anyone have a problem with their windshield cracking?temps were probably in teens or single digits. came out this am and a large crack on drivers side almost halfway up or more.car was not like it when parked off road.
just curious if others had a similar issue.
thanks

 

Its actually more common then you think. Usually its caused from driving in extreme cold with the defroster on. Use the defroster as little as possible, once the windshield is cleared up turn it off. Another thing to make a habit of is when its really cold when your getting close to where your going turn the heat down and crack open the window bit. Let it cool down in the car before you leave it. The reason it cracks is because of the huge temp change happening to quickly.

Its not a Fit specific problem, it happened to my ex-girlfriends BMW 540-i, it happened to my dads work van, my Corolla, my neighbors Grand Am, etc..

 

i think there is a thread on this already... try checking that out too... and it should be covered under warrenty (sp?)

 

i think it's just stress fracture or defective glass. have it replaced.

if cold temp and defrost was a problem our friends in canada
will all have cracked winshields by now. i ran my car in -5F with
windchill of -20F while the defroster was on hot almost the entire
time with fan on "2". no issue. my typical winter day is between
0F to 15F in the morning.

 

Ya, the temperature has nothing to do with your cracked windshield. I'll bet it's due to either faulty glass, or if you've got very stiff suspension/stress bars that can cause it as well.

 

my windshield didn't break when i drove through delta junction, air temp was -46, windchill -65. i've never heard of anyones windshield breaking up here in fact, just lots of gravel pits and bulls eyes.

 

Cars is what I do for a living, I've seen it many times cause from the quick and severe temperature change.


Perfect example. You can take a metal spoon and put i in dry ice for a bit, take it out and put it in hot water and the metal will shatter, its not a defect in the metal its physics. Granted this example is alot more then a windshield will ever see but the principal is the same.

 

Automotive glass is tempered. In order to experience these quick and severe temperature changes you'd basically have to take your windshield from sub-zero temps and them imerse it in boiling hot water. Our heating system hardly works that fast, if it did I wouldn't freeze my a$$ off every morning before work! Same thing goes for when the windshield cools down. It's not like the moment you park your car the interiour temperature drops immediately. In anycase, my advice to the original poster is to go take a trip to the dealership and plead his case. It could also be possible that someone bumped his window while the car was parked. Damn hooligans!

 

driving at highway speeds on the praries, high winds, -40c wind chills (not including vehicle speed), heater running nice and toasty.

no cracks yet

 

When mine cracked it was about -5 F outside without the windchill, I pulled my car in the shop to let it warm up (idling with heat on high with defroster on) well I got preoccupied and the car sat there for about 30 minuets. By the time I got in it to leave it was like a sauna inside. Not thinking anything of it I pulled out still with the defroster on high and it took about 30 seconds outside for the windshield to crack along the bottom by the defroster vent. I didn't even make it out of the lot.

 

i think subaru had glass cracking from its defrost windshield wiper coils(?)
near the bottom of the glass. that was a nice concept but bad
design. we're talking about blowing air defroster on the front glass
which takes A LONG TIME to heat up considerably. it's a gradual
temp rampup.

OE parts are tested for temperature shock. i know cause i was a
OE automotive supplier (tier1) at one time in my life and ran many
environmental tests.

 

I've seen cracks develop, but only where a rock chip or something like that had already damaged the glass. Obviously in this case the glass is already compromised and the change in temps can do it. I've never seen it happen to to a windshield that wasn't already damaged, even with our cold winters up here.

 

Just so you know, wind chill does not effect non-living objects. Only living organisms that produce their own body heat.

 

Darkstars, I'm not saying I don't believe your windshield cracked, I'm just saying that it's not a common problem. Chances are if it does happen it's due to a defect in the glass. In all my years are subjecting my cars to harsh Quebec winters I have never had a windshield crack from temperature change, even when removing my car from my nice toasty heated garage.