SUVs are often meant for family use, so anything that affects safety is extra concerning. Owners are finding that the 2020 Hyundai Palisade has a fragile windshield. When cracks develop, it affects visibility for the driver. Here’s what we know about the windshield problem in the 2020 Hyundai Palisade and how serious it is.

The problem with fragile windshields in the 2020 Hyundai Palisade

One of the biggest problems that owners of the 2020 Hyundai Palisade report to CarComplaints.com is a fragile windshield. Enough owners experienced issues that a class action lawsuit was filed in 2020, reports Car Complaints.

The two plaintiffs both say their windshields cracked after being hit by a pebble at 4,225 miles and 2,000 miles respectively. Other owners have said their windshields cracked after hitting bugs and sometimes even though they hadn’t been hit by anything.

The lawsuit alleges that the windshield problems are unsafe and that Hyundai hasn’t admitted the windshield glass is defective. Hyundai won’t cover the cost of replacing windshields, and the replacement windshields are defective as well, reports Car Complaints. The problems are not covered by new car warranties, and owners have been paying up to $1,600 each time the windshield is replaced. In addition, when the windshield is replaced, the rearview camera and head-up display have to be recalibrated and realigned.

How alarming this problem is

Car Complaints provides a severity rating, and it rates the windshield problem with an 8.2, which means it’s “pretty bad.” Owners report that small chips in the glass quickly become large cracks and spider web cracks, making it difficult to see the road while driving.

It is alarming that the windshield problems are occurring so early in the vehicle’s lifespan. Owners who have reported their issues to Car Complaints say that the average mileage when the problem appears is just 4,308 miles.

Here’s what owners of the 2020 Hyundai Palisade think

Fifty different owners submitted complaints to Car Complaints about cracked windshields. Many of the complaints were similar where small pebbles hitting the Palisade’s windshield while driving cause big damage.

An owner in Lewisville, Texas, reported to Car Complaints: “Driving Hyundai Palisade on a feeder road of the highway, around 20 mph, a small pebble hit the windshield. Instead of having a small knick [sic], a crack formed and it immediately ran 1/2 the windshield. The very next day, another pebble hit while driving on the feeder road and a second crack formed and did the exact same thing. The tiny ping of a pebble caused 2 large cracks that are now affecting visibility while driving.”

And a driver in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, said: “Had the vehicle for 3 weeks and while driving on a highway, the first tiny pebble to hit windshield cracked it from the drivers side window frame all the way to the middle of windshield. Was afraid that the glass was going to collapse in. Very thin glass and afraid to drive of [sic] the highway now.”

“The vehicle is two weeks old with less than 1,000 miles on it. The windshield cracked down the center. The vehicle was sitting in my driveway, it was hot and the ac was on full. I am thinking this is due to difference in temperature?,” said an owner in Pflugerville, Texas.

The fragile windshield in the 2020 Hyundai Palisade makes the SUV potentially unsafe and costs owners for repairs. Similar issues also plague the Palisade’s sibling, the 2020 Kia Telluride. The lawsuit, Ford, et al., v. Hyundai Motor America, et al., was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, and the plaintiffs are being represented by the Baird Law Firm, Migliaccio & Rathod, and Levin Sedran & Berman LLP.