Class Action Law suit for windshields in Gladiator and Wranglers

[Hootbro]

I believe they are 100% fishing with this suit. It's a few upset people that a lawyer convinced to sign on to make it a class action so the firm could pressure FCA into a settlement and get a quick payday. They're throwing out whatever jargon they can to make it seem bigger and more impactful than it is not because it's true, but because they want to deter FCA from fighting it and settle quicker. It's a cash grab. It has no real merit. This is garbage.

I agree on the fishing. It is a gamble as during the discovery process they will ask FCA for any documentation they have on their windshields in both design and rates of installation errors and such. It can backfire on them if it is a big nothing burger and they try to withdraw their lawsuit as FCA can go after them for their attorney costs.

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[ShadowsPapa]

I agree on the fishing. It is a gamble as during the discovery process they will ask FCA for any documentation they have on their windshields in both design and rates of installation errors and such. It can backfire on them if it is a big nothing burger and they try to withdraw their lawsuit as FCA can go after them for their attorney costs.

Man, you are a detail person, thinking of the stuff most of us forgot about or it didn't cross our minds. Yes, there's always the discovery bit............

 

[Jeeperjamie]

2004 WJ I bought from Dad's estate - got it home and saw that Dad had missed seeing a chip that had a teeny little flare coming off from one side and it would have led to a crack. I had it repaired - free, and it was fine from then on.
1982 Eagle SX4 - chip had a tiny hard to see leg coming off one side. Since it was still a chip and no larger than a .17 BB, it was repaired. That was back in about 2014. Still fine today.
F250 - rock chip led to crack width of windshield after using defroster in the winter. Fixed by trading in truck.
At least 3 of our various Grand Cherokees not counting the WJ above had windshield chips and cracks that led to replacement (they came out and fixed it in the parking lot at work while my wife was working), another had a chip that was repaired.
In one case, I was driving her Jeep back across town on I235 and was in the left lane to avoid heavy right lane traffic and truck traffic in the right lanes (yes, I was passing so I was legally there)
in the far right lane, 3 lanes away, was a concrete truck. It had rocks and gravel on the fenders, etc. It was just about 4 or 5 car lengths ahead of me lanes away. I watched a piece of gravel fall off that truck, bounce across the other lanes, missing traffic in those lanes, and watched as it hit the windshield in my wife's Grand Cherokee SMACK right in the center of my field of vision. It was like watching a slo-mo movie of a rock. (so don't even suggest "you can avoid such things by not following anyone so close" LOL)

Yeah totally can't avoid it, far to much road construction and houses being built to even try. If it's gonna happen it's gonna happen, I don't care what your driving. 50+ mph and rock, a windshield doesn't stand a chance.

 

[Daddiator54]

"Then in the Spring of 2023, he contends a gnat hit the windshield and caused a chip to develop which was filled in by an auto glass repair company."

Was it wearing a helmet?

I don’t know about North Carolina where that guy was from but in Florida where the state bird is the mosquito, I’d believe it.

 

[Hootbro]

Man, you are a detail person, thinking of the stuff most of us forgot about or it didn't cross our minds. Yes, there's always the discovery bit............

It was only on my brain from remembering a video I watched from Steve Lehto. It was on the lady that filed a lawsuit against Subway claiming their Tuna sandwiches had no tuna. She is trying to back out of it using a medical pregnancy as an excuse but Subway is pushing back both on her and her attorneys to cover their claimed $600K worth of attorney expenses to date.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

It was only on my brain from remembering a video I watched from Steve Lehto. It was on the lady that filed a lawsuit against Subway claiming their Tuna sandwiches had no tuna. She is trying to back out of it using a medical pregnancy as an excuse but Subway is pushing back both on her and her attorneys to cover their claimed $600K worth of attorney expenses to date.

