# 2020 Nissan Altima - Glass cracked **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** nissan\ **Created:** [February 5, 2021, 12:31am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2020-nissan-altima-glass-cracked/174757 "2021-02-05T00:31:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JERRYLOCKHART](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JERRYLOCKHART](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JERRYLOCKHART)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2021, 12:31am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2020-nissan-altima-glass-cracked/174757/1 "2021-02-05T00:31:47Z")
windshield cracked for no reason after several loud popping noises came from dash it cracked from under plastic of engine compartment one single line no chipping just single line ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2021, 6:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2020-nissan-altima-glass-cracked/174757/2 "2021-02-05T18:09:54Z")
Happens all the time. > **[Spontaneous glass breakage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spontaneous_glass_breakage)** > > Spontaneous glass breakage is a phenomenon by which toughened glass (or tempered) may spontaneously break without any apparent reason. > The most common causes are: > While glass is being moved and installed, it is easy for the glaziers to nick or chip the edges of the glass with various tools. It is also possible for fasteners such as nails or screws used to attach glass stops to nick the glass edges if these fasteners are installed at an improper angle. These small nicks or chips may not result ... Tester ---
**Author:** ![lion9car](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/59ef9b/32.png) [@lion9car](https://community.cartalk.com/u/lion9car)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2021, 6:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2020-nissan-altima-glass-cracked/174757/3 "2021-02-05T18:10:14Z")
That does happen to people occasionally. It’s probably fully covered under your insurance. When they replace the glass, they can check if there’s anything wrong with the frame in that area. ---
**Author:** ![shanonia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de053/32.png) [@shanonia](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shanonia)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2021, 6:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2020-nissan-altima-glass-cracked/174757/4 "2021-02-05T18:28:59Z")
On a car that new, I would let the dealer and the carmaker’s complaint dept. know about this. There may be something they will do warranty-wise that does not involve your insurance. IIRC the early Toyota Previa vans had windshield problems. ---
**Author:** ![thegreendrag0n](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/thegreendrag0n/32/9265_2.png) [@thegreendrag0n](https://community.cartalk.com/u/thegreendrag0n)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2021, 6:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2020-nissan-altima-glass-cracked/174757/5 "2021-02-05T18:38:23Z")
Subaru of last generation had a ton of complaints of spontaneous glass breakage too I bet it depends a lot on the glass supplier the manufacturer selects ---
**Author:** ![BikeGuy88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c37758/32.png) [@BikeGuy88](https://community.cartalk.com/u/BikeGuy88)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2021, 7:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2020-nissan-altima-glass-cracked/174757/6 "2021-02-05T19:09:14Z")
Exactly. Don’t do a thing with your insurance company until you’ve talked to the dealer ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2021, 7:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2020-nissan-altima-glass-cracked/174757/7 "2021-02-05T19:28:11Z")
Insurance should pay all but the deductible. If you have something like forward collision avoidance, the sensor is likely behind the rear view mirror. Moving it and recalibration gets pricey. Insurance should take care of it. They did for my wife’s 2019 Odyssey. She took a pebble to the windshield on the highway about a week after we bought the van. Insurer paid for all but $50, and the glass shop waived the $50 if we brought it to their shop. ---
**Author:** ![Docnick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Docnick](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Docnick)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2021, 10:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2020-nissan-altima-glass-cracked/174757/8 "2021-02-05T22:27:18Z")
Driving through Germany some years ago I saw a woman stopped by the roadside and she had a completely shattered windshield on her car. No choice but to call the ADAC (German AAA) and have it towed away. No visible cause as to what happened. ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2021, 10:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2020-nissan-altima-glass-cracked/174757/9 "2021-02-05T22:33:14Z")
Maybe it is the internet, maybe not, mirrors and glass seem to be having more issues these days than I recall in the past. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2021, 10:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2020-nissan-altima-glass-cracked/174757/10 "2021-02-05T22:34:06Z")
As they say in Germany, _Scheiße passiert_. And, as was already suggested, the OP should consult first with a Nissan dealership, and if they are not interested in this as a warranty issue then the next course of action is to contact the OP’s auto insurance company. ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2021, 12:02am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2020-nissan-altima-glass-cracked/174757/11 "2021-02-06T00:02:45Z")
