It was a small issue applying to some 2003 elements only. It is nothing for you to worry about.

 

My buddy has an 04 4wd and he told me to get every nick or crack fixed on the element or I will regret it.

 

They must use really cheap glass, cause I've had my E for 2 months and already have 3 chips in the windshield.

 

2 months after purchasing mine, i had to replace the OEM with Pilkington, then i got a small bullseye crack (fixed for 30 bones).. it has been hit as of yesterday with a nice size rock causin a bullseye about 1/2 inch in dia, and now it has 4 individual cracks spreading from 3 -6 inches long.. needless to say i am tore up... its an 04 . Bout ready to trade it in... its getting really expensive to fix and replace :shock:

 

You're going to hear all kinds of stories regarding windshields; it's a very popular topic on the forum. I've got a '03 with four chips in the windshield. It's now '05 and not one of them have spread and that's through two Canadian winters. Once I put a wind/bug deflector on the front of the hood, I haven't had a problem. Chips that occur near the edge of the glass will most likely spread as that's wear the most stress occurs on the windshield. Civics use to have the same problem. I don't have a solution for you; all I can do is profess how amazing the Element is for everything you'll do. Goodluck!


Mike

 

Bout ready to trade it in... its getting really expensive to fix and replace :shock:

Have you had any luck in finding out what model of car is unlikely to get rock hits? Maybe something with a tiny, highly sloped windshield? I wonder if local glass shops would tell you what models they rarely see.

paulj

 

in my 2004 I am on my second windshield and this one has been repaired once already

 

Keep in mind there is a big difference between damage due to rock hits, and cracks that might have been due to some sort of glass mounting problem. Rock hits can occur on any car, so you have to have a good grasp of statistics to make a convincing case that the Element is more (or less) susceptible to that kind of damage.

paulj

 

My question is this: rock, defect, or both?

I've currently got the last post on the sticky thread about windshields... this is the problem as I see it:

Regardless what year you buy, the windshield is subject to a lot of hits because of it's vertical nature. Windshields are made to take small hits without any problems. Larger hits can result in craters and cracks. These are very common on Elements, 03 or otherwise.

So here's my problem: a LOT of people with 04s have experienced the same problem I have: leave the car parked overnight or while you are at work, and come back and find a nice crack.

IMO, if a rock hits your windshield and cracks it, your SOL. But when your car is fine, and you come back and there's a crack, it's obviously due to stress. It may have a root cause from a rock hit, but it doesn't seem to happen on many other cars.

So I came out of work the other day and my windshield had a nice 7 inch long crack in it. Not a nick or hit to be found. Dealer's warranty guy won't return my calls.

 

My 03 has finally gotten a crack across the windshield. I tried getting the dealership to go with the tsb 028?? I looked it up, printed it out and gave it a shot.. no go.. Found the replacement windsheilds are 320.00 yikes! Has anyone any recomendations as to where I should shop (price wise) and the best brands (if this is possible) of windshields to replace it? Should I steer clear of Honda Dealership replacements?

Thanks,
Jinx

 

Keep in mind that anytime that you purchase a car with a windshield designed at such an abrupt angle (i.e. jeeps, rangerovers, etc...) you will be more likely to get a crack due to stones hitting at a harder angle.

 

Keep in mind that anytime that you purchase a car with a windshield designed at such an abrupt angle (i.e. jeeps, rangerovers, etc...) you will be more likely to get a crack due to stones hitting at a harder angle.

Well, we know that... and after 20 years of driving, the E has become the only car I've ever owned that got a crack (nice little star chip, sydeshowbob called it a "bullseye"), and I accepted it as being part of owning a "truck" instead of an aerodynamic car.

There's a lot of these stories and I don't see anyone really complaining or demanding Honda replace the windshield.... it's really the kind of crack we expected when a nice size rock does damage.

Then there's the other crack... the long crack that seems to appear for no reason. For most it starts on the bottom, often happening when the car is parked. For me it starts on the top, right in front of the driver, and works it's way down into my field of view. I didn't hear a rock hit. It's right in my field of view, so it's not like I could possibly miss it. I parked in the parking garage at work, and it was fine. I came out, and it was cracked. There's no nick where a rock might have hit it, and it's obvious nobody whacked it with a tire iron or something. It just happened. These are the one's we're worried about. And yes, I have an 04.

