Please register if your Element's windshield has cracked:

Here is the direct link to the start page for the online complaint form:
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm
If you get an error, session cookies must be enabled for it to work.

I searched the database for the complaints already on file... wow! :shock:

22 complaints about windshield cracking! That's huge when you consider that the E has been out less than a year and then you weigh it by the number of people who are even aware of the NHTSA site, much less who will take the time to report it.

To make comparisons, I searched on the other 2003 Honda models. There are zero complaints about windshield cracking.

I also searched on a very commonly reported (non-windshield) problem on another vehicle I'm familiar with, and there were 24 reports - but that's over a 3-year period, with 10 times the number of that particular year/model on the road than the E.

Never mind the number of folks reporting the problem here, statistically speaking this is a major bombshell.

"Houston, we have a problem."

:(

No doubt its a huge problem and the dealers should be replacing windshields at no charge. I would have figured "tough luck" had I not done a little research. I think your on the mark with your comparisons. I searched CRV windshield cracks and there was only one listed. I'm certain there are a ton more CRVs on the road than Elements. Its one thing if a large rock hits your windshield but there's definitely a problem if the windshield doesn't hold up to small debris under ordinary driving conditions. The Elements windshield clearly does not hold up under ordinary use.

So what're y'all thinkin'? Soft glass?

I'm thinking thin. They may have spec'ed a thin grade to keep the weight down. My edu-guess is that soon as independent replacements are available the problem will magically go away.

probably a combination of lighter glass to keep the weight down, vertical positioning, and poor setting and frame support. There is an old post from a ceramics engineer on Hondaelement.org. He describes why a windshield is more susceptible to cracking when hit by debris when the windshield is not supported properly by the frame. But, Honda is ultimately responsible for answering the question as to why the windshields are extraordinarily susceptible to cracking. Unfortunately, they are not doing so and are attributing the cracking issue to an extraordinarily high number of flying rocks in the areas traveled by Honda Element Owners.

[quote:bac44e18b6=" "]Unfortunately, they are not doing so and are attributing the cracking issue to an extraordinarily high number of flying rocks in the areas traveled by Honda Element Owners.[/quote:bac44e18b6]

"High number of flying rocks..." That's a load of crap. I've been driving in the same area for the last 12 yrs. In that time, I've driven a VW Rabbit, a Toyota Tercel, a Nissan Sentra, a ford bronco II and 2 different Volvo station wagons, and I've had things occasionally bounce off the windshields of each of those vehicles with no damage whatsoever. 6 days after I bought my Element, I was driving on the Pennsylvania turnpike (which is certainly not off-road, and presumably no more littered with debris than any other major highway) when a tiny pebble struck my windshield. The spot where it struck the windshield (lower-passenger side corner) now has a arcing crack approx 7" long.

When I found this site, I couldn't believe how many other people had simillar experiences with their Elements.

Unbelievable.

Does anybody know for sure who Honda's OEM (original equipment manufacturer) for the glass is? It'll be a company like Carlite (Visteon), PPG, LOF/Pilkington or Guardian. The original is "house-labelled" for Honda.

I highly suspect that it's PPG, since they listed a replacement part reference for the Element back in April of this year. That seems too quick after a model's introduction for "aftermarket", which probably means that they had the tooling to begin with. The upshot is that if your insurance company sends you to Joe Blow Auto Glass and they use a PPG replacement, you're back to square one.

This is important because the other manufacturers need to be solicited for replacements, since they likely use different formulas and materials blends. The multiple reports of repeated replacements point to a fundamental problem with the original, and only the ability to try something from a different maker will tell us if it's the glass or the support.

Edit - I just did some asking around, and both PPG and LOF have replacements for the E. We need to verify who supplies the OEM glass and then start requesting the other.