2023 Kia Sportage Wipers & Visibility Problems
7 owner-reported wipers & visibility complaints from NHTSA data
Data sourced from NHTSA public database. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified mechanic.
Owner Complaints (7)
After owning our car for about a year when we started noticing abnormal pitting and chips in our windshield. I inquired to the dealership I bought it from and they said it was normal. Consequently the pits, chips and cracks got worse at an alarming rate. I took pictures from when the worst crack started and from February 2025 to August 2025 the crack has spread to 3/4 of my windshield. The windshield also rattles and whistles where the beginning of the crack is.
The front windshield glass is very brittle compared to any other vehicle glass. This allows for frequent chips and cracks that are very costly to repair/replace.
automatic wiper does not work in rain
My husband and I own a 2023 KIA Sportage that was purchased on May 11th, 2022. The car has barely 1700 miles on it, and in mint condition. My husband and I were at a stoplight turning left when all of a sudden we heard a loud explosion, almost like a shotgun. It was so loud my husband and I could physically feel the loud gun shot, and truly scared us to the point where we thought it might have been a drive-by shooting. We didn’t notice any damage at first until we pulled over and saw the start of the panoramic sunroof (near the front windshield) shattered completely. There currently is no recall on this issue despite the hundreds of reports. I am unable to drive my car as the front windshield can crack/explode at any moment.
When traveling over the mountain when the sun is coming up or going down and it hits the windshield at an angle the wires for the heated windshield creates a rainbow across the windshield making the driver unable to tell where the lanes are or if there are vehicles in front of or merging. This has happened to me on 3 different occasions. I have not noticed it after the sun is already up. Just rising and setting.
Windshield began to crack when the vehicle had approximately 500 miles. The windshield does not show impact from a rock or any object. The crack was noticed when getting into the vehicle, the crack did not occur while driving. Within a week the windshield showed extensive cracking within a short period of time, thereby preventing repair. The crack began on driver side and runs all the way to the bottom passenger side.
Driving down the highway with my two kids and little brother in the back seat leaving vacation. Nobody is in front of us and we are not under an overpass. We all hear what we thought was a shotgun being shot at us. It ended up being the panoramic sunroof, quite literally exploding on my brand new vehicle. (mileage was at 3450 when it happened). The glass is pointing outwards NOT inwards. absolutely NOTHING hit my vehicle.