NHTSA complaint #11748612

Owner complaint summary

The power sunroof and its sliding track/rail assembly failed. While operating the sunroof using its normal electric open/close function during highway driving, the sunroof glass/panel traveled to full open and the track mechanism broke at that point, preventing normal closure. The vehicle and damaged sunroof/track assembly are available for inspection upon request. The failure occurred while the vehicle was in motion on the road, creating a distraction and an unexpected open aperture in the roof at highway speed. An uncontrolled/stuck-open sunroof exposes the cabin to wind, debris, weather, and noise, and could distract the driver attempting to address the malfunction while driving. There is also risk of glass or track hardware detaching from the vehicle. A Kia dealership inspected the vehicle and confirmed the track is broken and quoted approximately $5,000+ to replace the sunroof assembly, citing no applicable warranty coverage. No warning lamps or messages appeared prior to the fail I have found other consumer complaints/forum reports describing similar sudden sunroof track failures on this make/model during normal operation, suggesting this may be a widespread component defect rather than an isolated incident or wear item. Despite this, the manufacturer has not issued a recall or extended warranty coverage for this failure mode, leaving owners to pay approximately $5,000 out of pocket for a repair caused by what appears to be a manufacturing or design defect rather than misuse.