Windshield cracked using defroster

[cory1848]

Took a trip from Florida to NC this past week for vacation. Woke up to 3 inches of snow so started up the truck and turned defroster on while I cleaned off the truck of snow. Went to clear off snow from windshield and as soon as I touched it it popped. Crack from side to side all along the heater area about 2 inches up from bottom of shield. Wtf. Are these shields this fragile?
Been reading other reports of shields cracking without being hit by anything and wondering why.

I have an appt for a paint issue on Tuesday. Should I let ford check this out or just get safelite to replace it? Hoping they use oem glass.

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[Obijack]

Talk to dealer first, you have nothing to lose but a few minutes.

 

[pull string get cookies]

Took a trip from Florida to NC this past week for vacation. Woke up to 3 inches of snow so started up the truck and turned defroster on while I cleaned off the truck of snow. Went to clear off snow from windshield and as soon as I touched it it popped. Crack from side to side all along the heater area about 2 inches up from bottom of shield. Wtf. Are these shields this fragile?
Been reading other reports of shields cracking without being hit by anything and wondering why.

I have an appt for a paint issue on Tuesday. Should I let ford check this out or just get safelite to replace it? Hoping they use oem glass.

You can request for OEM from Safelite.

 

[LurchOR]

Took a trip from Florida to NC this past week for vacation. Woke up to 3 inches of snow so started up the truck and turned defroster on while I cleaned off the truck of snow. Went to clear off snow from windshield and as soon as I touched it it popped. Crack from side to side all along the heater area about 2 inches up from bottom of shield. Wtf. Are these shields this fragile?
Been reading other reports of shields cracking without being hit by anything and wondering why.

I have an appt for a paint issue on Tuesday. Should I let ford check this out or just get safelite to replace it? Hoping they use oem glass.

I guess I must have cracked about 3 windshields when I lived in Colorado before I learned not to blast the windshield with heat before clearing the snow. Glass often just can't take the stress of cold on one side and hot on the other. Happened to GM as well as Ford trucks.

 

[cory1848]

I guess I must have cracked about 3 windshields when I lived in Colorado before I learned not to blast the windshield with heat before clearing the snow. Glass often just can't take the stress of cold on one side and hot on the other. Happened to GM as well as Ford trucks.

I grew up in new England and never had this happen on any vehicle I owned up there. Then again that was 20 years ago. When the cars iced over from sleet storms that was the only way to free it with heat. Just surprised I can no longer use the defroster to clear the shield. Isn’t that what it is mainly for?

 

[LurchOR]

I grew up in new England and never had this happen on any vehicle I owned up there. Then again that was 20 years ago. When the cars iced over from sleet storms that was the only way to free it with heat. Just surprised I can no longer use the defroster to clear the shield. Isn’t that what it is mainly for?

I also have used heat to melt ice with no issues. My guess is that a decent layer of snow provides insulation to the cold side, thereby setting up the temp differential. When clearing ice, one can see the warming effect and usually start scraping away to encourage removal. Another thing that occurs to me is that at that time I was driving thousands of miles a year on gravel roads - plenty of small rock and bird strikes to leave a stressed point in the glass.
Not saying your issue isn't a defective windshield. I am saying that my personal "best practice" is to clear the snow quickly, before the defroster really warms up.

Best wishes to all for a happier 2021 !

 

[txquailguy]

Took a trip from Florida to NC this past week for vacation. Woke up to 3 inches of snow so started up the truck and turned defroster on while I cleaned off the truck of snow. Went to clear off snow from windshield and as soon as I touched it it popped. Crack from side to side all along the heater area about 2 inches up from bottom of shield. Wtf. Are these shields this fragile?
Been reading other reports of shields cracking without being hit by anything and wondering why.

I have an appt for a paint issue on Tuesday. Should I let ford check this out or just get safelite to replace it? Hoping they use oem glass.

I tell you what...I don't know if it's the coating they put on mine but my truck commutes on I-25 about 100 miles a day, I've had 6 good dings on the windshield. I had one filled at Safelite and the other 5 have been present for at least 4 months. I was afraid they would run when we made the temp change from hot to cold. So far they are fine. I need to get them filled just in case but I was just thinking the other day how resilient my windshield is. My 2020 Hyundai Kona Ultimate, bought the same week as the Ranger had a ding run all the way across as soon as it got cold out. I have free windshield replacement on that thing as part of the service agreement, wish I had that on the Ranger considering these new windshield's with the camera setup are $1000 plus with the calibration....which is ridiculous! I watched them change the Kona....so easy....the calibration is a joke! Moral of this post is I think these new nano coatings they can put on the glass are quite good...IMHO.

 

[Strokerduster]

Take a ball point pen and run it from one end of the crack to the other. If there was a chip prior, you will feel it. If it was chipped, warranty won't consider it.

 

[port43]

Not sure if this applies but if it was installed slightly off kilter or had some debris in the bead, that could cause stress which would cause it to fracture easier. Have the dealer look to see if maybe it's an assembly issue.

 

[cory1848]

Take a ball point pen and run it from one end of the crack to the other. If there was a chip prior, you will feel it. If it was chipped, warranty won't consider it.

I see one little mark about half inch above the crack where something could have hit it and possibly a very small chip about two inches below at a different point on the shield, Otherwise the entire crack is smooth and no chips directly on the crack itself.

 

[Strokerduster]

I see one little mark about half inch above the crack where something could have hit it and possibly a very small chip about two inches below at a different point on the shield, Otherwise the entire crack is smooth and no chips directly on the crack itself.

Try the pen. You can feel it when you can't see it. If nothing, talk to adviser. Doesn't cost anything to try.

 

[AverageWhiteGuy]

In oregon, we dump loads of rocks on snow roads. So very common to get a crack on the windshield, this is why I don't mind driving a extra 10 minutes to avoid highway roads. I do pay $8 more for windshield insurance. We'll see how it goes.. !

 

[Cape Cruiser]

Back around 1990 I went to north New York and Canada for 1 month to restore the electric grid that was destroyed by a terrible ice storm. We left New Jersey with 53 bucket trucks in the mid 50 degree range and when we woke up the next am on New York border at about minus 7 degrees almost half had broken windshields. All the windshields that broke where glued in with urethane. None of the other support vehicles windows broke. We kept a glass guy going for 3 days. He even had to get some of the glass in Canada. He said rapid temp change caused the issue. Bret

 

[GregM]

Well add me to this cracked windshield club Me and the wife were out yesterday after the
blizzard we just went through. First sunny day in a while and she said there is a crack in your windshield. I was like your kidding right, no wrong. When we arrived home I got out to see if it was hit with something, nope.
The crack is at the bottom runs along from the center speaker towards the driver side and dives down about 3 inches from the A pillar.
You can not feel the crack on the outside or inside. When you look from different angles it seems to be in-between the front and back.
Not a happy camper right now. OK im done ranting. Off to dealer soon

 

[cory1848]

Well add me to this cracked windshield club Me and the wife were out yesterday after the
blizzard we just went through. First sunny day in a while and she said there is a crack in your windshield. I was like your kidding right, no wrong. When we arrived home I got out to see if it was hit with something, nope.
The crack is at the bottom runs along from the center speaker towards the driver side and dives down about 3 inches from the A pillar.
You can not feel the crack on the outside or inside. When you look from different angles it seems to be in-between the front and back.
Not a happy camper right now. OK im done ranting. Off to dealer soon

Sounds like the same thing that I am dealing with...

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