Hyundai Repair: Timing belt, engine cranks, timing belt

Question
have 2001 tiburon. Last night on the hiway engine just shut off as i was driving. Felt like I ran out of gas. Coasted down to a gas station and tried to start it again. The starter engaged but did not feel like the whole engine turned over and of course would not start. The tow truck guy said sounds tike timing belt let go---had not been replaced ever---car has 150000 miles on it. You think this is timing belt problem? If so how much do you thinh I can expect to pay to fix it? Not sure if any internal damage. Did not make any horrible noises. Thanks so much.

Answer
If your engine cranks faster than normal, then it's likely you have a timing belt issue.  To check, simply remove the upper timing belt cover and see if it's stripped or broken.  It's certainly plausible that it's a timing belt issue considering the mileage on the car, but it's difficult for me to make a high probability guess with the information you've given.  

If the timing belt did strip or break, there's a good possibility you're looking at cylinder head work.  I'd expect that to run at least $1000, but pricing will depend on the shop and your geographic location.  It's possible (but not likely) you've done no engine damage.  The only way to tell how much money you're looking at is to have someone check the vehicle and determine the extent of the damage.  You should expect that you'd be required to pay for the shop's time in determining the extent of the damage; it'll take a significant amount of work for them to do so.