2008 Hyundai Tiburon Owner Complaints

air bags deployed for no reason while driving.

NHTSA ID

11693583

Incident

Oct 13, 2025

The contact owns 2008 Hyundai Tiburon. The contact stated while driving 30 mph, the hydraulic clutch was depressed and ceased in the depressed position. The contact was able to switch lanes and pulled the vehicle into a parking lot. The vehicle was restarted however, the failure persisted. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic who inspected the vehicle and diagnosed the failure as a complete clutch failure. The mechanic was able to repair the clutch except for the linkage. The failure persisted after the repair. After the clutch repair was performed, the steering and the brakes became inoperable. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 135,000.

NHTSA ID

11427063

Incident

Jan 12, 2021

Mileage

135,000 mi

WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR FROM A DEALERSHIP ITS ALSO HAD AN AIRBAG LIGHT ON

NHTSA ID

11375725

Incident

Jul 25, 2018

AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON AND NO ONE CAN FIX THE ISSUE BUT THE DEALER WANTED TO KNOW IF THIS YEAR HAVE A RECALL FOR AIR BAGS

NHTSA ID

11318134

Incident

Jun 15, 2019

Mileage

120,000 mi

AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON. ERROR CODE LEADS TO PASSENGER SIDE SEATBELT ISSUE. DEALER JUST RESET COMPUTER AND LIGHT CAME BACK ON. KNOWN CAMPAIGN #094 ON THIS BUT DOESN'T APPLY TO THIS VIN. UNKNOWN IF AIRBAG WILL ACTUALLY DEPLOY IN EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT. LIGHT IS ON AND DEALER WANTS TO CHARGE $350 FOR THE PART ALONE (SEAT BELT LATCH)

NHTSA ID

11207617

Incident

May 14, 2019

Mileage

122,394 mi

STARTED NOTICING THE ISSUE IN MID MAY 2016. I DON'T USUALLY MOVE MY SEAT FROM THE ORIGINAL POSITION OF COMFORT BUT DRIVER SEAT HAS SHIFTED INADVERTENTLY SLIDING FORWARD OR BACK WITHOUT WARNING WHILE DRIVING (15 - 50MPH). ALONG WITH THE SEAT BELT ON OCCASION UNBUCKLED WHILE MOVING SOMETIMES IN CONJUNCTION WITH SEAT MOVEMENT, OTHER TIMES ALONE. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES LATELY AND I HAVE TAKEN MORE CARE TO HEAR THE CLICK & TUG ON BELT BUT THIS SOMETIMES DOESN'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE. WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE (UP TO 75MPH), A SHIFTING OF WEIGHT IN SEAT, OR LOOKING OVER SHOULDER FOR TRAFFIC WHILE CHANGING LANES CAN PULL CLIP OUT OF CLASP.

NHTSA ID

10909536

Incident

May 12, 2016

Mileage

63,000 mi

MY SUNROOF EXPLODED WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. I AM UNABLE TO ATTACH A PHOTO TO THIS FORM FOR SOME REASON BUT DO HAVE THEM AND CAN EMAIL.... UPDATED 08/23/16 *BF *TR

NHTSA ID

10897331

Incident

Jul 21, 2016

Mileage

129,000 mi

AIRBAG LIGHT CONTINUOUSLY ILLUMINATED. I'VE BEEN THE ONLY OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE SINCE NEW (8 YEARS) AND IT STARTED SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASE. HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALERSHIP MULTIPLE TIMES REGARDING AIRBAG LIGHT AND THEY DISCONNECT THE BATTERY AND IT DISAPPEARS FOR A WHILE. I'VE NEVER BEEN IN A CRASH SO HAVE NO IDEA IF THIS LIGHT INDICATES THE AIRBAGS WILL DEPLOY OR NOT.

