2011 Kia Soul Visibility & Wipers Problems

HAD JUST STARTED DRIVING STRAIGHT ON A NEIGHBORHOOD STREET, HADN'T EVEN SHIFTED INTO 4 TH GEAR, AND THE REAR WINDOW SPONTANEOUSLY SHATTERED. NO INTENSE HEAT OR COLD, NO FLYING DEBRIS.

VEHICLE HAD BEEN PARKED IN DRIVEWAY OVERNIGHT. TEMPERATURE HAD BEEN AT OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE FREEZING OVERNIGHT. WHEN DRIVER ENTERED VEHICLE AND SHUT DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR THE REAR WINDOW EXPLODED OUTWARD FROM THE CENTER OF THE WINDOW DOWN TO THE POINT OF THE REAR WIPER. OUTSIDE EDGES OF WINDOW ALSO SHATTERED/DISINTEGRATED ALONG THE OUTSIDE EDGE OF THE SEAL.

THE REAR WINDOW ON MY 2011 KIA SOUL SHATTERED AFTER CLOSING THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR. THE DOOR WAS NOT SLAMMED OR CLOSED WITH ANY FORCE AND THE CAR WAS PARKED AND TURNED OFF AT THE TIME. IT WAS LIGHTLY SNOWING AND AROUND 20 DEGREES F WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. THE WINDOW WAS BROKEN FROM THE CENTER, BUT THE GLASS BOWED OUTWARD AND THE EDGES OF THE WINDOW HAD CRUMBLED AND FALLEN OUT AS WELL. THE GLASS IS VERY THIN AND LOOKS TO BE OF POOR QUALITY AND I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT MY CAR WINDOWS BREAKING EVERY TIME I EXIT THE VEHICLE. *TR

THE INSIDE OF MY FRONT WINDSHIELD WAS FULL OF WATER. I ONLY HAD THE CAR SINCE AUGUST OF THIS YEAR. *TR

MY HUSBAND WENT OUT TO OUR 2011 KIA SOUL AND OPENED THE DRIVER DOOR AND GOT SOMETHING OUT OF THE CAR AND CLOSED THE DOOR NORMALLY, NO FORCE WAS INVOLVED. WHEN HE DID THE REAR HATCHBACK WINDOW SHATTERED ALL THE WAY ACROSS CRUMBLING AND IT BLEW A HOLE IN THE GLASS. WE WENT TO OUR LOCAL KIA DEALERSHIP THAT WE PURCHASED THE CAR FROM AND IT WAS A SATURDAY SO ONLY THE SALES STAFF WAS THERE. WE WERE TOLD TO COME BACK ON MONDAY WHICH WAS TODAY AND MY HUSBAND ATTEMPTED TO GET THEM TO REPLACE THE WINDOW AS A WINDOW SHOULDN'T JUST SHATTER WHEN YOU CLOSE ONE OF THE DOORS UNLESS THERE IS SOME TYPE OF DEFECT. THE DEALERSHIP REFUSED TO REPLACE THE WINDOW SO HE FOLLOWED UP WITH THE KIA CUSTOMER SATISFACTION LINE AS HE WAS INSTRUCTED AND THEY ALSO SAID IT WOULD NOT BE COVERED WE COULD FILE IT WITH OUR INSURANCE COMPANY. WE HAVE A DEDUCTIBLE OF $500 SO WE ARE OUT OF POCKET $320 FOR SOMETHING THAT WAS CLEARLY A MANUFACTURING DEFECT AND THEY AREN'T STANDING BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT. WE DID RESEARCH ONLINE AND THERE ARE SIMILAR STORIES TO OURS REGARDING KIA SOUL WINDSHIELDS. THE GENTLEMAN THAT HELPED MY HUSBAND AT THE DEALERSHIP SAID THE EXACT THING HAPPENED WITH ANOTHER CUSTOMER'S KIA SOUL APPROXIMATELY 2 MONTHS AGO AND THE SAME DEALERSHIP REFUSED TO REPLACE THAT WINDSHIELD AS WELL. THIS IS NOT SAFE AND WE ARE NERVOUS HAVING OUR CHILDREN IN A CAR THAT THE WINDOWS ARE GOING TO SPONTANEOUSLY SHATTER IN. *TR

1. MY KIA SOUL WINDSHIELD WAS HIT BY A ROCK WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK. MY WINDSHIELD NOW NEEDS TO BE REPLACED WHICH WILL COST ME $250.00 INSURANCE DEDUCTIBLE .COULD THIS HAVE BEEN DUE TO CHEAP KIA GLASS OR POOR BOXY DESIGN AS I READ FROM OTHER KIA SOUL OWNERS ON THE KIA FORUM? IF SO, PLEASE CONSIDER THIS MY OFFICIAL COMPLAINT. 2. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO STATE MY COMPLAINT THAT THIS VEHICLE IS EXTREMELY UNSAFE AS IT HAS THE ABSOLUTE WORST BLIND SPOTS OF ANY VEHICLE I HAVE EVER DRIVEN AND I AM ALWAYS AFRAID THAT I WILL HAVE AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE WHEN CHANGING LANES. *TR

