2003 Hyundai Tiburon

I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2003 HYUNDAI TIBURON GT V6 IN APRIL OF 2008. THE CAR LOOKED LIKE IT WAS IN GREAT CONDITION AND DID NOT HAVE ANY MECHANICAL PROBLEMS. I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD ONE DAY WHEN I PUT ON MY TURN SIGNAL TO CHANGE LANES. AFTER I HAD CHANGED LANES I NOTICED THAT MY TURN SIGNAL WAS PERMANANTLY ON. UPON ENCOUNTERING THIS PROBLEM I TOOK MY CAR TO BOB KING HYUNDAI IN WINSTON-SALEM. THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WAS INTERNAL PROBLEMS WITH THE BCM AND THAT IT WOULD COST $1100 JUST FOR THE PART, PLUS LABOR. UPON FINDING OUT THIS TOTALLY ABSURD PROBLEM, I WENT ONTO THE INTERNET TO FIND OTHER WAYS TO FIX. MY DISCOVERIES WERE AMAZING. IT SEEMS THAT EVERY PERSON THAT HAS A 2003-05 HYUNDAI TIBURON HAS HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WHEN THE CARS HAVE REACHED 100,000 MILES OR MORE. THIS PROBLEM LEAVES YOU WITH OUT TURN SIGNALS AND DRIVING LIGHTS. IT CAN ALSO SPREAD AND EFFECT OTHER AREAS OF THE CAR, LIKE NOT LETTING THE WINDOWS ROLL DOWN, CAUSE THE KEYLESS ENTRY TO MALFUNCTIONS, AND CUTS OFF YOU HUD LIGHTS AS WELL. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM AND NEEDS TO BE HANDLE BY THE HYUNDAI MOTORS CO. *TR

MY CAR WAS PARKED, I GET INTO THE CAR AS NORMALLY AND WHEN I STARTED THE CAR......... BOOM THE AIRBAG DEPLOYED WITH NO REASON, I NEVER HIT ANYTHING, THE CAR NEVER MOVED,IN LESS THAN A SECOND THERE WAS AN EXPLOSION, A BIG EXPLOSION, M CAR WAS FILLED WITH SMOKE. I WAS SCARED WHAT IF THAT COULD OCCUR WHILE I WAS DRIVING, IM 100% THAT THIS SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED AND BE A RECALL OF THIS. MY INSURANCE WONT COVER AND THEY PROBABLY WILL RAISE MY COVERAGE, I HAD BRUISES IN MY HAND AND FOREHEAD DUE TO THE IMPACT. A REPAIR SHOP WILL COST ME MORE THAN 1,000 DOLLARS WHICH I DON'T HAVE. AND NOW IM SCARED TO DRIVE MY OWN CAR, AND I NEED IT TO GET TO MY JOB AND I CAN'T. *TR

