[Pablo]

I have a 2019 XC40 with less then 10K miles. Within a month of purchasing it, the windshield cracked on driver side across one third of the windshield. It just happened. No sound of a stone hitting or anything else. Got out of the car at a store and when I returned, the crack was there. I went to Volvo dealer service desk. Asked if it was covered under warranty. The service person retrieved a pen, glass cleaner and paper towel. He cleaned off the windshield and ran the pen tip across the crack on the outside of the windshield. He suddenly said, that is where the stone hit the windshield. Apparently he felt something through the tip of the pen. I could not see anything. I ran the pen across the crack just as the service person did. He said this is a matter for your insurance company. I had the windshield replaced through the insurance company. From there, I left NH to drive to Fla. for a three week vacation. Within 8 days of getting the windshield replaced, a very similar crack appears on the windshield.

I call the insurance company, they forward me to the glass company. The glass company tells me they will have to look at the windshield. They are in NH and I am in Fla. The assure me the windshield will not blow in on me on the way home, so I have to wait until I get home for them to look at it. Ok, I have basically a brand new car that I bought with this trip in mind. Now I have to drive 27 hours staring at the crack in the windshield as it grows across my vision.

I am thinking the crack in the windshields is a stress crack and the windshields should be covered under Volvo warranty. What is the likely hood this would happen twice within a 10 day period? Otherwise, the car has performed perfectly and the drive was smooth and comfortable. Has anyone else had the same issue with their XC40?

 

[WestVman]

My windshield wasn't cracked but a dent appeared after some months driving the car.

It was from a stone, surely, but I was a bit confused how I could have not noticed the impact.

Now you say that, in your case, a pen had to be ran through the crack in your windshield to find a micro point where a very small stone supposedly hit your windshield, undetected by you.

I am starting to get the feeling that these windshields are not as robust as they should be.

Much more than a mere question of warranties, I am starting to worry about the safety performance of this particular component.

Let's see who else chimes in...

WV

 

[stan]

We had a stone chip in our windshield a few weeks ago. Driving down the road and didn't see another vehicle anywhere when we heard a loud sharp crack on the passenger side of the windshield. We were very surprised. My wife took it to a windshield repair place that afternoon and they did their patch/repair. It is not noticable and we have not noticed a crack or spread of any kind since then.

 

[Ahmed_3454]

Hello, i had the same issue with my 2020 car with only 5k miles. I just got out of my house to find it like this today, haven’t contacted volvo yet though.

 

[roadhog]

I had not used the car for many days, went out in the morning to wash it and found a crack running from left of screen to about a third of the way across. I think it could be a impact stone or something much earlier but stress from maybe a change in weather ??

 

[My Volvo]

We recently purchased a XC40. On our first real trip in the car I heard a noise and noticed a small chip in the windshield on the passenger side. We were driving on the highway, not much traffic and in clear driving conditions. It is December so there is salt on the roads. Given that the windshield is so easily chipped it does have us concerned. If this is indeed a common occurrence, Volvo ought to bear the financial cost of replacing a windshield and correct the defect that is resulting in cracked windshields.

 

[bdalameda]

Volvo and all other manufacturers do not manufacture their own glass windows or windshield. There are only about two or three companies that actually manufacture these even though the brand labels are different. Most use the identical materials and specs. so it is doubtful that the material is in some way inferior. A windshield can be stressed during installation and if the edge of the window under the seal gets chipped it could cause a crack at a later time. Windshields are much more prone to cracking when it is cold and some kind of impact occurs such as something falling on it while parked etc. I have seen ice drop off of buildings or trees cause the windshield to crack without any evidence of impact.

 

[CVOLVO.COM]

Here's my experience. I bought my 2020 XC40 remotely from a dealership in Québec sight unseen. The car was a dealership demonstrator so was sold as a new car. While preparing the car for my delivery, they thankfully noticed a stone chip where the camera/radar are housed. They agreed to replace the windshield. I found a section in the owner's manual that discourages any chip repair, especially in that area. The manual (see page 352) also requires a recalibration of the camera/radar. The only consequence is the Road Sign Information (RSI) does not display the road sign on the instrument cluster but does beep when I exceed the posted speed limit (as configured). Something to be aware of.

