2006 Hyundai Tiburon Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2006 Tiburon complain most often about the manual transmission's clutch, describing slipping, a pedal that goes soft or sticks, and sudden loss of drive, often at fairly low mileage and with high repair quotes. A smaller share of complaints involve airbags that did not deploy in a crash or deployed unexpectedly, brake lights that stopped working, tire and alignment problems, and the occasional recall notice the vehicle was not covered by.

1. 1
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Manual clutch slipping or failing early

   • 39 complaints (61%)
   • median 32,000 mi at 3.1 yrs old (36 state mileage)
   • owner-quoted repair $1,550 (median of 6 quotes)
   • filed 2006–2022

   Owners describe the clutch slipping under acceleration, usually noticed first as rising RPM without matching speed, sometimes after a pedal that felt soft or stuck. Many say the clutch gave out suddenly at low mileage, in some cases stranding them, and that the dealer replaced the clutch, flywheel or master cylinder, or quoted a large repair. Several report being told the clutch was a wear item not covered under warranty or that the wear suggested hard driving. Mostly reported between roughly 3,000 and 40,000 miles, with some recurring failures after a previous replacement.

   7 related service bulletins

   What to check: On a test drive, accelerate from a stop and in a higher gear to see if engine speed climbs without the car speeding up, and check pedal feel and any slip. Ask for service records showing whether the clutch, flywheel or master cylinder was replaced and when.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have a 2006 Hyundai tiboron and the clutch went after only 33,000 miles. Absolutely unheard of! The warranty that's supposed to be so wonderful, is only for 12,000 miles or one year on the clutch! I have heard about many other people saying how badly made the clutch parts are on the Hyundai's. They should be called out on it, it's a safety issue.”

   NHTSA complaint #10330379, filed 2010-05, 33,000 miles

   “On june 11, 2007 at 26,577 miles, I experienced on my way in to work while driving, a slight stick and a definite click sound from my clutch pedal. While at a traffic light I experienced complete clutch failure, the car would not go in to gear. The invoice from the dealership states internal part on master clutch broken-remove and replace master clutch . …”

   NHTSA complaint #10206134, filed 2007-10, 37,554 miles
2. 2
   Air bags

   Airbag did not deploy or deployed unexpectedly

   • 6 complaints (9%)
   • median 29,900 mi at 1.9 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • 6 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2006–2017

   Owners describe frontal or passenger airbags that failed to deploy in a collision, and in other cases airbags that deployed without a crash, including while the car was parked or stopped. Some say the vehicle was inspected but no cause was determined, and one mentions difficulty getting the vehicle released. Reported across a wide mileage range, from under 4,000 miles to over 120,000 miles.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check that the airbag warning light comes on briefly at startup and then goes out, and ask whether any airbag-related inspection or repair has been done. Be aware that federal notices describe counterfeit replacement inflators, so confirm any replacement airbag part's origin.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Driving west bound on interstate 10 fwy approximate time 2:30a.m. I had a tire blowout. The blowout in turn made me lose control of the vehicle and I went into a spin causing me to crash into a post on the side of the fwy. Upon crashing into the post my head hit the steering wheel at which time the airbag did not deploy. I have never had an accident in this car before, my assumption was that the airbag functioned. The airbag feature in my car proved to be totally non-functional.”

   NHTSA complaint #10235956, filed 2008-07, 43,000 miles

   “I had a 2006 Tiburon Hyundai. On june 25th I was in a role over accident and not one air bag deployed. I feel Hyundai has given false advertisement. Now the insurance is claiming it a total loss and Hyundai is wanting to take over the vehicle and use it for salvage with out recognizing there was an issue with the air bags not deploying. Due to information given by police Hyundai is fighting for the release of the vehicle. However they continue to refuse to acknowledge their was a defect with their air bags.”

   NHTSA complaint #10342105, filed 2010-07, 50,000 miles
3. 3
   Tires

   Pulls right; uneven tire wear and vibration

   • 8 complaints (13%)
   • median 16,750 mi at 1.9 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2006–2012

   Owners describe a persistent pull to the right that returns even after alignment, uneven tire wear requiring frequent replacement, and vibration or roaring from a tire. Some say the dealer found no fault or that alignment readings looked correct, and one mentions a service bulletin for camber adjustment bolts. Reported from very low mileage (a few hundred miles) through about 45,000 miles, often described as present since purchase.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Drive on a flat, straight road and check for pull, look at inner and outer tread wear on all four tires, and ask for alignment printouts and whether the alignment bolt update was applied.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Was driving east on I-70 car started shaking and heard a low roar. Thought it was the road. I got off exit 124 I believe and checked tires. All looked normal.. Checked tired pressures all was 32 or 34 PSI. I though maybe it was the road so I continued to exit 126east on I 70 got off exit because I heard the same noise. I then drove the car around the truckstop and listened to the tires.. Rear passenger was making a horrible noise so I decided to turn back around and come back home even though the tires looked fine. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10262096, filed 2009-03, 44,930 miles

   “I purchased a new 2006 Hyundai Tiburon in february 2006. I have had an alignment problem ever since I bought it. My car has always pulled right. We have purchased new tires and alignments every six months and just recently had a bolt kit put on it also. I went to a dealer service department and had them look at my car after I had just had it aligned and had tires put on. The car was still pulling to the right. They put it on an alignment machine and said that nothing should be wrong with it because it was showing as being aligned. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10263272, filed 2009-03
4. 4
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission slipping, hard shifting or lost drive

   Mentioned in 7 of 59 sampled complaints

   Owners describe the transmission not engaging, grinding when shifting, refusing to come out of gear, jerking after a shift, or sluggish acceleration. A few report the transmission was reprogrammed or replaced, and one describes a sudden downshift at steady speed. Reported from a few thousand miles up to about 100,000 miles, including after previous transmission work.

   5 related service bulletins

   What to check: Test every gear including reverse from a stop and during downshifts, listen for grinding, and ask whether the control module was reprogrammed or the transmission serviced with the specified fluid.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have a 2006 Tiburon and have already had to have it in the shop four times. For the sunroof, which still does not work right and the transmission. Now it is starting to be sluggish again. I don't trash my car or hot rod it either. The motor in the sunroof has been replaced. The transmission has just been reprogrammed each time so who knows what will be done this time.”

   NHTSA complaint #10172820, filed 2006-11, 3,000 miles

   “I was in fairly heavy traffic traveling 65-70 MPH and another car swerved in front after passing me (on the right) and when I went to apply brakes they went to the floor and the car started to accelerate. I again applied brakes and not only did they not work they also didn't disengage the cruise control. I started to panic and applied the clutch and tried to downshift. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10358561, filed 2010-10, 18,500 miles

Buying note. The clutch is the most frequently reported item, so ask for clutch and transmission service records and budget for a possible repair. Also verify the brake lights work and that the airbag warning light behaves normally before buying.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 59 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.