2006 Hyundai Tiburon

No clear pattern

17.3% of complaints about the 2006 Hyundai Tiburon arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2006 vehicle, but with only 81 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is power train (43 complaints), typically at 3.1 yr or about 32,000 miles.

Complaints: 81
Median age at failure: 3.1 yr
Median mileage: 31,800 n=67
Crash / fire / tow: 14.8% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

13V113000 2013-04-01

Exterior lighting:brake lights:switch

Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 Accent, model year 2007-2011 Azera, Sonata and Sante Fe,2006-2011 Tucson, 2009-2011 Elantra Touring, 2007-2010 Elantra, 2008-2011 Veracruz, 2009-2011 Genesis, 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, 2007-2008 Entourage, and 2006-2008 Tiburon vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Hyundai recalled 1,059,824 model year 2007-2009 Accent and Tucson, model year 2007-2010 Elantra, model year 2007-2011 Santa Fe, model year 2008-2009 Veracruz, model year 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, and model year 2011 Sonata vehicles. In September 2013, Hyundai

Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of Park without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.

In owners’ own words

Power train 5,400 mi 5 mo in service

ON DECEMBER 15, 2005 I PURCHASED A 2006 HYUNDAI TIBURON GT. AFTER ONLY 2500 MILES THE CLUTCH WENT OUT. I HAVE PLENTY OF EXPERIENCE DRIVING A MANUAL TRANSMISSION, SO THEY COULDN'T BLAME ME FOR RIDING THE CLUTCH. I'M NOW AT 5400 MILES AND THE CLUTCH HAS GONE OUT AGAIN. THERE IS NO REASON FOR THIS, IT JUST CAUSES ME FRUSTRATION, AND MONEY THAT I PAY FOR A CAR THAT DOESN'T WORK. *JB

Power train 3,550 mi 1.0 yr in service

I RECENTLY PURCHASED A HYUNDAI TIBURON 2006. AT 3500 MILES THE CLUTCH HAS GONE OUT, COMPLETELY. I HAVE OWNED APPROXIMATELY 4 STICK SHIFTS AND HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DRIVE A STICK FOR 20 YEARS. TWO OF THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION VEHICLES I OWNED (ONE A SATURN, THE OTHER AN AUDI) HAD MORE THAN 100K ON THEM WHEN I SOLD OR REPLACED THEM. THE DEALERSHIP IS REPLACING THE CLUTCH FOR FREE, BUT I AM CONCERNED, AFTER READING OF SIMILAR AND NUMEROUS OTHER STORIES ON THE WEB, THAT THIS WILL BE A CONTINUAL PROBLEM. *NM

Power train 3,000 mi 1.1 yr in service

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. *NM

Other Tiburon model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2006 Hyundai Tiburon

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Tiburon model years

How to read this