Cam

 

[Cody and Marta]

Volvo and all other manufacturers do not manufacture their own glass windows or windshield. There are only about two or three companies that actually manufacture these even though the brand labels are different. Most use the identical materials and specs. so it is doubtful that the material is in some way inferior. A windshield can be stressed during installation and if the edge of the window under the seal gets chipped it could cause a crack at a later time. Windshields are much more prone to cracking when it is cold and some kind of impact occurs such as something falling on it while parked etc. I have seen ice drop off of buildings or trees cause the windshield to crack without any evidence of impact.

I'll let you know what they say...seems to be a lot of Volvo owners with stress cracked windshields! May be a problem with the frame...this will be my second windshield on my 2021 XC40T5R

 

[Cody and Marta]

My windshield wasn't cracked but a dent appeared after some months driving the car.

It was from a stone, surely, but I was a bit confused how I could have not noticed the impact.

Now you say that, in your case, a pen had to be ran through the crack in your windshield to find a micro point where a very small stone supposedly hit your windshield, undetected by you.

I am starting to get the feeling that these windshields are not as robust as they should be.

Much more than a mere question of warranties, I am starting to worry about the safety performance of this particular component.

Let's see who else chimes in...

WV

Just found your post. The dealership service manager did the pen test on my windshield crack and found no impact. The glass was replaced under warranty 3 weeks ago and now another crack has developed in the same location just this morning. I am thinking that this is a serious safety issue that Volvo must be aware of.

 

[Cody and Marta]

I'll let you know what they say...seems to be a lot of Volvo owners with stress cracked windshields! May be a problem with the frame...this will be my second windshield on my 2021 XC40T5R

How many windshields will I need to replace each year? Volvo should be more forthcoming with info on their defective equipment!

 

[Andy]

I have a 2019 XC40 with less then 10K miles. Within a month of purchasing it, the windshield cracked on driver side across one third of the windshield. It just happened. No sound of a stone hitting or anything else. Got out of the car at a store and when I returned, the crack was there. I went to Volvo dealer service desk. Asked if it was covered under warranty. The service person retrieved a pen, glass cleaner and paper towel. He cleaned off the windshield and ran the pen tip across the crack on the outside of the windshield. He suddenly said, that is where the stone hit the windshield. Apparently he felt something through the tip of the pen. I could not see anything. I ran the pen across the crack just as the service person did. He said this is a matter for your insurance company. I had the windshield replaced through the insurance company. From there, I left NH to drive to Fla. for a three week vacation. Within 8 days of getting the windshield replaced, a very similar crack appears on the windshield.

I call the insurance company, they forward me to the glass company. The glass company tells me they will have to look at the windshield. They are in NH and I am in Fla. The assure me the windshield will not blow in on me on the way home, so I have to wait until I get home for them to look at it. Ok, I have basically a brand new car that I bought with this trip in mind. Now I have to drive 27 hours staring at the crack in the windshield as it grows across my vision.

I am thinking the crack in the windshields is a stress crack and the windshields should be covered under Volvo warranty. What is the likely hood this would happen twice within a 10 day period? Otherwise, the car has performed perfectly and the drive was smooth and comfortable. Has anyone else had the same issue with their XC40?

I have a 2020 xc40 and the same has happened to me. Identical to yours.
I hadn’t even gone out in the car, it happened overnight. There had been a heavy frost!

 

[Andy]

Hello, i had the same issue with my 2020 car with only 5k miles. I just got out of my house to find it like this today, haven’t contacted volvo yet though.

I have the same. Being changed this week, but under insurance. I smell an issue hear that Volvo are not admitting to.

 

[Andy]

Hello, i had the same issue with my 2020 car with only 5k miles. I just got out of my house to find it like this today, haven’t contacted volvo yet though.

I have a 2019 XC40 with less then 10K miles. Within a month of purchasing it, the windshield cracked on driver side across one third of the windshield. It just happened. No sound of a stone hitting or anything else. Got out of the car at a store and when I returned, the crack was there. I went to Volvo dealer service desk. Asked if it was covered under warranty. The service person retrieved a pen, glass cleaner and paper towel. He cleaned off the windshield and ran the pen tip across the crack on the outside of the windshield. He suddenly said, that is where the stone hit the windshield. Apparently he felt something through the tip of the pen. I could not see anything. I ran the pen across the crack just as the service person did. He said this is a matter for your insurance company. I had the windshield replaced through the insurance company. From there, I left NH to drive to Fla. for a three week vacation. Within 8 days of getting the windshield replaced, a very similar crack appears on the windshield.