Sometimes I think - MAYBE, some of this could be brought about by people seeing all of the media stories, sensationalized for clicks, about people suing for this, that and the other thing. Then there's the attorney commercials on some of the cheaper TV channels where they are suing every corporation or entity out there claiming that even if you smoked, THIS is what caused your cancer and so on.
Hey, I can do that, too! I'll sue! Look how easy it is. It must be - every commercial break is another group of attorneys saying they'll represent you and you may be entitled to "substantial compensation".
Sadly, sometimes these things win - example the farmer who was climbing up his silo ladder - a ladder that didn't have a safety cage around it, and he fell off the ladder and landed on the silage equipment sitting below. He broke his back in the fall.
Guess who he sued and WON - the company that made the equipment he parked below his silo ladder and which he landed on.
So if you park your car near a ladder, I guess you can be sued if someone falls and lands on it and breaks their back.
Some of us from that area are still trying to figure out how the heck anyone decided for the guy. Sure, we felt bad that it happened, but seriously?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I don’t know about North Carolina where that guy was from but in Florida where the state bird is the mosquito, I’d believe it.

They take the shotgun approach here, hunting Jeeps in packs, like wolves.
They intend to kill Jeeps using the death by a thousand splats tactic

 

[Flhryder]

I had a Hummer that was just as bad on windshields.

 

[@californiajeeping]

Many comments on the windshield angle and style/manufacturing strength.

The real problem is our deteriorating infrastructure and the requirements by enviromental groups to have crappy chip sealed recycled tire asphault instead of glory day concrete.

 

[Hootbro]

Sometimes I think - MAYBE, some of this could be brought about by people seeing all of the media stories, sensationalized for clicks, about people suing for this, that and the other thing. Then there's the attorney commercials on some of the cheaper TV channels where they are suing every corporation or entity out there claiming that even if you smoked, THIS is what caused your cancer and so on.
Hey, I can do that, too! I'll sue! Look how easy it is. It must be - every commercial break is another group of attorneys saying they'll represent you and you may be entitled to "substantial compensation".
Sadly, sometimes these things win - example the farmer who was climbing up his silo ladder - a ladder that didn't have a safety cage around it, and he fell off the ladder and landed on the silage equipment sitting below. He broke his back in the fall.
Guess who he sued and WON - the company that made the equipment he parked below his silo ladder and which he landed on.
So if you park your car near a ladder, I guess you can be sued if someone falls and lands on it and breaks their back.
Some of us from that area are still trying to figure out how the heck anyone decided for the guy. Sure, we felt bad that it happened, but seriously?

Everybody is looking to get paid rather than just accept that shit happens and is out of ones control. There is a sliding scale of ethics depending on how much something costs.

 

[Max-t]

Social media law suits. People can find like minded people no matter how extreme the idea.
what good is a class action? I guess people are hoping to put an end to jeep?
Bunch o folk riding around with tires full of rocks and no fenders or flaps complaining about windshields cracking seems a bit like karma. Maybe the head karma folk spread it to all jeepers instead of just the offenders… but my stock jeep is a rock chucker so…

but seriously. The roads around here are falling apart. Everybody tailgates and speeds and drives down shoulders. Rocks get chucked over the median even if not tailgating.
I can’t imagine who the people are that are complaining… I went from a Toyota van to a gladiator and have gone through pretty much the same rock chips in the same miles. Van was worse actually. And had a $2000 windshield. It’s same as “death wobble” it’s not special till it becomes a battle cry.

 

[CJXJJT]

I drove a CJ-5, a CJ-7, and a Scrambler for years and years and rarely,, if ever, had chipped or cracked windshield. They were thicker, better built.

True the glass was most likely better, but you have to factor in your driving(following distance)habits as well as the fact that most of my old CJ's hardly ever saw 60mph. Now days when a rock hits your window I would guess it hits at 30% higher closing speed.
Back off a little and pay attention to the a-hole riding the center line where the debris collects.
Going on two years with original glass. I have gad a couple of dandy hits where I was suprised the glass survived.

