2025 Kia Telluride Visibility Problems

The car randomly has inoperable wipers. Both in auto and non auto mode. Doesn’t happen every time but it has happened to my family on rainy days. The back wipers work fine. We took the car to the dealer and they said nothing was wrong, they blamed it on my cars window tint. Which makes no sense considering it’s not functioning in the non-auto position. After doing my own research it seems to be that multiple other owners have had similar issues, yet no recall has been issued.

NHTSA ID

11751344

Incident

Jul 18, 2026

After sitting in the driveway came out to a crack across half of the passenger side front side window. In the process of getting the window replaced. Crack originated from underneath the door trim. Window could shatter while driving if not noticed.

NHTSA ID

11750073

Incident

Jul 9, 2026

The contact owns a 2025 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a loud sound coming from the sunroof glass before the glass shattered. There was no impact on the sunroof glass to cause the failure. Small glass fragments fell into the second and third row seats. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 22,000.

NHTSA ID

11745958

Incident

Jun 20, 2026

Mileage

22,000 mi

I purchased a 2025 Kia Telluride on 6/23/2025. In February 2026 I started having issues with the windshield wiper system. When I spray the front windshield, it would leak fluid on the back windshield. Brought the car in for service at the end of February and they said I needed a new motor, but never called me back to replace it. On 5/7/2026, I brought the car in and they couldn’t replicate the issue. On 5/28/2026 I brought it back, they again told me they couldn’t duplicate the issue. The service coordinator repeatedly told me this was a “feature”. When I picked it up, I replicated the issue immediately and they said I had some weird setting on which is why it happened. The issue continued so I brought it back 6/3. They claimed to have opened a tech line case with Kia so they replaced the motor and switch. I went to pick it up on 6/18 and the issue was still there. Again I have the service manager telling me it’s a “feature” and all Tellurides do this. Except the loaner I had for 3 weeks was the same year and model and did NOT do it. Also my car didn’t do this for the first 8 months I owned it. They swapped a piece from the loaner I had and put it on my car because the loaner wasn’t leaking. Swapping this piece did not fix the issue. They have no idea how to fix it and they never actually opened a tech line case with Kia. Confirmed this with Kia Consumer Affairs.

NHTSA ID

11745299

Incident

Feb 26, 2026

On June 3, 2026, my 2025 Kia Telluride was struck by a minor piece of road debris. Rather than cracking, spiderwebbing, or chipping as federally regulated safety glass is engineered to do under FMVSS No. 205, the laminated windshield suffered a catastrophic structural and material failure. The minor piece of road debris fully pierced and put a hole entirely through the laminated safety glass, penetrating directly into the passenger cabin. This failure put my safety and the safety of my passengers at immediate, life-threatening risk. Had the projectile been slightly larger, it could have struck the driver or front-seat passenger at highway speeds, causing severe injury or death due to the safety glass failing to prevent cabin penetration. The vehicle is currently grounded and undrivable. The component has been inspected and confirmed by an authorized Kia dealership service department, where the Service Manager formally inspected the damage and stated he had "never seen anything like this before where something went through the glass." The vehicle is currently available for inspection upon request. There were no warning lamps, symptoms, or messages prior to the catastrophic failure of the glass.

NHTSA ID

11744425

Incident

Jun 3, 2026

The contact owns a 2025 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that the windshield had significantly cracked without impact. The contact stated that the crack appeared to have started from underneath the seal at the bottom of the driver's side of the windshield. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where the contact was was informed that the vehicle could be repaired a a price lower than the insurance company estimate. The contact was awaiting a response from the dealer's finance department. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 35,000.

NHTSA ID

11742102

Incident

Apr 14, 2026

Mileage

3,500 mi

I bought this car in August 2025 and I have already gotten three cracks in the windshield. This seems very off compared to all the other cars I’ve owned, which most have had none or maybe one small crack from debris off the road. This could cause a problem cracking so easily that I’m afraid if it hits just right, I won’t be able to see at all while driving. It is available upon request. I have not taken it to the dealership to be “reproduced” no warning signs or signals in the car

NHTSA ID

11736401

Incident

May 2, 2026

While driving on the highway under normal conditions (clear weather, no nearby vehicles within approximately 1,000 feet), I heard a sudden loud “bang,” immediately followed by a large crack forming across the windshield. There was no visible debris impact, and no external cause could be identified at the time. Based on similar reports involving this issue in other vehicles, this appears to be a potential structural or manufacturing defect rather than road damage. While using adaptive cruise control in clear weather and with no traffic present, the vehicle will randomly decelerate as if detecting a vehicle ahead when none exists. This results in sudden, unnecessary braking without warning or indication. The issue has occurred multiple times and creates a significant safety risk, particularly at highway speeds where unexpected deceleration could lead to a rear-end collision.

