FJ WINDSHIELDS and ROCKS don't mix

[mojodog7]

The steep angle of the windshield was my first thought, but I hadn't known of similar complaints from Jeep owners at the time, so I immediately decided to blame the glass. But it makes sense, and the auto glass guy who fixed mine told me he sees a LOT of Jeeps, and confirmed it's definitely the angle of the windshield.

I guess it's one of the prices you pay for owning an FJC! (or a Jeep, or a Scion xB for that matter)

[ejsfj]

It really is unbelievable how little it takes. I knew my time was coming, don't think I have had a veh that I didn't break the windshield. Funny thing is that with the other it was usually from a truck or something usually going the opposite direction, and most of the time I would see the rock. I have no idea what ticked off my windshield, but in about a 15 second time span I had a 1in crack and a chip, didn't see a thing. It was hardly even a sound.

If you don't have a crack your time is coming!!

[Michael2000]

I think the thing we can do is lobby Toyota to redesign the mounting so at least it is easier to replace than a 94 step process they outline in the service manual. On a Wrangler, you just remove the rubber surround to replace the glass - no disassemble, cut, reglue, reassemble the entire windshield area as it required on the FJ. When are auto manufacturers going to realize windshields are consumables? You risk damage to the vehicle every time the windshield is replaced with the curent procedures.

I got my first rock chip on my FJ at 140 miles when some dumb@ss in a pickup truck passed me on a double yellow. My insurance deductible has been set to $0. It's actually not that much more expensive than higher deductibles, and I can tell this is going to be a regular replacement item. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the FJ went through windshields faster than oil filters.

Michael

[HOGWILD]

Some call this problem design defect or some call it a few other choice words! It does not matter even the quality of glass ya use either it will all break if hit hard enough !! justget the lowest deductible and deal with it or buy a rock deflector lol they really do a lotta good!!

[emsjohnny]

Well Well Well
Here's One For You Guys As Well
Am The Proud Owner Of A Brand Spanking New 2007 Silver Fj Cruiser... As Of 2 Days Ago
120 Km And Loving It
Parked It Last Night And Then Went To Drive It Today And Wow...... To My Surprise! A Crack Radiating Up From The Base On The Left Hand Side About 3 Inch High And Then Curving To The Left
Went To Dealership- Told I Would Be Taken Care Of And They Have Treated Me Right Always In The Past... Esp Since I Just Bought 2 Days Ago!!!!!
Here Is The Kicker! Told The Windshield Is On Backorder Here In Canada-- None In Stock And Would Take 2-3 Weeks To Get In
Minor Inconvenience (for Now) But Now I Have To Look At That Damn Crack For Close To A Month
Frustrating Me To Say The Least
Glad To Know Im Not The Only One With This Issue
Thank You

Johnny

[jungle]

I just got back from having my Fj windshield replaced and i'm not at all happy with the way it was installed. The white plastic strip at the top of the windshield was not re-installed correctly, there's a noticable gap almost all around it. not to mention some scratches to the windshield frame and caulking finger prints as well. It's the installers' first time working on an FJ and after i complained about the plastic strip, he replied that it's supposed to look that way; i just gave up arguing and decided to research how to install it right. Couple tips for first time windshield replacement... Go trhough your insurance to pay for replacement, tell your installers to not scratch and dirty the frame and lastly take pictures of the windshield frame especially the white plastic strip on the top before you get it replaced. Good Luck.

[petitbois]

Today as I drove a route heavy with trucks and construction vehicles, I was very aware of road stones flying. So, I called my insurance company, thinking of all of the stories I've read here lately, to check and change my policy/coverage.
Seems that my deductible was $500, which for an additional $6/month, is now at the lowest possible for this type of vehicle, $200.
Better safe than sorry I guess.
Thanks to all who have shared their experiences.
PB

[huygir]

Originally Posted by kennyrodgers

I bought mine on Sunday night, windshield was cracked by Tuesday morning. Dealer in Van Nuys, CA basically told me tough luck after charging me $3,000 over sticker for the vehicle. I can't believe this. I have read a TON of complaints online about the windshield cracking, this should not be happening on this scale, especially considering the microscopic size of the rocks in most instances.

Sounds almost like a class-action lawsuit in the works against Toyota if this doesn't get fixed soon. I can't afford a new windshield every week for the next few years, and I let the dealership know this. If anyone else has had their windshield cracked, let's pull our resources together and see what we can do here.

Late to the party, but I'm in too - haven't finished reading the thread to see where it ended... 2 months after I bought my new FJ, a small rock on the interstate put a nice spider web crack dead center of the windshield. A patch kit seems to be preventing spread of the cracks, but it does seem to be an inferior windshield - especially considering the target applications for this vehicle.

