Lemberg Law is investigating complaints that the sunroof of the 2020-2024 Kia Telluride explodes spontaneously. Vehicle owners report that it happens unexpectedly, for no reason, and often with no traffic in sight
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When sunroofs explode, you can be 100% certain that there is a problem. A growing number of Kia Telluride owners are reporting that their sunroofs have exploded. So, what does this mean? Kia isn’t responding or taking responsibility, so Telluride owners are attempting to make a claim on their insurance.
If you access Kia Telluride forums, you will see that many owners aren’t surprised. As one contributor to the Telluride Forum pointed out in January 2020:
“Exploding sunroofs are not new to Kia and Hyundai. Hyundai just settled a lawsuit for earlier models that had a panoramic sunroof that exploded. This problem is across all brands though, they are too big and under tremendous stress. If there are impurities in the glass when manufactured it dramatically increases the chance for shattering.
“It will be interesting if they warranty it, most brands will not and you will have to go through your insurance.”
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Visibility/wiper | |
| Exterior Lighting | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Electrical System | |
| Engine | |
| Structure:body | |
| Power Train | |
| Suspension | |
| Visibility:sun/moon Roof Assembly | |
| Service Brakes |
There are lots of complaints on forums, Facebook, and on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website. A typical NHTSA complaint says, very simply: ”I was driving on the interstate and my sunroof just exploded, nothing hit it.”
Another says: “Sunroof spontaneously exploded while driving on the highway at around 65 mph. Fortunately, the shade underneath it was closed so the glass did not get in my car, and fortunately, my children were not with me.”
There aren’t any technical service bulletins on file with the NHTSA, so all we can do is look at complaints to try and gauge the problem. Here are some examples logged with the NHTSA.
“While driving on (the) highway with no other cars in sight the sunroof exploded. Sunshade was closed therefore glass did not fall onto us while we were driving. The sound was extremely loud, we heard a loud pop and then the shattering of glass. We all jumped inside the vehicle but thankfully no cars were in sight around us as we did swerve.”
The incident happened at about 6.45 am and they were about 2 miles from the dealer’s exit, so drove directly to the dealer. The complaint states that the manufacturer was not taking any responsibility. Instead, Kia claims that “it was due to impact, but there was absolutely nothing that hit our car. No other vehicles around or debris on (the) highway.”
“Sunroof (is) available for inspection but scheduled for repair. Sunroof exploded spontaneously, no vehicle in front and no foreign object (was) found that could have caused explosion damage. I calmly moved (the) vehicle off road into (the) parking lot. Explosion was so loud that someone else could have reacted differently and caused an accident.
“I’ve read and heard of other incidents where people report the same situation. Insurance has been active in resolving this incident. I’ve also contacted the Kia dealership and Kia USA. No warning was given before this happened. I do not, at this time, have an insurance claim number, response from (the) manufacturer, or repair invoice.”
The outside temperature was 72 degrees F in Philadelphia, PA. There was no other traffic around. “The sunroof seems to have just exploded in the center and the environmental conditions were just fine. There was no road debris or other traffic around to cause such. The damage, fortunately, did not injure anybody in the car.”
“Sunroof exploded while driving at 65 miles per hour on I 65 Interstate. We heard an extremely large explosive-type sound and saw that the sunroof cover was retracting. Small pieces of glass and rain began falling into the vehicle. It was determined later that most of the glass was blown outside. It is unknown if the glass pieces made contact with any vehicles behind us.
“KIA roadside assistance was automatically activated and we requested the address of the nearest KIA dealership. We drove approximately 10 miles to a KIA dealership who placed ‘crash film’ over the gaping hole. The sunroof had been closed before this incident. There were no warning lamps/messages prior to the sunroof exploding.”
Lemberg Law is currently investigating complaints about the 2020-2024 Kia Telluride and reports that the sunroof explodes. So, if you have a Kia Telluride with a sunroof that has exploded, consider contacting us.
All you have to do is complete our case evaluation form or call us at 844-928-4443. Our services are free because the law states that Kia will have to pay all legal bills for lemon law cases.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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We were just riding down the interstate and it sounded like someone shot at us! The sunroof exploded! It was so scary! We literally thought someone shot at us with a gun! I am still shaking!
2021 Telluride sunroof just exploded and rained glass down the back of my neck and my 3 year old going down I-35 on a 55 degree day.
My 2021 Kia Telluride sunroof exploded yesterday. I was going about 40 mph on a city street, no bumps and not passing under anything. Glass rained down on me and my 2 year old. I was within 5 miles of a dealership so I went there. The service department said they’ve never seen this issue before.
While driving on the highway in my 2020 Kia Telluride SX with my mother yesterday in Buffalo N.Y. the sunroof exploded and scared both of us to death. We felt the truck shake and a loud boom sound. We had to drive 6 1/2 hours back home to Staten Island with it broken. Thankfully the sunroof cover was closed otherwise my mother and I could have been severely injured.
My 2021 Kia sunroof exploded on I95 in GA yesterday. Luckily I didn’t over react or swerve. My child was in the car with me. Kia in Brunswick Ga told me they wouldn’t cover it and that it would be weeks before they could even look at it.
My 2022 Kia Telluride panoramic sun roof exploded out of nowhere! Luckily my shade was closed and had no kids in the vehicle with me. The dealership has helped us the best they can, Kia as a company denied the claim. We escalated the ticket and was told it was covered. I received a phone call from a guy in California from Kia saying they will not cover this to be fixed. Sadly this will be the last Kia I own.
Sunroof exploded on 2022 kia Telluride. Nothing was near me. Nothing hit my vehicle causing it. Sounded like a gun. I truly thought I had been shot.
My sunroof exploded on my Kia K5 yesterday driving home. No one in front of me nothing hit it. Sounded like a gunshot!
Driving down the road my 2022 Telluride sunroof exploded. Kia won’t help.
Our 2022 Kia Telluride sunroof exploded yesterday. Sunny day in Colorado. No other cars on the road. We had the sun roof opened and closed it several minutes prior to the explosion. It sounded like a gunshot going off. Glass everywhere in the car. In my hair, on my wife, on my 2 year old kid in the back seat. Even glass in the 3rd row.
Telluride 2020 sunroof just exploded spontaneously while driving on the freeway in normal safe conditions.
On my way to work, early morning around 5am.. 55mph sunroof explodes.. I had to miss work. Kia wouldn’t fix it.