Windshield Stress Crack? No Hit.....

[Jim Clark]

My wife called me this morning from work and said her windshield has a crack. It's at the top on the driver's side. It apparently starts at the very top, comes down some, meanders in an irregular way to the right and back to the top. She says she wasn't hit by anything. Anything hitting hard enough to cause a crack would certainly have been noticed.

Anyone else had a similar problem (crack without a hit)?

[RX in NC]

Quite a few folks on this forum have complained over the past couple of years about windshield visibility distortion in the newer RX models. For some owners, this distortion was so distracting that it forced them to get rid of the vehicle even after having the original windshield replaced but the distortion was still present in the replacement windshield. I would think that if a windshield arrives distorted from the factory, it may be more prone to crack just from heating up in the high summertime temperatures, especially if while hot it is doused by a cold rain or even a bucket of water as part of the washing process.

Have either of you noticed any windshield distortion in this vehicle?

[Jim Clark]

Quite a few folks on this forum have complained over the past couple of years about windshield visibility distortion in the newer RX models. For some owners, this distortion was so distracting that it forced them to get rid of the vehicle even after having the original windshield replaced but the distortion was still present in the replacement windshield. I would think that if a windshield arrives distorted from the factory, it may be more prone to crack just from heating up in the high summertime temperatures, especially if while hot it is doused by a cold rain or even a bucket of water as part of the washing process.

Have either of you noticed any windshield distortion in this vehicle?

I hadn't, but she mostly drives it and she just noticed today.

[Jim Clark]

There are NO rock chips.

The crack is worse than I thought. It extends down the driver's side and continues right and up in a weird way and ends near the rear view mirror.

Absolutely NO chips on the outside of the glass.

This is an obvious defect. It is quite troublesome. This could be a very real hazard.

[Jim Clark]

The service manager at our dealer looked at it yesterday. He confirmed it's a stress crack and was not the result of external damage. Their separate collision center does all glass work. The part has been ordered and will be installed early next week. I hope whatever caused this crack is NOT a slightly out-of-spec frame around the window that could cause it again.....

[HemanGS300]

The service manager at our dealer looked at it yesterday. He confirmed it's a stress crack and was not the result of external damage. Their separate collision center does all glass work. The part has been ordered and will be installed early next week. I hope whatever caused this crack is NOT a slightly out-of-spec frame around the window that could cause it again.....

Does it cost anything to replace the windshield or covered by the warranty?

[s10]

Happened to me too. Dealer replaced the windshield in warranty.

[francizeplaya]

Happened to me too. Dealer replaced the windshield in warranty.

I also had a stress crack in my 400h...took it to the dealer and they refused to replace it saying that something obviously hit it even though it was an air bubble. I was quoted $3,000 to replace the windshield (they just didn't want to replace it and get my money). I called my insurance and had them replace it. That dealership has the worst service I've ever experienced. I took my 2006 400h for it's first service. They left the oil cap loose and the oil spilled out destroying the car entirely. They were forced to get me a brand new 2007 although I lost a years worth of payments. Never going back to that dealership...full of thieves and liars.

[Jim Clark]

Happened to me too. Dealer replaced the windshield in warranty.

I also had a stress crack in my 400h...took it to the dealer and they refused to replace it saying that something obviously hit it even though it was an air bubble. I was quoted $3,000 to replace the windshield (they just didn't want to replace it and get my money). I called my insurance and had them replace it. That dealership has the worst service I've ever experienced. I took my 2006 400h for it's first service. They left the oil cap loose and the oil spilled out destroying the car entirely. They were forced to get me a brand new 2007 although I lost a years worth of payments. Never going back to that dealership...full of thieves and liars.

If something hit it hard enough to cause a crack there would be obvious damage to the outside of the windshield. Did the crack begin and end at the edge(s) of the windshield? If there was no obvious rock chip, it probably was a stress crack and should have been replaced under warranty.