Recent reports of side windows exploding for no apparent reason?
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Recent reports of side windows exploding for no apparent reason?
Rented a Ford U-haul truck & enroute from Kansas to Oregon, driver's side window literally exploded for no apparent reason. Now U-haul wants ME to pay $700.00 repair bill...!
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Shattered Windows
This was a young couple re-locating to Oregon & didn't have insurance for this (paid cash for rental). Why should insurance pay for a defect in the glass? I understand this is not an uncommon occurrence on Ford trucks...?
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Joined: Jan 2007
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From: Vernon, NY
I have seen safety glass/tempered glass randomly shatter. It is not specific to any one manufacturer. It is completely random how and why it happens.
There are many reasons why safety glass will randomly shatter (listed in order of occurrence):
1. Scratches on the glass. This can happen from sand, diamonds, or anything harder than the glass itself. All it takes a one scratch in the right place, in the right conditions for the window to randomly explode. Those conditions can be stress, temperature, vibration, etc.
2. Heat damage. Safety glass is made with a piece of essentially plastic carefully sandwiched in between, and it is then laminated. If the glass was exposed to high heat (common in rear windows of cars and SUVs that have defrost grid heaters), it will then spontaneously explode.
3. Manufacturing defects. Very rarely does this happen, but because glass is made in bulk, sometimes even with the trained eyes, the laminating process doesn't go as planned, but still passes enough checks to consider it OK to proceed.
Have I had this happen to me? Yes! A couple years ago, me and a co-worker were moving 2 wooden desks with glass tops on them. We moved one, and then we turned around went for the second. Two steps later, BANG (sounded like subsonic .22lr)! With a 5 foot circle of little pebbles behind us. We turned around and looked at each other. My co-worker who worked doing glass repair for a few years showed me on the other desk what caused it. The women who uses the desks, her diamond jewelry scratched the heck out of certain parts of the glass and weakened it. There was also small amounts of sand under the glass. With the weight of a computer and other stuff pushing down on it too.
Here's some other fun facts about this:
https://www.wcpo.com/money/consumer/...ithout-warning
https://nypost.com/2017/11/15/ikea-g...sly-exploding/
There are many reasons why safety glass will randomly shatter (listed in order of occurrence):
1. Scratches on the glass. This can happen from sand, diamonds, or anything harder than the glass itself. All it takes a one scratch in the right place, in the right conditions for the window to randomly explode. Those conditions can be stress, temperature, vibration, etc.
2. Heat damage. Safety glass is made with a piece of essentially plastic carefully sandwiched in between, and it is then laminated. If the glass was exposed to high heat (common in rear windows of cars and SUVs that have defrost grid heaters), it will then spontaneously explode.
3. Manufacturing defects. Very rarely does this happen, but because glass is made in bulk, sometimes even with the trained eyes, the laminating process doesn't go as planned, but still passes enough checks to consider it OK to proceed.
Have I had this happen to me? Yes! A couple years ago, me and a co-worker were moving 2 wooden desks with glass tops on them. We moved one, and then we turned around went for the second. Two steps later, BANG (sounded like subsonic .22lr)! With a 5 foot circle of little pebbles behind us. We turned around and looked at each other. My co-worker who worked doing glass repair for a few years showed me on the other desk what caused it. The women who uses the desks, her diamond jewelry scratched the heck out of certain parts of the glass and weakened it. There was also small amounts of sand under the glass. With the weight of a computer and other stuff pushing down on it too.
Here's some other fun facts about this:
https://www.wcpo.com/money/consumer/...ithout-warning
https://nypost.com/2017/11/15/ikea-g...sly-exploding/
Last edited by ManualF150; May 28, 2018 at 09:00 PM. Reason: Fixed some grammer and spelling mistakes.
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Glass Shattering
I have seen safety glass/tempered glass randomly shatter. It is not specific to any one manufacturer. It is completely random how and why it happens.
There are many reasons why safety glass will randomly shatter (listed in order of occurrence):
1. Scratches on the glass. This can happen from sand, diamonds, or anything harder than the glass itself. All it takes a one scratch in the right place, in the right conditions for the window to randomly explode. Those conditions can be stress, temperature, vibration, etc.
2. Heat damage. Safety glass is made with a piece of essentially plastic carefully sandwiched in between, and it is then laminated. If the glass was exposed to high heat (common in rear windows of cars and SUVs that have defrost grid heaters), it will then spontaneously explode.
