rear window spontaneously shattered… anybody else have this problem?
It’s not uncommon.
Tester
Thank you. Apparently Enterprise Rent A Car thinks it is. They are trying to make me pay for the damage that suddenly occurred during my rental. All they had to do was take it to a Ford dealership to have it covered under warranty, but they chose to have Safelite Auto come out to them and replace the glass…. And now they are trying to make me pay for it.
Pretty sure warranty wouldn’t cover it.
I spoke to a Ford Service Advisor today, and he stated it is something they deal with, and it’s not that uncommon. He said you just bring the car in, so they can see that there is no “point of impact”, and then they will replace the window under warranty. He said “it’s not uncommon”, and “yes, I’ve seen it happen on the Ford Fusion as well”.
I’m surprised. With the window in tiny pieces, I wonder how they would be able to find a ‘point of impact’. But good for them.
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The windshield can be inspected for impact damage, it is laminated and remains intact but the other windows are safety glass, they shatter into thousands of pieces. There is no way to find the point of impact if there was one.
If this was by phone you can take that as an unreliable statement. I seriously doubt it would be replaced under warranty . Also the dealer will call someone like Safelite to replace the glass.
Call your insurance and see if this is covered by your policy.
Why would anyone do that if they didn’t break the glass?
Tester
Some times glass breakage is covered just like vehicle damage on a rental vehicle . The worst the carrier can say is no it is not covered .
I repeat!
Tester
I suspect the rental agreement makes the renter responsible. Therefore check with your own insurance.
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Because they have a low deductible or no-deductible glass coverage and don’t want to pay out of pocket?
Fighting the rental company is an option, but it’s an uphill battle, and the rental company has a lot more time and lawyers to dedicate to the fight than the average renter.
Plus, oftentimes if something breaks while the car is in your custody, it’s your problem even if you did not directly cause it to break.
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Id tell the rental company to go pack sand.
Tester
Certainly an option, but they already have your credit card on file, and the paper you signed saying they can charge damages to it, so you’re still gonna have to go to war with them if you go that route.
I’m a little surprised nobody’s mentioned this yet, but before you breathe a word to your insurance company, assuming you paid with a credit card, check with the credit card company to see if they cover it…some of them will.
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great catch!
often they will.
the catch is: your rental reservation should have not included any additional insurance you bough
I’m guessing here… 
So, they wouldn’t have to pay for the window?
I have zero deductible glass coverage (regardless of the reason) on all of my cars. That coverage extends to rental cars, rented for 2 weeks or fewer days.
I’d certainly call my agent rather than pay. That’s what I have insurance for, so I don’t have to pay.
CSA
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I’ve managed dealership departments in the past (unfortunately). I can just picture telling some guy calling on the phone that the window will be replaced under warranty after they explain that it mysteriously just shattered.
The guy brings in the car to get the warranty glass and starts arguing because I refuse to open a warranty claim because, upon closer examination it appears an object (steel pipe, rock, branch, etcetera) struck the rear body causing minor damage (ding, dent, mark… etcetera) and exploded the window.
CSA
Why be so cynical? I’d take the person at their word for the time being.
How do you know that? Are you sure
I worked for a dealer that had its own “in house” body shop. Dealer employees replaced auto glass, routinely.
Also, and especially for a warranty claim, we would use OEM window glass from dealer inventory. The dealer tried to keep as much profit in house as possible. The body shop made a couple bucks on labor and the parts department made a couple bucks on “parts” (glass) that way.
Just saying…
CSA
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