Wiper problems of the 2023 Honda HR-V - part 1

Had my car parked in my house garage. Drove out of garage to go to work. While waiting on garage to close, heard an explosion and realized my back windshield shattered. When I got out to inspect and take pictures, it shattered even more. Took to dealership. Waiting to hear back from Honda corporate. Tired of issues with this car.

Drove to work on Friday morning 12/12/25. Parked my car in my work parking lot. At 5pm when I returned to my car, when I entered my car and closed the door, I heard a shattering noise, I looked around and in my rearview mirror I saw a hole right through the middle of my rear window. I exited my car and when I closed the door, the rest of the window finished shattering and fell in. I found out there was a soft recall regarding the rear window and the adhesive used. I went to the yonkers service center on 50 yonkers Ave here in westchester county on Saturday 12/13/25,spoke with a rep who was very courteous, explained the recall I found on-line regarding rear window recall and set up an appointment for that Monday 12/15/25. Dropped off car to service center, received a call the next day from the rep saying they cannot do anything about it because the technician found nothing wrong. I explained it was a manufacturers defect and it should be covered. Then called the dealer and I explained the situation, called me back and gave me the same explanation. I then reached out to the corporate offices and they said I would have to pay out of pocket. I find this very unacceptable.

The rear window glass suddenly broke with a huge sound. The glass brokes to pieces completely. No warning light was activated. It happened 10 minutes ago. I haven't reported to my insurance or dealer. I used defrost function. Before this accident happened, I smelled a burning flavor a little. Also, the range dropped almost 10 miles over a 2 mile distance. I am not sure if those phenomena relate or not.

The back rearview windshield shattered. I got into my parked car in the morning, turned it on and heard a pop sound. I looked back and saw a hole in the windshield, the glass fell inside the truck in pieces. I looked around to see if something dropped to crack it, but there was nothing. The pieces of the windshield kept falling in the trunk and the hole got bigger as time went on.

The rear windshield exploded while driving. I briefly turned on our defrosters and then the air before that. It is available for inspection upon request. Our safety was put at risk as the glass exploded into the car. The problem is one of the first things that pops up if you search Honda hrv windshield explode. My vehicle was last inspected on June 14,2025. There were no warning signs.

Severe windshield cracking (without a clear impact). I have had my windshield replaced 2x and it continues to crack. Glass seems to be thinner and cracks.

I was driving my [xxx] son to daycare and my back window of the hatch shattered. I was completely shocked and had no idea what happened, so I googled to see if there have been issues with my specific car and found the following: "the rear windows of some 2023 Honda Hr-vs are shattering due to a manufacturing defect with the rear defroster. Honda is replacing the windows through a voluntary product update campaign, but has not issued a safety recall. Honda says the problem is due to a manufacturing defect that allows the sealer used to secure the rear glass on some Hr-vs to come in contact with the defroster’s heating elements. Over time, this weakens the glass as the defroster creates a “hot spot. ” but the automaker advises owners to continue using the rear defroster as needed. " this is a major issue to mine and my sons risk. My son was in his car seat facing the window as it shattered. There was glass everywhere. I called Honda at Honda costa mesa in costa mesa, CA and they said that my VIN does not have that recall and that I could come in "to receive a quote for the repair" and that it typically takes 2-3 weeks for the window to come in and they will not provide a rental car. They were extremely unhappy and not sympathetic to the situation. I called my insurance (geico) and filed a claim for safelite to make the repair. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The rear window of my Honda hrv exploded/shattered all on its own into a thousand small pieces of glass while the car was parked outside in cold weather while I was visiting my son.

In the morning of December 31, 2024, I got into my 2023 Honda hrv and as I turned on the ignition, I was shocked by the shattering sound of glass at the rear of the vehicle. To my horror, it was the rear windshield that had shattered to smithereens. I was terribly upset by this incident and while thinking of my next action, I learned through google that it was due to a manufacturing defect with the 2023 Honda hrv model. Yet, I had not been notified by the Honda of any recall in regard to this defect. I took the car to the nearest Honda dealership where they plastered the rear of my car with a thin plastic and promised to call me as soon as they got the necessary parts. The incident could have caused serious physical and emotional injuries if I had passengers in the rear seats of the car. Even, all alone, I was emotionally traumatized by the incident.

My rearview window just exploded and broke while parked.

The rear windshield spontaneously shattered while the vehicle was parked.

Rear windshield shattered while driving. Defrosters were not on and the car had been warmed up with remote start before driving.

Was driving and turned on my defroster to the back windshield and while I was on the freeway the back window shattered there was no cars near me and no objects that hit my vehicle.

I was driving normally in traffic when my rear windshield exploded. I did have the rear windshield defroster on as I needed to reduce frost from the windshield.

I was driving normally in traffic when my rear windshield exploded. I did have the rear windshield defroster on as I needed to reduce frost from the windshield.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? - rearview windshield defroster how was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? - glass shattered everywhere, dog was in back seat, could have been very dangerous has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? - no has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? - inspected by Honda dealership were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? - no.

While driving on the highway, the rear windshield shattered with no warning. There was no lights, no sound, no crack, nothing that would indicate a problem. The car has been in use for 2 years with no problems. Once the car had been turned on, the rear defroster was turned on for about 3 minutes. Once the window was clear, it was turned off and about 10 minutes later, it shattered. No injuries but it was startling and could have caused additional accidents on the road, especially a highway that has such high traffic as this one. For once, it's a good thing that traffic was going so slow at 7am so there was more control to stop any potential collisions. It has been taken to the dealership for an inspection and to replace the window. They said that it has happened to several people, they have seen it at least 10 times in our area. I've always looked out for my car and take it to the dealership for oil changes or any recalls in a timely manner and never heard of this beforehand. Thankfully, no one else was in the car with me. But this should be more well known if it's such a common problem.

I was driving on the highway and heard a thump at the back of my car. My rear window had spiderwebbed, with no warning and nothing hitting it. I had turned on my rear defrost shortly before that. By the time I got where I was headed, almost my entire price of glass had fallen into ky car, in tiny pieces.

I bought a 2023 Honda Hr-v on Monday, 9/2/2024. And then on Wednesday, 9/4/2024, while driving to work my read windshield shatters out of nowhere. The glass remained in tact while I continued to drive and then completely shatter when I opened my car door. It sounded like an explosion and it startled me. I called the dealer that sold me the car and he proceeded to tell me that this is a known issue specific to 2023 model of Hr-v and manufacture error caused when the defroster it causes the glass to shatter. He added the issue can be fixed by simply replacing the window. I did not know this was an issue and it was not disclosed during the car purchase. I am so disappointed in Honda and even more disappointed to learn there is not an active recall to address this issue. Now there is glass all over my trunk space and I having to figure out how to get this fixed with the dealer.

My car is less than 1 year old and the back windshield shattered out of nowhere one day while parked. Honda refuses to reimburse us since we already had it replaced by an outside company.

Cool morning had my defrosters on and my rear trunk window spontaneously blew up as the car was parked very scary and unfortunate in a new car it just spontaneously happened I have no words what happened why the glass shattered.

My car was parked in the garage. I turned it on to leave and out of sudden before even leaving, the read window was shattered into pieces.

I was driving in light rain and had used the rear defroster. As I neared my home I heard a very loud noise that was very startling. Fortunately I was slowing down to make the turn into my cul-DE-sac. I looked in my rearview mirror and saw that my rear windshield had shattered. As soon as I closed my car door all of the shattered glass fell into the rear cargo area.

The back windshield glass spontaneously shattered by its own when it was parked.

While driving my vehicle going 55mph with the rear defrost on due to rainstorm, I noticed a strange smell like burning plastic but no warning lights were on. A few seconds later there was a very loud sound and I thought something large had smashed through the rear windshield so I ducked. It was terrifying and I almost drove off the road; luckily it didn't cause an accident but it could have. I pulled over and saw that the rear windshield had shattered; it was held mostly in place by the tempered glass but pieces had come off all around the edges and gone inside the vehicle and onto the road. I drove it home fearful of shards of glass falling behind me and endangering other drivers. The next morning I called my dealership who claimed they didn't know of this issue; when I told them my research found that it's been reported by many 2023 Honda hrv owners and that there's a problem with the rear defrost causing this, they were not helpful. I had the windshield replaced by safelite the next day but am worried about my safety when I need to use the rear defrost again as this issue could happen again if not fixed.

My rear windshield randomly shattered while it was parked in the sun in san diego. It happened on a military base and nothing was stolen so I’m sure it wasn’t crime related.

My Honda hrv 2023 rear window shattered itself without impact while driving on the highway I-94 on Saturday 6/9/2024 evening with heavy rain. Defroster was used and kids are in the rear seat. The spontaneous shattering was so loud that caused a sudden panic but very luckily with my long years of driving experience, I was able to maintain the control of the vehicle. Kids are shocked and were afraid until we got home. Called the dealership and the service department has no knowledge about the rear window defect cases. Waiting for the manager to call back.

My rear window randomly shattered. Car is on in park, pulled over in a parking lot as it was flooding outside. The rain stopped and then boom, the window shattered completely. Nothing hit the car or the window, nothing fell on the car, and the car wasn’t moving when this happened. I’ve seen other reports of this happening and I’m pretty concerned to drive the car around.

My back glass shattered while driving to work. Nothing struck it, it just exploded and was in a million pieces held together by the tint on the back window or so it seemed. I did call the state highway patrol but they said since it wasn’t an accident they couldn’t do a report. I thought at first it was a gun shot it was so loud when it popped. Called insurance, they referred to safelite for repair. Upon googling it I saw it was an ongoing issue and thought I should file a report.

While leaving the driveway for work, without any warning the rear windshield shattered. Extremely loud almost like a gunshot. I was driving approximately 10 miles an hour. Upon research by my husband it appears there are several complaints of this happening to this make and model.

My rear windshield suddenly shattered while the car was idling. I this happened because I was using the defrost system, as from my understanding several 2023 hrvs have had their rear windshields shatter from using the defrost system. The windshield "popped" and left a sizeable hole in the corner. As I drove home, the shattered glass fell into my trunk and possibly left pieces of glass on the road. I was worried that my passengers in the rear seats would have glass showered on them. The windshield is available for inspection upon request. I have not yet been able to take it anywhere to be inspected. There were no warnings before the windshield shattered.

While driving my 2023 hrv I had the defroster on as it was raining and hard to see. I had turned it off when pulling up to my house and my back window immediately shattered causing a big boom which I thought was something falling over. Once in the park, I noticed the window falling through into my trunk.

Upon opening the driver's side door and getting into the vehicle I heard glass tinkling and turned around to see where it was coming from. I noticed that the rear hatch glass was shattered. Looking closer it appeared that the glass broke in multiple places as there were two large holes and then it also shattered around the edges of the glass. I called my local Honda dealer as well as Honda customer service but they told me there hasn't been a recall for the rear glass and that the vehicle would have to be inspected for it to be covered under the warranty. I ended up just getting it fixed with a local auto glass shop since I needed to be able to drive it ASAP. There were no cracks or chips in the glass beforehand and I had not heard rattling or cracking while driving it the last time. We also couldn't find any rocks or anything in or around the car and there were no signs that it could have been a break in. The car alarm never went off and I never heard or saw anybody on the property. I've heard about a rear defroster issue that causes hot spots and the glass to weaken over time. I'm assuming that since I park in direct sunlight and the weather has been hotter lately the change in temperature throughout the day and the direct sunlight finally caused it to shatter. Thankfully nobody was in the car when the glass shattered and I wasn't driving at the time. Cleaning up the broken shards of glass was not fun, as glass had fallen into the grass around my car and tiny slivers were still in the interior of the vehicle that the shop vacuum couldn't pick up.

Rear window shattered. I entered my car and as soon as I closed the driver door, the back window shattered, unwarranted by anything else.

After getting into the driver seat and closing the car door, the rear windshield shattered for no apparent reason.