Problems · NHTSA complaints
2008 Hyundai Tiburon problems
Owners filed 19 complaints about the 2008 Hyundai Tiburon with NHTSA between Aug 2008 and Oct 2025. The most-cited component is air bags (10).
Complaints
19
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
2
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Air bags10
- Seat belts4
- Power train2
- Electronic stability control (esc)2
- Steering1
- Service brakes1
- Seats1
- Visibility1
- Tires1
- Service brakes, electric1
- Electrical system1
- Exterior lighting1
- Other / unknown2
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
1
1
4
0
0
1
1
2
4
0
0
1
2
1
0
0
0
1
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 1 |
| 2009 | 1 |
| 2010 | 4 |
| 2011 | 0 |
| 2012 | 0 |
| 2013 | 1 |
| 2014 | 1 |
| 2015 | 2 |
| 2016 | 4 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Air bags
10 reports2 crashes
“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)”
Seat belts
4 reports
“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.”
Power train
2 reports
“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.”
Electronic stability control (esc)
2 reports1 crash
“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.”
Steering
1 report
Service brakes
1 report
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.