IN AUG OF 2008, WITH 90K MILES ON THE CAR, WE HAD NOTICED THAT THE CLUTCH WAS BECOMING HARD TO IN-GAGE IN ORDER TO SWITCH GEARS. WE HAD THE VEHICLE INSPECTED AND IT WAS INDICATED THAT THE CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER SEALS WERE FAILING. DURING THIS REPAIR THE SLAVE CYLINDER WAS ALSO REPLACED . BECAUSE OF THE LOCATION OF THESE COMPONENTS THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY WAS PHYSICALLY INSPECTED DURING DISASSEMBLY. THE CLUTCH, FLYWHEEL AND PRESSURE PLATE APPEARED BURNED AND AT A POINT OF FAILURE, WHEN DISASSEMBLED A RING ON THE FLYWHEEL WAS NO LONGER IN EVIDENCE. IF THE FLYWHEEL DOES NOT HAVE THIS RING THERE IS NOT ANYWAY FOR THE CLUTCH TO WORK SO IT WAS DEDUCED THAT IT DECOMPOSED IN USE AND WITH NO EVIDENCE OF IT IN DISASSEMBLY. THIS IS A DUAL MASS FLYWHEEL WHICH HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BE PROBLEMATIC IN OTHER BRANDS OF VEHICLES. THE COST OF THIS REPAIR WAS $2300. THE COMPANY AND DEALERS CONTINUE TO CLAIM THAT THE FAILURES ARE NOT THE FAULT OF THE VEHICLE'S DESIGN BUT ARE THE FAULT DRIVER ABUSE. BELIEVE ME, MY WIFE AND I HAVE DRIVEN DOZENS OF CARS WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS SOME OF WHICH WERE HIGH PERFORMANCE SPORTS CARS AND HAVE NEVER HAD TO REPLACE A CLUTCH IN ANY CAR, THREE OF WHICH WERE USED FOR AMATEUR RACING (OTHERS HAVE BEEN DRIVEN OVER 180K MILES AND SOLD WITHOUT THE NEED FOR A CLUTCH REPLACEMENT.) RESEARCH ON THE NHSTA SITE AND OTHERS SHOW OVER 700 IDENTICAL COMPLAINTS FROM OWNERS OF 2003-2004 HYUNDAI TIBURON GT'S AND ALMOST ZERO ON 2005-2007. THE REPLACEMENT FLYWHEEL ASSEMBLY (PUT IN THE CAR IN AUG.2008) HAD A TOTALLY DIFFERENT FLYWHEEL RETAINING DEVICE THAN THE ORIGINAL. THESE TWO THINGS WOULD INDICATE THAT HYUNDAI MADE CORRECTIVE ACTIONS TO FIX THIS PROBLEM WITH LATER MODEL VEHICLES AND WILL NOT ACKNOWLEDGE OR REBATE REPAIR COSTS TO THOSE OWNERS OF THE 2003 AND EARLY 2004 6 SPEED CLUTCH ASSEMBLIES. A FULL INVESTIGATION SHOULD BE MADE IN REGARDS TO THIS PROBLEM AND RESTITUTION SHOULD BE MADE TO THE OWNERS AND FORMER OWNERS OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 HYUNDAI TIBURON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG LIGHT REMAINS ILLUMINATED. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE SEAT BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLY FAILED. THE PART FOR THE REPAIR WAS ORDERED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT HER VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 02V290000 (SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 63,950 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 64,010. UPDATED 10/16/08. *LJ UPDATED 10/20/08. *JB

DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WITH 50,000 MILES ON THE CAR AND THE CLUTCH AND FLYWHEEL BOTH FAILED. HYUNDAI REFUSED TO COVER THE REPAIRS UNDER WARRANTY. EVEN THOUGH THERE IS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN OUT FOR MY VEHICLE MODEL YEAR SAYING THERE ARE "DEFORMED CLUTCH COMPONENTS", HYUNDAI QUOTED ME OVER 2,000 TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I TOOK IT TO AN INDEPENDENT SERVICE SHOP WHERE I PAID 1,700 INSTEAD. REPEATED ATTEMPTS TO CONTACT THE COMPANY HAVE YIELDED NO RESULTS. *TR

2003 HYUNDAI TIBURON GT V6 6-SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION. THE CLUTCH FAILED AFTER ONLY 30000 MILES. I HAVE DRIVEN CARS WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS FOR 20 YEARS. THIS ONE WAS NO ABUSED OR USED FOR RACING. I HAVE NEVER HAD A CLUTCH GO OUT AFTER SO FEW MILES. THE PROBLEM SEEM TO BE CAUSED BY A DEFECT IN THE DESIGN OF THE CLUTCH SYSTEM. THERE IS A RESTRICTOR VALVE THAT DOES NOT ALLOW THE CLUTCH TO FULLY ENGAGE UNTIL 1 SECOND AFTER THE CLUTCH PEDAL IS FULLY RELEASED. THIS APPEARS TO BE A WIDE SCALE PROBLEM. THERE ARE POSTS ALL OVER THE INTERNET ABOUT THIS DEFECT. *TR