Most common 2003 Hyundai Tiburon problems
Share of the 328 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Hyundai Tiburon complaints by model year
Best Tiburon years: 2002, 2008, 1999. Years to avoid: 2003, 2004, 2006, 2000. Compare all years →
2003 Hyundai Tiburon recalls (9)
Suspension › Front › Control arm
Hyundai is recalling 160,904 my 2001-2003 elantra and my 2003 tiburon vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont,…
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the front lower control arms for corrosion damage. If specified levels of internal corrosion damage are found, the front lower control arms will be replaced with new front lower control arms…
Fuel system, gasoline › Storage
Certain passenger vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 301, "fuel system integrity" a valve on the fuel tank assembly May not close properly. If a vehicle rolls over and the fuel tank assembly valve is not properly closed, fuel spillage May occur.
Remedy: Dealers will install an additional fuel tank assembly valve. The recall began on October 5, 2004. Owners should contact Hyundai de puerto rico at 1-800-981-0188.
Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly
Some passenger vehicles contain a fuel tank assembly valve that May not close properly. If a vehicle with a fuel tank assembly valve that is not properly closed were to roll over, fuel spillage May occur.
Remedy: Dealers will install an additional fuel tank assembly valve. Owner notification began on June 30, 2004. Owners should contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
On certain passenger vehicles, the brake tubes for the rear brakes can contact the steering gearbox mounting brackets.
Remedy: Dealers will reposition the rear brake tubes, install brake tube clips, and apply anti-corrosion material to the rear brake tubes. Owner notification began January 22, 2004.
Air bags › Frontal
On certain sport utility vehicles, the front passenger air bag is mounted beneath the right portion of the instrument panel's padded surface. Tear lines are formed into the underside of the instrument panel's padded surface during the production process of the instrument panel top pad.
Remedy: Hyundai will replace the instrument panel. Owner notification began on October 13, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a…
Seat belts › Front › Buckle assembly
On certain sport utility vehicles, the driver seat belt buckle wiring could be damaged by interference with the driver seat cushion height adjuster mechanism. Damaged driver seat belt buckle wiring could cause the seat belt warning lamp or the supplemental restraint system (SRS) air bag wiring lamp to illuminate.
Remedy: Dealers will install a new driver seat belt buckle, if necessary, and will place a protective cover over the driver seat belt buckle wiring to prevent damage from occurring. Owner notification began September 23, 2003.
Show 3 more recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
On certain passenger vehicles, the rear brake tubes pass behind the front suspension crossmember. Two steering gearbox mounting brackets are welded to the crossmember. On vehicles equipped with an antilock brake system (ABS), the rear brake tubes could contact both steering gearbox mounting brackets.
Remedy: Dealers will reposition the rear brake tubes so they do not contact the mounting brackets, install brake tube clips to control the location of the rear brake tubes, and apply anti-corrosion material to the tubes in the…
Seat belts › Front › Buckle assembly
On certain passenger vehicles, the driver seat belt buckle wiring could be damaged by interference with the driver seat cushion height adjuster mechanism.
Remedy: Dealers will install a new driver seat belt buckle, if necessary, and will place a protective cover over the driver seat belt buckle wiring to prevent damage from occurring. Owner notification began on March 24, 2003.
Unknown or other
On certain passenger vehicles, the left lower instrument panel bracket was not installed.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the vehicles to determine if the bracket has been installed. If the bracket has not been installed, the dealer will install the left lower instrument panel bracket.
What 2003 Hyundai Tiburon owners say
Transmission & drivetrain all 164 →
Vehicle equipt with low profile sports tires. While driving on sr2 in jeruselum township ohio I lost control of the vehicle and began skidding on black ice. Anti-lock brakes did not engage to my knowledge and $9000 damage was done to the vehicle. Rear axle failed during the impact into an embankment which absorbed much of the impact. Side airbag deployed as designed but front did not. I am assuming that this is due to me sliding backwards up the embankment without any direct frontal impact. I walked away from it but am concerned about the fact that Hyundai has marketed this car towards the younger "invinvible" generation who do not realize these tires aren't made for fast driving in bad weather. I am also concerned about why the antilock brakes did not engage. The car is at brown automotive and is still awaiting repair. …
This report is being filed by an accident reconstructionist at the request of the vehicle's insurance carrier. Vehicle was proceeding in the left lane of a 4-lane (2 lanes in each direction, divided by a double-yellow center-line) state highway when operator's airbag deployed for no apparent reason, causing loss of control. The vehicle then drifted leftward across center-line and both oncoming lanes, and came to rest after mounting the curb and colliding with a fire hydrant. Event was witnessed by two, separate, independent and involved motorists. Vehicle's owner was the only occupant and was injured. Owner purchased used vehicle in January, 2012 reported previous trouble with clutch, transmission, and that mileage at the time of incident is on known due to the for replacement of the operator's console, and was therefore estimated. …
Air bags all 71 →
I was involved in a car accident: a front-end collision. The insurance company has totaled my car. My drivers side air bag did not deploy. The passengers side did. I have injuries. And most likely will be going for surgery. There was smoke from under the hood. I really want to know if my air bag was faulty. I see there are recalls on my car (Hyundai Tiburon) for faulty seat belt mechanism, which effects the fuse, which blows out and never sends the signal to the driver airbag. Was this the cause of my faulty airbag? Or is it something else? Was my individual car recalled for that faulty devise? Was my car overlooked because of the timing of the recall and the time of my purchase? I am the second owner. Is there anyway to check my individual auto? I bought my car certified pre-owned. And it was only dealer serviced. We buy new cars for safety features. …
On Monday the 14th I accidentally rear ended a van while going about 60 MPH...he was almost stopped for a sudden turn off the highway... My car is totaled... Though driving alone, my passenger airbag went off, but by drivers side didn't... My body is in lots of pain, and my insides hurt alot... I did lose conscience for a small time.... I've been to the hospital twice and my doctor once for pain... No broken bones, just lots of bruises... I've been told the pain and suffering would have been possibly less if airbag deployed as designed... Geico, my insurance company has the car in clayton nc, and wants me to sign over the title so they can pay me for my car.... Should I do this before having you or someone else investigate the reason for airbag failure? Do I have a case? …
Electrical system all 34 →
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Hyundai Tiburon. The contact stated while going to turn the battery off under the hood due to the driver hazard light was illuminating, there was black smoke coming from the vehicle. The contact extinguished the fire. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the front driver wiring harness caused the fire and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact contacted winner Hyundai (591 s dupont hwy, dover, de 19901) where they informed that there were no recalls. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 196,641.
I was driving to my brother place when a wire started to smoke and cought on fire from under the steering wheel it was smokey where I could not see from the smoke and I hit a parked car front windshield shattered and my airbag did not exposed at all. It was on a city street no one got hurt just the car
2003 Hyundai Tiburon engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 20 / 27 / 23 |
| 2.0L 4-cyl | 5-speed manual | FWD | 20 / 28 / 23 |
| 2.0L 4-cyl | 6-speed manual | FWD | 19 / 27 / 22 |
| 2.7L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 17 / 24 / 20 |
| 2.7L 6-cyl | 5-speed manual | FWD | 17 / 24 / 20 |
| 2.7L 6-cyl | 6-speed manual | FWD | 16 / 24 / 19 |
EPA ratings. Class: Subcompact car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2003 Hyundai Tiburon a good car?
Based on 328 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2003 Tiburon rates avoid: 8.3× as many complaints as a typical year of the Tiburon at the same age. It is one of the Tiburon years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2003 Hyundai Tiburon?
The transmission & drivetrain — 164 complaints, 50% of all complaints for this model year, most often about clutch assembly. Next are the air bags (71) and electrical system (34).
How many recalls does the 2003 Hyundai Tiburon have?
There are 9 recalls for the 2003 Hyundai Tiburon, the most recent from April 16, 2009 (control arm). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Hyundai Tiburon?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2002, 2008 and 1999. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2000. See the full Hyundai Tiburon years comparison.
At what mileage do 2003 Hyundai Tiburon problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 44,000 miles; 55% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.