ledskof

Hi All,

I did search but did not find anything, which tells me either my search foo is bad or this isn't something happening anywhere but here.

I have been driving for about 27-28 years and have owned several cars in that time. Some of these cars have been crappy and some have been from Lexus. I know - credentials to be admired. What I am perplexed by is that our 2014 ES, which we bought brand new on 12/20/2013 has suffered from a chronic condition with the windshield.

The first was replaced after something flew across the roadway and struck it. I get that. The second and third times were less obvious to me. Generally what happens is that it will get really good and hot one day and out of the blue, there'll be a crack in the windshield when I walk out of work to go home. These do not appear to be stress cracks as there will always have been some UNDETECTED impact point that seems to be the origin.

The working theory I currently have is that for some strange reason, some undetectable impact point or imperfection gets an attitude when it gets too hot. The characteristic is that it will have two long curved cracks extending in two almost opposite directions from it, every single time.

In every case the glass has been replaced using dealer glass. This last time I tried to find aftermarket, but wasn't able to get any in stock quickly that wasn't itself already broken.

I've been grilled about driving style, following trucks... pretty much everything you can imagine... A bonus fact about this situation: I drove the car pretty much full time the first half of the time we've had it. My wife took it over for the second half and has the same issue. My 2007 did not have this issue and I was the only one who ever drove it. Never had this issue and I'm just perplexed.

Anybody else have issues with frequent windshield cracks? I can't imagine the glass is just poorly made and cannot withstand normal wear and tear.

amphiprion

Any thought to this being intentional damage done?

ledskof

We both work in office buildings with huge amounts of security and surveillance. If someone were doing this they'd have to do it while we are parked at work and would have to be stalking both locations for it with several months in between each occurrence. I've also not heard of anyone else complaining about vandalism in the parking lot... so I doubt it.

Perish the thought.

The more I think about it, it is being caused by what should be inconsequential impacts to the windshield by things you encounter while driving. I've lived in and out of cities, etc, with varying traffic compositions (like big trucks versus tractors, etc) and cannot think of anything that has changed as of the purchase of this vehicle that would subject it to strange patterns of windshield failures.

I assume this is a rarity but I find that difficult to believe. Well, because it's so weird!

ledskof

And that would suck since the car is well past the lemon law protection.

As soon as I settle on a theory I find a way for it to not be true. I can't see either plausible explanation (i.e. substandard windshield, bad build/defect) as probable.

If my driving style (sometimes "spirited") is contributing to this, it is the first time it has with any car, ever.

New car shopping, anyone?

Nelexus88

No windshield cracking problems with my '14 ES350, now with 28k miles on it and a few tiny rock chips.
Has the same installer been used for each replacement windshield? If so, maybe they are using the incorrect mastic/sealer which is not flexing enough and causing undue stress on the windshields. Im no windshield expert, so Just my guess.
Since all the '14 ES Lexus were built in Japan, I expect the window glass was also produced there. Im guessing the replacement glass sold in the US is made elsewhere even if it has the Lexus label.

mspearl95

I've had 2 windshield replacements on my 2013. 2nd one was due to a rather good size rock, but the first one happened for no apparent reason. Car was in for service and detail, and when I went to pick it up, there was a vertical crack in the center of the windshield, extending from the bottom almost to the top. No obvious flaws were found, so dealer replaced FOC.

ledskof

I did indeed use the same installer/company for all the replacement glass so far, and I think this is the only logical explanation. The first windshield was broken by an obvious object. It was caught on my dash cam, actually, which shows how big it was -- I was able to see it at speed. That was an obvious thing I wouldn't expect any windshield to survive. The next ones should not have amounted to issues as they were extremely minor rock chips (at least one was totally unexplained). So the only thing that sounds plausible is there was too much stress. Even though it wasn't completely a stress fracture with no point of impact, it was definitely way out of proportion to what you'd expect.

In fact, this current crack is growing rapidly. The end on the edge of the glass in the corner on the driver's side is actually spreading such that you can stick your fingernail in it.

I used Abra. And now I'm hearing they aren't all that great with glass. They are who my local dealer (who I actually trust) referred me to. If it was just one install gone bad I would have ignored it as an anomaly. Because it was multiple I have to believe they are doing it wrong.

ledskof

The first one sounds like a stress crack, which serves to suggest Lexus can be flawed.

CGY

I have had my windshield replaced 5 times in 3 years on my IS 350F. First break happened as I was driving away from the dealership with my brand new car. Dealership was great and replaced it free of charge. Since then I've had breaks from what I would call minor stones or no apparent reason more then once per year.used Lexus brand for the first 4 replacements and aftermarket for the last one.

ive been driving the same roads for the last 20 years. Owned a Volvo S60 for 10 years (300K) and only had to replace the windshield once. My other car, a Toyota Venza, is 8 years old and only had one replacement windshield in 200K.

Seems like a design flaw with the IS 350.

ledskof

Just a quick follow up.

Funny story: my insurance agent suggested I go to a different supplier for the new glass, so I did. completely different company based on the agent's recommendation. When the guy showed up to do the replacement, it was THE SAME DUDE as the other company sent out the last three times! Turns out he changed jobs and it was just complete chance.

Alas, I will never know the fate of this new windshield as I traded that Lexus off a week later. I probably won't be back to that brand again, but you never know.

Final thoughts:

1) You cannot ever tell what you're getting from vendors. I really think this guy is a great dude who knows his craft very well, but it was still frustrating.
2) Abra uses cold applied mastic. Maybe this new mastic, which was applied at nearly 200 degrees would set up better/more evenly and last longer.

Perhaps the problem isn't an inherent design flaw as much as the tolerances involved being too tight for glass replacement companies to keep track of. I only had dealer glass installed in any case, which doesn't guarantee it is of higher quality - but seemed like it would at least ensure the glass was correct for the car in every way. I did try this last time to go with aftermarket glass, but none was available as soon as dealer glass was.

I appreciate everyone who responded with feedback on this. It is obviously not a widespread problem, but when it does start happening it can be expensive and dangerous.

Carlton