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Windshield cracks while driving - unusual for 3 month old JEEP Wrangler?

grandpaq

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Hello Forum,

I appreciate your attention to this incident. I drove my new Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited from Miami to Fairplay, Co and then to Breckenridge, CO without incident. Yesterday, while driving back from Vail, the windshield developed a vertical crackof about 3 inches. It seemed to occur soon after I put on the interior defroster. I turned the defroster off. About half an hour later, the windows began to fog, so I turned the defroster on again. Within 10 minutes, the crack had grown to about 10 inches in length, still vertical orientation.

So what gives? I am having the windshield replaced tomorrow morning at a State Farm recommended location. I know it's cold up here, but I didn't expect this to happen without a foreign impact of some kind. What can you share with me?
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Abend

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It's normal. You probably had a tiny, nearly invisible rock chip that spread once you had a large difference in temperature between the inside and outside. Jeep windshields are almost vertical, so any kind of small rock impact delivers a far greater portion of its force to the glass instead of deflecting. I count myself lucky that it took 14 months to crack my first windshield.
 
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grandpaq

grandpaq

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It's normal. You probably had a tiny, nearly invisible rock chip that spread once you had a large difference in temperature between the inside and outside. Jeep windshields are almost vertical, so any kind of small rock impact delivers a far greater portion of its force to the glass instead of deflecting. I count myself lucky that it took 14 months to crack my first windshield.
Appreciate your reply. Driving with my wife and 2 dogs makes me nervous enough....lol
 

Tellurian

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Several factors at play. At some point you either had the windshield take a non-noticeable impact from the road or there was an impurity missed by quality control. Glass cracks and chips are more susceptible to lengthening/worsening in cold temperatures as moisture builds up inside the chip or crack. That moisture then freezes and expands or warms up and gathers more moisture and then freezes again an expands even more.

In addition to that, you have two other things working against you; a near vertically flat windshield that doesn’t absorb impacts as well, and an independent windshield frame (it folds down!) that places more stress on any impurity as the corners flex.

It’s a physics thing and also somewhat a Jeep thing. You’ll be fine for your trip though other than impaired visibility if not repaired immediately.

The only thing that will make you empty your bowels is if the crack instantly expands all at once in which case you’ll be greeted with a very startling and very loud POP!!! sound as it expands to the perimeter of the windshield. I knew it was happening one winter on my way into work and it still scared the hell out of me when it happened.
 

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I agree that there was probably a small chip around one of the edges that was barely noticeable. I had one on my 18 JLUR. It was right at the bottom edge of the glass. Luckily it never spread.

I work in collision repair. We use heated downdraft booths which bake the cars at around 150 degrees to accelerate the curing process after refinishing. I see windshields with cracks after repairs because the heat caused the glass to expand and the crack spreads like wildfire.

Your use of a defroster rapidly changed the temperature of the glass in a cold climate and the crack appears out of nowhere.

I have also seen other types of glass shatter for no reason at all but it's not usually a windshield due to their safety sheet construction.
 

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Dan M.

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Definetly common with Jeeps for the reasons stated above. There are threads on this forum discussing after market windshields (like Gorilla glass) that are stronger and less likely to crack, I don't believe that option is covered by typical comp insurance.
 

Ohio Hiker

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Welcome to the cracked windshield club. Mine happened around the 3 month point. It looks like it's a very common problem. I hope you have a windshield /glass rider on your policy. My policy is a $200 deductible each time it needs replaced.
 

JEEPIDON

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I had my Lexus LS400 for a week and the windshield cracked and I had to replace it. It doesn't make any difference on the brand, they all have issues.
 

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To the OP, This is my 6th Wrangler and I have made Safelight (windshield replacement service) Rich! One year I replaced the windshield 4 times....thank god Geico had a windshield policy then wich cost me the bubble, but yes the lack of rake on the glass allows the screen to take hard hits sometimes noticeable enough to be proactive where they (windshield repair service)can infuse a resin to keep it from spreading and forming a crack...specially when cold and you turn on the defroster.
 
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grandpaq

grandpaq

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Thanks, each of you, for your enlightening information . The ABSOLUTE GLASS Company out of Denver did an amazing job in good time, even returning all the SubPass, phone holder, camera holders, etc to the glass. Very impressive service. Also, my deductible was ZERO with State Farm, and they handled the claim completely.
 

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You drove in colorado, you need a new windshield after. I just put one in on Friday and it was not a jeep.

Hint - Colorado.
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