I co-own this car with my daughter. The air bag light came on and would not go off. We found out about safety recall 02V290000 which specified that on 2003 Tiburons the driver seat belt buckle could be damaged by the height adjuster mechanism, resulting in failure of the air bag or the permanent lighting of the air bag light with failure to deploy on impact. The dealer refused to fix it because Hyundai claims the problem was fixed by March 2003 and will not agree to fix cars manufactured afterward. Hyundai protection plan refused to cover repair because they say this is part of the cars restraint system excluded by the warranty. Paid to have it fixed Jan 2009. Problem has now recurred in Sept 2010 and dealer says I will have to pay to repair again because parts and service are only covered for 12 months. Meanwhile, my daughter is driving a potentially unsafe car.

- Chandler, AZ, USA

In May 2009 my airbag warning light came on. I took it into the dealer and was told that the sensor in the driver's seat belt buckle was defective. They replaced the unit and said it was not covered under a warranty. I was doing research and found that Hyundai had issued a recall for the same problem under campaign number 02V290000. My vehicle was manufactured on Oct 1, 2002 which was outside the recall dates but the same problem happened.

- Asheville, NC, USA

The contact owns a 2003 Hyundai Tiburon. He stated that the air bag light came on which also indicated that the seat belt buckle was not making contact. A mechanic confirmed that NHTSA campaign id number: 02V290000 component: Seat belts: Front:buckle assembly is related to the failure as well as the wiring harness. The dealer also confirmed that they are aware of failures related to this year make and model vehicle; however, the VIN is not a part of the recall. The dealer also advised the contact that they can repair the vehicle for $1,000. The failure mileage was 80532 and the current mileage was 80753.

- York Town Heights, NY, USA

The contact owns a 2003 Hyundai Tiburon. The contact stated that the air bag warning indicator remains illuminated in the vehicle. He took his vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the driver's seat belt buckle wiring caused the air bag wiring lamp to illuminate. The failure could also cause the air bag fuse to open and prevent air bag deployment. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign id number 02V29000 (component: Seat belts:front:buckle assembly). The contact would have to pay $300 for the repair. The manufacturer agreed with the dealer. The contact stated that he just purchased the vehicle five days prior to the failure. The failure mileage was 65,000. 4/01/09 updated 04/06/09.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

The contact owns a 2003 Hyundai Tiburon. The contact stated that the air bag light remains illuminated. She took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the seat belt buckle assembly failed. The part for the repair was ordered. The manufacturer stated that her VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign id number 02V290000 (seat belts:front:buckle assembly). The failure mileage was 63,950 and current mileage was 64,010. Updated 10/16/08. Updated 10/20/08.

- Toms River, NJ, USA

The contact owns a 2003 Hyundai Tiburon. The air bag light remains illuminated. The dealer stated that the failure was not covered under warranty, and the repair would be the contacts responsibility. She was informed that the failure was due to the front seat belt buckle assembly, and her VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign id number 03V321000 (air bags:frontal). The VIN, purchase date, and engine size were unknown. The current mileage was 97,000 and failure mileage was 90,000. Updated 4/23/08 updated 04/23/08

- Ballston Lake, NY, USA

I co-own this car with my daughter. The air bag light came on and would not go off. This caused her to fail inspection in Virginia. We found out about safety recall 02V290000 which specified that on 2003 Tiburons the driver seat belt buckle could be damaged by the height adjuster mechanism, resulting in failure of the air bag or the permanent lighting of the air bag light with failure to deploy on impact. The dealer refused to fix it because Hyundai claims the problem was fixed by March 2003 and will not agree to fix cars manufactured afterward. My daughter's car was produced in May 2003, making the window between eligibility and non-eligibility only 32 days from March 31 to May 1. we have spent hours trying to get this problem fixed. Hyundai cannot explain why, if the problem was fixed as of March 2003, there are cars suffering from the exact same problem and manufactured less than two months later. I am still working to get them to underwrite repairs. Meanwhile, my daughter is driving a potentially unsafe car, we've spent hours going to dealerships to get them to look at it and arguing on the phone with Hyundai and its dealers, and we have both lost a lot of time from work and suffered great aggravation.

- Arlington, VA, USA

: the contact stated the driver seat belt and airbag lights illuminated. When the seat was repositioned, the seat belt light went out, but the airbag light remained illuminated. The vehicle was not included in recall #02V290000, regarding seatbelts:front:buckle assembly due to the VIN. The service dealer determined the seat belt buckle needed to be replaced to fix the issue.

- Colton, CA, USA

: the contact stated the airbag light illuminated constantly. The vehicle was taken to a service dealer who determined there was a short in the seat belt assembly. There was a NHTSA recall# 03V290000 pertaining to the seat belt buckle assembly. The vehicle was not included in the recall due to the VIN.

- Plymouth, NC, USA

Consumer complained about a seat belt problem. The seat belts did not lock.

- Pine Bluff, AR, USA

Consumer stated that while driving at 45 mph an accident occurred while trying to avoid a collision with a stalled vehicle in the highway. While avoiding the stalled vehicle consumer rolled into a ditch and rolled over several times. Consumer's seatbelt came undone, and the air bag did not deploy. After the accident something under the hood started smoking, and within ten minutes the entire car was consumed by the fire.

- Hailey, ID, USA