GOT IN CAR 7:30 AM, WHEN I CLOSED DRIVER DOOR, HEARD GLASS FALLING. REAR HATCH WINDOW WAS SHATTERED INTO A MILLION PIECES. CAR WAS PARKED UNDER A CARPORT, NO INDICATION FOUND OF ANYTHING THAT MIGHT HAVE HIT THE WINDOW. CAR IS PARKED QUITE A DISTANCE FROM THE STREET. REAR DRIVER DOOR WINDOW WAS OPEN ABOUT 1", SO NO PRESSURE BUILDUP. NO GRASS CUTTING IN THE AREA, TEMPERATURE 70'S - 80'S. *TR

SAFETY ISSUE - PASSENGER FRONT SIDE GLASS BLEW OUT FOR NO APPARENT REASON WHILE PARKED IN DRIVEWAY. THIS WAS A GLASS DEFECT THAT WOULD OF HAD GREATER CONSEQUENCES IF THIS HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING AND A PASSENGER WAS IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. KIA (CASE NUMBER [XXX]) REFUSED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE PROBLEM AND INSURANCE STEPPED IN. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

I HAVE OWNED THIS VEHICLE FOR 18 MONTHS, AND THE WINDSHIELD CRACKS WAY TOO EASILY. I'VE OWNED 23 CARS AND NEVER HAD TO REPLACE ONE BEFORE. THIS KIA IS GETTING ITS 2ND WINDSHIELD TODAY. I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING ACTUALLY HIT IT, BUT HAVE HEARD A 'POP' SOUND EACH TIME, AND THE WINDSHIELD SPLITS ACROSS. BOTH TIMES IT HAS ORIGINATED ALONG THE EDGE OF THE RH SIDE. THERE ARE CHIPS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CRACK LIKE A ROCK *MAY* HAVE IMPACTED THERE, BUT IT SEEMS TO CRACK WAY TOO EASILY AND NEEDS TO BE THICKER OR STRONGER IN MY OPINION. *TR

I HAVE A CRACK IN MY WINDSHIELD THAT IS GETTING BIGGER- DO NOT RECALL A ROCK HITTING IT... *TR

I WAS DRIVING AND A PEBBLE HIT MY WINDSHIELD CAUSING A CHIP WHICH TURNED INTO A CRACK. I GOT IT FILLED AT SAFE LITE. 3 DAYS LATER ANOTHER PEBBLE HIT MY WINDSHIELD CAUSING A CRACK. IN THE PAST 3 YEARS MY WINDSHIELD HAS BEEN HIT & CRACKED AT LEAST 10 TIMES. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING 18 YEARS AND HAVE NEVER HAD A CHIP OR CRACK IN MY WINDSHIELD.OBVIOUSLY KIA SOUL WINDSHIELDS ARE DEFECTIVE AND SHOULD BE RECALLED. I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY OUT OF MY POCKET THE COST OF A NEW WINDSHIELD. *TR

THE FIRST INCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE ON MY WAY TO WORK LAST WEEK, ROCK HIT THE WINDSHIELD AND BROKE THE WINDSHIELD. TODAY WHILE DRIVING TO WORK, SAME THING. I WAS NOT TAILGATING, I WAS NOT FOLLOWING ANY BIG TRUCKS...NOTHING. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING FOR 13 YEARS AND HAVE NOT HAD THIS HAPPEN TO ME BEFORE. COINCIDENCE? I THINK NOT. I THINK THERE IS A DEFAULT WITH THE GLASS. I WAS DRIVING THE SPEED LIMIT AND DRIVING AS I ALWAYS DO, AND TWICE IN A WEEK? UNACCEPTABLE.

TRAVELING DOWN HIGHWAY 35 THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE WINDOW SHATTERED. NO APPARENT FOREIGN OBJECT APPEARS TO HAVE HIT THE GLASS, IT JUST EXPLODED INTO A THOUSAND PIECES.

2011 KIA SOUL WITH LESS THAN 100 MILES HAD PEBBLE HIT DRIVER SIDE DOOR WINDOW AND CHIPPED IT IN SEVERAL SPOTS. AT 6,000 MILES, PEBBLE HITS WINDSHEILD THAT CHIPS AND CRACKS WINDSHEILD. SAFETYLITE COULD NOT REPAIR AND CRACK IS GROWING. ALSO, FRONT AND SIDES OF CAR PAINT IS CHIPPING AT AN ALARMING RATE. PAINT CHIPING IS A GROSS QUALITY ISSUE. HOWEVER, THE SUBSTANDARD GLASS IS A REALLY GROSS SAFETY ISSUE AND CAN RESULT IN INJURY AND OR DEATH. THERE APPEARS TO BE A PATTERN OF THESE DEFECTS AND SHOULD BE THROUGHLY INVESTIGATED. *TR

PARKED IN FRONT OF COFFEE SHOP ABOUT 3PM. WINDY BUT WARM (NOT HOT OR COLD WEATHER). CAME OUT TO FIND BACK WINDOW SHATTERED. INSURANCE CO. CALLED, WILL REPLACE WINDOW W/ $250 DEDUCTIBLE FEE. NO EVIDENCE OF FOUL PLAY INVOLVED. *TR