2024 Kia Telluride Visibility Problems

We were driving on interstate at 70 mph. It was sunny and 45 degrees outside. Suddenly with no warning, our front sunroof glass exploded. The bang was so loud that my ear was ringing hours after. Fortunately no car was following closely so no other vehicle was hit with flying debris. Also, our interior visor was closed so we were not struck by any of the flying glass. We pulled off and removed any loose glass that could fly off and proceeded to the dealership. They were submitting warranty information, etc. and provided a rental while we await the repairs. They did mention they had seen this before in a case where the visor was not closed and glass poured into the cabin and implied that it was a worse case than ours.

NHTSA ID

11712594

Incident

Jan 21, 2026

I activated the windshield wipers and noticed no fluid spraying from the nozzles. Upon checking the washer fluid reservoir under the hood, it was nearly empty despite being refilled just two days prior. There were no visible external spills, but I discovered a significant puddle of washer fluid accumulating behind the front-right wheel well liner, indicating an internal leak. Further inspection (guided by online owner forums reporting the same issue) revealed that the ribbed plastic section of the windshield washer hose—specifically at the connection point near the firewall—had cracked and separated. This hose runs as a single assembly from the reservoir, through the engine bay, to both front and rear nozzles. The crack appears to be a manufacturing defect in the brittle plastic material, which is prone to fracturing under normal temperature fluctuations or minor vibrations, rather than wear from high mileage. The failure eliminates the ability to clear the windshield of rain, bugs, or debris, creating a hazardous blind spot and directly contributing to reduced visibility.

NHTSA ID

11697130

Incident

Oct 15, 2025

The vehicle’s windshield was hit by road debri/gravel while driving on a paved freeway. The impact caused the windshield to shatter at the impact site and crack about 1/2 of the way across the windshield. I had the windshield replaced with an original Kia windshield at Safelite AutoGlass. Three months later another tiny piece of road debri/gravel hit the new windshield while driving on the paved freeway. The impact also caused a localized shatter at the impact site with a crack 1/3 of the way across the windshield. These were the only two times the vehicle was hit by road debris. Over the last 10 years my other cars have been hit by road debris 20 times and this shattering of the windshield has never occurred with any other vehicle. I am concerned about the safety and integrity of the windshield.

NHTSA ID

11674115

Incident

Jul 10, 2025

The contact owns a 2024 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH, a small rock struck the front windshield, creating a bullet-sized hole in the windshield. Additionally, while driving on the Interstate on two separate occasions, rocks struck the front windshield and caused chips in the windshield. The vehicle was taken to a glass center, where the windshield was replaced. The technician informed the contact that the glass was thin. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that the windshield was thin and there was no recall for the failure. The dealer informed the contact that the glass needed to be replaced and recalibrated. The contact called two other dealers in Texas and retrieved similar information. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 42.

NHTSA ID

11667179

Incident

Feb 1, 2024

Mileage

42 mi

On Thursday, June 5, 2025, I discovered a 2-inch crack at the bottom center of my windshield after my vehicle had been parked in my garage for three consecutive days without being driven. There was no known impact or external force that could have caused the crack. The vehicle remained stationary and protected from environmental elements during this time. On Tuesday, June 10, 2025, I drove the vehicle to a glass repair company at the request of the dealership. While en route, I observed the crack rapidly expand from 2 inches to over 12 inches in length, extending upward and curving toward the driver’s side view area. The glass company inspected the windshield and confirmed there was no evidence of impact damage (e.g., from a rock or debris). Safety Risk: The expanding crack compromised the structural integrity of the windshield and obstructed the driver’s field of vision, posing a potential safety hazard. A weakened windshield may also reduce the effectiveness of airbag deployment and roof support in the event of a collision. Inspection and Confirmation: The issue was evaluated by an independent glass repair company, which confirmed the absence of any impact damage. The dealership referred me to this inspection. The manufacturer has not yet inspected the vehicle directly. Availability for Inspection: Yes, the cracked windshield is still available for inspection upon request. Warning Signs or Symptoms Prior to Failure: There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms prior to the appearance of the crack. The crack was first noticed after the vehicle had been parked and unused for several days.

NHTSA ID

11666329

Incident

Jun 5, 2025

The sunroof spontaneously exploded while I was driving my kids to practice. Luckily we had the sunshade closed, so that prevented us from getting covered in glass. I have found several claims online from other Kia Telluride owners experiencing this same issue. There were no prior issues or warnings.

NHTSA ID

11663360

Incident

May 4, 2025

During normal driving conditions, the windshield started cracking halfway up the drivers side horizontally. The crack begins from the edge under the trim and goes almost halfway across. The windshield does not appear to have been damaged in any way and no impacts from rocks. I saw the crack start from the outer edge and travel across the windshield as I was driving. The vehicle is kept in a garage. I contacted the dealer and they told me to contact Kia Customer Service which I am doing later today. This certainly appears to be a defect and is a safety hazard as the glass cracked without any direct cause. The vehicle is available for inspection.

NHTSA ID

11653944

Incident

Apr 2, 2025

Windshield made a popping noise while stopped at a signal light and a crack began to spread from the bottom left side of the drivers side, up the middle of the glass towards the passenger side. There are two cracks forming,

NHTSA ID

11653490

Incident

Apr 8, 2025

A rock (a small one) was kicked up on my window by a passenger truck that was traveling in front of me that was going on to the shoulder of the road to make a turn into a parking lot. I went into the store and came back outside to see that a Crack formed in my window. I continued on my way to work, worked my 12 hour shift and then came outside to a bigger Crack in my window. While I was driving home from work the following morning the Crack actively spread further in a U shape WHILE I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY. In no way should a small rock hit my windshield and in less than 15 minutes a Crack appears that only gets bigger and eventually spreads across the ENTIRE WINDSHIELD in less than 24 hours. I've never in my life seen something like this. I've driven cars for years with a chip in the windshield that never progressed or if it DID progress it was a MINIMAL Crack, nothing at all like this. This is insanity. It makes me question the safety of the windshield in general. Is the glass going to break while I'm driving down the highway?

