2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Wipers & Visibility Problems

While driving the Panoramic Glass Roof exploded on its own.

I HAVE A 2013 HYUNDAI SANTA FE LIMITED. WE WERE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY 85 IN NORTH DAKOTA WHEN THE FORWARD SECTION OF THE PANORAMA ROOF SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING EXPLODED AND SHATTERED INTO THOUSANDS OF FRAGMENTS. IT SOUNDED LIKE A SHOTGUN BLAST INSIDE THE CAR. FORTUNATELY, THE SUNSHADE WAS CLOSED AT THE TIME SO MOST OF THE GLASS FRAGMENTS WERE CONTAINED. WHEN WE STOPPED AND EXAMINED THE ROOF, WE SAW A HOLE ABOUT 15-18 INCHES IN DIAMETER. WE WERE TRAVELING AT 65MPH AND THE TEMPERATURE WAS 65-70 DEGREES F. THE CAR HAD 61,000 MILES ON IT AT THE TIME. IT IS CURRENTLY AT THE HYUNDAI DEALER FOR REPAIRS. THE SERVICE REP LEFT ME WITH LITTLE CONFIDENCE THAT HYUNDAI WOULD COVER THE COST OF THE REPAIR.

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AT ABOUT 70MPH ON WEDNESDAY 2/24/16 IN CHARLOTTE, NC WHEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN THE SUNROOF EXPLODED WITH OUR 3 YEAR OLD AND 2 MONTH OLD IN THE BACK SEAT. THE SHADE WAS BACK AND GLASS DROPPED DOWN ON ALL OF THEM. MY 3 YEAR OLD HAD SOME VERY SMALL CUTS ON HER FACE. THERE WERE NO VEHICLES OR BRIDGES NEAR THE VEHICLE WHEN THIS HAPPENED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY ADVISED THAT THEY WERE GOING TO PUT IT IN AS A WARRANTY CLAIM WITH HYUNDAI BECAUSE THEY HAD ANOTHER ONE, SAME YEAR MAKE AND MODEL, COME IN THE WEEK BEFORE WITH THE SAME THING. AFTER GOOGLING IT, I HAVE READ SEVERAL INCIDENTS WHERE THIS HAS TAKEN PLACE. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A RECALL ON THIS DUE TO THE SAFETY CONCERNS THAT IT POSES. SHE COULD HAVE BEEN STARTLED AND LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY YOU CAN SEE THAT THE GLASS GOES UP OUT OF THE VEHICLE, NOT DOWN. I BELIEVE THAT IT WOULD BE GOING DOWN HAD SOMETHING HIT IT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. WHILE DRIVING AT 60 MPH, A LOUD ABNORMAL SOUND EMITTED BEFORE THE SUN ROOF EXPLODED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 83,590.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE SUN ROOF SHATTERED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,500.

THE PANORAMIC SUNROOF ON MY 2013 HYUNDAI SANTA FE EXPLODED, SENDING GLASS SHARDS EVERYWHERE. IT SOUNDED LIKE A SHOTGUN WENT OFF INSIDE THE VEHICLE. FORTUNATELY, THE INSIDE ROOF COVER WAS CLOSED, SO MOST OF THE SHATTERED GLASS WAS SENT ONTO THE ROADWAY, INSTEAD OF INSIDE THE VEHICLE. INTERNET INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. EXPLODING SUNROOFS ON HYUNDAI VEHICLES, INCLUDING THE SANTA FE AND VELOSTER, HAVE OCCURRED IN THE PAST. TO ME, THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. NOT ONLY BECAUSE GLASS COULD BE BLOWN WITH SIGNIFICANT FORCE THROUGHOUT THE VEHICLE, BUT BECAUSE IF IT HAPPENED AT HIGHWAY SPEED, IT MIGHT MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE DUE TO SHOCK OF THE EXPLOSION AND GLASS BEING SHOT EVERYWHERE. SINCE THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH HYUNDAI, THERE NEEDS TO BE A PERMANENT FIX APPLIED TO ANY VEHICLE THAT HAS EXPERIENCED THIS SUNROOF PROBLEM WHEN IT IS REPAIRED. TO SIMPLY REPLACE THE BROKEN SUNROOF WITH AN IDENTICALLY FLAWED SUNROOF DOES NOTHING TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THE VEHICLE DURING SUBSEQUENT ROAD DRIVING. I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS VEHICLE IS SAFE TO DRIVE WITHOUT THIS PERMANENT FIX. *TR

