I drive on a road that goes past a limestone quarry...needless to say, I am always exposed to flying rocks and/or spills on the road. I think that the E's high profile is a plus and a minus... it's high enough to miss most of the big rocks, but the little ones hit it square on. Mine's not broken, yet. I can't tell if the bug guard works or not.
Windshield
I wanted to know if anyone has had a problem with any small rocks ect kicking up and hitting the front windshield :?: Since the element has a boxy style the front windshield is straight than at an angle like other vehicles :?: I installed the plastic bug guard which, I am hoping will correct this problem :?: Please provide feedback. Thanks from New Jersey.
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I live on a gravel road- no problems yet! 8)
I guess I am the only one that gets rocks hitting the windshield. 
I'll be having my windshield replaced sometime early next week. A rock hit it on the freeway about a week after I bought it. Didn't bother bringing it up in this group because it seemed like just one of those thing (and it might be).
I'll be interested to see if the Elements seem more prone to this type of damage than other vehicles. I doubt it, but you never know.
I'll be interested to see if the Elements seem more prone to this type of damage than other vehicles. I doubt it, but you never know.
A lot of E's are gettting their windshields cracked... Read around... it's out there.
I have had my E for almost a month now and I love it! However I did get a stone chip in the windshield exactly one week after buying it! Needless to say I was sick. It was on the highway in Florida which has alot of construction vehicles roaming around. It appears that this might be a design issue or something, seeing that this is such a common occurance. I really hope I am wrong. Other than that, I have had absolutely no other problems and am thrilled with it so far!
I wonder if this is really a big problem. With the internet bringing together so many people from so many different places who share a common interest, it is easy to assume that if more than a few of us have an issue that it could be a big problem. I'm not a statistician, but I think we need a much bigger sample to suggest that this is a design flaw.
It could possibly be a manufacturing problem that will get worked out as the number of Elements moved through the assembly line goes up. Or it could be a defect in the glass itself, which could be a supplier problem.
While reporting issues so that others can benefit from the experience of the group is good, jumping to the conclusion that the engineering of the vehicle is suspect is a little over reactive.
But then again, I could be totally wrong :!:
It could possibly be a manufacturing problem that will get worked out as the number of Elements moved through the assembly line goes up. Or it could be a defect in the glass itself, which could be a supplier problem.
While reporting issues so that others can benefit from the experience of the group is good, jumping to the conclusion that the engineering of the vehicle is suspect is a little over reactive.
But then again, I could be totally wrong :!:
I agree, it is probably statistically unimportant, I just might still be a little freaked out about my new car! My new (in 2000) Explorer had a stone chip within a month and was fine since then, and I never heard a thing about them. Good point.
Maybe we should have it on Poll Central!
Okay, here is my diagnosis for windshield cracking.
The windshied is larger than standard windshields and they probably used the same gauge of glass. Everyone has commented on how well the heater works. It gets very hot and the defrost is the same. A small stone or rock hits the windshied and causes a minute ding. Running the defrost when it is bitterly cold is causing the ding to crack and run.
Possible Solutions
1. The air deflector is sized for a Geo Metro. Make a deflector that will actually move the air over the vehicle at 30 plus mph.
2. Put a filter in the defroster so hot air is not consentrated on one spot.
3. Replace the windshields with a thicker grade of glass.
4. All of the above, and fast, before the publicity gets bad and potenial E owners are turned off.
When I sold my last vehicle the windsheild was sooooo dinged up it looked like a chocoholic at the senior prom. It never cracked like my E did yesterday. As you can probably tell I am NO engineer but I do believe Honda should take quick action.
The windshied is larger than standard windshields and they probably used the same gauge of glass. Everyone has commented on how well the heater works. It gets very hot and the defrost is the same. A small stone or rock hits the windshied and causes a minute ding. Running the defrost when it is bitterly cold is causing the ding to crack and run.
Possible Solutions
1. The air deflector is sized for a Geo Metro. Make a deflector that will actually move the air over the vehicle at 30 plus mph.
2. Put a filter in the defroster so hot air is not consentrated on one spot.
3. Replace the windshields with a thicker grade of glass.
4. All of the above, and fast, before the publicity gets bad and potenial E owners are turned off.
When I sold my last vehicle the windsheild was sooooo dinged up it looked like a chocoholic at the senior prom. It never cracked like my E did yesterday. As you can probably tell I am NO engineer but I do believe Honda should take quick action.
i have never heard of a windshield being able to crack from a defroster. its not like boiling water and ice cold to cause it to crack. i dought it. and if this is the case then the glass must be very thin. is this a honda we are talking about or a yugo?
Oh my gosh! Is this the Honda site? I thought it was yugosetmefree.com.
At first I thought it was just me. I am now glad I posted this problem but I gotta tell you that the bug deflector installed does not help at all with this problem! Every week since owning this great vehicle which I really enjoy something hits my windshield. One week after buying this vehicle I put the defrost on and it cracked the windshield from one end to the other. The dealer called it a stress fracture and I waiting replacement.
This is such a GREAT vehicle with GREAT features. HONDA should take quick action before it gets alot of bad press which, could ruin the hot selling of this vehicle.
This is such a GREAT vehicle with GREAT features. HONDA should take quick action before it gets alot of bad press which, could ruin the hot selling of this vehicle.
After researching this type of problem, the lemon law provides protection from a safety defect occuring more that 2 or 3 times and allowing the company the opportunity to correct the defect after that the buyer has the right to return the vehicle for full refund. Not something I would like to do however we must all protect our investments.
At this point, we still don't know if it is a widespread problem, something caused by a problem with the glass, a design defect, or something caused it such as the defroster, or a stone.
The lemon law is, in the case, only going to apply, if the same problem keeps happening, and the dealer can't fix it.
The lemon law is, in the case, only going to apply, if the same problem keeps happening, and the dealer can't fix it.
I would also like to point out that the little plastic thing you are screwing onto the lip of your hood is called a "bug deflector" and not a "rock deflector" or "deflector shield". It would take an awful lot of wind force to push a rock traveling over 35mph up and over your windshield. Bugs weigh less and have wings that catch air, which make them more likely to be lifted over the windshield. Thinking that a "bug shield" will protect you from flying rocks is like believing that you can stop bullets with your mind - unless you are Neo, it ain't going to happen!
I agree, the lemon law would not apply if the condition does not occur 3 times. It seems to be occuring to quite a few element owners and I would not assume it would stop unless something was created to stop the problem.
I understand the difference between a fly and a small stone.
I thought the idea of having this site was to share positive as well as negative feedback with ALL the members.
Not to have one member point out the obvious in a sarcastic manner????
I thought the idea of having this site was to share positive as well as negative feedback with ALL the members.
Not to have one member point out the obvious in a sarcastic manner????
I'm sorry, I guess I let my personal disdain for bug shields influence the demeanor of my comments. But you did indicate in your original post that you hoped that adding the shield would help remedy the problem. I just wanted to point out that it was not likely to have much of an effect due to the difference between rocks and bugs. The last comment I made was just a little humor with a Matrix reference thrown in ... I didn't mean to ruffle any feathers.
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