1997 Hyundai Tiburon Transmission Problems

6 TRANSMISSIONS REPLACED WITHIN 40,000 MILES...ALL REBUILT AND ALL HAVE PROBLEMS WITH SLIPPING AND VERY HARD SHIFTING. I WOULD LIKE A TRANSMISSION THAT WORKS THE ENGINE AND ALL OTHER PARTS OF CAR ARE IN GOOD CONDITION. CAR HAS BEEN SERVICED REGULARLY. NOW DEALERSHIP IS TRYING TO TELL ME THAT THE TRANSMISSION SLIP IS JUST THE WAY IT 'SMOOTHES' INTO THE NEXT GEAR. EVEN MY PASSENGERS COMMENT ON THE WAY THE CAR THE SHIFTS. I HAVE BEEN INCONVIENCED FOR AT LEAST A DAY OR MORE TO FIND ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION SO THAT THEY CAN INSTALL REBUILT TRANSMISSIONS. SOME OF THE SERVICE PEOPLE HAVE TOLD ME THAT HYUNDIA HAS GREAT DIFFICULTY REBUILDING TRANSMISSIONS. THE HUYNDAI REPRESETATIVE WILL NOT ALLOW THEM TO INSTALL A NEW TRANSMISSION. ALL TRANSMISSIONS ARE GIVING OUT BEFORE THEIR 12,000 WARRENTY EXPIRES. ALL REPALCEMENTS HAVE BEEN IN THE PAST TWO YEARS. I HAVE BEEN SATISFIED WITH THEIR HONORING THE WARRENTY. MY LAST SERVICE CALL THE MANAGER KEN BEARD TOLD ME HE WOULD AGAIN CONTACT HUYNDAI AND ASK ABOUT TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT AND CONTACT ME BUT THAT HAS NOT HAPPENED IN 3 WEEKS. I HAVE CONTACTE DTHE OWNER AND HIS CONTROLLER FRENCHETTA THOMPSON HAS ASSURED ME THAT HE WILL RETURN MY CALL THIS WEEK. I ONLY OWN ONE CAR AND I NEED TO BE ABLE TO DEPEND ON IT TO GET TO WORK, THERE IS NO PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AVAILABLE. EVEN WHEN ASKED THE DEALER REFUSES TO LET ME USE A LOANER CAR. ANY HELP YOU CAN OFFER WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. I HAVE READ AN ARTICLE IN A CAR MAGAZINE STATING THAT HUYNDAI MADE MUCH NEEDED IMPROVEMENTS TO THEIR 2003 TRANSMISSION.*AK

NHTSA ID

765774

WHILE DRIVING GEARS SKIP BETWEEN SECOND AND THIRD GEAR, AND ENGINE RACING UP. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK

NHTSA ID

8009689

Incident

Jan 1, 1999

TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING IN MAY OF 2000. CAR HAD APPROX. 40,000 MILES ON IT. DEALER REPLACED IT UNDER WARRANTY. IN JULY OF 2001, THE NEW TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING AGAIN. WE TOOK IT TO A NEW DEALER (TOM O'BRIEN HYUNDAI OF DANVERS). THEY COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM. WE TOOK IT BACK IN AUGUST OF 2001. THIS TIME THEY REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION AGAIN. ONE MONTH LATER, THE TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING AGAIN. WE TOOK IT BACK. THEY COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM. ON DECEMBER 11, 2001, MY WIFE WAS DRIVING ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY. SHE HEARD A LOUD NOISE. SHE PULLED OVER AND THE CAR STALLED. WHEN SHE RESTARTED IT, THE TRANSMISSION WAS NOT WORKING. WE HAD THE CAR TOWED INTO THE DEALER. THEY CLAIM THE TRANSMISSION WAS OVERFILLED WITH FLUID. THE TRANSMISSION WAS NEVER TOUCHED BY ANYONE BUT THEM. HYUNDAI WOULD NOT COVER THE REPAIR SINCE THE CAR WAS NOW OUT OF WARRANTY. WE TOOK IT TO A TRANSMISSION SHOP. THEY SAID THE TRANSMISSION FLUID PUMP SNAPPED OFF AND DAMAGED THE TRANSMISSION. WE HAD IT FIXED FOR $1500. WE HAVE SINCE TRADED IN THE CAR.

