The Lemon IndexHyundai Tiburon reliability.
Is it reliable? Not really. 3.7× the average car's complaints.
Avoid · 2003–2005
20052nd generation
What owners say on YouTube
1997–2001 Tiburon · 197 most-watched videos
Owners praise
Owners complain about
Fixes owners look up most
- Oil leaks & gaskets8K views
- No-start: theft light, key & ignition8K views
- Spark plugs & ignition coils4K views
Before you buy, watch
2003–2008 Tiburon · 197 most-watched videos
Owners praise
Owners complain about
Nothing stands out.
Fixes owners look up most
Before you buy, watch
Praise and complaints: the share of each generation's most-watched videos that mention a topic with a praise or trouble word next to it, in the title or what's said. YouTube rank: how positive owners and reviewers sound, compared with every car of the same model year. It measures tone, not failure rates. Videos belong to their creators; we link to them.
Looking at a 2006 or newer? Those are too new for a full complaint score (any score shown is partial, in gray), but YouTube owners like the 2007 best.
Fewest complaints
2005.
Only 3 Hyundai Tiburon years have enough complaints and sales to score, too few for best and worst lists. 2005 drew about one and a half times the average car's complaints.
Every year. Lower is better. Tap a year for its full report.
Show 3 older years (1997–1999, YouTube reviews only, no complaint data)
Newest year first. Red = worse than average, gray = about average or too few complaints to score. #1, #2… = that year's YouTube rank among the 11 Hyundai Tiburon years with enough videos (#1 = the year owners and reviewers talk about most positively). It is not a reliability rank.
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<iframe src="https://lemonindex.com/embed/cars/hyundai-tiburon/" title="Hyundai Tiburon reliability by model year (The Lemon Index)" width="100%" height="284" style="border:0;max-width:720px" loading="lazy"></iframe><p style="font-size:13px;margin:4px 0 0">Data: <a href="https://lemonindex.com/cars/hyundai-tiburon/">Lemon Index</a> (Hyundai Tiburon reliability by year)</p>Scores before 2010 are rough: fewer owners filed complaints back then.
YouTube rank: we read 397 YouTube videos about the Hyundai Tiburon, 1997 to 2008, and ranked every year by how much they praise it vs. how much they talk about problems. YouTube's favorite: 1997. Old cars rank lower partly because most of their videos are repair and restoration videos. A gray dot means not enough data yet: under 10 videos, or a new year with no owner complaints to compare.
Compare the Hyundai Tiburon.
Opens the compare tool with both cars, every year side by side. Compare with any car →
Quick answers.
Is the Hyundai Tiburon reliable?
Not really. It draws 3.7× the average car's complaints, but YouTube owners sound happier with it than with most cars its age. No year beat the average car. The year with the fewest complaints, 2005, still drew 1.4× the average.
Is the Hyundai Tiburon a good car?
Not overall: it draws more complaints than the average car, by owner complaints to the government per car sold (2003-2005: Lemon Index 370; 100 is average). Some years are much better than others: 2005 drew the fewest complaints and 2003 the most.
What are the best Hyundai Tiburon years to buy?
Only 3 Hyundai Tiburon years have enough data to score, so we don't list best years. 2005 drew the fewest complaints (about one and a half times the average car's complaints).
What Hyundai Tiburon years should you stay away from?
Only 3 Hyundai Tiburon years have enough data to score, too few to single out years to avoid.
How many recalls does the Hyundai Tiburon have?
19 safety recalls across the 9 model years we track. Most: 2003 (9), 2002 (4), 2000 (1). Each year's page lists them, and every Hyundai Tiburon recall is in one list here.
What are the most common Hyundai Tiburon problems?
Across every year, owners' complaints to the government name transmission & drivetrain, airbags and seat belts most. Some years are much worse than others: see the chart above.
Every year in one table
| Year | Index | Compared with average | Complaints | Top complaint | Recalls | Crash test | MPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 36 | seat belts (36%) | 1 | — | 22–24 |
| 2001 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 19 | airbags (37%) | 1 | — | 22–24 |
| 2002 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 2 | service brakes, hydraulic (50%) | 4 | — | 19–23 |
| 2003 | 537 | about 5 times the average car's complaints | 180 | transmission & drivetrain (68%) | 9 | — | 20–23 |
| 2004 | 234 | about twice the average car's complaints | 40 | transmission & drivetrain (62%) | 0 | — | 20–23 |
| 2005 | 140 | about one and a half times the average car's complaints | 20 | transmission & drivetrain (60%) | 1 | — | 19–23 |
| 2006 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 32 | transmission & drivetrain (66%) | 1 | — | 19–23 |
| 2007 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 17 | airbags (41%) | 1 | — | 19–23 |
| 2008 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 6 | airbags (17%) | 1 | — | 20–23 |
The Lemon Index counts owner complaints filed with the U.S. government (NHTSA) in a car's first 3 years, per car sold, against the average car of the same model years (100 = average, lower is better). It measures complaints, not crash safety. U.S. sales source: en.wikipedia.org. How it works
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Updated · Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com)
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