[John316_WRC]

Originally Posted by DoonDude

However, their windshields DID have heavy distortion in the bottom 2 inch strip across the entire glass pane. This generally does not affect the driving but does speak volumes of the quality of the glass used !

The distortion is clearly visible, I'm just glad the OP and his family are safe. Here's what I would do:

1. File a case against the dealer and Kia in consumer court. This is major issue and could directly result in accidents and fatalities, especially during night drives.
2. You have already experienced the same problem in 2 brand new vehicles. This means they have missed QC on a whole lot or more. Kia is accountable and they must find out how many cars are affected by this issue and resolve it.
3. Clearly list out the VIN numbers of both cars and complete necessary documentation.
4. If Kia/Dealer refuse to return your money back, please go on the offensive and post on social media platforms. They are accountable, and it is our duty to ensure they remain that way.

I have always been vocal about Hyundai/Kia cutting corners on safety to proved more features at a similar price point.

This is taking it to another weird level. They have probably gone for the cheapest glass supplier and messed up on QC.

Imagine driving on a ghat road with family at night time. What else have the Koreans skimped on?

[sagaranjos]

I would have laughed it off but that video evidence does paint a convincing picture of the problem.
As a person wearing glasses, I have always thought that glares and reflections were a bigger problem for people like me. But this is unheard of.

Definitely following this thread.

[Maky]

Originally Posted by DoonDude

Hello Everyone!

I recently had an extremely strange experience with the new Kia Seltos and wished to share

Sir I had the exact same experience when I test drove the Kia Seltos earlier this year as part of my 'no bias' plan of test driving cars of various makes and price points before finalising on the Volkswagen Tiguan.

I immediately realised theres something off without even shifting into D and made mention to the sales person. He pretended to not understand what I was talking about when I said the view appears odd and distorted. The solution offered was 'Sir please lower the HUD' and it will help with perception.
This was on the pre-facelift Seltos that just came out a few weeks ago. If you came across the same issue on post-facelift model then clearly KIA needs to have a look at their vendor(s).

[sachin_cs]

I don’t know about kia windshield but this is a thing with Land Rovers. In Land Rover, there’s an option called solar attenuating wind screen and it basically cut 99% of the UV rays and also gives that bluish tinge to the windscreen. It’s available on the CKD Discovery Sport and from then on it’s an option on all the CBUs like All New Discovery, Defender, Range etc. I have personally faced this issue on the cars equipped with solar attenuating windscreen options so if KIA has started using something of that sort then highly likely that it’s the solar cut glasses/coating that’s the culprit here.

[dipdawiz]

Well, looks like its not only Seltos, I guess same OEM makes windshield for Creta. Last week my friend replaced his Creta's windshield as it got a stone chip crack. Same issue with it, distorted view. But initially service center guys were not ready to accept it. They cleaned it with solution. As per them some oil spilled so it is creating that distortion. But after cleaning also it was straining the eyes. Then they used clay to clean the windshield, this time the distortion was clearly visible to naked eyes. They changed the windshield again, this time it is fine. To OP, was it Saint-Gobain windshield in Seltos?

Here is a gif of first replaced windshield (look at the area near irvm)

[Sandegov]

You could also check the markings on windsheild and window glasses for manufacturing dates/batches and see if the windhsheild one is off indicating a replacement at dealer end

[riteshritesh]

A Seltos HTX Facelifted IVT owner here. No distortions on my windscreen. As someone else had pointed out , this seems to be because of the UV coated glass that Higher end versions have.
The OP is correctly narrowing down on GTX and above owners. Some solution/resolution should come out when a few affected parties get together.

[Amrit@wheels]

I may sound naive but I think a simple windshield swap could have saved the day.

[dsr001]

Thanks to OP and all contributors.

Height may be relevant here, taller people/high seating might notice less if the issue is near the bottom edge. Hence might be present in all htx+ but not noticed till now.

[Chugh_H]

Originally Posted by DoonDude

My main aim for this thread was to know if there are other Seltos owners (especially the facelift version GTX / GTX+) versions who are facing similar issues so that we may understand the general trend and force the company to make a recall to provide windshield replacements to the affected parties.

Facelift GTX+ owner here and your thread has scared me to bits and go investigate my windscreen.
I have not faced any issues in the ~350kms that I've driven but I'm now afraid that if I look closely I'll also find a spot and then it's going to be impossible to unsee it. I've had an opportunity to drive at least a few kms in sunny as well as rainy weather, in both day and night. I'm going to take my trusted phone flashlight and check this in a couple of days. Thank you for sharing your concerns with fellow owners & the community.

[true_sedan]

A big shout out to OP for posting this issue in the forum. This indeed sounds like a serious screw up by Kia India. The fact that they replaced the car in one day signifies the upper management of Kia India is fully aware of the issue. The glass manufacturer has screwed up big time. And Kia QC checks failed to identify the defect. Now I think the numerous defective cars are in different parts of India haplessly driven by their new owners who could be suspecting that something is wrong with their eyes. Also I further think that this was not stopped in time and many cars now have this issue. Expecting a massive recall by Kia India to set this right. Serious lapse on Kia India’s part.

[viXit]

When we put 70 VLT garware film on the front windshield of a skoda, we noticed a lot of such wavy distortion. KIA must definitely recall and fix this issue.

But in case it doesn't happen, Buy a windshield from the lower variants and apply film on the glass to get the same UV rejection effect. The tint has a much finer/easier on the eyes distortion than the one you showed in the video.

Lesser of 2 evils

all the best OP,

This is why I love TBHP!
You learn something new everyday.

[abhi162]

Strange but true I actually thought that the person who posted about such issue in Patna was the OP of this post but then I saw it's in Dehradun.
Here is a link https://twitter.com/singhkushagra22/...f5y8iV1Wg&s=19 that I came across upon the search for similar complaint of this customer of same version I believe! To me it looks like problem is bigger and may lead to a batch of defective windshields! Fit case for a recall as it can pose serious safety hazard.

[Cresterk]

With the GIF, it is easy to see that there is a pretty noticeable distortion. As with all glasses, when the thickness isn't uniform, it will cause distortion. This is the principle behind lenses, after all.

The more interesting part is how OP managed to exchange the vehicle, that too after full payment. Even if the car's tyres fell off right outside the dealership, they would normally only offer a free repair and would do everything possible to avoid replacing the car and the court case would drag on for years.

[ani_meher]

I think mods should edit the original post, reflecting clearly that the car was unregistered and hence could be replaced. This is a point where people have disbelief, as exchanging a registered car on the counter is unheard of.