The Ultimate Telluride Windshield Chip/Cracking Discussion

[KC_Ride]

We are just back from our first trip in the Telluride - 1,700 total miles from Missouri to Colorado and back. Our SX P/N AWD had 1,200 miles when we left. Everything went great except for one major chip in the windshield and a bunch of micro-chips or pock marks (I stopped counting at 20).

I read all about the windshield issues on this forum and was hopeful Kia had rectified the issue in the 2021 model (produced 12/2020), but that is not the case. The windshield already looks worse than the seven-year old, 115,000-mile Honda Odyssey's we came from (which traversed the exact same route to Colorado at least 10 times). You would think the front of the Telluride would be a mess if the windshield is that bad, but I can find only one small nick in the paint on the hood.

There was one, audible rock hit on the trip - I assume that is the big chip. The aforementioned Odyssey took several similar or bigger hits than that with no damage whatsoever (as has my Audi). As for all the pock marks, it seems those were caused by simply driving down the interstate. They are not concentrated in a particular area of the windshield - they are all over.

Below is a photo of the big chip. It's low and cannot be seen from inside. We're planning to have Safelite repair it before it gets worse. Above the big chip (above the black dots), you can see a few of the pock marks/micro-chips I mentioned.

I thought there was another big chip in the dark area by the camera in the top middle (second photo), but after examining it more closely, I think it might be the rain sensor. Does anyone know if that is what the sensor is supposed to look like?

I don't want anything to do with Kia replacement glass until they come up with something stronger. It's pretty ridiculous the glass is so susceptible to damage. We love everything else about the vehicle but now have to look through what seems like a 10-year old windshield after six weeks of ownership. Color us extremely disappointed in the quality of the Telluride's windshield.

 

[PL/OB Diego]

We are just back from our first trip in the Telluride - 1,700 total miles from Missouri to Colorado and back. Our SX P/N AWD had 1,200 miles when we left. Everything went great except for one major chip in the windshield and a bunch of micro-chips or pock marks (I stopped counting at 20).

I read all about the windshield issues on this forum and was hopeful Kia had rectified the issue in the 2021 model (produced 12/2020), but that is not the case. The windshield already looks worse than the seven-year old, 115,000-mile Honda Odyssey's we came from (which traversed the exact same route to Colorado at least 10 times). You would think the front of the Telluride would be a mess if the windshield is that bad, but I can find only one small nick in the paint on the hood.

There was one, audible rock hit on the trip - I assume that is the big chip. The aforementioned Odyssey took several similar or bigger hits than that with no damage whatsoever (as has my Audi). As for all the pock marks, it seems those were caused by simply driving down the interstate. They are not concentrated in a particular area of the windshield - they are all over.

Below is a photo of the big chip. It's low and cannot be seen from inside. We're planning to have Safelite repair it before it gets worse. Above the big chip (above the black dots), you can see a few of the pock marks/micro-chips I mentioned.

I thought there was another big chip in the dark area by the camera in the top middle (second photo), but after examining it more closely, I think it might be the rain sensor. Does anyone know if that is what the sensor is supposed to look like?

I don't want anything to do with Kia replacement glass until they come up with something stronger. It's pretty ridiculous the glass is so susceptible to damage. We love everything else about the vehicle but now have to look through what seems like a 10-year old windshield after six weeks of ownership. Color us extremely disappointed in the quality of the Telluride's windshield.

It is obvious the windshields on the Telluride are inferior in quality and reliability. Yes, KIA has acknowledged this and previously issued a "courtesy fix it letter", but not a recall, or simply stop using the type, formulation, supplier of the bad windshields moving forward.

The issue is the top Telluride complaint with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration 2020 KIA TELLURIDE SUV AWD
I would add your bad windshield story to the list with the Department of Transportation.

There is a pending US District Court Northern California case regarding this issue, realizing KIA has in house attorneys, they have decided to ride this one out in court, instead of rectifying the bad windshields with better quality glass/manufacturer. Some owners have replaced 3 or more times.

I too have a 2003 Honda Odyssey with 150,000, no windshield issues.

 

[KC_Ride]

It is obvious the windshields on the Telluride are inferior in quality and reliability. Yes, KIA has acknowledged this and previously issued a "courtesy fix it letter", but not a recall, or simply stop using the type, formulation, supplier of the bad windshields moving forward.

The issue is the top Telluride complaint with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration 2020 KIA TELLURIDE SUV AWD
I would add your bad windshield story to the list with the Department of Transportation.

There is a pending US District Court Northern California case regarding this issue, realizing KIA has in house attorneys, they have decided to ride this one out in court, instead of rectifying the bad windshields with better quality glass/manufacturer. Some owners have replaced 3 or more times.

I too have a 2003 Honda Odyssey with 150,000, no windshield issues.

Thanks. I filled out the NHTSA form. Safelite is scheduled for this afternoon. I'm curious how it looks after repair.

 

[qwikhit]

Thanks. I filled out the NHTSA form. Safelite is scheduled for this afternoon. I'm curious how it looks after repair.

