NHTSA Complaint #10458748 — 2012 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE

ON 5/15/12, I PARKED MY CAR AT 1:20 P.M. IN AN OFF ROAD SMALL PRIVATE PARKING LOT (A SMALL ASSISTED LIVING COMPLEX IN STOCKTON, CA), TEMPERATURE LESS THAN 80 DEGREES, NO TREES OVERHEAD, PERPENDICULAR, FACING THE SIDE OF THE BUILDING. WHEN I CAME OUT 3 HOURS LATER, FROM THE INSIDE OF THE CAR, I NOTICED WHAT SEEMED TO BE A SEMI-CIRCLE HAIRLINE FRACTURE ON MY FRONT WINDSHIELD, THAT HADN'T BEEN THERE BEFORE; STARTING AT THE UPPER ROOFLINE APPROXIMATELY 10 INCHES TO THE LEFT OF THE REARVIEW MIRROR, ARCHING DOWNWARD THROUGH THE CENTER LOCATION OF THE MIRROR BRACKET (SILICONED TO THE WINDSHIELD FROM THE INSIDE) ARCHING BACK UPWARDLY APPROXIMATELY 8" TO THE RIGHT OF THE MIRROR ENDING AT THE UPPER ROOFLINE. CLOSER EXAMINATION FROM INSIDE SHOWED ONE VERTICAL FRACTURE TO THE RIGHT OF THE BRACKET POSITION, FROM THE ROOFLINE AS THE ACTUAL POSSIBLE ORIGIN OF THE LEFT ARCH, THE RIGHT ARCH SEPARATE FROM THE PREVIOUS BRANCHING INTO AN ADDITIONAL HAIRLINE FRACTURE, AND YET ANOTHER SMALLER ATTACHED HAIRLINE SEMICIRCLE FRACTURE ARCHING BELOW THE FIRST OBSERVED SEMICIRCLE!! THERE IS A VERY TINY LOOP OF SILICONE HANGING FROM THE INSIDE ROOFLINE. PREVIOUS TO THIS OBSERVATION, THERE HAD BEEN NO FRACTURES! THIS WAS TOTALLY "OUT OF THE BLUE". IN MY 4903 MILES OF DRIVING, I HAD NOT EXPERIENCED ANYTHING BUT RAIN "HITTING" THE WINDSHIELD...NO OTHER DRIVERS HAVE DRIVEN THE CAR WITHOUT MY BEING IN THE CAR...AND I HAVE ONLY USED "TOUCH LESS" CAR WASHES. I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE AND THE NATIONAL VW CUSTOMER CARE CENTER, AFTER READING MULTIPLE VW OWNERS' COMMENTS ONLINE WITH SIMILAR "SPONTANEOUS" FRACTURES TO THEIR 2012 BEETLE'S WINDSHIELDS!!