NHTSA ID

11636459

Incident

Jan 16, 2025

Found crack in windshield while parked in garage, approximately 8 inches long on passenger side about 6" up from bottom of glass starting at the A pillar. Crack doubled in size by following day. There was no impact, it just cracked in a single line horizontal to the middle of the glass.

NHTSA ID

11635547

Incident

Jan 11, 2025

I parked in a covered parking garage for about two hours. When I came out there was a crack about a foot long on my passenger side windshield. The crack quickly spread over the next couple of hours while driving almost double the size. There was not a rock that hit my car and it looks like tiny hold in my windshield very strange looking and then spread quickly. I believe my windshield is defective.

NHTSA ID

11629902

Incident

Dec 9, 2024

I was driving on the highway, heard a pop noise, assume a rock hit windshield but did not see anything, I got off on my exit, went into a store and came back out a few mins later and saw windshield had a long crack from the top down approx 14 inches.

NHTSA ID

11622966

Incident

Oct 31, 2024

Windshield cracked.

NHTSA ID

11621150

Incident

Oct 4, 2024

Our telluride was less than a week after purchase and driving down the street when my wife heard a crack and a small crack appeared in lower driver side of the windshield. Before reaching home within the hour, the crack has spread across half the windshield. I dont believe there was a point of impact to cause the crack. It just happened spontaneously.

NHTSA ID

11611425

Incident

Aug 27, 2024

I bought a Kia Telluride on [XXX]. I drove it to Michigan on [XXX]. During the trip, a highway pebble kicked up from the tire of a truck in front of me and hit the windshield. The chip from the rock cracked the windshield from the passenger side to the driver side of the vehicle in a matter of minutes. I researched this Kia Telluride windshield incident via the internet, and there is evidence that it is due to manufacturer negligence. The windshield is defective, and a class action lawsuit has been filed. In 2020, Kia even sent letters to owners offering to correct the problem. The windshield failed and it is available for inspection. The crack in the windshield is a visual impairment for the driver. The problem hasn't been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or mechanic. The vehicle component hasn't been inspected by the manufacturer or others. There were no warning lights or messages. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11603826

Incident

Jul 18, 2024

The windshield on my 2024 Kia Telluride developed a small crack while driving on an highway. There was no construction vehicles in front of us or any construction happening on the road and were driving with significant distance from the vehicle in front. The windshield cracked by itself and upon inspecting the crack it’s clear that the crack was more within the glass instead of an external element. This could be potentially related to the known issue with kia’s defective windshields for model years till 2023. I believe 2024 model year also exhibits the same issue. I request Kia to look into 2024 model years and initiate a recall to replace the defective windshields.

NHTSA ID

11600187

Incident

Jul 3, 2024

Was driving on highway. Did hear a pebble/rock impact the right side of my windshield. No visible signs of a chip or damage. Finished trip. Hours later, took a short trip, still no visible signs of damage. 2 hours later, returned to car to find a crack had appeared that went from bottom right corner of windshield to about 1/3 of the way across. Don’t believe the impact should have been significant to crack the windshield

NHTSA ID

11598728

Incident

Jul 2, 2024

Windshield Cracking with minor damage. Vehicle has 7,500 miles

NHTSA ID

11591910

Incident

May 27, 2024

Purchased new vehicle (Kia Telluride) 4/27/24 and on 5/1/24 the windshield has a crack on the passenger side. Not even a week in or 100 miles and already a problem, how is this not covered under any warranty. 3rd time driving the car. Awful quality

NHTSA ID

11586277

Incident

May 1, 2024

There was a small impact on windshield and huge crack appeared on it

NHTSA ID

11581277

Incident

Apr 2, 2024

Second day we owned this brand new vehicle we had a small rock hit the windshield at highway speed. The impact created an immediate chip and small star in the glass. Within 2 hours it had cracked over 6 inches. I have never had a windshield crack so fast and large after a rock impact. The size of the chip would not lead you to believe the windshield would crack. I have read multiple complaints of this exact same issue.

NHTSA ID

11579035

Incident

Mar 16, 2024

My windshield just split across the driver side in my brand new 2024. I just made the first payment last week. My 2021 did the same thing and had 11 different places it cracked. It's as if anything touches them they split!

NHTSA ID

11574116

Incident

Feb 26, 2024

After owning this brand new car for less than 2 months, I've had 2 rocks hit my windshield and resulting in cracks. Those rocks were not big and I wouldn't have expected those to result in actual windshield cracks. After looking this up, it seems that this is a common issues with Kia Telluride and that the quality of the windshields is not great.

NHTSA ID

11572432

Incident

Feb 13, 2024

Windshield crack appeared spontaneously while driving at 20mph in parking lot. No known impact with rock or other projectile, I had been driving the car for 3 hours at that point. Crack is approximately 10 inches long, from passenger side lower edge toward center of windshield.

NHTSA ID

11568190

Incident

Jan 25, 2024

Within the first 1000 miles my windshield chipped. Now at 8000 miles, there is another crack. Seems to be a common issue with this vehicle that the windshield is soft and not durable.

NHTSA ID

11562921

Incident

Dec 30, 2023