NHTSA ID

756265

Incident

Dec 11, 2001

I HAVE HAD THIS CAR BACK TO THE DEALER FOR THIS PROBLEM 5 TIMES. THEY HAVE REPLACED A PULSE GENERATOR SENSOR, HOWEVER, THE PART ONLY LAST ANYWHERE FROM 4 TO 7 MONTHS. THE LAST TIME I TOOK THE CAR IN THEY INFORMED ME THAT IT NEEDED A SPEED SENSOR OUTPUT. THEY ARE WILLING TO REPLACE THAT PART UNDER THE WARRANTY, HOWEVER, THEY INFORMED ME THAT I MUST PAY THE LABOR WHICH WILL RUN ABOUT $95. I DO NOT FEEL THAT I SHOULD BE LIABLE FOR THIS AMOUNT SINCE I HAVE COMPLAINED OF THIS PROBLEM SINCE JUNE, 1999 WHEN THE CAR HAD 40,978 MILES ON IT. I ALSO TOOK THE CAR IN ON FEBRUARY 24, 1999 AS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT KEPT CAME ON INTERMITTENTLY FOR TWO DAYS. AT THAT TIME THEY REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION TEMPERATURE SWITCH. THE LAST 5 VISITS HAVE BEEN BECAUSE THE CAR WILL NOT SHIFT WHEN I AM GOING ABOUT 25 MPH. THE ENGINE WILL REV AND THEN FIANLLY IT WILL SHIFT VERY HARD. IT WILL ALSO DOWNSHIFT VERY HARD WHEN I AM COMING TO A STOP. THE LAST TIME I TOOK THE CAR IN THEY TOLD ME THAT HAD TO ORDER A PART AND IT WOULD TAKE A FEW DAYS TO GET IT IN SO I WENT AHEAD AND DROVE IT UNTIL THE PART CAME IN. DURING THAT TIME THE CAR SEEMED TO LOSE ACCERLATION WHEN STARTING UP THEN FINALLY IT WOULD "KICK" IN AND TAKE OFF. WHEN I ASKED THE SERVICE MANAGER IF THIS WAS RELATED TO THE SAME PROBLEM I WAS TOLD PROBABLY. I FEEL THAT THIS PART SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPLACED BACK IN FEBRUARY OR AT LEAST JUNE OF 1999 AND I SHOULD NOT HAVE HAD TO KEEP TAKING THE CAR BACK FOR THE SAME PROBLEM ON AUGUST 4, 1999 WITH 45,723 MILES ON IT AND AGAIN ON MARCH 24, 2000 WITH 57,332 ON IT AND AGAIN ON AUGUST 30, 2000 WITH 68,899 AT WHICH TIME THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY WERE ORDERING THE PART. I TOOK IT BACK ON SEPTEMBER 28, 2000 AND WAS TOLD AT THAT TIME THAT IT NEEDED THE SPEED OUTPUT SENSOR (WHICH IS THE PART THAT I THOUGHT WAS BEING ORDERED AND HAD ARRIVED). SO I AGAIN PICKED UP MY CAR UNREPAIRED AND AM NOW WAITING FOR THE PART TO COME IN. ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED. THANK YOU. CAROL SUMMERS. *AK

NHTSA ID

733320

Incident

Feb 24, 1999

WHEN DRIVIHG AT HIGHWAY SPEED VEHICLE IS STALLING AND JERKING AND THE CONSUMER LOST ALL POWER WITHIN THE VEHICLE. ALSO, BRAKES WENT OUT, AND THE GAS WENT OUT. MANUFACTUREER CAN'T DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. *AK

NHTSA ID

847877

Incident

Aug 20, 1999

WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED THE VEHICLE IS STALLING AND CUTTING OFF, AND CONSUMER HAS LOST ALL POWER. *AK

NHTSA ID

847876

Incident

Aug 20, 1999

FRONT END SUSPENSION NOISE DUE TO INADEQUATE LUBRICATION OF THE BUSHINGS.MJS

NHTSA ID

546071

Incident

Apr 30, 1999

OWNERS RIGHT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE FEELS UNSTABLE, CHANGED THE PRESSURE IN THE TIRES BUT THE PROBLEM STILL EXIST.

NHTSA ID

541091