Surprised cracked windshield 2020 EB

[Park]

Hello all, I’ve owned numerous vehicles since 1977 and I have never had this happen.
I walked out to the parking lot after work to a beautiful clear warm day, the temperature was 88F after a cool and rainy earlier in the day.
I got into the car, turn on the AC then remembered something I needed to do on the PC before I left. I was looking down at the iPad when I heard a low frequency thud.
I looked up, no one was around, looked out the mirrors and didn’t see anything and thought what the heck was that ?
I finished what I was doing, put the iPad up put the car in D when I noticed a vertical crack that started at the bottom center of the front window going up and to the left about six inches !
So I’m driving home wondering how in the world did that happen.
I know it’s possible for windows to crack with temperature extremes but I don’t think that was it.
Something did happen about six months ago that could be a possibility. I was driving through a neighborhood doing 30 mph when to my surprise I came upon a speed hump that had been installed that day. I was only 20 feet from it and hit it pretty hard so hard when I got home I looked at the bottom of the splitter and other areas and didn’t see anything.
Cheers

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[AZlb5.0]

Windshields don’t just crack. Many times something will hit a windshield and we have no clue. If you follow the crack I’m sure you will find a strike point as ever so small. Heating/cooling will help expand these cracks and you probably had no clue something had struck your windshield. Why I always used to tell my customers (mainly in the summer in AZ) to open windows and let the car come to ambient temperature before starting your heater or ac and never start it directly hitting your windshield.

Now can there be flaws within your glass that would allow for this to happen? Yes but very rarely. In all my years of working in glass replacement I might have seen 1 where there was absolutely no strike and a flaw in the glass making process was the culprit of the crack.

I wouldn’t worry too much about this issue. Have your windshield replaced by a professional (not safelite). The industry standard is lifetime warranty against manufacturer flaws and installation.

If the windshield that cracked wasn’t original and you had it replaced, then have the company who installed it take a look and see if it was a manufacturer flaw. If it was an original OEM windshield (meaning you bought the car new with said windshield) the dealership more then likely will not replace it for free unless in an extreme case of a known bad batch of glass that was installed.

Good luck

 

[IPOGT]

I have a friend that repairs windshields. Stress crack from defective glass is indeed a “thing”. Extreme temp swings make it more likely. Also possible some previous small damage triggered by temp change.

 

[Oakley]

Windshields don’t just crack.

the guy says he was just sitting there and it happened at the bottom.

if possible i'd take it in for warranty and explain what happened.

if nothing impacted the glass it will be obvious.

 

[AZlb5.0]

the guy says he was just sitting there and it happened at the bottom.

if possible i'd take it in for warranty and explain what happened.

if nothing impacted the glass it will be obvious.

When windshields “just crack” it has been because of a compromise. The “just cracking” is caused by the stress that is happening when either colder air or hotter air is being applied directly to a windshield more times then not and the molecules are either contracting or expanding in an area with a breakage. Why in winter you will get people who used to tell me “Well that impact point just cracked, it has been there for months but now that’s cooler it just went.” The glass was compromised already the crack is the result of that compromise.

Stress cracks are a different animal and many times have to do with either bad glass or bad installation which I have seen both. If it’s bad glass the glass is compromised going back to the “just cracked” argument. The crack was a result of a windshield being poorly made. With bad installation many times the installer either used way too much urethane thua causing stress on a particular area as it dries and pulling the glass apart or they chipped it and didn’t want to get another windshield and put it on anyways and it cracks in a compromised area.

I was in the glass business for a very long time. From district manager for a National company to owning my own business. Every imaginable issue you can think of I have seen. 99.9% of“just cracked” had a compromising impact. Rarely did I have to deal with replacing a windshield with a manufacturer flaw. MFF came in batches, many times we were made aware and went back and changed the windshield or informed the customer. Thus allowing them to make a choice on when they would have this windshield changed out at their convenience.

 

[Oakley]

When windshields “just crack” it has been because of a compromise.

yes and that compromise could be in the glass itself, installation, some external force, or any combination.

sitting stationary and the glass just cracking at the bottom says a lot.

if the OP posted an actual pic at the origin of the crack we could better diagnose but as per the usual people on the internet want everyone to be psychic instead of having sufficient information.

