NHTSA Complaint #10118303 — 2004 HONDA ELEMENT

ABOUT A MONTH AGO, I NOTICED A CRACK IN THE WINDSHIELD OF MY HONDA ELEMENT. THE CRACK IN THE WINDSHIELD IS ABOUT 4 WEEKS OLD; IT HAD STARTED OVERNIGHT - IT WASN'T THERE WHEN I PARKED IT, BUT WAS THERE THE NEXT MORNING. I THOUGHT THAT I WOULD JUST HAVE TO DEAL WITH A SMALL CRACK, BUT DECIDED TO DO SOME RESEARCH ON PROBLEMS WITH THE HONDA ELEMENT AND FOUND SEVERAL INCIDENCES OF A CRACK IN THE WINDOW STARTING IN THE SAME PLACE. I EVEN FOUND A HONDA SERVICE BULLETIN (TSB 03-028) THAT ADDRESSED THIS EXACT PROBLEM. I PURCHASED MY 04 HONDA ELEMENT IN MID-DECEMBER OF 2004, AND AT THE TIME OF THE CRACK THE CAR HAD LESS THAN 10,000 MILES. I HAVE READ THAT IF THERE WAS AN IMPACT POINT THAT CAUSED THE CRACK, THAT IMPACT POINTS ALWAYS HAVE A STAR CRACK PATTERN AROUND THEM. MINE HAS NO CRACK PATTERN EXCEPT THE LARGER CRACK THAT MOVED UPWARD AND THEN TOWARDS THE MIDDLE OF MY WINDSHIELD - NO STAR SHAPE. I HAVE ALSO READ ABOUT THE SURFACE OF THE WINDSHIELD BEING UNEVEN AND THAT A HIGH SPOT APPLIES UNEVEN PRESSURE TO THE GLASS CAUSING A STRESS CRACK. FURTHER, THAT A STRESS CRACK IS IDENTIFIED BY A HORIZONTAL CRACKS ORIGINATING IN THE LOWER CORNERS OF THE AND RADIATING TOWARD THE MIDDLE OF THE WINDSHIELD. THIS IS EXACTLY MY PROBLEM. I REPEAT, THE PIT WAS SMALLER THAN THE SIZE OF A GRAIN OF SALT AND LOCATED DIRECTLY UNDER THE WIPER BLADE. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY, AND WAS TURNED AWAY WHEN I TRIED TO HAVE MY WINDOW REPAIRED. THIS SITUATION IS NOT UNIQUE TO MY HONDA ELEMENT. THERE ARE MANY OTHER ELEMENT OWNERS THAT HAVE ENCOUNTERED THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE WINDSHIELD CRACKING UNDER THE WINDSHIELD WIPER ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CAR. HONDA HAS SYSTEMATICALLY ?FOUND? THAT THESE CRACKS WERE CAUSED BY ROCKS, ALTHOUGH ADMITTING IN A SERVICE BULLETIN TO ITS DEALERS THAT THIS IS A SYMPTOM OF HONDA ELEMENTS, AND THAT IT IS PROBABLY CAUSED BY THE WINDSHIELD FLANGE SURFACE BEING UNEVEN. *JB