Rear Windshield Shattered this morning - Toyota 4Runner Forum

busbeepbeep · 10-11-2010, 09:54 AM

I was in the truck for about 2 minutes. I was stopped at a red light. I had the rear defrost on. Windshield just shattered.

Has this happened to anyone else? Should I bring it in to the dealer or just a glass repair place like Safelite?

Any chance the rear defroster was the culprit and if so, how does one go about checking it?

JCR · 10-11-2010, 01:17 PM

That sucks. I would probably just take it to a glass place, doubtful that toyota would do anything other than check the defrost and hand you a bill. Did you look for anything that may have gone through the windshield?

busbeepbeep · 10-11-2010, 01:35 PM

Didn't notice anything in the car but didn't check too closely.

Dealer quoted me $804. Safelite gonna do it for $298.

MikesToy · 10-11-2010, 04:49 PM

That sux. It must be the mixture of heat and cold. If not, maybe another Toyota recall.

X6RUNNER · 10-11-2010, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by busbeepbeep

I was in the truck for about 2 minutes. I was stopped at a red light. I had the rear defrost on. Windshield just shattered.

Has this happened to anyone else? Should I bring it in to the dealer or just a glass repair place like Safelite?

Any chance the rear defroster was the culprit and if so, how does one go about checking it?

Uh! Same thing happened to a friend 05 TR4 last cold snap here in Orlando. He also had the defroster on and back out off the drive way when the rear windshield shattered. He found one at a local junkyard for around $ 165 or $175 and installed it himself. Just shop around you will save some $$$.

swise · 10-11-2010, 06:42 PM

thats curious - I see aircraft windshields spiderweb in flight because of failure of the w/s heating control. Wonder if its the same thing with this....
that should not happen even if you leave the thing on full time

MikesToy · 10-11-2010, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swise

that should not happen even if you leave the thing on full time

Lower temps in higher elevations are kinda diff from lower temps at sea level. It can be 65 degs in New Orleans and i have to wear a sweatshirt and the same time here in Colorado, at 65 degrees i'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt.

swise · 10-11-2010, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikesToy

Lower temps in higher elevations are kinda diff from lower temps at sea level. It can be 65 degs in New Orleans and i have to wear a sweatshirt and the same time here in Colorado, at 65 degrees i'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt.

My point is that the resistance of current through those little wires in the glass should be the same all the time, creating the same temp. glass all the time, regardless of out. air temp. (or barometer). When too much current caused by a lack of control of power or an internal short in the glass happens, it creates an uneven hot spot in glass and... crack.
But I am known to be full of crap and foggy theories alot...

busbeepbeep · 10-11-2010, 10:16 PM

So I got the glass repaired by Safelite. The guys told me they don't think the defroster was the problem and insist it was an impact that broke the glass. They said they didnt notice any damage to the plugs that connect to the glass.

I'm afraid to ever use my rear defrost again though.

MikesToy · 10-11-2010, 11:02 PM

Was Safelite glass tinted?

busbeepbeep · 10-11-2010, 11:37 PM

Yeah, it's tinted. In fact, I parked next to another 4runner tonight and it looked nearly identical.

The safelite description reads:

Quote:

Back Windshield/Window, Gray Tinted Glass (Very Dark), Heated

DC Dude · 10-12-2010, 03:35 AM

I wouldn't be surprised if someone shot at your truck.

Onetime I was driving on a highway and my moonroof shattered. Luckily, I had the sun visor closed.

Come to find out a few days later that other cars in the general area suffered the same damage possibly from kids tossing rocks into the highway.

galactic_04 · 10-12-2010, 09:38 AM

IT's probably a lot like the old trick where you take Mr's Butterworth's bottle and tie a string around her neck, light it on fire for a minute, then put it on ice real quick and behead Mrs. Butterworth. Only difference is you're using a defroster wire.

Doozi · 10-12-2010, 11:13 AM

Could've been a meteorite!

Seriously... this is pretty weird to me. It takes a pretty decent amount of force to "pop" a window. I've seen roll-overs and serious collisions that haven't damaged windows, but I've also seen Fire Depts use spring-loaded center punches to gain entry to a vehicle... "click" and the window is gone! That, though, is a very concentrated force to the glass... I couldn't imagine a defroster generating that much of a temperature differential to create that much stress in a window. Could you have scratched or chipped the back window prior to this happening?

~Doozi

Kmvreter · 10-12-2010, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by busbeepbeep

I was in the truck for about 2 minutes. I was stopped at a red light. I had the rear defrost on. Windshield just shattered.

Has this happened to anyone else? Should I bring it in to the dealer or just a glass repair place like Safelite?

Any chance the rear defroster was the culprit and if so, how does one go about checking it?

Wife had this happen years ago in a previous car. Bought the car in the summer. Two minutes down the road after turning the rear defrost on for the first time in the fall. The rear window popped with a loud bang and disintegrated. No guns involved. Get a glass shop to do it, maybe even through insurance depending on your deductible. Nothing left to check on the rear defrost because the grid is gone. Glass shop said they saw the same thing once or twice every fall but no brand in particular.

Site Navigation