NHTSA ID

10896882

Incident

Aug 1, 2010

Mileage

30,000 mi

PURCHASED NEW, ORIGINAL OWNERS. AIRBAG LIGHT HAS COME ON VARIOUS TIMES REQUIRING REPAIR, AND DEALERSHIP OF PURCHASE (NORTH PARK HYUNDAI) HAS ALWAYS REFUSED TO REPAIR DEFECTS UNDER WARRANTY COVERAGE ON VEHICLE. AIRBAG CONTROL MODULE FAILED FOR NO REAL REASON (DEALERSHIP SAID MOISTURE CAUSED FAILURE - VERY HOT AND HUMID IN SOUTH LOUISIANA) AND REFUSED TO COVER THE PART SO WE PAID OVER 600 BUCKS TO CHANGE THE MODULE BECAUSE OUR COLLEGE AGE DAUGHTER IS USING THIS VEHICLE. NOT LONG AFTER THIS REPAIR (THAT WAS TOLD TO US, BY THIS DEALERSHIP, WOULD TAKE CARE OF THIS PROBLEM), THE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. OUR LATEST VISIT TO THIS DEALERSHIP WAS THE SAME - THIS TIME THEY SAID IT IS THE AIRBAG SENSOR UNDER THE PASSENGER SEAT (NOT THE CENTER CONSOLE ONE THAT FAILED LAST TIME) AND (WOULDN'T YOU KNOW IT) THEY WANTED ANOTHER 600 DOLLARS TO CHANGE THIS MODULE! THERE ARE OBVIOUSLY ISSUES WITH THE 2008 TIBURON AIRBAG SYSTEM (THIS CAR ONLY HAS AROUND 60K MILES ON IT), AND WE ARE VERY CONCERNED WHEN WE ARE IN IT. LUCKILY THE CAR HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT.

NHTSA ID

10870102

Incident

Jan 14, 2014

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI TIBURON. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED CONTINUOUSLY. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000.

NHTSA ID

10749477

Incident

Aug 18, 2014

Mileage

50,000 mi

MY 2008 HYUNDAI TIBURON HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN 3 ACCIDENTS (NONE MY FAULT). THE IMPACT WAS OF ENOUGH SIGNIFICANCE THAT THE AIR BAGS SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED. THE FIRST COLLISION INVOLVED A DEER THAT WAS BEING CHASED BY ANOTHER VEHICLE, AND IT HIT MY CAR SO HARD, THE DEER EXPLODED AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. I WAS TOLD THE CRASH WAS EQUIVALENT TO 80 MPH HEAD ON. ALSO, SINCE I HAVE OWNED THIS VEHICLE IT CONTINUALLY REVVS ITSELF AND NO ONE CAN FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM. IT DOES IT ALL THE TIME AND IS VERY DANGEROUS AS I CANNOT STOP WHILE ITS REVVING LIKE THIS. I HAVE TO THROW IT IN NEUTRAL, HIT THE GAS, THEN IT WILL STOP REVVING. THIS IS ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS (AND VERY ANNOYING) IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL WILL RANDOMLY SHUT ITSELF OFF AND QUITE FREQUENTLY. I DID NOT BUY THIS AS A USED CAR.

NHTSA ID

10726991

Incident

Aug 2, 2013

Mileage

30,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI TIBURON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG OFF WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE SEAT BELT SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 32,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