Let me know if I can join/help/scream at anyone :-)

-bh

[huygir]

Originally Posted by petitbois

Today as I drove a route heavy with trucks and construction vehicles, I was very aware of road stones flying. So, I called my insurance company, thinking of all of the stories I've read here lately, to check and change my policy/coverage.
Seems that my deductible was $500, which for an additional $6/month, is now at the lowest possible for this type of vehicle, $200.
Better safe than sorry I guess.
Thanks to all who have shared their experiences.
PB

That's a great idea... I need to check my insurance as well since I recently switched carriers and wasn't paying attention to the specs - they just matched them at a lower price. A few hundred to replace the windshield sure beats what they probably want to charge me.

[Iceman_128]

Well after reading this called and lowered my deductible from 500 to 0 .. 64 dollars extra a year is worth it. Thanks for the info..

[petitbois]

Hey, emsjohnny:

Since your post about windshield inavailability in Toronto, what's your status with it?
Is it replaced yet or still on backorder?
What kind of costs did they quote you?

I'm asking since the prevailing advice in this thread is that we're all going to be there sooner or later.... I too have a silver FJ, out here in Georgetown.
PB

[molecule]

They have cows in Alaska ? I thought those were moose

Originally Posted by UCK40

My Fj had a brick go throught the radiator while I was driving on the freeway.
No fault of my own, I had just purchased it fourty minutes earlier.
I had it towed to the dealer and the nerve of those idiots.... They wouldnt do anything for me.
I cant believe that a business would sell me something and not stand behind it

On my Honda I had a Cow fall out of the sky and flatten my hood and they just came out to the scene and gave me a brand new acura and a thousand dollars cash for my trouble..Now thats customer service! The guy that delivered the acura even had to walk back to the stealership and it was uphill the whole way.
I traded that acura in for this fj and the salesman told me it was only worth $100,000 geez I am sure I could have sold it for $102,000.

Morale of the story is that $chit happens and it isnt your fault...it is also not the delaerships fault.
I have never posted a smart alek response on this forum. but this blame John crap has gotten out of hand.

[emsjohnny]

hey Petitbois
since i last posted- i was told it would be upward of 20 days to get the new windshield
in fact...it came in 7 days later and had it installed --- took 3 hrs for the installation
the dealership fronted the cost and i saw the billl.. it was $1300 and that was only cause the guys who did it were good and didnt bend the upper molding which would have been another $400
since then.... the 2nd windshield..... a week later ..... 3 more chips from little pebbles from driving on the street... no offroad or highway. No crack though!!
paint chipped in a few spots as well... very thin paint i find!!
i dont know... great truck in so many ways but this windshield thing is disturbing
only so many claims u can make on your windshield a year ( 1-2 i think) before your insurance company will drop your comp for windshields and then WE have to front the cost from then on or your rates for renewal will reflect the claims made-- any claims are a bad thing even if it is just a windshield
my opinion... bad design issue. Too rigid a unibody that is putting undue stress on the windshield, paired with a vertical aspect; and that they are making windshields to 'give' easier in case you go through it or someone comes through it. PITY
big rocks i can understand ... but pebbles!!!!!!
cheers

[shauna71904]

Hey to everyone! Let me start off by saying I feel your pain! I was driving my boss' brand new FJ to an appointment for work and a semi threw a whole mess of rocks up on my hood. The front right blinker light was cracked, scratches in the paint, and of course a huge hole in the windshield. Before I had time to do anything, the hole spidered into a big mess across the window. I took the car in for a new window, blinker light, and paint touch ups. $2400 later we drove the car off the lot and hit the highway. Within 5 minutes the roof, the ROOF flew off of the top of car and landed in the H.O.V lane. Ontop of the top peice of medal on the roof falling off, now the windshield is letting air pour in on the sides. I guess the "MANDATORY" new moldings aren't worth a ****! Everyone be careful getting this vehicle fixed. I had this one worked on by TOYOTA and the managed to do this to the car.....

[Mung]

I had one crack in my 9 month old FJ repaired at 7" long for $50. Now I've got a starburst that has not spread from a 3 inch rock that really slammed the windshield. I'm just hoping to get my 2007 inspection done in July before the cracks go wild. My 1993 Jeep Cherokee had tons of windshield crack problems so I'd support the steep angle theory. However, I replaced the Jeep glass 3x for less than $150 each time, so it's not really comparable costwise.

In other interesting news, some enterprising Cali lawyers are looking into a class action for us poor FJ Drivers about the glass: Toyota FJ Cruiser Cracked-Windshield Investigation

Some google research indicates I can get my FJ glass repaired for between $430-$440 at glass.net and $650 at safelite.com, but I have not actually gotten them to repair my windshield for that cost. i have actually represented a national glass compnay in the past so I'll be hitting them up first.