NHTSA ID

11725371

Incident

Mar 11, 2026

There were two very loud cracking noises. Nothing had hit the car at all. The following day a crack emerged on the windshield. There’s no point of impact and the glass is smooth but the crack is now 1/3 of the windshield. I took it to the dealership where I bought it last month. They initially lied to me and stated they had never heard of a class action about defective windshields but later said that it was only the 2020 models for 6months and all is fixed. Online people are complaining about cracks emerging in their 2024/2025 telluride on the windshields or the moon roofs randomly shattering.

NHTSA ID

11714879

Incident

Jan 21, 2026

The contact owns a 2025 Kia Telluride. While driving 70 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal sound like a gunshot coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact became aware that the sunroof glass had exploded. The vehicle was immediately driven to the residence. Upon inspection of the vehicle, the contact discovered that the glass from the sunroof had exploded outward and there were several shards of glass in the rear of the vehicle. The contact placed a canopy over the vehicle to prevent water from entering the vehicle. The dealer was notified of the failure, and the contact was informed to file a claim with the Insurance Provider. The contact refused and stated that the failure was a manufacturer’s defect. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 1,470.

NHTSA ID

11710324

Incident

Jan 10, 2026

Mileage

1,470 mi

The front windshield cracked without any impact. We drove from Arizona to California and nothing hit our windshield or vehicle. We parked our vehicle and a visible spot and can see our vehicle at all times and we walked out and our windshield was cracked down the middle all the way into the driver side. It was not drivable back home to Arizona.

NHTSA ID

11698667

Incident

Oct 31, 2025

The contact owns a 2025 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH in the snow, the windshield wipers were activated to clear the snow, but failed to consistently wipe the windshield. The wipers were intermittently operating. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to identify the cause of the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer again; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed because the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The failure persisted. The vehicle was taken a third time to the dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the ring sensor was defective and needed to be replaced. The ring sensor was replaced; however, the next day, during a rainstorm, the wipers failed to operate while activated. The failure reoccurred several days later while driving approximately 40 MPH. The vehicle was returned to the dealer for a fourth time, but the vehicle had not been repaired. The vehicle remained at the dealer for a month. The manufacturer was informed of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 25.

NHTSA ID

11684723

Incident

Dec 31, 2024

Mileage

25 mi

I was driving on the freeway and the windshield spontaneously cracked. There were no cars even around me. My 2025 Telluride is brand new and has less than 5k miles on it…

NHTSA ID

11671356

Incident

Jul 3, 2025

As I was driving on the interstate, a small pebble hit the corner of my windshield (lower left corner on the driver side). It made a small chip that has quickly turned into a 3" crack. Upon inspection by a windshield repair company, it has been deemed unrepairable and the entire windshield must be replaced due to the location of the incident. I also have a small chip directly in the driver's line of sight in the windshield from the pebble as well. KIA Motors has a known issue on previous year (2020-2023) models of the Telluride, in which the windshields of these models chipped and cracked unusually easy (sometimes without anything even impacting it), clearly causing a safety issue. There was a class action lawsuit for many states. I now have to file a claim with my car insurance company to have it replaced, which will negatively impact all my future insurance rates.

NHTSA ID

11667920

Incident

May 31, 2025

After diving in the snow my 2025 Telluride was parked in the garage overnight. Next morning I observed a crack in the windshield running from bottom of passenger side to middle of the windscreen. Upon inspection saw a small chip on the windshield. A chip would not cause the crack to extend to the middle of the windshield. These windshields are made very poorly, can crack and break with minor road debris that other brands windshields can handle easily. This has been an ongoing problem with KIA windshields since atleast 2020 and still has not been resolved. Won't be surprised if they break with a bug splatter on the windshield. This needs to be a class action or a RECALL!!!!!

NHTSA ID

11659077

Incident

Jan 26, 2025

The contact owns a 2025 Kia Telluride. The contact stated while driving approximately 61-62 MPH, the sunroof exploded without impact. There was no injury sustained. There was an abnormally loud sound coming from the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted, who confirmed there was no coverage for the sunroof glass. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 5,899.

NHTSA ID

11657702

Incident

Apr 29, 2025

Mileage

5,899 mi

I just recently bought a 2025 Kia Telluride. Within two weeks the windshield has cracked. It appears to be a chip but it seemed to happen while sitting in the driveway. Kia says it is not covered u see the warranty. With all of the issues I have read about Kia’s windshields cracking, I am afraid they have not fixed the issue.

NHTSA ID

11651855

Incident

Mar 31, 2025

My 2025 Kia Teulluride that I bought on 10/21/2024 was sitting in my garage over night on 11/20/2024. The next morning 11/21/2024 I went to leave for work and notice a huge crack in the windshield. Goes from the driver side to about half way to the middle of the windshield

NHTSA ID

11627034

Incident

Nov 21, 2024

I bought my Kia Telluride on 10/25/2024. The windshield already has a long crack in the bottom going upwards. A chip will not normally extend the crack this quick after a purchase of a vehicle. Several others have reported the same from earlier Telluride models. This poses a driving risk especially at night with glare.

NHTSA ID

11623482

Incident

Nov 2, 2024