I HAVE CONTACTED HYUNDAI AND HAVE BEEN GETTING THE RUN AROUND ABOUT THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS. THE WIPER ON THE PASSENGER SIDE DOES NOT CLEAN THE WINDOW PROPERLY - THERE IS A PIE SHAPED AREA ON THE BOTTOM OF THE WIPER, ON THE PASSENGER SIDE ONLY, THAT DOES NOT HIT THE WINDOW. AFTER MANY DISCUSSIONS WITH HYUNDAI AND GOING TO 2 DIFFERENT DEALS, THEY HAVE SAID THAT IT IS A DEFECT AND THAT ALL OR MOST HYUNDAI'S HAVE THIS DEFECT. I FEEL THAT IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE SINCE WHEN IT IS RAINING HARD, THE WIPER SPLASHES BACK ONTO THE WINDOW DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE WIPER IS NOT HITTING THE ENTIRE WINDOW PROPERLY. I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND SINCE MOST OF THE HYUNDAI'S HAVE THIS PROBLEM, IT IS A DEFECT THAT THE MANUFACTURER KNOWS ABOUT, BUT DOES NOT WANT TO TAKE CARE OF. *TR

WHILE DRIVING OVER A BRIDGE - THE SUNROOF PART OF MY MOON ROOF EXPLODED. THE WEATHER WASN'T EVEN HOT / HUMID - ABOUT 85 DEGREES OUTSIDE AT THE TIME. WHEN I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED - MY SUNROOF WAS COMPLETED SHATTERED WITH THE EDGES STILL ATTACHED - BUT A HOLE OVER 12-INCHES IN DIAMETER WAS BLOWN OUT AND GLASS PARTIALS WERE DROPPED INTO THE SHADE COVER THAT COVERS THE MOON ROOF AS MY CEILING. THE HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP HAS ONLY CONCLUDED THAT THEY WILL REPLACE THE GLASS WITH THE SAME PART AND WAS NOT ABLE TO SAY IF THIS ISSUE WOULD / COULD HAPPEN AGAIN. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON I-95 IN RICHMOND VIRGINIA AND MY SUNROOF SHATTERED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE GLASS FROM THE PANORAMIC SUN ROOF SHATTERED. THE CONTACT NOTICED A CIRCULAR HOLE NEAR THE FRONT CENTER SECTION OF THE SUN ROOF. THE REMAINING PORTION OF THE GLASS CREATED A SPIDER WEB IMPRESSION. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE MANUFACTURER PROVIDED THE CONTACT WITH A CASE NUMBER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 17,740.

JUST HAD MY WINDSHIELD REPLACED 2 WEEKS AGO BECAUSE OF A CRACK ON THE BASE OF THE WINDSHIELD. I REMOTE STARTED MY CAR WHEN I WAS LEAVING WORK ON A SNOWY NIGHT AND WHEN I GOT TO THE CAR AND WIPED THE SNOW OF THE WINDSHIELD I NOTICED A CRACK COMING FROM THE BASE OF IT! NO IMPACT MARKS AT ALL. SO THE NEXT MORNING I MADE AN INSURANCE CLAIM AND HAD IT REPLACED BY SAFELITE. NOW THIS PAST WEEK WE HAD SNOW AGAIN IN NYC AND I WAS GETTING READY TO LEAVE FOR WORK AND REMOTE STARTED THE CAR.... GUESS WHAT I SAW WHEN I GOT TO THE CAR! A CRACK FROM THE BASE! SO I STARTED RESEARCHING IT AND THE TURBO MODELS HAVE A HEATING ELEMENT ON THE BOTTOM PART OF THE WINDSHIELD FOR THE WIPERS TO DEFROST THEM. NOW IT SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD IDEA BUT NOT IF THERE'S SNOW ON THE WINDSHIELD WHICH IS COLD AND FROM THE OTHER SIDE YOUR HEATING IT UP INCONSISTENTLY ONLY AT THE BOTTOM. YOUR JUST ASKING FOR A CRACK. SO THIS TIME THE WINDSHIELD WAS REPLACED THE TECHNICIAN SAID HE THOUGHT IT WAS THE HEAT AS WELL AND LEFT THE ELEMENT UNPLUGGED. HYUNDAI HAS BEEN KNOWN FOR FRAGILE GLASS....WHAT IS GOING ON NHTSA! *TR

