So we go to Boreal on Saturday for some skiing and it was freezing from the recent storm. We come out at the end of the the day and icicles are forming around the edges of the car. I had the wipers off the windshield when we came in the morning so they were not stuck to the car or anything but I was excited to try the window de-icer feature, hit the button on the dash and heard a small click, didn't pay much attention to it and started driving down. About 10 minutes into the drive noticed a crack going up from where the de-icer element was to about 4-5" up the windshield. Not much I can do I thought so keep driving only to watch the crack grow to almost 20-25" over the next 1 hour. It has now stabilized to where it is now but has anybody had such an issue. I have barely had the car for about 2 months and there were no rock chips or any such damage to the windshield prior to this.

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Yeah you got a rock chip. See that circle about 4 inches up of your wiper, that the inpact mark

That's what I was thinking.

Yup, I see a chip also. Probably got some water in there and the combination of the overnight cold and the quick heat made it spread....

Yup nice little rock chip. I use my wiper heater all the time in the Chicago winters and never had an issue with my windshield cracking. I mean you can take it to the dealer but they will look at it and point out what the other guys already said.

Plus, the de-icer elements run horizontally to the windshield. If they were the only cause then you would expect the crack to run along the area of greatest temperature variance... parallel and probably on top of the elements. I think the chip, if that is what that is, induced the stress and the quick temp change finished the job. I've had small chips on the edge of a couple of windshields that cracked all the way across the windshield when the door was closed.

Rock chip. Don't blame it on Toyota.

Don't know if anyone has mentioned it yet, but there seems to be a rock chip about 4 inches up.

O rly?

Then what is this:

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Well I see it now but don't remember seeing it before the crack appeared.

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Yep. The large crack kind of highlights it.

Although your crack was most likely caused by a rock chip (in case no one has mentioned it), some of us have experienced temperature induced cracking. I have a 2 foot long crack running parallel to the windshield (as @00Sebby mentioned) that occurred while driving to work a few years ago in a snow storm. The snow was melting as soon as it hit the windshield, turning into an icy slush that the wipers were having a tough time removing. I've never gotten the windshield replaced as the crack was mostly in the lower black portion of the glass. I don't blame Toyota - just mother nature.

Same thing happened on MY LR Discovery years ago. Don't have or use electric de-icers anymore.

Same thing here, I have been using wiper heater for 6 winter season now and no issue (fingers crossed).

it very likely appeared after, or maybe even as the crack formed.

unlikely it was the CAUSE of the crack however. unless it originated from that point. and you said it didn't...