If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Rear window explosion
Howdy Folks
Quick search didn't come up with anything on this, so figured I'd post My wife was warming up our 2004 Vue (FWD 4-cyl), got in, started the heater going, and when she closed the door, just a few seconds later, she heard a pop - the rear window had shattered out (from the inside). This is obviously an internal pressure issue, but in my experience, cars should always have some form of vent to release the pressure inside the cabin. My Jeep has these vents in the rear quarter panels. I wonder if Saturn puts them lower on the vehicle? Perhaps in an area prone to splashback? We're in Colorado, and we've had a pretty good cold snap this week. It was probably -2 Farenheit when the explosion happened. Any insight on this? Should I perhaps try to get some kind of warranty reimbursement for it, and also have them figure out why the pressure wasn't released? Is this common at all, or am I just "lucky"? Thanks in advance Jim Karlin Denver, CO |
Ads |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Rear window explosion
On 8 Dec 2005 08:00:44 -0800, "Jim Karlin" >
wrote: >Howdy Folks > >My wife was warming up our 2004 Vue (FWD 4-cyl), got in, started the >heater going, and when she closed the door, just a few seconds later, >she heard a pop - the rear window had shattered out (from the inside). Did she turn on the heated backglass? My dad had this happen many years ago in a Honda Accord. The insurance paid for the broken glass, less the deductible. Then Honda came through with a recall and reimbursed for the deductible since the glass had already been replaced. The recall specified that the dealer stick some strips of sticky copper strips along the sides of the glass to better distribute current across the glass, reducing hot spots. RK Henry |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Rear window explosion
Jim Karlin wrote:
> Howdy Folks > > Quick search didn't come up with anything on this, so figured I'd post > > My wife was warming up our 2004 Vue (FWD 4-cyl), got in, started the > heater going, and when she closed the door, just a few seconds later, > she heard a pop - the rear window had shattered out (from the inside). > > This is obviously an internal pressure issue, but in my experience, > cars should always have some form of vent to release the pressure > inside the cabin. My Jeep has these vents in the rear quarter panels. > I wonder if Saturn puts them lower on the vehicle? Perhaps in an area > prone to splashback? > > We're in Colorado, and we've had a pretty good cold snap this week. It > was probably -2 Farenheit when the explosion happened. > > Any insight on this? Should I perhaps try to get some kind of warranty > reimbursement for it, and also have them figure out why the pressure > wasn't released? Is this common at all, or am I just "lucky"? > > Thanks in advance > > Jim Karlin > Denver, CO > As many will no doubt say, it was certainly not air pressure that broke the window. It would not be possible for the heater fan to develop that much pressure, with or without vents. All glass in a car, except for the windshield, is made of tempered glass. The glass is highly stressed so that if it breaks it will crumble into many little pieces, rather than long dangerous shards. While this glass is reasonably resistant to impact on its face, it is very sensitive to thermal stress (as another poster pointed out) or to stress applied to the edges. I would favor the theory of uneven heat from the rear defroster, if that was turned on. It is possible that an installation problem might have allowed the edge of glass to contact the metal frame of the window, transferring a shock to the edge of the glass. I have no experience with that, its just a guess. FYI: Windshields are not tempered, because failure would either prevent you from seeing, if the glass shattered but did not fall out, or the pieces might end up in your eyes, if they did fall out. Instead, a windshield is made from two sheets of glass with a clear goop of some kind between them, so that if it breaks you have a cracked sheet or sheets of glass that you can still see through, but is flexible and that does not fall apart. -- NOTE: to reply, remove all punctuation from email name field Ned Forrester 508-289-2226 Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Dept. Oceanographic Systems Lab http://adcp.whoi.edu/ Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Rear window explosion
I agree - IMO it's not air pressure, but the temperature. Still should not
have done that and the fact that you don't hear about it more often (as there are plenty of Vue's operating in that temperature or colder) leads me to think that it was probably a defect in the glass or in the installation of the glass. It may even be a minor, visually unnoticeable defect in the frame for the glass. I would definitely go the route of getting it fixed through warranty. It can't hurt, although it will be damn cold on your drive over to the dealer! The other thing is by doing that, at least if it does it again, Saturn will have it on record that they did the repair before. You may have an argument to have them fix it again even if the car is out of warranty at that time. Scott "Ned Forrester" > wrote in message ... > Jim Karlin wrote: > > Howdy Folks > > > > Quick search didn't come up with anything on this, so figured I'd post > > > > My wife was warming up our 2004 Vue (FWD 4-cyl), got in, started the > > heater going, and when she closed the door, just a few seconds later, > > she heard a pop - the rear window had shattered out (from the inside). > > > > This is obviously an internal pressure issue, but in my experience, > > cars should always have some form of vent to release the pressure > > inside the cabin. My Jeep has these vents in the rear quarter panels. > > I wonder if Saturn puts them lower on the vehicle? Perhaps in an area > > prone to splashback? > > > > We're in Colorado, and we've had a pretty good cold snap this week. It > > was probably -2 Farenheit when the explosion happened. > > > > Any insight on this? Should I perhaps try to get some kind of warranty > > reimbursement for it, and also have them figure out why the pressure > > wasn't released? Is this common at all, or am I just "lucky"? > > > > Thanks in advance > > > > Jim Karlin > > Denver, CO > > > > As many will no doubt say, it was certainly not air pressure that broke > the window. It would not be possible for the heater fan to develop