NHTSA Complaint #11186954 — 2012 HONDA CR-V

REAR WINDOW SHATTERED FOLLOWING USE OF ELECTRIC REAR WINDOW DEFOGGER. OUTSIDE AIR TEMPERATURE WAS ABOUT 30 DEGREES F, ACTIVE FREEZING DRIZZLE. STARTED THE ENGINE AND WITHOUT DELAY BEGAN DRIVING AND THEN TURNED ON REAR WINDOW ELECTRIC HEAT SWITCH TO IMPROVE REAR VISIBILITY, WHICH WORKED. I LEFT THE SWITCH ON UNTIL WE REACHED OUR DESTINATION ABOUT 8 TO 10 MINUTES LATER, PARKED THE CAR INSIDE A GARAGE, SHUT OFF THE ENGINE, EXITED, ALL VEHICLE WINDOWS SEEMED INTACT WHEN WE DEPARTED THE CAR. WE DID NOT COME IN CONTACT WITH ANY OBJECT OR EXPERIENCE ANY IMPACT. WE WENT INSIDE THE HOUSE, THEN BY REMOTE CONTROL CLOSED THE GARAGE DOOR. NEXT MORNING I WENT INTO THE GARAGE AND DISCOVERED A LARGE HOLE IN THE REAR WINDOW, BROKEN GLASS THROUGHOUT THE INTERIOR REAR OF THE CRV, ON THE FLOOR OF THE GARAGE AROUND THE REAR OF THE CAR, AND WHEN I OPENED THE OVERHEAD GARAGE DOOR, DISCOVERED BROKEN GLASS ALL OVER THE GROUND AS MUCH AS SIX FEET OUTSIDE THE GARAGE DOOR, AS THOUGH THE FORCEFUL WINDOW BREAKAGE HAD OCCURRED IN THE FEW MINUTES AFTER WE LEFT THE CAR AND BEFORE THE GARAGE DOOR HAD CLOSED. HONDA SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE STATED THEY DO NOT WORK ON WINDOW GLASS. THE COMMERCIAL WINDOW GLASS TECHNICIAN WHO REPLACED THE WINDOW STATED THAT THIS WINDOW HAD BEEN REPLACED BEFORE.