10632242

Incident

May 13, 2014

Mileage

32,000 mi

ON 5/19/13 I PURCHASED 4 NEW GOOD YEAR ASSURANCE FUEL MAX TIRES. AFTER DRIVING LESS THAN 5,000 MILES ON THE TIRES MY TIRE PRESSURE LIGHT CAME ON 3 TIMES, &WHEN I CHECKED THEM, ALL 4 HAD GONE LOW (BY 5-7LBS OF PRESSURE EACH TIME) . AFTER THE 3RD TIME OF THIS HAPPENING, IN LESS THAN 6 MONTHS OF PURCHASE, I DECIDED TO SEARCH ONLINE TO SEE IF ANYONE ELSE WAS HAVING SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH THESE TIES. THE RESULTS WERE SCARY; I FOUND DOZENS AND DOZENS OF BLOGS & REVIEWS STATING THESE TIRES WERE SLOWLY LOOSING AIR, BUBBLING &/OR BURSTING. MOST STATED CRACKS WERE FOUND ON THE SIDEWALL INSIDE THE TIRE, CAUSING PRESSURE TO GO LOW. AFTER SEEING THESE RESULTS, I WENT OUTSIDE AND INSPECTED MY TIRES MORE CLOSELY, AND THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE HAD A SMALL BUBBLE IN IT. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK IT BACK TO GOOD YEAR AND WAS TOLD THAT THE BUBBLE WAS A ROAD HAZARD ISSUE CAUSE BY HITTING A POT HOLE (AND THIS WAS BEFORE ANYONE EVEN TOOK THE TIRE OFF TO INSPECT IT). I ASKED WHY ALL 4 TIRES HAVE BEEN SLOWLY LOOSING AIR, AND THEIR REPLY WAS "THAT IS ODD, THAT DOESN'T USUALLY HAPPEN LIKE THAT." BASED ON MY FINDINGS FROM THE INTERNET, I ASKED THEM TO INSPECT THE INTERNAL SIDEWALLS OF THE TIRES, JUST TO MAKE SURE THERE WERE NO CRACKS THAT COULD BE CAUSING THE SLOW AIR LEAKS. I OPENED A FILE WITH GY'S CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY ASKED THE STORE TO INSPECT THE INSIDE OF ALL 4 TIRES, AND TO SEND THEM AN INSPECTION REPORT, BUT ALL THE TECH DID WAS SPRAY THE OUTSIDE OF THE TIRE TO CHECK FOR AIR BUBBLES/LEAKS (BUT DID NOT REMOVE THE TIRES TO CHECK THE INSIDE WALLS). THE TIRE WITH THE BUBBLE WAS REPLACED, BUT I WAS NOT ALLOWED TO KEEP THE TIRE TO HAVE IT INSPECTED. I WAS TOLD THE MANUFACTURER WOULD INSPECT IT, BUT THAT WILL TAKE SEVERAL WEEKS. I'M VERY CONCERNED WITH THE NUMBER OF REVIEWS/BLOGS ONLINE WITH THE SAME/SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ABOUT THESE TIRES, SO I AM FILING THIS COMPLAINT TO DOCUMENT MY EXPERIENCE WITH THEM. I'VE HAD MY CAR SINCE 2008 AND NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH MY OLD TIRES. *TR

NHTSA ID

10551037

Incident

Nov 2, 2013

Mileage

36,790 mi

THE SWITCH FOR THE BRAKE LIGHT GET STUCK LIKE THE ONE ON THATGOT RECALL ON THE 2007 HYUNDAI'S OR 2008 HYUNDAI TIBURON IS NOT LIST IT ORA 2007 TIBURON. WHEN ISTHE SAME PROBLEMS THAT THE 2007 HAD THE LIGHT WILL STAY ON YOU HAVE TO PUMP THE BRAKES A FEW TIMES TO TURN IT OFF THEN IT WONT TURN ON AT ALL. WE CALL PART STORE AND WE ORDER THE PART AND IT TOOK A WEEK TO COME IN DURING THE TIME OF ALL THIS WE ALMOST GOT IN TO 8 AUTO CRASHER BECAUSE PEOPLE DID NOT SEETHE LIGHT COME ON OR THEY WERE ON WHEN WE WERE DRIVING. *TR

NHTSA ID

10362069

Incident

Oct 10, 2010

Mileage

4,000 mi

POOR CLUTCH PERFORMANCE ON HYUNDAI TIBURON CLUTCH "WORN OUT" AFTER 25KMILES ACCORDING TO DEALER OWNER IS EXPERIENCED STANDARD DRIVER. *TR

