What 64 owners told NHTSA about the 2024 Kia Carnival Hybrid Hev

Windshield spontaneously cracked while sitting still. Vehicle was parked on a hot day with AC running and windshield burst as if it were shot and cracks streaked across entire windshield by next day causing visibility issues. We are not aware of vehicle being hit by anything at the time it burst.

NHTSA ODI 11595342

On Monday 07/24/2023 (a clear sunny day) our less than 1 month old Kia Carnival spontaneously developed a crack in the middle of the drivers side of the windshield and over the course of a few hours this crack grew to over half the windshield. outdoor temperature was around 82 degrees. There was no impact that I know of and when you look at the windshield there is no evidence of an impact. No chip, no star, nothing. It looks like the crack started from the literal edge and spread to the middle. Having a brand new vehicle PLUS having bought all the extended warranties I thought, ok we are covered. The Kia dealership said "must have been an impact" and "we don't do glass". They also told me "it's safe to drive, the windshield won't shatter". Ok it's got a crack you can literally see growing and they are trying to tell me its perfectly safe to drive? This is clearly a manufacturing defect and the manufacture did not seem interested in it. I have serious concerns about the safety and reliability of this windshield even after replacement. when I was researching companies to replace the windshield because the dealer told us "we don't do glass" I found this is a common complaint (there's even a class action lawsuit against the Telluride for windshield failure). If I thought this was a manufacturing defect before I am convinced of it now.

NHTSA ODI 11534568

While driving at low speed (35mph or less), we heard a dull “pop”. We then noticed a large crack on the passenger side of the windshield beginning at the edge of the glass. After parking in our garage, I inspected the crack, which was at least 8 inches in length. As suspected, there was no sign of any sort of impact. The windshield spontaneously cracked. After approximately 2 hours of the car parked and off in the garage, I checked the windshield again. The crack had grown by another 3 inches in that short amount of time. It is important to note that we have only had this brand new 2024 Kia Carnival for one week at the time of this issue. I was disappointed to find many accounts online of this same problem in various new model Kias, particularly Tellurides and Carnivals. There is even a class action lawsuit. The visibility and structural integrity of a windshield are paramount safety elements of any car. I cannot confidently put my family in this car if I cannot trust the safety of the windshield. Additionally, no car owner who has spent $40,000+ on a brand new vehicle should be dealing with this kind of problem. I have no confidence that this won’t be a perpetual issue over the lifetime of this car, which I bought with the intent to keep for at least 10 years to serve my growing family.

NHTSA ODI 11528624