2003 HYUNDAI TIBURON — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 314 complaints · 9 recalls
Most-reported system: POWER TRAIN (146 complaints · 46.5%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 31
  • Fires 7
  • Injuries 21
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2002 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution POWER TRAIN appears in 146 of 314 owner complaints (46.5%) in this vehicle snapshot. POWER TRAIN: 146 complaints, 46.5% of reports POWER TRAIN 146 · 46.5% · 2 crash reports AIR BAGS: 51 complaints, 16.2% of reports AIR BAGS 51 · 16.2% · 20 crash reports 1 fire reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 21 complaints, 6.7% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 21 · 6.7% · 4 crash reports 3 fire reports SEAT BELTS: 16 complaints, 5.1% of reports SEAT BELTS 16 · 5.1% EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 12 complaints, 3.8% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 12 · 3.8% · 1 fire reports FUEL SYSTEM: 12 complaints, 3.8% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 12 · 3.8% · 1 crash reports SUSPENSION: 10 complaints, 3.2% of reports SUSPENSION 10 · 3.2% · 2 crash reports ENGINE: 8 complaints, 2.6% of reports ENGINE 8 · 2.6% · 1 fire reports VISIBILITY: 8 complaints, 2.6% of reports VISIBILITY 8 · 2.6% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 222 complaints, 70.7% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 222 · 70.7% · 18 crash reports 3 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
POWER TRAIN 146 46.5% 2 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 51 16.2% 20 crashes · 1 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 21 6.7% 4 crashes · 3 fires
SEAT BELTS 16 5.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 12 3.8% 0 crashes · 1 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 12 3.8% 1 crashes · 0 fires
SUSPENSION 10 3.2% 2 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 8 2.6% 0 crashes · 1 fires
VISIBILITY 8 2.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 222 70.7% 18 crashes · 3 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Oct 2002; the first recall shown was reported in Feb 2002. 2002-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2003-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2003-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2003-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2003-Q4: 20 owner reports 20 2004-Q1: 15 owner reports 15 2004-Q2: 12 owner reports 12 2004-Q3: 10 owner reports 10 2004-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2005-Q1: 15 owner reports 15 2005-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2005-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2005-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2006-Q1: 20 owner reports 20 2006-Q2: 20 owner reports 20 2006-Q3: 11 owner reports 11 2006-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2007-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2007-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2007-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2007-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 2008-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2008-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2008-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2008-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2009-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2009-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2009-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2010-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2010-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2010-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2010-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2011-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2011-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2011-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2011-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2012-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2012-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2012-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2014-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2014-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2015-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2020-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Feb 2002 Jul 2022 Recall campaign 02V044000 ◆ Recall campaign 02V044000 Recall campaign 02V290000 ◆ Recall campaign 02V290000 Recall campaign 03V257000 ◆ Recall campaign 03V257000 Recall campaign 03V290000 ◆ Recall campaign 03V290000 Recall campaign 03V321000 ◆ Recall campaign 03V321000 Recall campaign 03V496000 ◆ Recall campaign 03V496000 Recall campaign 04V178000 ◆ Recall campaign 04V178000 Recall campaign 04V369000 ◆ Recall campaign 04V369000 Recall campaign 09V125000 ◆ Recall campaign 09V125000
  • Campaign 03V321000 was reported 179 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 03V496000 was reported 23 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 04V178000 was reported 531 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 04V369000 was reported 639 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 09V125000 was reported 1,767 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2002-Q4 Owner reports 2
2003-Q1 Owner reports 5
2003-Q2 Owner reports 8
2003-Q3 Owner reports 4
2003-Q4 Owner reports 20
2004-Q1 Owner reports 15
2004-Q2 Owner reports 12
2004-Q3 Owner reports 10
2004-Q4 Owner reports 5
2005-Q1 Owner reports 15
2005-Q2 Owner reports 6
2005-Q3 Owner reports 9
2005-Q4 Owner reports 8
2006-Q1 Owner reports 20
2006-Q2 Owner reports 20
2006-Q3 Owner reports 11
2006-Q4 Owner reports 6
2007-Q1 Owner reports 3
2007-Q2 Owner reports 4
2007-Q3 Owner reports 7
2007-Q4 Owner reports 9
2008-Q1 Owner reports 6
2008-Q2 Owner reports 7
2008-Q3 Owner reports 5
2008-Q4 Owner reports 5
2009-Q1 Owner reports 3
2009-Q2 Owner reports 2
2009-Q3 Owner reports 4
2009-Q4 Owner reports 3
2010-Q1 Owner reports 8
2010-Q2 Owner reports 3
2010-Q3 Owner reports 7
2010-Q4 Owner reports 4
2011-Q1 Owner reports 4
2011-Q2 Owner reports 4
2011-Q3 Owner reports 3
2011-Q4 Owner reports 3
2012-Q1 Owner reports 2
2012-Q2 Owner reports 4
2012-Q3 Owner reports 3
2012-Q4 Owner reports 2
2013-Q1 Owner reports 1
2013-Q3 Owner reports 2
2013-Q4 Owner reports 2
2014-Q1 Owner reports 3
2014-Q2 Owner reports 1
2014-Q3 Owner reports 3
2014-Q4 Owner reports 1
2015-Q1 Owner reports 3
2015-Q2 Owner reports 2
2015-Q3 Owner reports 1
2016-Q1 Owner reports 2
2016-Q3 Owner reports 2
2016-Q4 Owner reports 2
2017-Q2 Owner reports 1
2017-Q4 Owner reports 1
2019-Q2 Owner reports 1
2019-Q4 Owner reports 3
2020-Q1 Owner reports 1
2022-Q3 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 02V044000
Recall campaign 1 02V290000
Recall campaign 1 03V257000
Recall campaign 1 03V290000
Recall campaign 1 03V321000
Recall campaign 1 03V496000
Recall campaign 1 04V178000
Recall campaign 1 04V369000
Recall campaign 1 09V125000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (9)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 02V044000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    IF THIS BRACKET HAS NOT BEEN INSTALLED, THERE MAY BE AN INCREASED LIKELIHOOD OF INJURY OR INCREASED SEVERITY OF INJURY IN A FRONTAL CRASH.
    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. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MARCH 4, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT HYUNDAI AT 1-800-633-5151.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 02V290000

