Cracked winshield

[Dennis12]

While traveling through South Dakota, it was 106 degrees with 100% humidity. I noticed a crack in my windshield. When i got out and looked at it there was no sigh of it being hit by anything. After talking to Safe-lite they said it they have seen it many times that the extremely hot outside and the air conditioner blowing out the defroster vents is how it happened. They recommended covering the defroster vents if it is that hot outside while traveling.

[Dennis12]

Talked to my dealer and they said the windshield installed will cost $3,289.00.How bout that ****. That's why we have insurance i guess.

[garyemunson]

Couple years ago on a trip to FL, a rock put a 'star' right in the driver's field of vision. A call to our insurance company set us up with a Safelite dealer who would do the crack repair injection at no out of pocket to us. Unfortunately, we were driving in a days long rain event. The Safelite shop did not have a bay tall enough for a motorhome (hardly any do). The rain continued as we drove East and every Safelite dealer told us the same thing..."need a dry day for the repair". We finally arrived in FL as the rain stopped. We had an appointment at the local Safelite shop the next morning but that night the temp dropped to 30 degrees. We woke up to a frost covered windshield and a crack running all the way across. Waited until we got home and had to pay the $250 deductible for a new one. Since then we've had Safelite do the injection repair and could not see it.

[NMDriver2]

Plus washing the windshield on a hot day will add to the crack. I try to avoid washing the windshield at fuel stops in the summer when the temps are over 100. Besides the temperature difference of the glass and water adding to the crack, the smell of wash fluid baking in the sun is one that lingers.

[Chum_lee]

If you are unlucky enough to get even a slight strike close to the perimeter of the glass near the gasket, the windshield is much more likely to crack and the crack tends to spread throughout the glass. Getting hit in the field generally creates a star fracture which may or may not grow with time. Filling (repairing) the star fracture can help to minimize further cracking but usually won't help with perimeter cracking.

Chum lee

[DrewE]

Large temperature differences between the inside and the outside of the windshield do put stresses on the glass and can cause it to crack (or a crack to develop or extend from a chip or other flaw). Living in an area with cold winters, I can say it also tends to work the other way, when you have subzero temperatures outside and the heater/defroster valiantly trying to keep the vehicle interior somewhat civilized.

If the crack goes to the edge of the window, under the gasket/seal, it's possible that there was a chip in the glass there and that's what started the crack.