[Skip55]

Yesterday morning after driving for about 15 minutes the front windshield began to fog slightly (it was a cold ~28 F snowy morning in Lexington, KY). I turned on the front defroster with the climate control temperature set to 72. As I am driving and approximately five minutes after turning on the front defroster I heard a barely audible "ting" and at the same time noticed a upside down crooked "L" of a crack in the windshield. It started at the bottom of the windshield and total length is about a foot. There was nothing impacting the windshield nor any jarring of the vehicle to account for the crack. The only thing I can think of to cause the crack was the temperature differential due to the warm defroster and cold exterior.
I have owned several vehicles in my life and have never encountered this issue before. I have had windshields damaged from thrown rocks / gravel and am familiar with the sound. The other thing I noticed with this windshield crack was the thinness in the depth of the crack. I do not know what the thickness measurement is of the 2013 Santa Fe, but having seen other windshield cracks on vehicles this one appears to be half the thickness of the others I have seen.
I called the dealership and since it was Saturday they asked me to call back on Monday morning to talk to the service manager. I plan on pursuing this because I firmly believe this is a quality issue. I'll keep everyone posted on the outcome.

 

[HoseHead]

Looking forward to hearing what you find out. I've had my share of cracked windshields over the years and the last thing I want is to have a weak windshield that can't handle severe temp swing. I live in Canada for £µ¢#'s sake! :frozen:

 

[Cheers]

Yesterday morning after driving for about 15 minutes the front windshield began to fog slightly (it was a cold ~28 F snowy morning in Lexington, KY). I turned on the front defroster with the climate control temperature set to 72. As I am driving and approximately five minutes after turning on the front defroster I heard a barely audible "ting" and at the same time noticed a upside down crooked "L" of a crack in the windshield. It started at the bottom of the windshield and total length is about a foot. There was nothing impacting the windshield nor any jarring of the vehicle to account for the crack. The only thing I can think of to cause the crack was the temperature differential due to the warm defroster and cold exterior.
I have owned several vehicles in my life and have never encountered this issue before. I have had windshields damaged from thrown rocks / gravel and am familiar with the sound. The other thing I noticed with this windshield crack was the thinness in the depth of the crack. I do not know what the thickness measurement is of the 2013 Santa Fe, but having seen other windshield cracks on vehicles this one appears to be half the thickness of the others I have seen.
I called the dealership and since it was Saturday they asked me to call back on Monday morning to talk to the service manager. I plan on pursuing this because I firmly believe this is a quality issue. I'll keep everyone posted on the outcome.

Can you tell if the crack goes through the entire thickness of the windshield, or would you call it a surface crack...

If it`s a glass thickness issue, and subject to temp extremes, it`s strange that our Canadian friends haven`t had an issue yet.

Good luck and let us know what they say.

 

[blueline]

My suggestion is to take a look at the edge where the crack begins. This will provide a clue if the crack is a pressure crack or most likely where the impact of a stone has hit. This area is the weakest point in the glass and where a crack will start. Ususally from a stone hit. If there is signs of a stone hit, ie. a small divet right at the edge, you most likely got hit by a stone of some type. The crack then usually shows up several hours or days later as you drive or temperature changes. This is what has happened to me with some other cars I have owned.

 

[jsinton]

Sometimes it's a manufacturing defect. Somebody might have dinged the edge in the factory upon assembly and started a crack.

 

[Cheers]

Sometimes it's a manufacturing defect. Somebody might have dinged the edge in the factory upon assembly and started a crack.

That`s a great point!...If that`s the case, it`s probably hidden beneath the molding.

You may want to be there when they pull it out, so you can see for yourself. If there is hidden chip, then jsinton is right, it would be a manufacturing issue.

 

[Skip55]

Thanks Blueline for the advice. I checked out the crack and near the bottom of it (the crack extends below the dash level) there was a very small indentation. I do not know when it occurred but it appears the divet was the source of the overall crack. The windshield glass depth still appears thinner than any other windshield I have ever seen (like a single-pane window).
I contacted my insurance company and it is a 0 deductible fix for me. My insurance company contracts Safelite AutoGlass for glass claims. The 2013 Santa Fe windshield is currently only available from the dealer and on back-order there. I have a 2/12 possible availability date.
Thanks again for the advice.

 

[Turbo Dizzle]

Thanks Blueline for the advice. I checked out the crack and near the bottom of it (the crack extends below the dash level) there was a very small indentation. I do not know when it occurred but it appears the divet was the source of the overall crack. The windshield glass depth still appears thinner than any other windshield I have ever seen (like a single-pane window).
I contacted my insurance company and it is a 0 deductible fix for me. My insurance company contracts Safelite AutoGlass for glass claims. The 2013 Santa Fe windshield is currently only available from the dealer and on back-order there. I have a 2/12 possible availability date.
Thanks again for the advice.

Exact same scenario for me. I did have a minor chip which has left me with a now sealed crack. I think the tolerance for these windshields are very very low. This is possibly the 5th post on the same topic.

