It was the Citizens' seventh successive draw in the Premier League, a winless sequence spanning two months.
City, who were again far from impressive, looked set to return to winning ways after Shaun Wright-Phillips had put them ahead in first-half stoppage time.
Hull were handed an unexpected lifeline late on when Kolo Toure was penalised for a push on Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Jimmy Bullard's penalty earned a point that left City shell-shocked.
The visitors, who suffered a 5-1 thumping at Eastlands on their last visit on Boxing Day, could not conceal their delight.
That was mirrored after Hull's 82nd minute leveller when the players sat in a circle, while goalscorer Bullard stood finger pointing as a timely reminder of the half-time team talk manager Phil Brown conducted on the pitch at the break on their last visit when they were 4-0 down at the break.
And the draw ensured that Hull's great revival continued as they have now taken their points tally to eight from their last four matches.
After a lukewarm opening, City gradually began to impose themselves forcing Hull on to the retreat.
Brazilian Robinho, back in action for the first time since August, almost marked his return with a goal firing narrowly wide and also seeing a spectacular overhead kick loop just over the crossbar.
And sandwiched in-between was an effort from Carlos Tevez which was blocked by the legs of keeper Matt Duke.
Hull thought they had successfully negotiated the first 45 minutes, a major achievement bearing in mind their disastrous opening period on their last visit, when Mark Hughes' side snatched the lead in stoppage time.
Wright-Phillips ran at the Hull defence and saw his shot from outside the penalty area take a deflection off the head of Gardner as it eluded Duke's despairing dive.
Hull were unlucky not to equalise soon after the restart when Richard Garcia's shot beat keeper Shay Given only for Joleon Lescott to come to the rescue with a goalline clearance.
City never seriously threatened to build on their slender lead and that was to prove their downfall as Hull fought back to collect only their second point on their travels.