NHTSA ID

10358535

Incident

Sep 29, 2010

Mileage

25,000 mi

I WANT TO REPORT THIS HYUNDAI DEALER(S): ALLEN SAMUELS HYUNDAI 7724 N.E. LOOP 820 NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, TX 76180 (817) 276-7700 LOCATION WHERE I PURCHASE MY CAR AND TRIED TO HAVE WARRANTY SERVICE ON 08/14/10. THEY REFUSED WARRANTY SERVICE TO REPLACE A CATALYST AND AN O2SENSOR THAT CAUSED ME TO NOT PASS A STATE INSPECTION .I ALREADY PAID FOR AT A LICENSED KWIK KAR LOCATION IN DENTON TEXAS. THE CAR FLUNKED THE STATE INSPECTION THAT I HAVE ALREADY PAID FOR AND THEY ARE REFUSING TO REFUND MY MONEY AND SAY I NEED REPAIR. MY CAR HAS 14000 MILES ON IT NOW. I HAVE RAN OVER 500 MILES ON MY CAR ON THE ADVISE OF [XXX], SERVICE MANAGER AT THE EKERT HYUNDAI IN DENTON WHERE I TOOK MY CAR ON WEDNESDAY. THEN, TODAY I WENT TO THE DEALER AND TALKED TO WITH [XXX] AND A WOMAN THERE AT ALLEN SAMUELS IN PERSON READY TO GET CAR FIXED. HE TOLD ME SAME THING THAT THE OTHER TOLD ME ABOUT RUNNING THE MILES ON IT. ALSO, HE SAID THAT HE HAS CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER AND THE MANUFACTURER HYUNDAI THERE IS NO FIX ON THIS ISSUE. I HAVE A ONE YEAR OLD CAR THAT NEEDS WARRANTY WORK AND IS NOT PASSING TEXAS INSPECTION AND A HYUNDAI DEALERS SAY THAT THERE IS NO FIX. THEY WANT TO CHARGE 100.00 OR MORE TO DRIVE MY CAR TO SEE IF IT WILL FIX. THERE IS NO GUARANTEE. WHAT ABOUT THE WARRANTY HE SAID TO DRIVE UP TO 1000 MILES AND IF THE O2 SENSOR WAS NOT FAILED HE AND YOUR COMPANY HAVE NO OBLIGATION TO REPAIR. I AM QUESTIONING THE WARRANTY ON MY CAR AND THE FACT THAT I HAVE BEEN DENIED A STATE INSPECTION STICKER AND CANNOT GET IT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER ADDRESS IS HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA P.O. BOX 20850 FOUNTAIN VALLEY, CA 92728-0850 (800) 633-5151. *TR INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ID

10349447

Incident

Aug 14, 2010

Mileage

13,500 mi

DRIVER'S SEATBELT. THE SEATBELT WILL NOT STAY IN THE RED CLASP OF MY 2008 TIBURON, HYUNDAI. *TR

NHTSA ID

10347936

Incident

Aug 6, 2010

MOISTURE IS CONDENSING ON THE INSIDE OF VEHICLE HEADLAMP AND TAIL LAMP HOUSINGS. THIS OCCURRED WITHIN A DAY OF TAKING DELIVERY OF THE (BRAND NEW) VEHICLE. CONTACTED LOCAL HYUNDAI SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND THEY ARE AWARE OF THIS. THEY HAVE NOTED THIS SAME PROBLEM ON OTHER LIKE MODEL/YEAR VEHICLES. HYUNDAI DISTRICT SERVICE MANAGERS ARE ALSO AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM BUT, SO FAR, HYUNDAI MOTOR CO. HAS NOT ADDRESSED THE ISSUE. NOT ONLY IS CONDENSED MOISTURE ON THE INSIDE OF LAMP HOUSINGS UNSIGHTLY, I WOULD THINK MOISTURE INSIDE THE HOUSINGS COULD CAUSE LONG TERM HEADLIGHT AND TAILLIGHT RELIABILITY/SAFETY PROBLEMS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10265588

Incident

Apr 15, 2009

Mileage

28 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI TIBURON. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO THE PASSENGER SIDE OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE POLICE WAS CALLED TO THE SCENE AND A REPORT WAS FILED. AN ESTIMATE HAS NOT YET BEEN GENERATED CONCERNING THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 11,000.

NHTSA ID

10239670

Incident

Aug 22, 2008

Mileage

11,000 mi