 

I've a 2003 and they do have a mounting issue. Go to www.nhtsa.dot.gov and go to the complaints section. Take a look - there's 191 complaints for the 2003s. As stated earlier DO NOT confuse the rock caused crack with the spontaneous one.

I'm on windshield #2 and after 3 weeks and NO DRIVING I came home to find the windshield cracked from the passenger bottom corner inward about 12 inches.

The same thing happened with the OEM windshield only it litterally cracked from R to L, about 3 inches from the base ALL the way across. Totally sukd and had to pay for it both times...

:evil:

Amber

 

I went out to my Element this morning to go to work and there it was. An unexplained nice 7 inch crack in the lower right-hand corner of the windshield on the passenger side. It wasn't there yesterday! I searched many sites and this is a common place for the window to crack. Stress fracture is all it could be! I wasn't driving, the car was parked. You remember when something flies up and smashes against your windsheild. And nothing like that occurred yesterday. I don't know what year models are affected, but this is not a fault of mine! :-x

 

Originally Posted by archslater
Keep in mind that anytime that you purchase a car with a windshield designed at such an abrupt angle (i.e. jeeps, rangerovers, etc...) you will be more likely to get a crack due to stones hitting at a harder angle.

is there a reason why you never hear about this issue with jeeps, range rovers, etc? while the E is almost famous for its windshield issues?

seems like if it was solely the steep angle, that you would hear about the jeep, range rover, scion XB, windshields cracking.

but you don't...

Honda should replace every cracked windshield for every model year, unless there is an OBVIOUS visible bull's eye impact rock dent. and they should be hope they don't wind up with a Ford Explorer/Goodyear tire-style lawsuit fiasco. windshields ARE a safety issue, not just an expensive decoration for the dashboard.

 

...is there a reason why you never hear about this issue with jeeps, range rovers, etc? while the E is almost famous for its windshield issues?

seems like if it was solely the steep angle, that you would hear about the jeep, range rover, scion XB, windshields cracking.

but you don't...

The E is "almost famous " for its windshield issues!?!?!

Maybe on enthusiast sites.

Take a look at some of the other car sites. I have a Toyota Matrix (which does NOT have a steeply angled windshield) and there are lots of owner complaints about "weak" glass.

 

wow never knew all of this. I am glad that I carry a special rider on my policy for autoglass. $100 deductable and any or all glass will be replaced. It cost about $12 more a year but living in so cal and having replaced glass on a 300M chrysler twice i got the rider.

 

If you have already had to replace 2 windshields on another car, then you won't have any problems with the Element - at least, none that are Honda's fault. Those cracks that Honda should fix (due to frame roughness, too steep a windshield, 'weak' glass, etc) only happen to people who have never had problems in other cars

paulj

 

wonder if the bug deflector will also deflect small rocks? or does the deflector make it worse? :?

 

I can't see the deflector making it worse but, at the same time, it probably won't make it better!

 

I saw some plumber crack once.... :lol:

 

With all the talk about faulty windshields I have been concerned about the glass on my '05 EX. It was put to the test as I drove to work yesterday morning. A large projectile was launched from the pickup truck in front of me. I saw it bounce on the road, hit my hood then slam into my windshield, (Sounded REALLY bad - so did my swearing) it looked like it was in slow motion when it was coming at me - I could see the laces as they say. The hood paint had a nice gouge in it and before I could stop it looked like there was a huge chip in the glass. Luckily the mark was mostly tar and cleaned up to leave a small scratch in the corner of the window that's not very noticable. So for me the E's glass has proved pretty tough - but I don't want to test it again!

 

I had a bug hit the windshield once. But it didn't crack the windshield...Just made a track ! :roll:

 

I had the old came out and found a crack from the bottom half way to the top happen to me. At the dealer he first took his ball point pen and showed me the little dit at the bottom of the crack and we both agreed that it was a rock problem. He said that the Honda problem was when it started from the left or right side of the window with no little dit from a rock.

 

I saw some plumber crack once.... :lol:

I had a bug hit the windshield once. But it didn't crack the windshield...Just made a track ! :roll:

:roll:
Are you sure you are not ON crack HM4D?