Hey everyone,
I wanted to share this curious topic.
Broken rear windshield, no accident, no vandalism possible
Weather 57F(14C) and a high of 77F(25C)
DATE: 01Sept25 TIME: 0913
On a end of summer day, I left my car outside in one of my parking areas on my property. For context, I have two entrances with security gates into the property. Incident happened at 9:13am I was going to the golf club and was going to take the emira in the am so didn't put it away after going out to dinner the night before. In the am all the cars had a ton of moisture on all surfaces so I took one of my other cars instead leaving the Emira at home. I came back to the house 4 hours later to find my back windshield in pieces. My immediate rage response was one of my children ages 5,7,9 hit a ball or something. Only having the car for 3 weeks I was not happy.
I have security cameras all around the property. First I not so politely tell my kids to fess up who broke the rear window tell me know before I check the cameras. They all swore up and down. So i checked the cameras. I have it on video the rear windshield exploding on its own. I am an electrical engineer not mechanical by trade and figured it was some thermal issue. First i had to apologize to my kids, second I did some research. Searching the forums, and found two people that thought their car was vandalized on the forum. Maybe it was or maybe their is a defect in the rear windshield. Maybe one run didn't go so well.
I shared the video with the dealer who fought with Lotus for me. I mean the video is clear and you can see not a single object touched the windshield. No impact damage exist on the rear windshield. I gave up fighting Lotus HQ and just had my insurance pay it as its glass and doesn't hurt me. Of course windshield rear in stock in USA but not the gaskets. or standoffs(what ever the very cheap part 16 of them, dealer needed). Took 2 months to get and car is finally in the shop today.
Anyway I am bringing this up so if your rear windshield looks like my pictures and you don't think someone broke it, it might be the windshield itself. AI says
I wanted to share this curious topic.
Broken rear windshield, no accident, no vandalism possible
Weather 57F(14C) and a high of 77F(25C)
DATE: 01Sept25 TIME: 0913
On a end of summer day, I left my car outside in one of my parking areas on my property. For context, I have two entrances with security gates into the property. Incident happened at 9:13am I was going to the golf club and was going to take the emira in the am so didn't put it away after going out to dinner the night before. In the am all the cars had a ton of moisture on all surfaces so I took one of my other cars instead leaving the Emira at home. I came back to the house 4 hours later to find my back windshield in pieces. My immediate rage response was one of my children ages 5,7,9 hit a ball or something. Only having the car for 3 weeks I was not happy.
I have security cameras all around the property. First I not so politely tell my kids to fess up who broke the rear window tell me know before I check the cameras. They all swore up and down. So i checked the cameras. I have it on video the rear windshield exploding on its own. I am an electrical engineer not mechanical by trade and figured it was some thermal issue. First i had to apologize to my kids, second I did some research. Searching the forums, and found two people that thought their car was vandalized on the forum. Maybe it was or maybe their is a defect in the rear windshield. Maybe one run didn't go so well.
I shared the video with the dealer who fought with Lotus for me. I mean the video is clear and you can see not a single object touched the windshield. No impact damage exist on the rear windshield. I gave up fighting Lotus HQ and just had my insurance pay it as its glass and doesn't hurt me. Of course windshield rear in stock in USA but not the gaskets. or standoffs(what ever the very cheap part 16 of them, dealer needed). Took 2 months to get and car is finally in the shop today.
Anyway I am bringing this up so if your rear windshield looks like my pictures and you don't think someone broke it, it might be the windshield itself. AI says
- Thermal shock/uneven heating: Tempered glass hates big temperature gradients. Morning moisture suggests the glass was cool. Strong sun later (or turning on the rear defroster) can heat some zones much faster than others—especially around the black ceramic frit border, defroster lines, or under dark window tint—creating internal stresses that exceed the glass’s tolerance.
- Pre-existing micro-damage: A tiny chip or scratch from road debris or handling can weaken tempered glass. The heat of the day or body flex (e.g., hitting a bump, closing a door with all windows up) can cause it to let go later, far from the original event.
- Installation or body stress: If the glass was bonded with uneven pressure, the body is slightly out of alignment, or the urethane bead is high in one spot, the panel carries constant stress. Heat expansion can push it over the edge.
- Defroster hot spots: A partially damaged defroster grid or a broken connector can create localized overheating, especially with aftermarket tint, which absorbs more heat.
- Why temperature/moisture matters
- Moisture indicates the glass started cooler than the ambient air and metal body. Rapid sun exposure or using the defroster can create steep temperature differences across the glass. The black border and defroster traces absorb more heat, concentrating stress at the edges—common origin points for tempered-glass failure.
