ok I got in the rubi the other day and noticed a crack center of the windshield thats 5 inches long going straight up.....after a 4 day trip I come home to find the crack has moved at about a 90 degree angle to the drivers side about 6inches.... anyone else have this issue...its not from hitting somthing maybe a stress or heat crack?

I have comprehensive so Its getting replaced

Same thing happened to mine. It started from under the gasket came down a few inches and has almost traveled across the whole windshield. Riding with the windshield down doesn't help.

They should not use glue in windshields in Jeeps. Lots of these things break. Mine broke last year for no good reason IMHO.

I have one like that. I thought it was a defect, but the dealer was able to show me the tiny rock chip down in the black border, from which it had spread.

I have three cracks in mine that I attribute to the defroster. They started after an ice storm in February of '07, I had the defroster running for a bit to get the ice off, when I came back out, the first crack was there, the rest is history...

Yep...same thing happened to me. The defrost knob should have a warning on it "Turn knob here to CRACK your Windsheild!". 1200 miles later and it has almost taken the path of a drunken monkey with an Etch-a-Sketch!

Nice!

I average a new windshield per year for stress cracks, defroster, rocks.

So do those of you with stress cracks have the factory "sport bars" coming off the roll cage & tieing into the top of the windshield? Just wondering if that could be contributing to the stress cracks...

I've ckalked it up to "It's a Jeep thing". A small price to pay for indulging in the passion known as Jeeping. The biggest contributer is the windshield is basically a 4x8 peice of plywood standing on its side. It picks up EVERYTHING! The only way I can figure to protect it is to fold it down wrapped in bubble wrap, i couldn't do that as I would be popping the bubbes while I drove. I am a simple man. Ooo some thing Shiny....

Back in the old days windshields were mounted by encasing them inside a rubber/flexible mount. They had some give to them. Now there are glued in pretty solid to the windshield frame. That frame flexes along with the rest of the Jeep when you go off-road. As the defroster heats the glass and the cold contracts it the glass and steel frame do different things at the same time. Crack! I wager the sport bar side tubes tying into the windshield frame also contribute to the cracking. That tube/tubes just puts another axis of flex into the equation.

My old CJ had the same windshield in it for almost 20 years. Flexing off-road, rocks hitting it, and being laid down a lot of the time did not affect it other than for a few rock chips that never spiderwebbed out. Pretty much the same deal as what is on our new Jeeps except now-a-days the glass is glued in.

Interesting Bob... Was not aware of the glued in windshield till I read the post. I certainly never thought about the windshield & frame having different reactions to heat & cold... So how much do Chrysler/ Jeep engineers make?

Could be a DOT deal as well having them glued in. A lot of what engineers do involves making the product more cost efficient to build.

The dealer showed me a hidden rock chip too. I thought it was cold/hot temps.

I had my windshield replaced on January 25, 2010 after my close encounter with a low flying hawk (remember "Brid Strike?")...I'm leaving work the other morning and warm up the Jeep with the defroster on the 2nd setting. I let it run for about 15 minutes, go out run the windshield washer and notice a nice crack right in front of me, from the center of the windshield up to the top edge of the windshield.

The Safelite technician is coming out tomorrow to see if there is an "impact point", if not, they will replace it for free...otherwise, it will be another $210 down the drain.

It was posted here somewhere that new regulations required the glass be glued in, something to do with better roll over protection or rigidity in the windshield frame.

I have had a rock strike for eight months now and so far it has not moverd at all. Mind you I may use defrost once a month because I park in a garage over night.

john

Yeah I saw that...makes the windshield flex more (crack more) though I think.

Yeah, I'm kind of expecting that...

I cracked my windshield by tapping a mosquito that was on the inside. Yep, a light finger tap and she split across the passenger side. After that windshield was replaced another crack formed (from defrost) that goes right up the middle, nearly perfectly vertical. That was 2.5 years ago, no crack since!

Both of my windshields cracked with the factory sport cage.

Here is your fix.



Speed Glass Windshield Replacement
For 97-06 Jeep® Wrangler TJ

Speed Glass Windshield Replacement for 97-06 Jeep® Wrangler TJ
$369.99
Quadratec Part No: 12501.205
Manufacturer Part No: 07121


SpeedGlass is a shatterproof, scratch resistant plastic material that is 50% lighter than glass. Withstands glass-shattering stone impacts and tree limb smacks on trail rides. SpeedGlass is optically crystal clear (like ordinary glass) and can be cleaned with standard glass cleaners or alcohol. SpeedGlass' specialized coating resists pitting and is windshield wiper friendly. These direct fit installations do not require special tools or procedures and install just like normal glass. SpeedGlass is virtually shatterproof and in the event of a motor vehicle accident, not easily removed by fire or rescue personnel. Therefore, SpeedGlass is not DOT approved, or street legal in all jurisdictions.
Recommended for serious off-road use only.

Fits these Vehicles

* 97-06 Jeep Wrangler (TJ)
* 04-06 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (TJ)


http://www.quadratec.com/products/12501_205.htm

Funny you guys bring up the cam oil drive gear and cam and mine shits the bed next you bring up windshields cracking for no reason, then my windshield cracks. Whats next?
Someone told me some winshield places will warranty the windshields for life does anyone know what companies do this warranty?

"Safelite automobile glass is warranted against defects in material and workmanship for as long as you own the vehicle...."

The tech should be here soon, I'll let you know the outcome.



Firefighters can break anything, trust me.



Not being DOT approved is a major downer. Is it not approved because it doesn't meet the same strength requirements of regular glass for rollover protection? Or was it just not ever tested and therefore not approved?

Replaced for free today!

Mine has a crack in it, haha. I don't think I've ever seen a heep without one. I think they come chipped stock. I flop mine too much to fix it.

yup... im with Martha on this one

I hear ya! I had to replace the glass after the bird strike:

The pic doesn't do it justice, it was toast.

The stress crack was right in my line of sight, very annoying, plus they replaced it for free. If it wasn't in my line of sight and they were going to charge me, I might have lived with it...