that > much pressure, with or without vents. > > All glass in a car, except for the windshield, is made of tempered > glass. The glass is highly stressed so that if it breaks it will > crumble into many little pieces, rather than long dangerous shards. > While this glass is reasonably resistant to impact on its face, it is > very sensitive to thermal stress (as another poster pointed out) or to > stress applied to the edges. > > I would favor the theory of uneven heat from the rear defroster, if that > was turned on. It is possible that an installation problem might have > allowed the edge of glass to contact the metal frame of the window, > transferring a shock to the edge of the glass. I have no experience > with that, its just a guess. > > FYI: Windshields are not tempered, because failure would either prevent > you from seeing, if the glass shattered but did not fall out, or the > pieces might end up in your eyes, if they did fall out. Instead, a > windshield is made from two sheets of glass with a clear goop of some > kind between them, so that if it breaks you have a cracked sheet or > sheets of glass that you can still see through, but is flexible and that > does not fall apart. > > -- > NOTE: to reply, remove all punctuation from email name field > > Ned Forrester 508-289-2226 > Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Dept. > Oceanographic Systems Lab http://adcp.whoi.edu/ > Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Rear window explosion
I don't have anything to help here, just a couple of anecdotes that
indicate auto glass can be fragile. I had a rear window shatter on a parked '74 Gremlin when a strong gust of wind lifted it up and slammed it. This past November, a week after Holloween, somebody driving past in a car tossed a dead pumpkin at my parked '04 Vue's rear window and shattered it. Crumbled glass ended up throughout the interior, all the way up to the dashboard. I'm still cleaning up bits of glass from nooks and crannies. This might be funny, except that the repair cost $600. |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Rear window explosion
The glass on my father's 1957 Ford wagon broke into tiny pieces and stayed
intact in the frame for a few days. It was open and parked and the sun must have hit it just right for a while. Thermal stress was the only explanation. I was a young lad at the time. "Jim Karlin" > wrote in message ups.com... > Howdy Folks > > Quick search didn't come up with anything on this, so figured I'd post > > My wife was warming up our 2004 Vue (FWD 4-cyl), got in, started the > heater going, and when she closed the door, just a few seconds later, > she heard a pop - the rear window had shattered out (from the inside). > > This is obviously an internal pressure issue, but in my experience, > cars should always have some form of vent to release the pressure > inside the cabin. My Jeep has these vents in the rear quarter panels. > I wonder if Saturn puts them lower on the vehicle? Perhaps in an area > prone to splashback? > > We're in Colorado, and we've had a pretty good cold snap this week. It > was probably -2 Farenheit when the explosion happened. > > Any insight on this? Should I perhaps try to get some kind of warranty > reimbursement for it, and also have them figure out why the pressure > wasn't released? Is this common at all, or am I just "lucky"? > > Thanks in advance > > Jim Karlin > Denver, CO > |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Rear window explosion
In article . com>,
"Jim Karlin" > wrote: > Is this common at all, or am I just "lucky"? It's not common but it happens. My dad's honda minivan had one window just go boom suddenly one day, though we suspected it got pegged by a rock from the weedwacker, but never confirmed it. car windows have been known to spontaniously go boom for whatever reason. Happens to all cars... |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Rear window explosion
I'd say the glass was installed in a bind or improperly cushioned. The
internal pressure had nothing to do with it. The most pressure there is is when you slam the door. And they don't blow out then. -- Steve "Jim Karlin" > wrote in message ups.com... > Any insight on this? Should I perhaps try to get some kind of warranty > reimbursement for it, and also have them figure out why the pressure > wasn't released? Is this common at all, or am I just "lucky"? > > Thanks in advance > > Jim Karlin > Denver, CO > |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
Rear window explosion
Thank you all for the responses and insight. Since the Vue is my
wife's car and my 22 month-old daughter rides in it as well, we had insurance cover the repair. Should I call the dealership we purchased the vehicle from to report the issue, or should I go straight to Saturn? I'm not overly concerned with having my deductible reimbursed (would be nice, but I'm not losing any sleep over it, nor will I hold my breath), but I wonder if there is a similar issue to what RK saw with Honda. Other owners deserve to know if there's an issue with the defroster. Thanks again Jim |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
Rear window explosion
My guess is if the insurance industry sees a trend, they will bitch.
"Jim Karlin" > wrote in message ups.com... > Thank you all for the responses and insight. Since the Vue is my > wife's car and my 22 month-old daughter rides in it as well, we had > insurance cover the repair. Should I call the dealership we purchased > the vehicle from to report the issue, or should I go straight to > Saturn? I'm not overly concerned with having my deductible reimbursed > (would be nice, but I'm not losing any sleep over it, nor will I hold > my breath), but I wonder if there is a similar issue to what RK saw > with Honda. Other owners deserve to know if there's an issue with the > defroster. > > Thanks again > > Jim > |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
2002 explorer xls rear driver side window not working - need help | Paul Moog | Ford Explorer | 4 | November 5th 05 02:17 PM |
Busted rear window - 3rd brake light out (97 Volvo 850 T-5) | Joe S | Technology | 4 | June 6th 05 08:56 PM |
FS: Jeep TJ Soft side Rear window and rear side windows and Door Rail Kit | [email protected] | Jeep | 0 | April 25th 05 09:39 PM |
New *FREE* Corvette Discussion Forum | JLA ENTERPRISES TECHNOLOGIES INTEGRATION | Corvette | 12 | November 30th 04 06:36 PM |
Help! Rear window wiper motor replacement. | klklimes | Dodge | 2 | April 14th 04 07:24 AM |