The rear window of my car exploded for no apparent reason. I was putting things in the car, and getting ready to leave. I always have the windows cracked at least 1/2" on both sides, to let any hot air out, because I've lived in areas where the inside temps can reach over 150° if the car is left closed up. I also have window shields, so I can do this without rain entering the vehicle when the windows are open.
It was a warm day, and the the sun was shining.. it was somewhere in the 80's. I had my sunscreen in the front window, and there was nothing different than any other day.
I put my things on the front seat, closed the door, and proceeded to walk around to the drivers side. There was a guy grinding stumps off in the distance, around the corner of the building. I heard what I thought was his grinder backfiring. It was loud and I jumped. When I went to put some things in my back seat, I saw that the rear window had exploded! It was unreal... and if I hadn't been right there when it happened I would have thought someone broke my window. But it was obvious that it exploded because the glass was forced out, not in.
I called my insurance company, and it was not covered under my policy. I have a $500 deductible on my comprehensive coverage. Great... They referred me to the local glass guy who gave me a discount for the referral. $225 down to $180 + tax. Comparable to other auto glass people in the area.
Removal and replacement of the window caused excessive mess and tons of broken glass and microscopic glass shards all over the place. Vacuuming can only pick up so much, the rest needs to be dealt with in another way. I used a lint roller. It was tedious and a bit tricky with glass shards all over it.
It's going on 3 weeks and I am still finding residual glass pieces coming out of the headliner and trunk areas. I've had a couple of shards stuck in my hand. It is a total mess, and there is no logical explanation for what happened.
So, I am wondering why this glass is not made of the same caliber glass as the windshield, so that this doesn't happen. I am also wondering what would have happened if my dog had been in the back seat, where he normally rides.
Basically, there was no reason for the window to explode like that. So I am reporting it after looking for other similar situations with windows exploding. And, so anyone else looking will find my complaint. And if they have a similar occurrence, they will not be so puzzled. I can only find Fords with windows reported... and a whole lot of sunroofs. No Dodge Stratus that I can find so far. But I will keep looking.
I feel like the car manufacturers should really consider using the double-tempered glass like they use on the windshield for the back window as well, so this type of mess doesn't occur. Of course, you only know what a pain in the butt it is, once you have to deal with it.
It obviously is a hazard as well, if anyone were to be riding in the back seat... and I cannot stress what a total pain in the butt it is to clean up.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
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The rear window of my car exploded for no apparent reason. I was putting things in the car, and getting ready to leave. I always have the windows cracked at least 1/2" on both sides, to let any hot air out, because I've lived in areas where the inside temps can reach over 150° if the car is left closed up. I also have window shields, so I can do this without rain entering the vehicle when the windows are open.
It was a warm day, and the the sun was shining.. it was somewhere in the 80's. I had my sunscreen in the front window, and there was nothing different than any other day.
I put my things on the front seat, closed the door, and proceeded to walk around to the drivers side. There was a guy grinding stumps off in the distance, around the corner of the building. I heard what I thought was his grinder backfiring. It was loud and I jumped. When I went to put some things in my back seat, I saw that the rear window had exploded! It was unreal... and if I hadn't been right there when it happened I would have thought someone broke my window. But it was obvious that it exploded because the glass was forced out, not in.
I called my insurance company, and it was not covered under my policy. I have a $500 deductible on my comprehensive coverage. Great... They referred me to the local glass guy who gave me a discount for the referral. $225 down to $180 + tax. Comparable to other auto glass people in the area. Removal and replacement of the window caused excessive mess and tons of broken glass and microscopic glass shards all over the place. Vacuuming can only pick up so much, the rest needs to be dealt with in another way. I used a lint roller. It was tedious and a bit tricky with glass shards all over it.
It's going on 3 weeks and I am still finding residual glass pieces coming out of the headliner and trunk areas. I've had a couple of shards stuck in my hand. It is a total mess, and there is no logical explanation for what happened.
So, I am wondering why this glass is not made of the same caliber glass as the windshield, so that this doesn't happen. I am also wondering what would have happened if my dog had been in the back seat, where he normally rides.
Basically, there was no reason for the window to explode like that. So I am reporting it after looking for other similar situations with windows exploding. And, so anyone else looking will find my complaint. And if they have a similar occurrence, they will not be so puzzled. I can only find Fords with windows reported... and a whole lot of sunroofs. No Dodge Stratus that I can find so far. But I will keep looking.
I feel like the car manufacturers should really consider using the double-tempered glass like they use on the windshield for the back window as well, so this type of mess doesn't occur. Of course, you only know what a pain in the butt it is, once you have to deal with it.
It obviously is a hazard as well, if anyone were to be riding in the back seat... and I cannot stress what a total pain in the butt it is to clean up.
Thank you for listening.
- suzettesul, Upland, CA, US