WAS DRIVING 2013 HYUNDAI SANTA FE ON THE HIGHWAY AT 70MPH WHEN SUDDENLY I HEARD A LOUD NOISE. IMMEDIATELY AFTER I COULD HEAR THE BROKEN GLASS FROM MY SUNROOF ON TOP OF THE CLOTH COVER. VEHICLE WAS NOT STRUCK BY AN EXTERNAL OBJECT, BUT RATHER THE SUNROOF SEEMED TO EXPLODE SPONTANEOUSLY. WHEN I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO EXAMINE THE DAMAGE, ALMOST THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE SUNROOF HAD BROKEN IN MILLIONS OF PIECES. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 75MPH THERE WAS A LOUD BANG (LIKE AN M80 EXPLODING). I WAS VERY DAZED AND WAS UNSURE WHAT HAD HAPPENED. THE SUNSCREEN WAS CLOSED AND SEEMED TO BE FLAPPING AS IF WIND WAS BLOWING ON IT. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. WHEN I GOT OUT OF THE VEHICLE I FOUND THAT THE SUNROOF HAD EXPLODED AND THAT THE EDGES OF THE ROOF WERE POINTING STRAIGHT UP. THE SUNROOF WAS CLOSED AT THE TIME OF THE EXPLOSION AND THE TEMPERATURE WAS ABOUT 70 DEGREES. THERE WERE RAIN CLOUDS MOVING IN AND I DO NOT HAVE A GARAGE, SO I WENT RIGHT TO THE DEALERSHIP. I REMEMBER ONE OF THE TECHNICIANS SAYING "WOW, I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT BEFORE". THE DEALERSHIP INSTALLED PLASTIC CARPET FILM OVER THE HOLE AS THEY DIDN'T HAVE A REPLACEMENT SUNROOF. THE ROOF WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY A FEW DAYS LATER. *TR

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY, AT ABOUT 65 MILES PER HOUR, WHEN I HEAR A LOUD EXPLOSION NOISE THAT SOUNDED LIKE A GUNSHOT. I HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS HAPPENING AND THEN I COULD HEAR THE SOUND OF WIND COMING FROM THE SUNROOF. LUCKILY, THE FABRIC PART THAT SLIDES BACK AND FORTH WAS CLOSED SO NONE OF THE GLASS CAME IN. I EXITED THE FREEWAY AND PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT TO SEE WHAT HAD HAPPENED. ALMOST ALL OF THE GLASS ON THE FRONT HALF OF THE SUNROOF HAD COMPLETELY EXPLODED OUT AND LEFT A GAPING HOLE. *TR

DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, 65MPH I HEARD A LOUD BANG AS IF SOMETHING HIT THE CAR. HOWEVER, THIS WAS NOT THE CASE. I LOOK UP THAT BACK FIXED PANEL TO THE PANORAMIC MOONROOF, THE BACK PAIN OF GLASS HAD CRACKED INTO A "MILLION LITTLE PIECES" BUT STILL REMAINED INTACT. THE BACK SEAT WAS NOTED TO HAVE NUMEROUS GLASS SHAVINGS ALL OVER. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION WHEN I PULLED OVER, THERE WAS A HOLE NO BIGGER THAN A DIME SHAPE. THIS HOLE, ASSUMING WAS THE POINT OF IMPACT, WAS LOCATED ON THE BACK OF THE SECOND PANEL, NEAR WHERE THE GLASS MEETS THE SHEET METAL. ASSUMING THAT A PIECE OF DEBRIS HIT IT, I HAD IT FIXED AS A GLASS CLAIM THROUGH MY INSURANCE. UPON FURTHER RESEARCH, IT SEEMS THAT THIS WILL BE THE SECOND COMPLAINT FOR THIS MODEL YEAR, WITH ANOTHER HYUNDAI MODEL WITH AN ACTIVE RECALL FOR THE SAME ISSUE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM VACATION, 600 MILES INTO THE DRIVE AND 200 MILES FROM HOME, I HEAR A LOUD BANG. I LOOK UP TO FIND THAT THE SUNROOF OF MY CAR HAS EXPLODED. NOTHING HIT THE CAR AND NO DEBRIS AT THE INSTANT OF THE EXPLOSION FELL INTO THE CAR. IT SEEMED TO HAVE EXPLODED OUTWARD BUT THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF WHAT CAUSED THE EXPLOSION. SMALL SHARDS OF GLASS FROM AROUND THE EDGE OF THE GAPING HOLE BEGAN TO FALL INTO THE CAR, THOUGH THE MAJORITY OF THE GLASS HAD FLOWN OUT BECAUSE I WAS GOING 65MPH. I PULLED OVER, PATCHED THE SUNROOF WITH DUCT TAPE AND TRASH BAGS AND CONTINUED TO DRIVE HOME. I WILL TAKE THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP TOMORROW TO GET IT FIXED. AFTER A QUICK GOOGLE SEARCH, I TURNED UP THAT HYUNDAI IS RECALLING OTHER CARS BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM. MY CAR HAS A PANORAMIC SUNROOF, JUST LIKE THE VELOSTERS. NHTSA, PLEASE BROADEN YOUR INVESTIGATION OF HYUNDAIS' SUNROOFS TO INCLUDE SANTA FE SPORTS TOO!! *TR