3. Manufacturing defects. Very rarely does this happen, but because glass is made in bulk, sometimes even with the trained eyes, the laminating process doesn't go as planned, but still passes enough checks to consider it OK to proceed.
Have I had this happen to me? Yes! A couple years ago, me and a co-worker were moving 2 wooden desks with glass tops on them. We moved one, and then we turned around went for the second. Two steps later, BANG (sounded like subsonic .22lr)! With a 5 foot circle of little pebbles behind us. We turned around and looked at each other. My co-worker who worked doing glass repair for a few years showed me on the other desk what caused it. The women who uses the desks, her diamond jewelry scratched the heck out of certain parts of the glass and weakened it. There was also small amounts of sand under the glass. With the weight of a computer and other stuff pushing down on it too.
Here's some other fun facts about this:
https://www.wcpo.com/money/consumer/...ithout-warning
https://nypost.com/2017/11/15/ikea-g...sly-exploding/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7X9YltoKas
There are many reasons why safety glass will randomly shatter (listed in order of occurrence):
1. Scratches on the glass. This can happen from sand, diamonds, or anything harder than the glass itself. All it takes a one scratch in the right place, in the right conditions for the window to randomly explode. Those conditions can be stress, temperature, vibration, etc.
2. Heat damage. Safety glass is made with a piece of essentially plastic carefully sandwiched in between, and it is then laminated. If the glass was exposed to high heat (common in rear windows of cars and SUVs that have defrost grid heaters), it will then spontaneously explode.
3. Manufacturing defects. Very rarely does this happen, but because glass is made in bulk, sometimes even with the trained eyes, the laminating process doesn't go as planned, but still passes enough checks to consider it OK to proceed.
Have I had this happen to me? Yes! A couple years ago, me and a co-worker were moving 2 wooden desks with glass tops on them. We moved one, and then we turned around went for the second. Two steps later, BANG (sounded like subsonic .22lr)! With a 5 foot circle of little pebbles behind us. We turned around and looked at each other. My co-worker who worked doing glass repair for a few years showed me on the other desk what caused it. The women who uses the desks, her diamond jewelry scratched the heck out of certain parts of the glass and weakened it. There was also small amounts of sand under the glass. With the weight of a computer and other stuff pushing down on it too.
Here's some other fun facts about this:
https://www.wcpo.com/money/consumer/...ithout-warning
https://nypost.com/2017/11/15/ikea-g...sly-exploding/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7X9YltoKas
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 43,530
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From: Joplin MO
This was a young couple re-locating to Oregon & didn't have insurance for this (paid cash for rental).
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 235
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From: Clinton Tn.
Look for the rock that the lawn mower you just passed hit, the rear view mirror that got knocked into it or the sniper on the hill, side window glass does not just break. Look at the tools that the Fire Dept have to carry to break a window to Extract you from a vehicle. My Auto insurance covers me on what ever I am driving, try them.
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 2,226
Likes: 42
From: So. Texas
2004 F150 XLT Supercrew. I was sitting in the parking lot of my office finishing up some reports. At the exact time, I was looking out of the windshield at the building across the parking lot when my windshield made a loud pop. Then I watched as the windshield started to crack at the bottom in front of me and proceeded up to about the middle of the windshield. Ford would not cover it on a 3 month old truck. I had it replaced and the glass installer told me that Fords at that time had issues with temperature changes and glass cracking or exploding. He had been replacing a lot of them. Don't know the year model of the truck you rented but the 2004 year models were a problem child with glass. I've not heard of any issues with Ford glass since although their mirrors have been an issue about the plastic housing melting in the hot sun. The wife was driving a 2014 Fusion and had to have both sides replaced.
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Joined: Oct 2011
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I've heard of this from friends that used to live in Texas and in Arizona but it's usually the back window that shatters. According to them, the vehicle and the glass get so hot during the day that when the turn on the AC that the cold air blowing on the back glass will cause it to shatter without warning.
I don't know HOW you were about to rent a vehicle without insurance! Around here the rental companies try their best to saddle you with a policy even if you already have insurance. (and in case you're not aware, rental cars are usually covered under your existing car's policy so you should be covered if you have a car. OTOH most policies have a $500 deductible so most likely they'll only pay out $200 on your $700 claim.
I don't know HOW you were about to rent a vehicle without insurance! Around here the rental companies try their best to saddle you with a policy even if you already have insurance. (and in case you're not aware, rental cars are usually covered under your existing car's policy so you should be covered if you have a car. OTOH most policies have a $500 deductible so most likely they'll only pay out $200 on your $700 claim.