Are you having the repair done or a replacement? I have a repair that needs to be done to my Cruze and I was wondering if Safelite cost is worth the repair. Let us know

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[Kwim]

do not compare telluride with other types of cars. Telluride has soft glass, but the main problem is aerodynamics and location. This problem is not only with telluride, (for example: g class, escalades, yukons, etc.) These glasses wear out many times more than others, since the glass is located so that nothing flies past it, and vortices create discharged volume in front of the glass, which acts like a magnet.

PS. the original glass is soft, but no worse than the Chinese aftermarket ones.

 

[KC_Ride]

Are you having the repair done or a replacement? I have a repair that needs to be done to my Cruze and I was wondering if Safelite cost is worth the repair. Let us know

We had a repair done this afternoon. I haven't seen it, but my wife says it looks much better. The technician said it would have likely turned into a crack if we hadn't repaired it. $150 plus $20 to come to the house. I didn't go through insurance.

do not compare telluride with other types of cars. Telluride has soft glass, but the main problem is aerodynamics and location. This problem is not only with telluride, (for example: g class, escalades, yukons, etc.) These glasses wear out many times more than others, since the glass is located so that nothing flies past it, and vortices create discharged volume in front of the glass, which acts like a magnet.

PS. the original glass is soft, but no worse than the Chinese aftermarket ones.

To Kwim's point, the technician also said chips and pock marks are more common on vertical windshields like the Telluride's as opposed to minivan or sedan windshields.

 

[qwikhit]

21 S 6800 miles. One really small chip passenger side not really in view. Almost didn’t see it; thought it was a bug kill. Just adding to this thread. Keeping an eye on it but at some point I imagine it will need to be at least fixed

 

[Kwim]

buy polymer, and transparent strips. You can remove chips and cracks on your own within 5 minutes. This removes even small chips that shine in the sun and are very annoying.

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[PL/OB Diego]

buy polymer, and transparent strips. You can remove chips and cracks on your own within 5 minutes. This removes even small chips that shine in the sun and are very annoying.

Alright @Kwim, let's see your magic with a how to video!

 

[Kwim]

Alright @Kwim, let's see your magic with a how to video!

 

[PL/OB Diego]

Hmmm, nice work. Any link to where you found the repair kit?

 

[Kwim]

Hmmm, nice work. Any link to where you found the repair kit?

today or tomorrow we will create a topic life hack, how to quickly and easily remove cracks. There will be links.

in fact, everything is easy and simple. The most important thing is to have tape in the car, not paper.

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[PL/OB Diego]

today or tomorrow we will create a topic life hack, how to quickly and easily remove cracks. There will be links.

in fact, everything is easy and simple. The most important thing is to have tape in the car, not paper.

Always good for the Telluride Masters to pass along skills and knowledge!

 

[plkkak]

I have a small chip and 12-inch crack after my first 2000 miles of mostly highway driving. I called Kia Consumer Affairs and they said it's not covered by the bulletin, which only applied to a few of the first production run 2020s.

 

[qwikhit]

Might check with your dealer; some of them are replacing windshields under warranty.

 

[plkkak]

Might check with your dealer; some of them are replacing windshields under warranty.

I was referred to Kia Consumer Affairs from the dealer. I might try a few others.

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[CaptChrisP]

I just took another stone to my windshield. When it first happened I was heartbroken, again. It's a downfall to living in farm country. But the good news was it was very low, out of my line of vision, and a small repairable stone chip. This can be fixed for free through my insurance. For 30 minutes it was! I wish I would have taken a picture when it was small. I was at a full stop, waiting to make a U-turn, and a crack grew out of this chip. It was now longer than a dollar bill, which is the bench mark for repairable or not. ChaChing! There goes another $250 deductible. In 4 days this thing has grown. It is now across my field of view. By the way, the temperatures in my area have been very mild this week, mid 60's daytime, mid 40's night. This week I will have a conversation with my dealership, but I am not too optimistic. As much as I love my Telluride, I have to say this windshield is a piece of crap.

 

[PL/OB Diego]

The issue is the top Telluride complaint with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration 2020 KIA TELLURIDE SUV AWD
I would add your bad windshield story to the list with the Department of Transportation.

 

[dchang1525]

Hi everyone, 1st post and 1st real issue with my telluride. less than 7500 miles on my 2020 telluride and i have 2 chips on my windshield and the last chip has developed into a crack. called my dealership and the service manager said that this was the first time hearing of an issue like this, and yes, it is not covered in the lifetime warranty. i also reported the issue on the nhtsa website as well as kia’s customer service site. will post when i get a reply back.

 

[dchang1525]

Hi everyone, 1st post and 1st real issue with my telluride. less than 7500 miles on my 2020 telluride and i have 2 chips on my windshield and the last chip has developed into a crack. called my dealership and the service manager said that this was the first time hearing of an issue like this, and yes, it is not covered in the lifetime warranty. i also reported the issue on the nhtsa website as well as kia’s customer service site. will post when i get a reply back.

response from kia:

Hello. My name is Amber with Kia consumer affairs.

We apologize for the concerns. We do not show that there is any SC or PI showing on the vehicle at this time needing to be completed at this time. We would recommend if it has not been diagnosed by a Kia dealer to have it diagnosed at this time. If concerns is determined to be cause by an outside influence, such as a rock hitting it, would not be covered under manufacturer warranty and would recommend at that point speaking with your insurance.

good thing my insurance deductible isn’t bad so i replaced the windshield last week...