Windshield problems of the 2004 Honda Element - part 2

The windshield is experiencing major cracks without any cause, which can at anytime break. Manufacturer has been contacted by consumer.

I own a 2004 Honda Element. It was subject a cracked windshield due to the fact that Honda has a design flaw with its windshield installation. There are stress points which cause cracks in the bottom corners of the glass. This seems to be a common occurrence for the Element as Honda has released a service report for its dealers, but has not issued a recall.

I own a 2004 Honda Element. As with thousands of others, I have a stress crack in the windshield with no discernible cause. Honda refuses to fix the problem. The vehicle was not in accident nor is there a road stone incident. The crack goes from just under the left side windshield wiper, up and to the left to the side of the windshield. It has a vertical component of approx. 6 inches and then a horizontal component of 3 inches. The crack cannot be felt on the inside or outside of the windshield.

2nd occurrence of windshield crack. 1st event on 12-05-04. Occurred while vehicle parked-vertical crack from under trim below driver side wiper; tee'd at 6" and went side to side horizontally. Dealer refused to even look at crack. Windshield replaced on 12-10-04. 2nd occurrence on 02-15-05 while vehicle parked in garage. Vertical crack from under trim below driver side wiper for 3" then tee'd and went from side to side horizontally. Contacted dealer by phone - again total lack of interest. Both events showed pinhead sized pit just below wiper. Jb.

The windshield cracked twice, driver drove to the dealer on the last incident, and mechanic determined that the cause of the problem could not be determined at this time.

Windshield cracked after no apparent impact. It was a cold morning/afternoon. Car was garaged at home and at work. The crack was noticed upon returning to the vehicle after work. Crack started 12-14 inches from lower edge of passenger side. Extended from beneath window seal vertically for 5-6 inches and turned abruptly toward passenger side edge for 6-8 inches. Dealer identified it as a stress related crack with no apparent impact point. Replaced under warranty.

2004 Honda Element. We have owned the car less than 1 year and already there are 2 impact cracks and one in-explicable crack which comes from the lower passenger side of the windshield and curves up about 12 inches. Dealership states that there is an impact on the crack running from lower passenger side (said that ran a razor over crack which tells them there is an impact). Am writing a letter to Honda and copying NHTSA.

Consumer's vehicle was having the same problem as stated in technical servic ebulletin 100929. A long crack in the middle of the front windshield appeared. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.

2004 Honda Element with cracked windshield. . . . . . . . Nothing hit the windshield, just started to crack.

The contact stated the front windshield has cracked on the lower quarter of the passenger's side. The dealership stated something hit the windshield, and will not assist in the repair. The contact stated there was no evidence anything hit the windshield. The vehicle has not been repaired at this time. Updated 12/27/05.

2004 Honda Element. Cracked windshield x3 fixes. . . . . Cracked again by no fault of rocks.

Cracked windshield. Same complaint as everyone else. The vehicle was stationary in the garage and the windshield cracked from the seam half way up on the passenger side. The dealer insisted this was not a flaw of the vehicle and was due to a rock hitting the seam though there is absolutely no evidence of this. In the meantime, the left side has done the exact same thing. The windshield is on back order for over a month. After seeing all of the listings here I can see why there aren't any left. This is clearly a significant issue for many owners. Spoke to Honda customer service again today and they still deny this is a design flaw and claimed they've not heard of this being a common problem. Very disappointing. This is my 4th Honda and as a result of all the problems with this vehicle (this is minor in comparison) I won't be buying another Honda again and will be getting rid of this one.

Windshield cracked below driver's side wiper with no impact noted.

Honda Element windshield failure-crack.

Defective windshield in Honda Element. I had the Honda Element less than two weeks and developed my first chip in the windshield. I have now had it for 3 months and have already received another crack in the windshield. I am not the only Honda Element owner with this problem. I have owned my other cars for 8 and 11 years and have never had a problem like this with them. I really do believe this is a safety issue that Honda needs to address.

Bought 2004 Honda Element ex in Feb 2004. Since then have had 2 stone chips and now have a crack along the lower passenger side edge of the windshield. The car only has 6,000 miles on it. I've had cars that have lasted 100,000 miles with less damage.

I never heard anything actually hit my windshield. I did hear the crack, which begins at the bottom of the passenger side under the wiper. The crack moves upwards about 4 inches and over towards the driver side another 5-6 inches. I have opened a case with american Honda customer service trying to have it replaced under warranty since I understand this is a recurring problem with Elements.

Honda Element windshield cracked spontaneously within a few months of purchase from the bottom edge of the windshield up. Came out one morning and there was the crack. No rock impact as the dealer alleged! they jammed a sharp pen into the crack, and said, look, this was caused by a rock, & refused to repair it. Criminal, if you ask me! many other Element owners have reported this same problem to me. Also, the windshield was prone to attracting rock & pebble off the roads, a separate issue from that common cracking problem. It's a dangerous flaw that Honda needs to address and repair. A recall is in order!.

On two separate occasions the front windshield cracked for no known reason. The dealer replaced it on the first occasion. Now it has crack again. The dealer has been notified.

Honda Element 2004 windshield cracked. Checked out Hondaelementscrack. Com to find others with same problem. Claimed was fixed on the 2004, but 3 other cars in the service bay with similar cracks while awaiting mine to be serviced. All 2004 Elements. They claimed indication of impact, but happened while garaged. Appeared perfectly consistent with stress fracture TSB from 2003. They agreed to pay for 1/2 and I was quoted 250 at the dealer for replacement. When they realized Honda agreed to pay 1/2, they insisted now we must use the Honda windshield to raise the price to 500 to drop it back to the original 250. What a joke. Although they insisted they must use Honda windshields for safety reasons, they couldn't explain why not a single Honda dealership in the country will deliver the labor. Its subbed out to god only knows who and I'm sure liability for future failures or injury during an accident is passed along as well. They did indicate if they changed TSB to include 2004, I would get my money back, but I presume I'd also have to pay 250 somehow else to get the 250 back and still have a fractured windshield.

The other day I was leaving from work, and upon entering my Honda Element I noticed a 4"-6" crack on the passengers side of the windshield, stretching from just below the wiper blade to approximately 4" up the pillar. Upon noticing this I immediately took my car to the dealership where I had purchased the Element. The service manager came out and did the "pen test" and the "pen test found a small pit along the crack. " the service manager explained to me that this pit was caused from possibly a rock that hit the windshield just on the edge of the weather striping. With this answer seeming a little strange to me I decided to investigate further. In searching the internet I found a large number of people complaining about the same problem. Even my coworker had the same problem but he didn't think twice about the Honda Element, trusting that the service manager was correct he turned it into his insurance. I also came across a class action suit that was filed August. 04, 2004 against Honda sitting the same problems. On top of this finding I also noticed that may 6th, 2003 (only several months after the Element was on the market for the public) Honda issued a service bulletin sitting the same problem in only a select few of the Elements. I feel that Honda should be backing there product whether it be a design flaw, weak glass, or a rock that damaged my windshield due to un unseen amount of stress.

My windshield has cracked about 4 times-we have given up-brought it to 2 Honda dealers-acted as if they knew nothing about the problems.

Cracked windshield.

Driving on the road and again my windshield cracked. This will be my fourth windshield in 12k miles. Obvious a design flaw since I have been driving for over 30 years and during that time only one windshield needed to be replace. Honda states that the windshield is upright and cannot deflect road hazzard like a car can I gues I need to replace a windshield every 3k miles or not drive it on the highways. This is a dangerous situation and Honda needs to take respsibilty for thier design flaw.

Cracked windshield. No apparent impact occured.

While driving 10 mph consumer noticed that the windshield was cracked. This caused poor visibility. Vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic replaced the windshield twice. However, the problem recurred. The consumer stated that both cracks where in her line of vision.

Windshield damage. Honda case number #n012004092702375 (complain filed 9/12/04). Driving on the highway when my windshield got a ding bottom left then immediately the glass cracked about 12 inches. Honda 2004 Element with less than 3,700 miles.

First day of our vacation, we made our first stop for gas. I went in to bathroom while my husband filed tank. When we got back in car, we noticed 5" crack coming up from under trim strip,left of center near wiper attachment. Nothing had impacted windshield during 2hr drive from home to this point. The car was parked under a canapy & my husband or I were with car the entire time it was at the station. During the rest of our 5,000 mile trip, the crack spread slowly. We took it to the dealer we purchased it from. They say it was caused by impact of rock or bug. We searched internet & found a service bulletin from Honda sent out in 2003 for on how to fix windshields in 03 models as they were having problems w/stress cracks in same place ours cracked. We informed our dealer of this-still no word on repair/repacement of ours.

I was driving on the parkway with no one in front of me, heard a pop and a 5" crack appeared on my windshield(drivers side). The crack has grown an additional 3-4 inches in the past week. There is "no evidence" of road or rock debris having hit it. The dealership refused warranty coverage although a service bulletin was issued for this problem.

2004 Honda Element - driving on the highway (no gravel) in light-Sunday traffic and heard a "pop". Next day, noticed a crack emerging from the bottom, passenger side of the windshield that arced about a foot across the windshield within two days. Joe marina Honda said it was an impact issue and refused to repair.

The windshield on my Element cracked as I was driving down the street. As there were few cars on the road and none in front of me for perhaps a 1/4 mile, I am confident that there was no road debris or anything else which hit the windshield. Over the course of the next 30 minutes I watched as the crack expanded an additional 3 inches, totalling about 7 inches. This is troubling since there are reports of this being a problem with Honda Elements and Honda denies that there is a problem.

Crack in windshield begins under driver's side windshield wiper grows upward and the flares off in direction of passenger wiper. No impact, crack appears while car is parked. Car 3 weeks old with 1100 miles. After much discussion with service department, windshield replaced but said it would be a one time only replacemment basis as a good will gesture.

Today, I found an 8 inch crack on my windshield of my 2004 Honda Element. I don't recall anything hitting my windshield recently and there is no star or chipping on the windshield, indicating an impact. I have another car that had windshield damage, but that was due to a bolt that came flying at the car. The crack seems to start on the edge (under the rubber seal) about 6 inches above the bottom and extends up in a "j" shape. I believe this is due to the defective windshield problem I have read about.

Honda Element 2004 - had for about 3 weeks, crack developed under windshield wiper, driver side. Started from bottom, came up about 3 inches, miniscule starburst, then another ten or so inches. Honda dealer refused to repair under warranty or goodwill claim.

Windshield cracked (in 2 separate places!?!) with no apparent rock chip or damage. I have owned the car less than 6 months when this happens. Apparently a defect that many others have complained about. No cooperation from the dealership I purchased at. Won't make my next car a Honda because of thier failure to acknowledge the problem.