[OkieBug]

I was driving home tonight and my windshield started cracking. Nothing hit it, it just started to crack and now it is about nine inches long and goes from the middle of my windshield wiper over to the side.

It is have been about 12 degrees here in Oklahoma the past few days and I have been running the heater and defrost, which I was doing when the crack appeared. I thought I read in a previous forum that someone had some windshield problems, please let me know if you read this.

This is just bizarre, 24 years of driving and I have been hit by plenty of rocks and garbage and NEVER did my windshield crack... and yes, I have the air deflector.

Is it okay to drive????
:?:

 

[isketerol]

I have seen quite a few people driving about in cracked windshields, so one could quickly assume it's safe. Reality is that the windshield's structural integrity is compromised. That is say that the job is supposed to do should you have a crash simply can't be done properly any longer.

Most insurance companies do not count windshield breakage against you, and deductibles tend to be low. That being said. a chat with your dealer is probably in order.

Good luck!

Iskie

 

[keymonkey]

I was reading a thread over at our sister site http://www.HondaElement.org/ that dealt with this exact issue. Without an impact (rock, bat, small bird, etc.) at the beginning of the crack, it could be a stress crack. Stress cracks are a manufacturer defect, and are covered by Honda's warantee. Have your dealer check it out, and push them in the stress crack direction. You just might get them to cave and replace it for free.

Here's that link:
http://www.hondaelement.org/showthread.php?s=d328c1828b6d7490f0979a355b6eb4fc&threadid=833

 

[OkieBug]

thanks for the info, I will go to the dealership with those emails in hand. I never thought I would be buying a new windshield before I paid my first car payment.

but don't get me wrong, I still love my E!

 

[RML]

There was someone on this board who mentioned that their windshield cracked from a stone, but not one has mentioned that their windshield cracked on its own before on this board.

That being said, I have had my Mercedes for some time. My wife was driving back in the snow a few weeks ago, and a crack suddenly apeared. She was running the defroster on a really cold day. Perhaps there is something to that? She said that she did not get hit by anything, so it may be almost anything that causes the crack. Speak to your dealer, let them replace it. They should without too much of a problem

 

[fosterbo]

I've lived in Reno, in Alaska and in the Sierra Nevada, always turning the defroster on full blast when I start the car. That way, the windshield warms up gradually, as the engine warms up and the air out of the defroster becomes progressively hotter. I've never had a cracked windshield. My brother-in-law, who lives in Denver, does it the other way. He lets the engine warm up and then turns on the defroster. He's got a cracked windshield.

 

[E-lated]

[quote:d3c50fb560="OkieBug"]I was driving home tonight and my windshield started cracking. Nothing hit it, it just started to crack and now it is about nine inches long and goes from the middle of my windshield wiper over to the side.

It is have been about 12 degrees here in Oklahoma the past few days and I have been running the heater and defrost, which I was doing when the crack appeared. I thought I read in a previous forum that someone had some windshield problems, please let me know if you read this.

This is just bizarre, 24 years of driving and I have been hit by plenty of rocks and garbage and NEVER did my windshield crack... and yes, I have the air deflector.

Is it okay to drive????
:?:[/quote:d3c50fb560]


mine cracked today as well but it was from a stone or something. Had two previous hits which resulted in only chips. but today an object struck very bottom of windshield and crack spread about 18" already. Maybe it's Aliens ? in any case it sucks

 

[Simon]

Some people have cracking windshields on their E's - no contact.

But many have been getting hit with rocks possibly due to the windshield angle. I really don't know, but I know it's happening to a lot of E owners !

 

[tcristy]

The thermal shock of putting heat on a very cold peice of glass can very definitely crack it. If there are any defects in the glass (either from impacts or manufacturing), it is much more likely to happen (the defects concentrate the stress).

There are a couple of ways to minimize the chance of this happening. The first is what the poster above suggested. Turn on the defrost right after starting the vehicle. The temperature of the air blowing on the windshield will start at ambient and gradually rise as the engine warms up. Gradual heating of the glass will reduce the shock. The second is to only heat the vehicle enough to keep the windows clear. If it is very cold, wear a winter coat, hat, and gloves so you do not need to crank the heat. If you run the defrost and heat at full bore you increase the stress on the glass.

 

[venture]

Here, a cracked windshild is replaced by the insurance at no charge. And without any claim impact on rates.
(FL does not have a mudflap required law, I am told that is the reason for the free "windshield only" repair).

