Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Hyundai Tiburon owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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. …
After stopping behind a line of stopped cars, I slowly removed my foot from brake pedal (have automatic transmission) and looked into my review mirror as car in front of me began moving. Suddenly I heard my engine race and immediately slammed into vehicle in front of me before I could react. My car looks like I hit something going at least 35 MPH. The vehicle in front of me was only 6 - 8 feet in front of me when I had started to remove my foot off my brake pedal. All happened so quickly - was as if my car just "leaped" forward. State police and tow operator both started up my vehicle and noted that engine racing while throttle pedal was in normal position. I did not receive a driving violation ticket because of noted throttle issue. Toyota unintended acceleration issue now with tiburons?
I am the original owner of a 2003 Hyundai Tiburon. I have had problems with my automaticd trunk release not work as well as my driver side power window not working. My car is not under warranty because it is 12 years old, however it only has 64,000. I have talked with other Tiburon owners who have and are experiencing the same problem. I see no recalls on my vehicle for this issue. My concern is we have been to several salvage places to look for a motor and the tiburons which were on property all had the window motors sold already. This made me wonder if there have been other reports of this same issue I am having. My car will not pass inspection because of the power window issue. Are you aware of any issues.
Purchased a 2003 Hyundai tiuron, 2 door hatchback from allen turner automotive on 12/13/02. Cluch failed after approximately 18,000 miles and Hyundai dealership in md,ourisman Hyundai 3516 ft. Meade rd.laurel ,md 20724,[phone] would not cover repair because the car had an after market air intake. Paid $2,000 for repair. After repair, cluch failed again at approx 45,000 miles (mostly interstate driving) and allen turner automotive refused to cover the repair stating normal wear (after only 28,000 miles) and said it would cost $2,200.00 to repair. I performed reasearched the internet, e.g. National highway traffic safety administration (nhts), mycarstats.com, etc., and found hundreds of consummer complaints concerning pre-mature failure of cluch assembly in 2003 Tiburon from 5K to 28K miles. All denied. …
Dealer has been great. Corp rep=bad. Purchased brand new on dec 31 02, and driven 3400 miles before clutch related problems were first introduced. I was told it would be replaced under warranty and made an appointment a month later. That was the earliest I could bring it in and be left without a car for 3 days. Car had approximately 11,400 miles on the odometer. I brought the car in with the dealer then warranted the clutch disc, flywheel, pressure plate and throw out bearing, but replaced them with the same parts as before, which was really a temporary fix to the general problem being design failure, being there are numerous part number changes from 02-04. That night I contacted the dealer again, and reported that the issue was still not fixed, and there was still not a smooth engagement and that the clutch was still juddering. …
I have 2003 v6 Tiburon, clutch failed at 19,000 miles. I learned to drive on manual transmission, have driven 6 years and never any clutch problems until this car. Dealership blamed me stating "owner abuse". Had Hyundai regional rep come out and she also blamed me, and said there were no other complaints on 2003 tiburons. Told her about this site and she said "oh well, that's from people who race their cars and abuse them, we're not taking responsibility for their problems that they've caused themselves". Dealership was great, they came down on cost of repair from $1700 to $1400. They replaced all parts with 2004 parts and I haven't had any other problems, even though I still drive the same as I always did, so how can it be "owner abuse" that caused the problem? If it was my fault then why hasn't it happened again? …
I have a 2003 Hyundai Tiburon gt with 6-speed standard transmission and 46000 miles. I live in indianapolis, in and the car was manufactured in October of 2002. Recently I have been experiencing problems with the clutch in this car. I took it to the dealer and they told me that the failure is due to my driving habits and they have no responsibility under warranty for this problem. I have been arguing with them for about a week now because of all of the claims on the web that are exactly like what I am going through with this same car. They have given me a quote of 1356 dollars to replace the clutch, pressure plate, and flywheel and said that they would pay 50% of this as "goodwill". The whole situation seems unbelievable to me. I have driven a standard transmission for several years and have never had any other car with these problems. …
Tl*- the contact stated that the 2003 Hyundai tibron gt, had sev stalling problems and clutch failure. The contact stated that at 19,000 miles the vehicle stalled while driving 30 MPH. The pedal went to the floor and all power on dash board was lost. The contact called the dealership and stated that the stalling resulted due to a failure in the clutch, but the repair was not covered under warranty. The contact had the vehicle towed to a mechanic shop, and the vehicle had a complete clutch assembly repair. The contact stated that in 11/06 the vehicle started having a loud noise from the engine area, and the vehicle was difficult to shift. The contact took the vehicle to the dealership and was told that they couldn't reproduce the failure, and that the difficulty in shifting was because she didn't know how to drive the manual transmission. …
Clutch failure! I am looking at replacing the clutch in this car for the third time. After doing much research on the issue, I have discovered that there are several class actions against Hyundai regarding the clutch issue. I have 85K on this car and it has had clutch issues since about 1800 miles. The entire clutch and fly wheel was replaced at 27,618 miles and again at 60K and now again. The problem is the "dual mass flywheel". They know and acknowledge this is a common problem with the clutch and explain it away as the way the user drives. But, how can thousands drive so bad that a clutch last only 27K miles? My husband died 2 weeks after the car broke down out of town with the 2nd clutch replacement. Due in part to the added stress that this put on us. How many other people have to go through this before Hyundai takes this seriously. …
Transmission complaints in other Tiburon years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2003 Hyundai Tiburon?
NHTSA has 164 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2003 Hyundai Tiburon, 50% of the model year's 328 complaints. The component named most often is clutch assembly (123 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Hyundai Tiburon transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain recall for the 2003 Hyundai Tiburon, though it has 9 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2003 Hyundai Tiburon transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 31,000 miles, and 35% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury and 1 death to transmission & drivetrain problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.