No, this is the first incident that I have heard about, what is the dealer saying about this? Will he replace it? Did you lease or purchase? Keep us informed....

 

Have it replaced under warranty. As long as there is no chip/impact crater, it would seem hard to say this is natural wear and tear. Take it in before you get a chip or something that makes it look like a stone impact.

 

Must be a defective windshield. Take it to your dealer. They will replace it.

 

Uhh, yeah, I wasn't asking what I should do about it. It's pretty obvious that this is a warranty issue.

I was asking whether anyone else had seen it, which would imply that there's a structural flex in the car body or a windshield supplier issue causing it. It appears so far that the answer to that is "no."

- Mark

 

So, i had a crack a few weeks ago that WAS due to a stone that hit the windshield while driving on the highway.

What's interesting, and the only reason i mention it, was that at first, it was just a little impact mark that a normal "fix" would do without having to replace the windshield.

By the end of the day, however, it had cracked fully, and it looked EXACTLY like your photo. Ran all the way down to the bottom of the windshield, and took a little "turn" like your crack does before traveling further up. I ended up having to replace the windshield.

maybe nothing, since like i said, i was hit by a pebble. But that said, that crack pattern is exactly the same.

 

My mothers Toyota developed a cracked windshield after a several months of ownership. There is no rock or chip and it started under the molding. The dealer told me they do not replace windshields under warranty.

Does anyone know for sure if windshields are replaced under warranty?

 

Personally I dont think it will be covered under warranty. Please do ask however.

 

I had this happen on one of our other cars. It was a rock but it looked more or less like the photo. Since even a small impact can start a long vertical crack it can be impossible to see the impact spot without a forensic exam. My only advice for cracked windshields is to make sure the replacement is OEM.

 

Every cracked windshield I've ever had was due to a chip. The two that surprised me was the one that was right on the edge of the molding that I didn't see and one that was literally under the windshield wiper -- must've hit when the wiper was in motion.

All it takes is a good bump into a pothole to take a small chip and make it into an ugly crack.

I'd have the dealer look at it to make sure it's not a defect in that particular windshield. But I bet there's a small sharp impact point that caused the whole thing.

 

Got into my 6-week old Volt this morning to see that the windshield has started cracking from the bottom up. No impact mark, it's clearly cracking from the bottom edge under the trim.

You're looking to see if it is a "stress crack" (which occurs due to things like temperature changes, rather than an impact). Some people (including windshield repair places) use a ball-point pen and run it up the length of the crack, so see if it dips anywhere. If it does, you've found the point of impact. Stress cracks always start at the edge of the glass (impact cracks can as well). Note that if there is an impact anywhere near the edge of the glass, it will usually immediately form a crack to the edge.

I haven't heard of any Volts having stress cracks, but it certainly could happen. If so, it ought to be covered by the warranty. If it is not, then check your insurance (and make sure the replacement is OEM for safety purposes; non-OEM glass doesn't have the same safety requirements as OEM glass!).

 

Oh no, sorry to hear that Mark. I personally have never seen that happen from the bottom of the windshield. Have you been in contact with your dealer to have them take a look?

 

Yes, I stopped by Courtesy Chevrolet this morning to have the issue documented. They couldn't find an impact mark either and are contacting the Area Rep to get approval to replace it under warranty.

- Mark

 

Dealer just called - windshield replacement under warranty has been approved. Parts are ordered.

- Mark

 

Just dropped off the car for the warranty windshield replacement and the service writer said "That's the second one we've seen like that this week."

Will be interesting to see if the Feb production restart cars have a batch of bad glass or something.

Let me just say "wow, what a piece of cr*p an Impala is" while I'm at it. Who buys these things, other than Enterprise?

- Mark

 

Let me just say "wow, what a piece of cr*p an Impala is" while I'm at it. Who buys these things, other than Enterprise?

ABSOLUTELY. I was given an Impala for a loaner car with the battery modification. When I got in the car, I was sure it had to be an old model (like 2008). There was no way GM would produce a car with such a HORRIBLE interior and exterior. I was floored to see the 2011 production date on the side of the car.

And this is a 25k-30k car! It makes me feel like I am getting a TON of value for my money with the Volt.

 

My wife just noticed that I have a crack on the passenger side side of the windshield, about 8 inch long, horizontal crack, no chips or marks, starting from the side trim at about 2/3 up. I suspect a weight saving initiative by having a thinner glass wall. Not upset, just sad. nust have been a temperature swing as things have been up 3C today and -10C for the last week or so. Calling my Dealer tomorrow. I have been served like Royalty so far by them and GM, don't expect this to change. Very happy with my investment. 17,381 KM since June 2nd 2012 and only 127L of fuel used.
Cheers! Shriker, Oshawa, ON

 

Just had this happen to me on a 2012 Volt. Had the car for over a year now. The crack started from the bottom and went up just like in OPs case. There is no sign of impact anywhere. I'm gonna call the dealer to get it replaced in warranty and I'll let you know how it went.

Adi

 

OK so even though the dealer checked the windshield and did not see an impact, they're claiming that they probably won't be able to do it under warranty cause GM only has a 1 year warranty for windshield defects. Is this true ?!

I will call the Volt adviser soon but I wanna hear your experience on this.

Thanks for any insight,

Adi

 

Mine had the tiniest stone chip and it cracked. $0 deductible glass around here.

 

this is a very old thread- any reason we are adding to it? Windshield coverage varies by state and is in Massachusetts a zero $ deductible if the car's owner has comprehensive coverage- it is the major reason to keep comprehensive coverage on an older car. (that and falling trees...) And windshelds break for a lot of different reasons, many not impact related and most are not indicative of a defect in materials or workmanship.

 

this is a very old thread- any reason we are adding to it?

Because someone had something to add to the discussion and wisely elected to NOT start a second identical thread.......maybe ?? Sounds like a good idea to me.

 

This seems like a manufacturing defect. If there is no stone chip on the windshield... It should be covered under warranty.

Get a Volt advisor involved. They will get it covered under warranty for you. Just call (877) 486-5846 and let them know it cracked without any road damage and you are not satisfied. It will get fixed at NO COST.

 

This seems like a manufacturing defect. If there is no stone chip on the windshield... It should be covered under warranty.

Get a Volt adviser involved. They will get it covered under warranty for you. Just call (877) 486-5846 and let them know it cracked without any road damage and you are not satisfied. It will get fixed at NO COST.

I called my Volt adviser (Diane) and she couldn't give me a straight answer on whether it was covered under warranty or not. She called the dealer and essentially gave me the same story : the dealer has to remove the windshield to see if underneath it, there was something causing stress on it that made it break. Only in that case, it would be replaced under warranty. I'm confused now. I was under the impression that if there is no chip and the windshield breaks, it's automatically covered under warranty even thought it's pas 1 year.

I also have the extended 7 year warranty on the car but apparently it doesn't cover this.. I honestly am thinking of going to a small claims court id GM does not want to replace my windshield in warranty. Quebec has pretty good consumer protection laws and I would feel cheated if I had to pay the 250$ deductible to get this replaced by my insurance over a manufacturing defect.

Adi

 

Old thread but I wanted to let people know I had a similar crack from the bottom, no chip. Dealer won't replace it under warranty, tried both Capitol and Fremont. =( Looks like I'm out my $500 deductible.

 

Have you spoken with your Volt adviser? If it originates from the hidden bottom edge, I can't understand how that would NOT be covered under warranty. How could you have caused it unless you poured hot water on an iced-up w/s while at the ski slopes of San Jose?