NHTSA Complaint #10213581 — 2005 JEEP WRANGLER

I HAVE A 2005 JEEP WRANGLER. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER AND IT IS THE ORIGINAL WINDSHIELD. ON DECEMBER 13, 2007 THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED WHILE I WAS DRIVING. THERE WERE TWO CRACKS (POSSIBLY INITIATED FROM ONE POINT BELOW THE MOLDING). THE CRACKS STARTED ON THE BOTTOM JUST OFF CENTER AND WENT UP ABOUT TWO INCHES AND THEN CURVED 90 DEGREES AND WENT HORIZONTALLY ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD. THE JEEP WARRANTY BOOK SAYS IT COVERS DEFECTS IN THE GLASS FOR ONE YEAR OR 12,000 MILES. SINCE MY JEEP WAS PAST THIS POINT MY INSURANCE COVERED IT. THEY HAD SAFELITE AUTOGLASS PUT IN A NEW WINDSHIELD ON DECEMBER 27, 2007. SIX DAYS LATER' ON JANUARY 2, 2008 ON MY WAY TO WORK THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED AGAIN WHILE DRIVING. THE REPLACEMENT WINDSHIELD WAS LESS THAN ONE WEEK OLD! THIS TIME THERE WERE THREE CRACKS. ONE WENT STRAIGHT UP FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE WINDSHIELD TO THE TOP, MOLDING TO MOLDING. THE OTHER TWO WERE SIMILAR TO THE FIRST TIME. THEY BEGAN AT THE BOTTOM, WENT UP TWO INCHES AND TURNED 90 DEGREES AND BECAME HORIZONTAL CRACKS. THE CRACKS COULD HAVE INITIATED FROM A SINGLE POINT BELOW THE MOLDING. THIS TIME THE CRACKS STARTED MORE TOWARD THE CENTER, ABOUT 4 INCHES CLOSER TO THE DRIVER SIDE THAN THE FIRST CRACKED WINDSHIELD. THE AUTO GLASS TECHNICIAN SAID THAT CRACKED WINDSHIELDS ARE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH JEEP WRANGLERS. I HAVE READ ONLINE FORUMS AND A LOT OF JEEP OWNERS ARE HAVING THIS SAME ISSUE. ALSO, A CO-WORKER HAD THE SAME THING HAPPEN TO HIS JEEP. HE WENT THROUGH 2 WINDSHIELDS IN 3 YEARS. IT SOUNDS LIKE A SYSTEMATIC SAFETY ISSUE WITH JEEP WRANGLERS. I HOPE THAT JEEP WILL CORRECT THIS QUALITY DEFICIENCY BEFORE ANYONE GETS HURT. I CALLED THE JEEP CUSTOMER SERVICE NUMBER AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY COULDN'T CORRECT THEIR DEFECTIVE VEHICLE. IF THE WINDSHIELD CRACKS OR 'SPIDER WEBS' WHILE DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY, THIS ISSUE COULD LEAD TO A SEVERE ACCIDENT AND/OR DEATH IF IT HASN'T ALREADY.*CN