AI Damage2008 Hyundai Tiburon: common problems
Owners of the 2008 Hyundai Tiburon filed 19 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and seat belts. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 19
- involving a crash
- 2
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 53% of all complaints
- 2 Seat belts 21% of all complaints
- 3 Electronic stability control 11% of all complaints
- 4 Powertrain 11% of all complaints
- 5 Service brakes 11% of all complaints
- 6 Electrical system 5% of all complaints
- 7 Exterior lighting 5% of all complaints
- 8 Seats 5% of all complaints
- Air bags: 10 complaints (53% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Seat belts: 4 complaints (21% of all).
- Electronic stability control: 2 complaints (11% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 2 complaints (11% of all).
- Service brakes: 2 complaints (11% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 2 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- 2.7 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speed
- manual, 6-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 19 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 2 | 1 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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
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) .
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.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 8,437 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 23% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Tiburon has 59 complaints (13 years in the data). This year has 19, below average.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
- Electronic stability control. ABS/ESC sensors, steering angle, codes after suspension repair.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2008 Hyundai Tiburon?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, seat belts, electronic stability control. Total complaints: 19. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: airbag warning light (32%), warning lights, check engine (26%), seat belts (21%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2008 Hyundai Tiburon?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2008 Hyundai Tiburon from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2008 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.