 

[emmanuel1st]

Yesterday morning after driving for about 15 minutes the front windshield began to fog slightly (it was a cold ~28 F snowy morning in Lexington, KY). I turned on the front defroster with the climate control temperature set to 72. As I am driving and approximately five minutes after turning on the front defroster I heard a barely audible "ting" and at the same time noticed a upside down crooked "L" of a crack in the windshield. It started at the bottom of the windshield and total length is about a foot. There was nothing impacting the windshield nor any jarring of the vehicle to account for the crack. The only thing I can think of to cause the crack was the temperature differential due to the warm defroster and cold exterior.
I have owned several vehicles in my life and have never encountered this issue before. I have had windshields damaged from thrown rocks / gravel and am familiar with the sound. The other thing I noticed with this windshield crack was the thinness in the depth of the crack. I do not know what the thickness measurement is of the 2013 Santa Fe, but having seen other windshield cracks on vehicles this one appears to be half the thickness of the others I have seen.
I called the dealership and since it was Saturday they asked me to call back on Monday morning to talk to the service manager. I plan on pursuing this because I firmly believe this is a quality issue. I'll keep everyone posted on the outcome.

Hello! Any updates about your windshield? I bought my sta fe last month and last week my wife noticed a long crack coming from the bottom of the windshield on the passenger side. I took it to the dealership last week and they cant tell what caused it. They took some pictures of the damage and said they will send it to their service manager. Last wednesday I called them again for updates and they said they are just waiting for the new windshield to be delivered.

 

[Ruperts Trooper]

Across all brands, cars are being fitted with thinner windscreens and side glass - to save weight - this makes them more prone to cracking when there's a temperature differential between inside and outside.

 

[dtech]

Carlex probably makes the windshields - it's on the door glass . they have a subsidiary (carlite) that is a major supplier to Safelite - a big glass replacement firm at least in the US.

Surprised aftermarket is not yet available.

 

[casperr]

This is the crappiest windshield I ever had. Unbelievable. I had a very minor crack and I was intending to go straight to get it fixed and right before I get to the shop, it traveled upward (driver side). That was a very minor crack and i wasnt even using the heater. Just unreal how crappy the quality of stuff are in this vehicle.

I will have to replace the whole windshield but I dont know if I should get this done at Hyundai since they will be using the same crappy windshield anyways. But this car is too new that I dont know if third party manufacturers might have windshields done for this santa fe.

 

[seh0041]

Carlex probably makes the windshields - it's on the door glass . they have a subsidiary (carlite) that is a major supplier to Safelite - a big glass replacement firm at least in the US.

Surprised aftermarket is not yet available.

Wow, that seems pretty shady. Thanks for the info.

 

[Turbo Dizzle]

This is the crappiest windshield I ever had. Unbelievable. I had a very minor crack and I was intending to go straight to get it fixed and right before I get to the shop, it traveled upward (driver side). That was a very minor crack and i wasnt even using the heater. Just unreal how crappy the quality of stuff are in this vehicle.

I will have to replace the whole windshield but I dont know if I should get this done at Hyundai since they will be using the same crappy windshield anyways. But this car is too new that I dont know if third party manufacturers might have windshields done for this santa fe.

See if your dealer will replace it under warranty.

 

[casperr]

I doubt they will but will give them a call

 

[casperr]

So i checked the line again and i really thought there was a crack or at least i thought a rock hit it because the glare of it gave me an illusion that it has a crack but i looked closely to it and there is actually none. It originated from the bottom. I am definitely not paying for something that i am not responsible for. I will contact my dealer about this immediately

 

[luck11]

So i checked the line again and i really thought there was a crack or at least i thought a rock hit it because the glare of it gave me an illusion that it has a crack but i looked closely to it and there is actually none. It originated from the bottom. I am definitely not paying for something that i am not responsible for. I will contact my dealer about this immediately

Well, that's good news...kinda. Hopefully the dealer will agree that it was not an "impact" crack and take care of it....and hopefully you don't have to wait for a back ordered windshield.

 

[casperr]

For as long as i have a loaner vehicle, i am fine with waiting. This crack is so weird. It started all the way to the bottom part and went up. I dont know whats down there that started it. Seems very similar to the case of the OP

 

[Turbo Dizzle]

So this is the 3rd Friday I was promised my SFS back. Nothing. Moving onto week 4 no windshield available. I have been having fun exchanging vehicles at Enterprise car rental. I drive by going to work and if I see a car a like I just ask for it lol. So I have had a Jeep wrangler it drank gas. Then i got an impala. Looked too old manish. Now a very fuel efficient Toyota Camry.

 

[emmanuel1st]

So this is the 3rd Friday I was promised my SFS back. Nothing. Moving onto week 4 no windshield available. I have been having fun exchanging vehicles at Enterprise car rental. I drive by going to work and if I see a car a like I just ask for it lol. So I have had a Jeep wrangler it drank gas. Then i got an impala. Looked too old manish. Now a very fuel efficient Toyota Camry.

Wow. Good for you. Did you ask for it? My co worker gives me a ride to work everyday because I am afraid to drive my sta fe with a crack windshield in the highway.