I call the insurance company, they forward me to the glass company. The glass company tells me they will have to look at the windshield. They are in NH and I am in Fla. The assure me the windshield will not blow in on me on the way home, so I have to wait until I get home for them to look at it. Ok, I have basically a brand new car that I bought with this trip in mind. Now I have to drive 27 hours staring at the crack in the windshield as it grows across my vision.

I am thinking the crack in the windshields is a stress crack and the windshields should be covered under Volvo warranty. What is the likely hood this would happen twice within a 10 day period? Otherwise, the car has performed perfectly and the drive was smooth and comfortable. Has anyone else had the same issue with their XC40?

I had not used the car for many days, went out in the morning to wash it and found a crack running from left of screen to about a third of the way across. I think it could be a impact stone or something much earlier but stress from maybe a change in weather ??

I have had an identical problem

 

[Cody and Marta]

We had a stone chip in our windshield a few weeks ago. Driving down the road and didn't see another vehicle anywhere when we heard a loud sharp crack on the passenger side of the windshield. We were very surprised. My wife took it to a windshield repair place that afternoon and they did their patch/repair. It is not noticable and we have not noticed a crack or spread of any kind since then.

What year heard was the windshield cracking under stress from improper design and installation. Same happened to mine twice...so far.

 

[Cody and Marta]

What year heard was the windshield cracking under stress from improper design and installation. Same happened to mine twice...so far.

***What you heard was the windshield cracking under stress from improper design and/or installation. Same happened to mine twice...so far.

 

[liljgp]

Ditto here in California for 2019 XC40 at 18k miles and the car is garaged so not really exposed to extreme weathers. Will see what the dealership says.

 

[Cody and Marta]

Ditto here in California for 2019 XC40 at 18k miles and the car is garaged so not really exposed to extreme weathers. Will see what the dealership says.

You have to fight it- if you have a good service department they will be honest and take responsibility. If you can run a pen across the crack without feeling bumps or divits then it’s the same stress crack. Volvo customer service just reopened my case because the Sacramento dealership said there was nothing indicating a chip or road-wear and that the Reno dealership had installed it wrong. The Reno location subs the work out to SafeLite who don’t know anything about new Volvo windshields and can’t even do their own calibration. Sacramento has technicians trained in the glass installation and Volvo calibration. SafeLite had made a mess of my installation and the Sacramento Volvo team agreed that the prior installation by Reno Volvo/SafeLite was the cause of the 2nd windshield cracking. I am also on 3 Volvo Facebook pages and this is a very common issue with newer Volvos.

 

[liljgp]

You have to fight it- if you have a good service department they will be honest and take responsibility. If you can run a pen across the crack without feeling bumps or divits then it’s the same stress crack. Volvo customer service just reopened my case because the Sacramento dealership said there was nothing indicating a chip or road-wear and that the Reno dealership had installed it wrong. The Reno location subs the work out to SafeLite who don’t know anything about new Volvo windshields and can’t even do their own calibration. Sacramento has technicians trained in the glass installation and Volvo calibration. SafeLite had made a mess of my installation and the Sacramento Volvo team agreed that the prior installation by Reno Volvo/SafeLite was the cause of the 2nd windshield cracking. I am also on 3 Volvo Facebook pages and this is a very common issue with newer Volvos.

I actually purchased the Volvo at Sacramento Niello but have it serviced in San Francisco. I'll have to check where exactly the windshield was installed and of course if it passes the pen test. Which dealership in Sac are you servicing your Volvo?

 

[Cody and Marta]

I actually purchased the Volvo at Sacramento Niello but have it serviced in San Francisco. I'll have to check where exactly the windshield was installed and of course if it passes the pen test. Which dealership in Sac are you servicing your Volvo?

Niello- they’re great! I have also dealt with the Marin Volvo location and was impressed.