    Report date
    Component:
    SEAT BELTS
    Consequence:
    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. IT COULD ALSO CAUSE THE AIR BAG FUSE (CAVITY NUMBER 5) TO OPEN, PREVENTING AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT. NONDEPLOYMENT OF AN SRS AIR BAG IN A CRASH WHERE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT IS WARRANTED COULD INCREASE THE RISK OR SEVERITY OF INJURY IN A CRASH.
    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. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT HYUNDAI AT 1-800-633-5151.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 03V257000

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    FLUID LEAKAGE COULD RESULT IN REDUCED BRAKING CAPABILITY INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
    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 AREAS WHERE CONTACT WITH THE MOUNTING BRACKETS MAY HAVE OCCURRED. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON OCTOBER 13, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT HYUNDAI AT 1-800-633-5151.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 03V290000

    Report date
    Component:
    SEAT BELTS
    Consequence:
    NONDEPLOYMENT OF AN SRS AIR BAG IN A CRASH WHERE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT IS WARRANTED COULD INCREASE THE RISK OR SEVERITY OF INJURY IN A CRASH.
    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. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT HYUNDAI OF PUERTO RICO AT 1-899-981-0188.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 03V321000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE AIR BAG MAY NOT DEPLOY PROPERLY, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN SERIOUS INJURY TO THE RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER.
    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 REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT HYUNDAI OF AMERICA AT 1-800-633-5151, OR IF THE VEHICLE IS LOCATED IN PUERTO RICO, HYUNDAI OF PUERTO RICO AT 1-800-981-0188.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 03V496000

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    CONTACT BETWEEN THE REAR BRAKE TUBES AND THE STEERING GEARBOX MOUNTING BRACKETS MAY RESULT IN REAR BRAKE TUBE WEAR AND CORROSION, INCREASING THE RISK OF BRAKE FLUID LEAKAGE. BRAKE FLUID LEAKAGE COULD RESULT IN REDUCED BRAKING CAPABILITY, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
    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. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT HYUNDAI OF PUERTO RICO AT 1-800-633-5151.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  7. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 04V178000

    Report date
    Component:
    FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
    Consequence:
    FUEL SPILLAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE MAY RESULT IN A FIRE.
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  8. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 04V369000

    Report date
    Component:
    FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
    Consequence:
    FUEL SPILLAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE MAY RESULT IN A FIRE.
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  9. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09V125000

    Report date
    Component:
    SUSPENSION
    Consequence:
    THE FRACTURING OF THE CONTROL ARM COULD AN OWNER'S CONTROL OVER THEIR VEHICLE THAT MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.
    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 INCORPORATING ADDITIONAL HOLES IN THE UPPER AND LOWER PANELS. IF THE FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARMS DO NOT REQUIRE REPLACEMENT, THE DEALER WILL ADD DRAINAGE HOLES TO THE FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARMS AND WILL TREAT THE FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARMS WITH RUST-PROOFING MATERIALS TO ARREST THE INTERNAL CORROSION PROCESS. THESE PROCEDURES WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 17, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT THE HYUNDAI CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER AT 1-800-633-5151.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 314 complaints · page 1 of 13

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources