Shattered rear glass

[English Tony]

Hi, has anyone experienced the lower, dark, glass piece of the tailgate shattering when the trunk/boot was shut firmly? If so, how did your dealer treat the repair - warranty?

[Rokeby]

English Tony,

Welcome to PriusChat.

I can't help with the repair issue, it's not happened to me.

That said, were there there any special or unusual conditions when the glass
broke, ie;
* very low temps,
* something in the hatch that poked the glass from inside,
* previous collision repairs in the aft end of the car
* car sitting at a noticeable sideways angle
* very weak or inoperable gas struts

[tochatihu]

Interesting to see follow-up on this, since back in the old days at least 2 Prius of the 2001-2003 model had the rear glass fall apart with no known cause.

[Stilview]

I had this window shatter one morning when I closed the hatch. Nothing was in the cargo area, car was inside my garage, it was between 60 and 70 degrees (F) in the garage, all other doors and windows were closed. No door slamming was involved...just a gentle close and then a loud WTF.

Parts counter said they have seen a couple other instances...believe it is due to air pressure difference when closing. Who knows...all I know is it was very inconvenient and about $400 by the time it was all said and done.

[rigormortis]

Originally Posted by Stilview

I had this window shatter one morning when I closed the hatch. Nothing was in the cargo area, car was inside my garage, it was between 60 and 70 degrees (F) in the garage, all other doors and windows were closed. No door slamming was involved...just a gentle close and then a loud WTF.

Parts counter said they have seen a couple other instances...believe it is due to air pressure difference when closing. Who knows...all I know is it was very inconvenient and about $400 by the time it was all said and done.

why $400? is this piece of glass not covered by the average insurance companies glass insurance coverage? should it only be a $50 - $100 deductible?

did they have to replace something else besides the glass?

[Stilview]

One would think, huh? About $350 for the window and $50 for installation if memory serves correctly. Check your own coverage, but USAA coverage for other than the windshield is I pay deductible then they cover the remainder.

[patsparks]

Mine is any 1 piece of glass, one claim per policy year with nil excess. Any window is covered. So if someone smashes a window to break into the car the glass is 100% covered but anything taken and you want to claim that your up for the first $300.

[scottso5]

Approximately 1 year ago and AGAIN last week, the rear window on my 2006 shattered. Last week my car was parked for about 6 hours in 30-40 degree weather after I drove it 7 miles (I park it outside). Note that it was extremley windy outside with 40 to 50MPH gusts. I got into the car and shut the car and heard a strange sound that I couldn't associate with anything. I went to backup and looked in the rear view window and noticed that the rear window was completey cracked. I went outside and put one finger on the window and it formed a hole.

One year ago almost to the week, the same thing happened. This time I had driven for about 1 hour in 30 to 40 degree weather, parked the car for 5 minutes, went back to the car to get something out of the back seat and noticed the rear window shattered. No hole until I put my finger on it.

I took the vehicle both times to a Safelite location. This time they told me that they have replaced a dozen Prius rear widows in the past year. Coincidence????

[CharlesJ]

Originally Posted by scottso5

...I took the vehicle both times to a Safelite location. This time they told me that they have replaced a dozen Prius rear widows in the past year. Coincidence????

I would hardly think that.
Do other cars have similar issues with glass breakage when a door is shut? Or, perhaps, the glass is improperly specked for manufacturing? Bad supplier? As to temperature, Japan has some cold temps too, do they have similar issues, still?

[tjstar]

Just yesterday we had the same problem with our 2005 Prius.
The car was parked during the day, 75-85 degrees, came back to a completely shattered back window. When you looked at the window, there was no obvious impact spot.
It was also parked in a corporate lot with security video, they verified no one came near the car.

My wife does not remember any weird sounds while closing the doors.

Bad batch of windows or bad design??

Originally Posted by scottso5

Approximately 1 year ago and AGAIN last week, the rear window on my 2006 shattered. Last week my car was parked for about 6 hours in 30-40 degree weather after I drove it 7 miles (I park it outside). Note that it was extremley windy outside with 40 to 50MPH gusts. I got into the car and shut the car and heard a strange sound that I couldn't associate with anything. I went to backup and looked in the rear view window and noticed that the rear window was completey cracked. I went outside and put one finger on the window and it formed a hole.

One year ago almost to the week, the same thing happened. This time I had driven for about 1 hour in 30 to 40 degree weather, parked the car for 5 minutes, went back to the car to get something out of the back seat and noticed the rear window shattered. No hole until I put my finger on it.

I took the vehicle both times to a Safelite location. This time they told me that they have replaced a dozen Prius rear widows in the past year. Coincidence????