Hyundai Repair: Faulty clutches on Hyundai Tiburon, hyundai tiburon, factory representative

Question
I have an 05 Tiburon 4.0, 5 speed.
My clutch has been slipping for months and I am about to take it back to the dealership where I purchased it.  I got some advice from a friend to tell them that if it is not a faulted clutch that I want the part back, and if they make me pay, I should threaten arbitration.  I'm sure I signed a paper when I purchased the car that I would not arbitrate.  So, have you heard of problems with the Tiburon clutch before, and will that "arbitration" thing work?  

Answer
1.  In most states, you're entitled to the old parts if you pay for them.  If you want them back, you should request them.  Of course, if you have to pay for them, I'd expect that the dealer would be claiming that they're not defective.  If you wish to challenge this claim, you should by all means request the old parts.  This will be the evidence.

2.  I'm sure the arbitration your friend is referring to is the "lemon law" process.  I doubt the dealer or anyone else has the ability to take this away from you, regardless of what you signed.  But the dealer isn't likely to care about this.  It would be an action between you and Hyundai.  And, depending on the laws in your state, you may or may not have a good chance of winning.  

It may be more effective to call the customer assistance number (1-800-633-5151) and register a complaint if you think the clutch should be covered.  Most likely the complaint will be routed back to the dealer servicing your car, but it'll also now be to the attention of the factory representative.  The representative is the one who has the ability to give assistance to customers on nonwarranty repairs.

Furthermore, it may be counterproductive to threaten Hyundai directly.  This may cause them to offer you zero assistance if they find no defect with the clutch.


There have been problems with some of the V6 Tiburon clutches, but Hyundai doesn't have a 4.0 liter engine, so I don't know which engine you have.  Furthermore, the problems with the V6 clutches were early in the production run, so considering your car is a 2005, the chances of you having a similar issue are small.