I only hear **Scheisse** ---
**Author:** ![ralfherman86\_172676](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/977dab/32.png) [@ralfherman86\_172676](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ralfherman86_172676)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2021, 12:23am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2020-nissan-altima-glass-cracked/174757/12 "2021-02-06T00:23:04Z")
I di not thought that this could happen to a brand new car. I hope that they will change it for free ---
**Author:** ![shanonia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de053/32.png) [@shanonia](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shanonia)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2021, 12:59am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2020-nissan-altima-glass-cracked/174757/13 "2021-02-06T00:59:14Z")
Good luck. It may be there’s a design or assembly problem under it all. Or not. The company may or may not have enough info at this time to decide whether or not to take responsibility in your case. But on a new car it’s certainly something you should bring to their attention. ---
**Author:** ![bcohen2010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@bcohen2010](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bcohen2010)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2021, 1:56am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2020-nissan-altima-glass-cracked/174757/14 "2021-02-06T01:56:21Z")
> [@ralfherman86\_172676](#): > > I di not thought that this could happen to a brand new car. I hope that they will change it for free I would actually expect spontaneous glass breakage to be _more_ common on a new car. As it accumulates years of use and miles, one would expect that the probability of a spontaneous glass breakage to drop off. If the windshield breaks on a car that’s only a few months old, it might be a manufacturing defect. On a 20 year old car with 200,000 miles, it’s highly unlikely without some kind of impact. ---
**Author:** ![bloody\_knuckles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@bloody\_knuckles](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bloody_knuckles)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2021, 12:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2020-nissan-altima-glass-cracked/174757/15 "2021-02-07T12:13:00Z")
In the era of unibody cars the windshield is a stressed part of the vehicle. As the body flexes, so does the windshield. I think cars are being made stiffer and stronger for safety, performance, and noise. This places even more stress on windshields. As previously mentioned, the slightest nick on the edge of the glass during manufacturing will cause cracking. Other things that can cause mysterious cracks are sudden temperature shocks or changes. I have seen people in my neck of the woods try to deice their cars in frigid weather with boiling water. Yikes!!! Sometimes a rock will impact the windshield and leave virtually invisible damage but start the cracking process. That can happen to a car regardless of age. Long story short, always carry glass coverage. It’s cheap and, increasingly, windshields are not. ---
**Author:** ![Docnick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Docnick](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Docnick)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2021, 4:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2020-nissan-altima-glass-cracked/174757/16 "2021-02-07T16:03:14Z")
Don’t take your car through a carwash in subzero weather. The tiniest crack will become a big crack quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Triedaq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Triedaq](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Triedaq)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2021, 8:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2020-nissan-altima-glass-cracked/174757/17 "2021-02-07T20:23:50Z")
I remember back to 1954 when the Buick, Oldsmobile, and Cadillac had all new bodies with the “wrap-around” windshields. The rumor went around that the windshields would crack if the car was jacked up. It didn’t happen. In fact, my Dad owned a 1954 Buick that I later purchased from him in 1963. The car was jacked up many times and the windshield never cracked. ---
**Author:** ![BikeGuy88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c37758/32.png) [@BikeGuy88](https://community.cartalk.com/u/BikeGuy88)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2021, 5:06pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2020-nissan-altima-glass-cracked/174757/18 "2021-02-11T17:06:29Z")
I never understood the logic of the whole trying to deice with boiling water thing; I mean, I get the “use something hot to melt it” part, but seriously, to these people, if it’s cold enough to freeze water on your windshield, does pouring more water on the windshield sound like a good idea? What do you think is going to happen in the second after you do that? ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2021, 8:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2020-nissan-altima-glass-cracked/174757/19 "2021-02-11T20:43:01Z")
> [@BikeGuy88](#): > > I never understood the logic of the whole trying to deice with boiling water thing; Back in the '60s, a friend of mine worked with a guy who was short on cash, and instead of buying antifreeze ahead of the first cold snap, he decided to “economize” by draining the radiator the night before, and filling it the next day with boiling water. 😬 Yes, he did that only once…