 

[T-Rock]

I saw an article recently indicating that based on some of the concept vehicles Jeep showcased this year that the new models may have a more swept back windshield. That alone will help reduce the cracks and chips since the primary problem is the nearly vertical stance they have now. Personally I hope they do roll those out. I don't want to see a major redesign but a few more degrees angle in the windshield won't change the appearance drastically but will help reduce this costly annoyance.
No joining a lawsuit like that for me - I agree with the others here that it is not likely to go anywhere and it is mostly personal responsibilities and acceptance of what risks you take with the brick you drive.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

The old glass from the 80s wasn't better. In fact, it's not as good at modern glass. What's changed is the world - and internet. Modern glass making methods make the glass better, stronger.

Here's a good read - and those Jeep people should take notice and drop that stupid suit -
https://www.torquenews.com/1083/eve...model-has-defective-windshield-and-roof-glass

Example from that article that's an eye-opener in a way -

I've dug into this a bit and found a lot of interesting information, some from science and university studies, some from other sources.
Ironically, some of this appears to be our own fault, or the fact that modern vehicles actually seal better (slamming a door stresses glass - and that was proved here in the 1980s when hundreds of windows in cars broke one winter due to people quickly closing their doors when the temps were 20 below for a full week)
Another source says that if you have any tiny pitting or scratch or damage, it's a weak spot that water can actually damage - clean your glass, then take it out on a sunny day and show there's zero sandblasting to the surface at all.
This tidbit is from MIT.EDU ->
Of course, glass can be changed by contact with other substances. Stress and abrasion can affect it, and lime glass (from which glass windows and containers are typically made) can be attacked by water. “If tiny flaws or weak points in the glass are exposed to water,” Cima says, over time the water attacks the tips of the cracks and dramatically decreases the strength of the glass.” Caustic chemical solutions and extremes of temperature can also degrade glass, though some types of glass are highly resistant to these factors, too – silicate glass, from which pyrex is made can be taken from very hot to very cold rapidly, and it doesn’t crack.

Windshield glass outer layer - the layer those gnats with helmets impact, is soda-lime glass.


From torquenews -
Is Your Windshield Defective?
As far as we know, there is no relationship between a chip occurring and the age of a windshield. However, the likelihood that a new vehicle owner will throw up a post about damaged glass sure is. One we saw this afternoon was the inspiration for this story. It read, "Anybody notice that the glass is soft on the car? I got 2 small chips in the past 2 weeks." So I searched inside a number of groups in which I participate to see if the keywords "Windshield, chip, crack" result in a lot of activity. It's not just a lot, it's an avalanche of posts. Here is a quick rundown on some we found that seem to apply:
- My Model 3 is going in next week to replace a cracked windshield. $1,300.
- Our Honda Clarity had a tiny tiny chip near the top of the windshield in front of the driver, which has extended into a crack to the edge. I don't recall any kind of impact.
- Anyone else notice their Prius windshield is a chip magnet? I have 2 obvious chip already after 18 months.
- My 124 Spider's windshield just cracked! Safelite says just the parts are $1600 for the molding and brackets.
- I was parked and my Colorado ZR2's windshield crack right in my face... no rocks smashed my windshield.

 

[ToJTornottoJT]

True the glass was most likely better, but you have to factor in your driving(following distance)habits as well as the fact that most of my old CJ's hardly ever saw 60mph. Now days when a rock hits your window I would guess it hits at 30% higher closing speed.
Back off a little and pay attention to the a-hole riding the center line where the debris collects.
Going on two years with original glass. I have gad a couple of dandy hits where I was suprised the glass survived.

LOL... Both my CJ7 and CJ8 had built 401's in them and would do well over 100 and did it often. The CJ7 would pull the front wheels off the ground and did so regularly. I have been driving the same way for about 35 years.

Don't tell me how to drive.

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