Anyone ever wake up to a new windshield crack?

[zcashio]

“Strong and durable” until it isn’t.

Seems like when they go, they really go. Did it start from a chip or just randomly show up one day?

Randomly showed up. Gladiator was parked in the sun one morning, about 85 degree temps. Moved the truck to the front door in the shade and 30 minutes later I hopped in and it appeared.

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[Bandit’s Lair]

Thanks, that sounds like a solid tip

Keeping frost and ice off helps more than people realize, and anything that slows down that initial temp shock on the glass is a win. Even a little insulation beats scraping frozen glass and then blasting heat on it.

Thinking something similar would be a windshield cover. Definitely easier for frost than heavy snow, but every bit helps when temps are swinging.

Do you just tuck the board under the wipers or secure it somehow so it doesn’t blow off?

Yep!! Just under the wipers does the trick for me. Keeps the blades from freezing to the glass too. You can bungee the top if the wind gets too bad but I’ve never had an issue in some fairly strong winds. The moisture settling on the poster board adds a little weight to it. I also park next to the garage or a van and trees to so that may help block some wind.

 

[GCBurt]

Got my windshield replaced yesterday afternoon. Had a crack on the passinger side for nearly a year. Last Friday when I came out from work there was a new crack on the driver's side from top to bottom that wasn't there when I arrived at work.

Drove to the Safelight store and scheduled the replacement.

My Grand Cherokee hasn't ever had a cracked windshield, but my wife manage to break the rear hatch window three different time in the last 10 years.

 

[Alpine Warthog]

ohhh no! Those “park it and come back to a crack” ones are the worst!

I’ve noticed those U-shaped cracks tend to show up when it’s cold and sometimes there was already some pitting you couldn’t even see.


Was it freezing temperatures outside when that happened?

Definitely. It was in the negatives

 

[ExoShield]

Randomly showed up. Gladiator was parked in the sun one morning, about 85 degree temps. Moved the truck to the front door in the shade and 30 minutes later I hopped in and it appeared.

Ah man, that’s brutal! Nothing worse than hopping in and seeing a crack that wasn’t there 30 minutes earlier. Sun + temp swings can be brutal on glass. Did you end up replacing it right away or you still riding with the crack?

 

[ExoShield]

Definitely. It was in the negatives

Ah dang! Yet another reason to call it the winter blues

 

[zcashio]

Ah man, that’s brutal! Nothing worse than hopping in and seeing a crack that wasn’t there 30 minutes earlier. Sun + temp swings can be brutal on glass. Did you end up replacing it right away or you still riding with the crack?

Riding with the crack. Was outside the 12k mile 12 month warranty and all JeepCares rep had to say was “Let me spit some facts if I may, next time buy your car locally so they work with you in regards to issue like this”… had the local dealer gone down on price 5k like other dealer did then of course I would have bought local.
I know if and when I do change it I will not be going with gorilla glass lol

 

[ExoShield]

Yep!! Just under the wipers does the trick for me. Keeps the blades from freezing to the glass too. You can bungee the top if the wind gets too bad but I’ve never had an issue in some fairly strong winds. The moisture settling on the poster board adds a little weight to it. I also park next to the garage or a van and trees to so that may help block some wind.

Love it! Simple and effective! Keeping the blades from freezing down is a big bonus too. Parking near a wind block is also smart and would definitely help. Sometimes the low-tech solutions are the best ones.

Have you noticed a difference in how often small chips spread since you started doing that?

 

[ExoShield]

Riding with the crack. Was outside the 12k mile 12 month warranty and all JeepCares rep had to say was “Let me spit some facts if I may, next time buy your car locally so they work with you in regards to issue like this”… had the local dealer gone down on price 5k like other dealer did then of course I would have bought local.
I know if and when I do change it I will not be going with gorilla glass lol

That’s so frustrating! Especially when you don’t get much support on it. Totally get riding it out for now. Whenever you do replace it, you might want to look into windshield protection film. A lot of Jeep owners add it to help cut down on repeat chips and cracks.

 

[ivanfrank]

Gorilla glass here that was severely pitted after years of cross country driving. Was in Breckenridge last winter and had the windshield covered with one of those frost guards. After a snowy, icey night went to take it off in the morning and SURPRISE new u-shaped crack right across the ACC section 🫥

 

[Mad Dog]

I had to replace the windshield every year in late summer early fall in my '21 rubicon. The crack would start at the bottom passenger side. It would start small and them bloom across the window within a couple days. No rock strikes or star cracks. The first was 2 months after I purchased new. Traded for a '25 Rubicon X last year and haven't had to replace the windshield yet, at least no cracks .

 

[ExoShield]

Gorilla glass here that was severely pitted after years of cross country driving. Was in Breckenridge last winter and had the windshield covered with one of those frost guards. After a snowy, icey night went to take it off in the morning and SURPRISE new u-shaped crack right across the ACC section 🫥

Oof, that hurts. Especially after years of it holding up.

Gorilla Glass or not, once it’s heavily pitted it feels like it’s just waiting for the right conditions.

Cold nights in Breckenridge don’t help either. Brutal surprise to start the morning.

 

[ExoShield]

I had to replace the windshield every year in late summer early fall in my '21 rubicon. The crack would start at the bottom passenger side. It would start small and them bloom across the window within a couple days. No rock strikes or star cracks. The first was 2 months after I purchased new. Traded for a '25 Rubicon X last year and haven't had to replace the windshield yet, at least no cracks .

That’s interesting — especially that it kept starting in the same spot every time.

Bottom passenger side seems to be a common origin point, and once they start there they tend to bloom fast like you described. 2 months after a new purchase is really crappy though.

Keeping our wipers crossed that your '25 stays intact.

Have you noticed any differences on the ’25 so far — glass type, trim, or just fewer miles and less pitting?

 

[Bandit’s Lair]

Love it! Simple and effective! Keeping the blades from freezing down is a big bonus too. Parking near a wind block is also smart and would definitely help. Sometimes the low-tech solutions are the best ones.

Have you noticed a difference in how often small chips spread since you started doing that?

Not sure on this. I always use those super glue type glass repair/fill kits on hand for knicks in the glass. They’ve always done the trick for me. I keep a couple on hand in the garage somewhere.

 

[DoctorDecoy]

Unfortunately, yes. I came back from a trip and when I walked through the freezing cold airport parking lot, I saw a small crack on the windshield that grew quite a bit on my frigid 3-hour drive home .

Haven’t worked up the courage/nerve/funds to fix it yet.

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