[davis573]

Anyone having issues with their windshield? I purchased my Niro in August, replaced the windshield less than 6 weeks later. Now, I'm getting ready to have to replace it again. Has anyone else had issues with the windshield being very easily broken??

 

[yticolev]

Hadn't heard of issues before. It is from stone damage, or a stress fracture (usually a design flaw we would have heard about already)?

 

[Griswald]

Nope, and mine got hit REALLY hard by a stone. It hit hsrd enough that I closed my eyes and turned away expecting to be hit with shards of glass.

It was by a cop driving down the left side of a road trying to get in front of a line of slowed traffic.

I blew my horn, flipped him off and screamed out the window. He did not stop.

 

[caryni2q]

I got my first ding in the windshield the 2nd day I had the Niro It wasn't a heavy hit, and kind of thought it was a bug. Windshield just seems soft. I've had the same thing on at least 1 other vehicle.

 

[Billraab]

Took a hard hit a month after I got mine which chipped the glass (last Fall) cracked all the way across over the Winter. Being replaced next week. I had a Kia Soul that had at least two replacements (purchased used). Maybe it is the glass Kia uses?

 

[RedWouldForrest]

I agree w/ davis573, caryni2q & Billraab - the glass seems a bit soft. Took a small cluster of 4 very small windshield dings from a cloud of "road grit" (tiny stones & sand) on the I-80 in Wyoming, while following a truck that had drifted into the shoulder a bit & kicked up a cloud of dust.

Had them filled & buffed immediately by a local windshield guy. Replaced 4 windshields in 3 yrs on a previously-owned vehicle - I now know better. I don't put off windshield ding repairs anymore. Too costly - and risky. Even good quality modern auto glass will open cracks QUICKLY on the edge of a VERY shallow chip. They do NOT make them like they used to, folks. Your windshield is your SHIELD, I strongly recommend you treat it as such.

Fix windshield dings WHEN THEY OCCUR. Don't wait. It will save you money, and down the road a ways, it could very well save your life.

 

[NiroInToronto]

Anyone having issues with their windshield? I purchased my Niro in August, replaced the windshield less than 6 weeks later. Now, I'm getting ready to have to replace it again. Has anyone else had issues with the windshield being very easily broken??

Yeah I have a 2018 touring edition niro with 15,000km on it...I'm in Toronto Canada. Windshield just cracked easily on the passenger side....I think it cracked waaay to easily. Does anyone know if the replacement is complicated and hard because of the forward looking
Camera on the windshield???

 

[yticolev]

Very expensive to recalibrate the cameras if needed, like $600 or so - that won't be covered by your insurance policy. I've read that some replace the glass and don't need to recalibrate so I'd try that first. You probably want OEM glass though, I don't think third party glass will have the sound deadener glass.

 

[Dovidan]

"fragile windshields" have been a fairly common complaint in the 2015-16 Subaru Outback. One theory is that due to weight reduction efforts resulting in more fragile windshields. With weight reduction being a key to max mpg, this may be a trend :nerd:

 

[yticolev]

Weight reduction certainly does have an impact on mpg, but saving a few pounds on a windshield is not something normally done. In fact the trend is to make them heavier with sound deadening in mind. A few pounds has an unnoticeable impact on mpg, but can have an outsize impact on the all important EPA rating. The EPA has weight brackets, get one pound below a particular bracket and the mpg rating jumps. So when a car like a hybrid really needs good numbers for marketing, manufactures often take some shortcuts. The base model Niro is a good example as they did a lot of dumb things to lighten the car to move the bracket. Like the flimsy load floor in the base model, or the lighter dash materials.

While anecdotal mpg figures have a lot of variables like driving style, my LX with tech has just finished a full four season year with a measured average of 52 mpg. That is better than the base model. Disclaimer, I did lighten the car and removed the non-aero roof rails, but it still weighs more than the base model. Not sure of how much as I haven't weighed the car, but at least 50 pounds more is my guess. I do have a smooth driving style and minimize my speeding up and slowing down (about 75% cruise control) so weight differences on efficiency are minimized.