 

[AZlb5.0]

yes and that compromise could be in the glass itself, installation, some external force, or any combination.

sitting stationary and the glass just cracking at the bottom says a lot.

if the OP posted an actual pic at the origin of the crack we could better diagnose but as per the usual people on the internet want everyone to be psychic instead of having sufficient information.

Agreed

 

[nustang]

89 chev pickup. load in the back, passenger door not fully closed. left turn from stop sign.
while turning 'crack'.

happened on 2 occasions. body flex caused the crack. passenger door not fully closed may have been a contribution.

so it happens.

not the same situation in your case - but doesnt always need to be associated with damage.

 

[IPOGT]

When windshields “just crack” it has been because of a compromise. The “just cracking” is caused by the stress that is happening when either colder air or hotter air is being applied directly to a windshield more times then not and the molecules are either contracting or expanding in an area with a breakage. Why in winter you will get people who used to tell me “Well that impact point just cracked, it has been there for months but now that’s cooler it just went.” The glass was compromised already the crack is the result of that compromise.

Stress cracks are a different animal and many times have to do with either bad glass or bad installation which I have seen both. If it’s bad glass the glass is compromised going back to the “just cracked” argument. The crack was a result of a windshield being poorly made. With bad installation many times the installer either used way too much urethane thua causing stress on a particular area as it dries and pulling the glass apart or they chipped it and didn’t want to get another windshield and put it on anyways and it cracks in a compromised area.

I was in the glass business for a very long time. From district manager for a National company to owning my own business. Every imaginable issue you can think of I have seen. 99.9% of“just cracked” had a compromising impact. Rarely did I have to deal with replacing a windshield with a manufacturer flaw. MFF came in batches, many times we were made aware and went back and changed the windshield or informed the customer. Thus allowing them to make a choice on when they would have this windshield changed out at their convenience.

Overall windshield quality sucks these days and has been declining. Look at the car windshield next to you at a stoplight and notice how much ripple and distortion you see through it. We don’t notice it at user distances, but I don’t remember windshields being of such poor quality with such obvious and visible inconsistencies and distortion.

 

[IPOGT]

yes and that compromise could be in the glass itself, installation, some external force, or any combination.

sitting stationary and the glass just cracking at the bottom says a lot.

if the OP posted an actual pic at the origin of the crack we could better diagnose but as per the usual people on the internet want everyone to be psychic instead of having sufficient information.

Hey, it’s fun speculating for the op as long as it’s not MY (Your) windshield that cracked…
Just kidding. Hey it’s Sunday.

 

[AZlb5.0]

Overall windshield quality sucks these days and has been declining. Look at the car windshield next to you at a stoplight and notice how much ripple and distortion you see through it. We don’t notice it at user distances, but I don’t remember windshields being of such poor quality with such obvious and visible inconsistencies and distortion.

Agreed! I use pilkington manufactured products. Even for Carlite products I used pilkington. That’s the best glass you’re going to get. Fuyayo and other manufacturers are good but the quality isn’t there.

 

[Oakley]

Hey, it’s fun speculating for the op as long as it’s not MY (Your) windshield that cracked…
Just kidding. Hey it’s Sunday.

$0.00 deductible for me.
I call safelite and its over

 

[ORRadtech]

Safelite has done two windshields for me in the past 3-4 years. They have always done a good job. The only thing is, if you want an OEM glass with the Ford logo you will have to pay more than the $0 deductible for it.

 

[Oakley]

Safelite has done two windshields for me in the past 3-4 years. They have always done a good job. The only thing is, if you want an OEM glass with the Ford logo you will have to pay more than the $0 deductible for it.

somebody lied to you.

 

[Park]

Thanks for the comments guys !
This happened Friday and when I posted this morning I was to lazy to go out and take a picture. I raised the hood and could see some more detail. There’s an upside down V at the base of the window then continues up in a single crack. The V is behind the hood and I can’t see a chip, but I don’t know. Here’s a couple of pictures, I think it grew overnight !

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