19th Jun 2003, 17:31

This is a follow-up to a comment made eariler about the Kia windshield.

I finally got a call back from service this afternoon. The Kia rep agreed it WAS a stress fracture and actually gave an explanation.

The Sedona has the thick heater in the windshield that enables the wipers to warm up under cold temps. This happens automatically when the sensor detects a certain temp.

The windshield going from a cold temp to a warm one very rapidly is causing the windshields to crack.

I took this info with a smile on my face as I live in the Central Valley of California. It did happen in the early spring when it was cold here.. 40 degrees and yes, that is cold for us. The crack has since worsened from the extreme heat we have now.

I was also having trouble with the AC compressor which they are also replacing. Both parts will be in next week.

Yeah, it is so nice to have good news come out of such a headache.

Lisa Johns

MoradaMom@aol.com.

12th Feb 2004, 19:12

I own a 2002 Sedona and I also had to have the windshield replaced at 18000 miles. Now I have a heat problem.

But I love my Minivan.

11th Mar 2004, 11:36

I bought a leftover 2003 Sedona EX 6 weeks ago. I ADORE it, but have a major issue with the windshield. The drive from the dealership to my home, 65 miles, left me with 5 chips in the glass. Clear weather, no sand on roads. Since then, I've got 10 more chips, and one 3" crack: all with less than 1500 miles on the van. It looks like I've driven thru a gravel yard! Spoke to a friend who owns a Sportage, and she's had the same problem. Their windshield glass is very poorly manufactured. When I spoke to the Kia service repair man yesterday, he says he's received NO complaints of windshield problems, ever. That was a lie, as this forum shows. Let's hope this problem resolves with newer models!

26th Apr 2004, 17:30

We have a crack in the windshield that appeared overnight, on the right side, coming out of the black rubber area. We called KIA Customer Service and they said they had never had anyone complain about a cracked windshield, but we would need to take the van to a dealership and have them inspect the crack. If the dealership considers that it is a manufacturer's defect, they will replace it at no cost to us, but now we are going to take all these reports with us when we do; maybe then they will do something.

We have also had problems that KIA does not seem to be able to resolve: keyless remote control works off and on; our battery (replaced by the dealership at 5,500 miles) has died several times; AC makes strange noises.

All in all, we have taken the van for repairs six times, with no resolution.

I'll make another comment on this section after we take it back for the windshield.

27th Aug 2004, 10:53

I too am having the Stress crack problem. Taking it in today to see what the District manager says. It is my third windshield!! All cracks have started (you guessed it) on the lower edge of the windshield. My husband talked to a body guy and he said probably a pressure point or broken weld causing body to twist.

Will keep my fingers crossed for replacement yet again!

4th Jul 2006, 13:44

I forgot to add my name.

Jason from the UK (jaybo@zen.co.uk)

28th Jul 2006, 13:37

Jason.

I own a 2002 Kia Sedona and have had the same experiences as all above. We are on our 3rd windshield (about 1 year 2 months old), but only the first replacement was due to the mysterious defect. The last was due to hail.

Question: Do you happen to know about the attachment of the rear-view mirror to the glass?

I went to adjust it since my wife usually drives the van, and it literally fell off in my hands with hardly any force applied. It left a dimple in the windshield the diameter of a quarter and about 1/8-inch deep (3mm). From the looks on the back of the mounting bracket, the glass is actually poured into the back. I know that these are usually glued to the windshield.

My wife went to the Kia dealership and they told her that the windshield would have to be replaced. Does this sound right at all?

Cheers, Rob.

28th Jan 2011, 10:21

I own a 2002 Kia Sedona, and have had the same experiences as all above with my windshield.