Windshield crack

Hopefully just bad luck on our part, but there was no discernible impact, no obvious source (truck or whatever) nearby, just a series of cracking sounds - since there are so few cars out there I'm posting this now in case there ends up being some endemic problem like the early Honda Elements had with a self-cracking windshield. I wouldn't think there would be, that's not a particularly unique aspect of the vehicle, but who knows.

The crack is horizontal, about 1/3 of the way down on the driver's side. There are two visible...aspects? to the crack that could be construed as possible debris impact points, but they are not craters, and don't really look like rock hits, more like places where the crack turned. The windshield is so sloped I would have thought that a rock hit would be less likely to do damage...and, there was no loud hit, just a series of about 4 identical crackling sounds a few seconds apart as the crack grew - the crack goes all the way out under the weatherstripping and about 6-8 inches horizontally into the windshield. The two points that one might claim look like impact are about 1 inch in from the rubber...I do find it odd that there are two such points along the crack, to me that points away from a single rock impact.

Anyway...we're going to be out our deductible for sure, unless Nissan is already aware of some issue. The bummer is I doubt replacements are readily available yet (unless it really is a Versa windshield, which I don't think it is) - I doubt there will be any option other than OEM from Nissan (which is all I'd really want anyway I think), so it could be quite some time before we can get it fixed.

Oh, man. I hope the Leaf doesn't have delicate windshields. My current MINI is known for cracking its windshield if you look at it wrong.

Sometimes, it's an install issue at the factory. The windshield is somehow installed "too tightly", or under stress, or something. So, Nissan might be able to nip this in the bud with a simple process change.

Or it may just be a freak occurrence.

A glass repair guy I once used said that the best way to detect a rock hit was to run a ball-point pen over the crack. If it catches at all, at any point, it's an impact. If the pen moves everywhere without hitting any micro-craters, then it'd likely a stress crack.

Oh, no. That sucks worse than the crack in my tail lamp. Sorry to hear it.

I had a rock hit my windshield a week or so ago, and felt sure that I would have a major chip or something as a result. But the gods were with me! Phew!

This time of year it wouldn't seem possible, but here in Phoenix sometimes windshields will stress crack from sudden temperature changes. Any chance this was garaged and went from hot to cold?

If you have a chance - could you post a picture?

If there does happen to be some type of stress razor in the windshield design and other windshields crack - having a set of pictures of cracks in mostly the same place would be very helpful.


e.t.a - also brings back memories of the post with the strange windshield gasket on one side....

At least let Nissan know, show it to a dealer, and take a picture including a ruler.

garygid said:

At least let Nissan know, show it to a dealer, and take a picture including a ruler.

Click to expand...

I will try to get a photo tonight. I was a little off on the location, it's more than halfway down the windshield. We're in contact with our dealer - amazingly our salesman who looked into it said there are 4 replacement windshields in the warehouse so repair should not take long. Still not 100% sure if it is a match for, say, a Versa part or the spares are Leaf specific parts that came over on the ship with the first batch of cars - it certainly would make sense for them to have sent some parts. With how the Leaf windshield projects down so low down toward/into the hood, it seems longer and more gently sloped (to be more aero?) than, say, a Versa windshield would be, but I've never seen them side by side, and my attempts to compare with google images were inconclusive.

Even if it was not an impact, I don't think it was necessarily a temperature thing - the gradients have been much higher on other days recent days. This occured probably 15+ minutes into the drive, probably within 5-10 degrees of the overnight temp in the garage. The idea of it having been in some sort of stressed posture since installation is certainly feasible. But if it's a fundamental flaw, you'd think it would be happening to the Tour cars too. And the car seems otherwise so tight/well finished.

The crack itself including the two spots along it which I mentioned that do give the appearance of a possible impact are detectable with your fingernail, but I'll have to do the ballpoint pen test on the spots themselves...again it seems weird that there are two "spots".

It was a drizzly morning, not sure how that affects the tendency of tires to fling debris.

Anyway...I hope it's just that we got really unlucky with a rock, and that the reinstall of an identical OEM replacement will not compromise anything (the dealer doesn't do it themselves, they farm it out).

I know a guy with a new Sonata had a similar problem... windshield just cracked and he was quite sure nothing hit it. Are they doing something high tech with windshields these days maybe to make them lighter?

My windshield just cracked either yesterday or today. I don't think I got a rock, but it's possible I guess. It's got the two same "spots" at the curves in the crack as OP mentioned. The middle of the horizontal crack is just half an inch above the passenger wiper, so it's an unlikely spot for a rock unless the rock was on a downward trajectory. Now that i think of it, a rock on a downward trajectory is equally as likely as one on an upward. So maybe it was a rock that left no chip. Oi!

I still love my car!

Had my Leaf for 9 days and the windshield cracked on the passenger side. Looks like the crack starts at the very bottom of the windshield (or at least as far down as I could see) and extends up about 4 inches above the wiper. It appears to be a stress crack, rather than impact related. I'll be talking to the dealer tomorrow about replacement, known issues, eta on new windshield, etc. Other than the windshield, everything else is performing beautifully. Has anyone had one replaced yet?

Crack on my windshield as well -- mine was due to a direct hit by some debris from a garbage truck going 70

Update on my cracked windshield:
The dealer found an impact point for the crack. The microscope I used to inspect the crack was evidently not as powerful as the dealer's. Oh well. Price for a new windshield - $524.00 + labor (part # G2700.3NA0A). On order for 12 days now with no delivery in sight. The dealer agreed to accept my insurance, so I should only be out the deductable. Looks like replacement parts may be a problem for awhile.

My windshield cracked few days ago. Starting from bottom of drivers side middle of steering wheel and an arc turning to passengers side.
It started a while after I turned the heater on. No cars in front of me so it was not a rock. I do not see any marks either.
My Leaf is about nine months old and has 20k kilometers.

First crack a few days ago

Second crack appeared today starting below the first one's arc and reaching towards the first one

Service found a hitmark below wiper.