Do all the windshield being installed on elements all come from Honda? Or are some aftermarket?
If they all come from honda then honda should know how many they are selling.
If what I read here, from all the cracked windshield owners, is true then honda should not claim, as they did to me, that the windshield cracking % on an E is no different that a CRV or a honda van.

OK, from reading this board for a little less than a month, here's what I've come away with regarding the Element's windshield. Please note that there may be contradictory statements below as there are many contradictory statements posted on this board...

1. There is a problem with cracking/chipping/starring on a certain percentage of Element windshields (Duh!). Just how high a percentage is not certain, but people who have experienced this (sometimes on more than one windshield) are understandably upset and some are raising hell about it. There is a NHTSA website that logs complaints, and according to at least one poster, there are over 100 complaints logged regarding the element windshield. Since the majority of posters on this board have not been so unfortunate (yet), I would guess that the percentage of problem windshields runs somewhere between 1% to 10%. This is just a guess from perusing these boards.

2. Honda dealerships vary with regard to handling this problem. Some say it's not a manufacturing problem, the cracks are caused by road debris, and refuse to replace under warranty. Some have switched out windshields under warranty with little or no hassle. If Honda corporate is denying a problem, some dealerships apparently do not agree...

3. This is just a gut feeling from the details of the posts I've read, but the cracking problem may be more severe in colder climes. Several posts from people with this problem have either been from people up north, or the posts have mentioned very cold weather at the time of the crack.

4. Honda glass is notoriously thin/cheap. This is from a couple of posters, it may be true or untrue. Who knows? If so, this, combined with the angle of the glass (less raked), may be leading to the results of more cracked/chipped windshields from minor road debris.

5. If Honda glass is thin/cheap, is there a viable aftermarket windshield for the Element? At least one person has posted that there is (or soon will be). But I only remember seeing one post about this, and the person didn't provide any details. There has also been one or two posts about people who went through their insurance to replace their windshields and had big problems with wind noise and leaks afterwards....so if good aftermarket glass is out there, it may not be widely available yet.

To find all the wonderful posts on this, you can use the search feature for this board....that is, if it's working. There are also many complaints on this board about the search feature not working at times. (Or it that "the other board", I get confused sometimes since I read both...)
:)

I just had my windshield replaced by All Star Glass here in Orange County, Ca. Total price including tax was $247.25

Seems cracked windshield goes hand in hand with rattle in A pillar area.
I am one of the lucky ones without any rattles, and no cracks.

i broke my windshield about a month ago (road debris from car in front of me) and after i had the windshield replaced i developed a whistle. anyway, i spent some time on the phone with the manager of the glass repair company here (who also is a subcontractor for a local honda dealership) and as long as i had him on the phone (and since he was a very helpful and friendly) i decided to ask him a few questions:

Q: is there such a thing as "soft" glass?
A: no, as long as i have been in the business (22 years) people have been saying that they don't make windshields like they used to...so, if there is such a thing as soft glass it is what they have been making for over 2 decades.

Q: do you see an abnormal amount of Es in your shop?
A: no, the number of elements i see is not abnormally high given the angle at which the windshield is placed (personal aside, i woek with a woman who drives an H2 (which also has a rather upright windshield) and she is on windshield #3)

Q: is it possible to get a thicker or stronger windshield from someone other than honda?
A: no, if it were thicker it would not fit correctly, and all windsheilds have to be approved by the DOT anyway which mandates thickness and strength.

he then went on to tell me a little bit about the pinch weld problem, and he told me that if someone were replacing the windshield and your E had the pinch weld problem (in the corners) there is no way the installer could overlook the problem as the edge of the weld protrudes through the foam lining upon which the windshield is seated and it would make it impossible to install the new windshield.

I'm curious how the whistle was resolved. When my windshield was replaced, it also had a whistle at higher speeds. First time it did it I thought it was the radar detector going off. The dog really didnt' like the sound.

They came and added some sealant, but that didn't work. Nice guys, they removed the windshield to remount it. Unfortunately, it cracked on removal, but they'd brought a spare just in case, so I'm on #3 now.

I was on the freeway last night, and yep, whistle is back. It never did that with the original. I hate having the glass company spend so much time and money, but the thought of hearing the whistle on an 8 hour trip doesn't thrill me.

So, how did they fix it?

Mine was caused when the windshield was replaced. When I picked up the car it was fine, but by the time I got home, 25 miles later, I heard the sound. I took it back several times, each time the dealer claimed it was fixed. And each time I left, it was gone till I got home. What I did, was to place a strip of duct tape along the bottom plastic trim piece and the windshield. I drove the car and the sound was gone. Mine would show up when I drove between 40mph and 50mph. When I went back to the dealer I explained what I had done. They decided to replace the bottom trim pieces and clips used to mount them. I believe, in my case, when they re-mounted the trim pieces, everything was ok. But as I drove the car, they would work loose, causing a small gap between the trim pieces and the windshield. Thats what was causing the sound. Since they replace the trim pieces and clips, no problem.

LMNT 47,

check out this thread http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7252 about my whistle. it is probably one of the seals around the windshield. if you can tape them all off one at a time and isolate the whistle then they will have an easier time fixing it ... proving, once again, if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself ...