Cracked at Last: My Year-Long Windshield Luck Finally Runs Out

[Tbone289]

Cracked windshield bothers me, especially if a unibody vehicle.

Our driveway is at upward angle in a cul-da-sac dead end. vehicle entry point is at an angle. Truck right wheel makes contact first, follow by left wheel. Could twist the body? And way windshield attached to body frame, any flex/twisting might cause windshield to see stress.

just guessing. I try to make truck do straight in approach to driveway to minimize any twisting.

I wouldn't put much thought into this. Today's unibody chassis are in general very stiff and minimize flex. You can thank IIHS testing and manufacturer's increased use of boron steel in rollover structures.

A couple of decades ago some unibodies would flex enough that, if you jacked up one corner of the vehicle, the doors would bind and drag on their frames. These vehicles didn't experience frequent windshield cracks, and you won't see that kind of flex today's unibodies.

I have a unibody Jeep XJ (Cherokee) that is frequently put through extreme flex situations off-road and has never had a cracked windshield. That chassis was first manufactured in 1984.

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[CajunMick]

I wouldn't put much thought into this. Today's unibody chassis are in general very stiff and minimize flex. You can thank IIHS testing and manufacturer's increased use of boron steel in rollover structures.

A couple of decades ago some unibodies would flex enough that, if you jacked up one corner of the vehicle, the doors would bind and drag on their frames. These vehicles didn't experience frequent windshield cracks, and you won't see that kind of flex today's unibodies.

I have a unibody Jeep XJ (Cherokee) that is frequently put through extreme flex situations off-road and has never had a cracked windshield. That chassis was first manufactured in 1984.

Thanks for info. I had a Jeep like the one picture. Cherokee Country. Windshield was replaced twice. Drove up same driveway the Maverick goes up. LoL.

 

[Tbone289]

@CajunMick, I would suspect your cracks started with a rock chip in both cases, just as the OPs did. Laminate glass can sustain a lot of flex until its structure is compromised, then it takes very little to form a crack--less than what is caused by the entrance to your driveway.

Body flex can be as bad or worse with body-on-frame chassis than with a unibody chassis. Full-size Ford Bronco bodies from the 80's-90's flex enough off road to eventually tear the sheet metal around the door frame drain gutters but the windshields stay intact unless compromised.

If you're aware of even the slightest rock chip in your windshield, it's best practice to have it fixed ASAP before it turns into a crack. In other words, before you drive up your driveway.

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