NHTSA Complaint #10064443 — 2003 HONDA ELEMENT

2003 HONDA ELEMENT WINDSHIELD CRACKED THREE TIMES WITHIN 12,000 MILES. FIRST CRACK APPEARED ON PASSENGER'S SIDE, STARTING FROM LOWER EDGE APPROXIMATELY CENTERED WITH WIPER BLADE STRAIGHT UP SIX INCHES WITH A SHARP TURN TO THE RIGHT. WENT TO DEALER FOR REPLACEMENT (METRO HONDA, JOHNSTON RI) REPRESENTATIVE SAID CRACK WAS CAUSED BY STONE OR FOREIGN OBJECT AND WAS NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY. THERE WAS NO SIGN OF IMPACT. REPRESENTATIVE UNDER CLOSE INSPECTION FOUND THE SMALLEST SPEC WITHIN CRACK. IT IS TINY, I'D SAY THE SIZE OF A GRAIN OF SALT. ABOUT THREE WEEKS LATER THE SECOND CRACK APPEARED STARTING FROM THE LOWER EDGE OF THE DRIVERS SIDE, DIRECTLY CENTERED WITH THE WIPER BLADE. AFTER CLOSE INSPECTION, I FOUND AN IDENTICAL SALT GRAIN SIZE SPEC WITHIN THE CRACK. THIS WAS NOT CAUSED BY IMPACT! I KNEW THIS WINDSHIELD WAS DEFECTED. THAT'S WHEN I STARTED DOING SOME RESEARCH AND DISCOVERED THIS IS AN ON GOING PROBLEM WITH MANY IF NOT THOUSANDS OF ELEMENT OWNERS. THE THIRD CRACK APPEARED ABOUT TWO WEEKS AFTER THE SECOND, THIS TIME IT APPEARS A ROCK DID CAUSE THE CRACK. LOCATED ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE LEFT EDGE CONTINUING STRAIGHT ACROSS TO THE RIGHT. THE IMPACT WAS SLIGHT, LEAVING A ROUND MARK THE SIZE OF A PEA. I READ HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS, THERE ALL THE SAME. THERE' S HUGE PROBLEM AND SOMETHING MUST BE DONE. DOES HONDA EXPECT ME TO GET A NEW WINDSHIELD WITH EVERY OIL CHANGE? PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. IT'S WRONG AND HONDA NEEDS TO NOT ONLY ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM, BUT TO RECTIFY IT. PEOPLE, DON'T JUST READ ABOUT IT, SUBMIT A COMPLAINT. *JB