAT THE TRANSM…
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I BOUGHT THIS CAR IN MARCH OF 2002 AND THE TRANSMISSION WENT 6 WEEKS LATER. THE PROBLEM I WAS TOLD WAS THAT THERE WAS A "SHIFT FLARE" IN MY AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. I WAS SOLD THE CAR WITH THE REMAINDER OF THE POWERTRAIN WARRANTY AND THEN HYUNDAI PROCEDED TO GIVE ME THE RUN AROUND FOR 4 WEEKS SAYING I NEEDED PROOF THAT THE TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS CHANGED AT 30,00 MILES. I WAS THE SECOND OWNER AND DID NOT HAVE THAT INFO. AFTER A MONTH OF NOT HAVING MY CAR, AND CONTACTING THE BBB, AND CONSUMER REPORTS, ALONG WITH HYUNDAI DIRECTLY......I WENT TO A LAWYER AT $125 AN HOUR AND HE MADE A FEW CALLS AND I HAD A "REBUILT" TRANSMISSION IN 8 DAYS. I'VE BEEN DRIVING MY CAR FOR 3 WEEKS NOW, AND THIS "NEW" ONE IS DOING THE EXACT SAME THING. THE FLARE IS BETWEEN 2 AND 3 GEAR, AND MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS BEEN COMING ON. I WANT TO KNOW HOW MANY TRANSMISSIONS I NEED TO GO THROUGH TO FIND ONE THAT REALLY "WORKS"!! I'M A 22YR. OLD FEMALE, WHO HAS'NT HAD THE CAR OVER 80MPH SINCE I BOUGHT IT. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY SB ON THIS PROBLEM, AND I'M SURE THAT I'M NOT THE ONLY PERSON EXPERIENCING THIS...SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE, AND HYUNDAI NEEDS TO BE TRUE ON THEIR "WARRANTY" ...BE WARY OF THEIR "REMAINDER OF POWERTRAIN WARRANTY " ON USED CARS. THE SAD PART IS THAT THE CLOSET HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP FOR ME IS 2 HOURS AWAY....VERMONT...IF ANYONE HAS ANY INFO PLEASE EMAIL ME AT...MEOW4U00@HOTMAIL.COM...MARIN. *AK
SINCE SEPTEMBER OF 1998 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WON'T DOWNSHIFT TO PASS, IT SLIPPED, AND SOMETIMES VEHICLE WOULD BARELY MOVE AFTER STOPPING. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP. DEALER COULD FIND NO PROBLEMS. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
THE CLUTCH CANNOT BE USED PROPERLY DUE TO DESIGN OF FLOOR MATS. MAKES THE GEARS TIGHT. ALSO, COVER TO FUEL TANK BROKE OFF WHEN OPENED. THE 1997 MICHELIN X TIRES ON FRONT OF VEHICLE BROKE OFF DUE TO ALL LUGS: NUTS SHEARING OFF TWICE. TAKING VEHICLE BACK TO DEALER. *AK
THE CAR HAS BEEN INTO HYUNDAI DEALERS 4 TIMES SINCE I'VE OWNED IT. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER. CAR HAS BEEN IN LITERALLY EVERY OTHER MONTH SINCE PURCHASE IN OCTOBER 1998. MAJOR PROBLEM HAS TO DO WITH THE COMPUTER(S) AND TRANSMISSION. CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT, AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT HAVE BOTH GONE OFF. CAR WOULDN'T SHIFT AND WOULD H…
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THE CAR HAS BEEN INTO HYUNDAI DEALERS 4 TIMES SINCE I'VE OWNED IT. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER. CAR HAS BEEN IN LITERALLY EVERY OTHER MONTH SINCE PURCHASE IN OCTOBER 1998. MAJOR PROBLEM HAS TO DO WITH THE COMPUTER(S) AND TRANSMISSION. CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT, AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT HAVE BOTH GONE OFF. CAR WOULDN'T SHIFT AND WOULD HESITATE AT HIGHWAY AND SIDE STREET SPEEDS. CAR JUST RETURNED FROM DEALER YESTERDAY AFTER 4TH TIME IN FOR REPAIR. AT 65 MPH, THE RPMS SUDDENLY SHOT TO APPROX 5800. CAR HAS BEEN TERRIBLY UNRELIABLE. HOPEFULLY IT IS FIXED NOW, BUT I AM FILING THIS COMPLAINT BECAUSE I FEAR THAT IN ANOTHER 2 MONTHS THE PROBLEMS WILL OCCUR AGAIN. *AK
Official recalls
101V345000 · Seat Belts:front:webbing
Nov 6, 2001
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE DRIVER AND FRONT PASSENGER SEAT BELTS MAY NOT EXTEND AND RETRACT SMOOTHLY THROUGH THE D-RING GUIDES MOUNTED ON THE BODY PILLARS AFT OF THE DOORS. IF THE SEAT BELTS DO NOT EXTEND AND RETRACT SMOOTHLY, THEY MAY TWIST IN THE D-RING GUIDES AND MAKE IT INCONVENIENT TO EXTEND AND RETRACT THE SEAT BELTS.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THE SEAT BELTS ARE INCONVENIENT TO USE, THE SEAT OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE INCLINED TO WEAR THE SEAT BELTS PROPERLY, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A STOPPER OVER EACH FRONT SEAT BELT D-RING GUIDE TO ASSIST THE SEAT BELT TO SMOOTHLY EXTEND AND RETRACT. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN DECEMBER 10, 2001. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT HYUNDAI AT 1-800-633-5151.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1SQ00003 · Fuel Cap Replacement Campaign 36
Opened Feb 2, 2000 · No close date supplied
Status: open (inferred from source dates) · Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly
There is no summary currently available
Additional source detail variants (2)
Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly
There is no summary currently available
Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly
There is no summary currently available