 

[mortaaay]

I just got a crack on my Toyota Tacoma and nothing hit it. Just woke up in the morning warmed up the truck like I always do and then got in it to go to work and what did I see a big huge crack all along the bottom. It is very cold here ( near buffalo ) and I think the constant re heating of the windshield must cause some sort of stress that allows the window to crack if your unlucky like some of us..

 

[lon777]

Okiebug- You're right, it has been colder than a well diggers lunch box here in OKC. After reading the other responses here are my possible scenarios: 1)Latent defect in windshield installation - this would clearly be covered under warranty because Honda would be at fault. 2)Thermal shock - if you are driving down the road and then switch the heater from let's say the floor mode to defrost mode, this could cause cause the glass to crack due to the delta between outside and inside air temperatures. Proving that this is a fault of honda could be difficult - you might have to hire a lawyer for this one. 3)Structural defect of the chassis. Due to our E's not having a "B" piller, the chassis had to be severely reinforced (that's why the E is so heavy for its size) to prevent twisting and flexing of the body. Again, this would be the fault of Honda and should be covered under warranty. 4)Ultra stiff suspension. When its cold our E's ride a bit firmer. This is due to the oil in the shocks being cold and the rubber suspension bushings getting harder. In the racing world, I have seen cars with suspensions so firm that they would crack windshields. I would think that this too would be covered by warranty because it could be considered a latent defect. Good luck with your repair and if you run into a real hassle, I would go to Steve Bailey Honda because they have the best techs.

 

[Jake]

On cracks. I come from a history of off roading and windshields cracking are a strange thing. The angle of the windshield has a lot to do with it. If a stone hits at a 90 deg angle to the glass then all the force must be absorbed by the glass. As the angle decreases the impact becomes less until at 0 deg the stone just grazes on by. I have gone for years without cracks and then had one truck where I cracked the windshield 3 times in a 5 year period. Partly just the luck of the draw and partly that windshield stood up straighter.

You can sometimes get hit my something hard that chips a windshield but you don’t notice it because its raining or snowing and it just blends in with the weather. Next day something happens and boom, a crack starts growing (it’s happened to me). If the windshield is compromised either by a defect or a chip then heating it up slowly might help it to last but eventually it will go unless you live down south. Up north if it’s 20 deg outside even if you warmed the windshield slowly at highway speeds that outside piece of glass will be very cold. That’s how my last crack grew. I lived in Texas with a chip for years, came up here and when I got on the highway, after the car had warmed up, I got up to about 70mph and watched the crack just spread across the window. Hopefully Honda will cover it for you.

 

[OkieBug]

After I turned off the defrost the crack quit running. It is warming up now and I can't get the crack to continue running, so that leads me to believe that the outside temp in relation to the hot defrost blowing on the ding is the culprit. I am very curious about what's going to happen next winter when everyone turns on their defrosters. The dings they took all spring, summer and fall will heat up and there will be cracking all over the place. Maybe we could have races.

Oh well, if thats the worst that can happen I'm doing pretty good. At least I don't have those bouncy seats!

 

[lon777]

Okiebug - I would still highly recommend going to Honda and see if they fix it on their nickle. Since the crack started at an edge, maybe they'll accept the fact that there could possibly be a latent defect such as burr or sharp edge on the body structure.

 

[iBeck]

Got a chip out of my windshield on my first road trip

Insurance Co says they will repair it @ no charge.

Hope this is the only problem I have with it......

 

[jonbarrett]

I was driving from Frazier Park to Burbank and I had a crack start on the bottom of my windshield and work it's way up, it was 4 inches and now is closer to 12. I went from temp in the 30's to in the 70's in a relativly quick period of time. Would that also cause a stress fracture? I am taking it to Honda on Monday to see 2what their position is, it seems to me like it has to be a structural flaw.

Other than this (knock wood) I have been loving my Black EX 4wd. It's a very fun vehicle.

 

[Nikki]

In my last vehicle the windshield cracked and I just took it to the glass place. The insurance covered the whole thing except the deductable of 50 dollars. The glass guy waved the 50 dollars and did it for free. I dont know if he did it because I am such a knockout, or if he does it for everyone. I do get a lot of free stuff just for being so good looking..its Great!

 

[Alien Element]

I'm still waiting for those photos, Nikki...

 

[cjans7784]

Nikki - get over yourself already. Or at least wake up!