Driver Side Window Exploded

[THE_SAVSQCH]

I would have absolutely obliterated my draws if that happened while I was to someone!

I would have assumed someone shot at me!

Crazy!

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[Braptor23_CO]

tint didn’t do anything. All glas has a thin plastic membrane in the middle that holds it together. It’s safety glass.

I thought only the windshield has the vinyl veneer in between? I’ve seen police break side windows and there’s no vinyl.

 

[911braptor]

I thought only the windshield has the vinyl veneer in between? I’ve seen police break side windows and there’s no vinyl.

You’re probably right. This is my first Ford, have a feeling they don’t put laminate like high end cars do.

ChatGPT
Most modern car side windows are made from tempered glass, which is designed to shatter into small, blunt pieces rather than sharp shards for safety. However, laminated glass is sometimes used—especially for side windows in higher-end vehicles—for added protection and noise reduction.

 

[totaljustice]

tint didn’t do anything. All glas has a thin plastic membrane in the middle that holds it together. It’s safety glass.

Actually, all side and rear windows are not safety glass. They are tempered glass designed to shatter just like the OP's window. It's to allow you to easily escape if you can't get the door open or to get someone out by breaking the glass.

 

[Jsb]

Got home after a camping trip in Flagstaff, AZ, the Bronco sat outside in Phoenix 110 degree weather… remote started it to go pick up dinner and while driving the entire driver side window completely shattered. Only held in place by the tint, no point of impact so nothing hit it.

Anyone else have this experience?

Yes, it has happened to me. Not my Bronco but my Ram pick-up truck. Passenger window exploded while I was driving.

 

[BigFootie]

Yes, it has happened to me. Not my Bronco but my Ram pick-up truck. Passenger window exploded while I was driving.

I had a similar issue with my Lexus. No tint, millions of small glass pieces. Five years later, some still show up unexplained. For me, there was a large lightning strike at the same time. The theory is something hit from the strike struck the window. Was on the interstate so doing 70 plus.

 

[Mike's Bronco]

Sure looks to me like whatever happened, started right here:

Edit: I see someone already pointed this out.

Looks like a spot where an elbow might touch the window. I've heard of a cold shoulder before, but a cold elbow shattering hot glass is a new one.

 

[Chopper_Man]

tint didn’t do anything. All glas has a thin plastic membrane in the middle that holds it together. It’s safety glass.

Sorry, but this is very incorrect. All windshields in the US are laminated, meaning the membrane is embedded. All side windows and rear glass are tempered, meaning they break in to a gazzilion pieces. Adding tint keeps those gazzilion pieces together.

 

[911braptor]

Sorry, but this is very incorrect. All windshields in the US are laminated, meaning the membrane is embedded. All side windows and rear glass are tempered, meaning they break in to a gazzilion pieces. Adding tint keeps those gazzilion pieces together.

Yep, already corrected it, but only on non luxury cars. Raptor is definitely not a luxury car.

 

[tourproto]

Had this happened to me before, but not in my Bronco, it was my BMW, and it was the sunroof not a side window.

Was driving to the airport early in the morning and just before entering the parking structure I heard a muffled boom. I had the sunshade closed so did not realize what happened until I parked my car. Got out and noticed the entire sunroof had collapsed in on itself. Just like you, no impact. Thank goodness the sunscreen was closed. Otherwise I would’ve had shards of glass raining down on me as I was driving.
Amazing to me, BMW covered it under warranty, and I did not even have to use my insurance. The BMW repair shop said the issue was the metal frame around the glass was probably not set right from the factory and I hit a bump or a pothole or something on the road just the right way that stressed the glass causing it to shatter.

 

[Pops]

Nasty Break! Feeling bad for you.

This reminds me of a documentary of a Chinese company in these United States starting an auto glass factory.
They kept having random windshields explode while sitting on racks cooling.

 

[crenca]

Was driving to the airport early in the morning and just before entering the parking structure I heard a muffled boom...

Perhaps as you drove in someone above squeezed off a pellet gun, or intentionally/unintentionally drop a rock or nut or _____ on your glass.

Any case a real possibility that the OP was hit by a pellet as well...

 

[tourproto]

It was so long ago I can’t find the photos that I submitted to insurance, but there did not look to be an impact anywhere along the sunroof. Also, I was not on a road where it would’ve been likely for someone to be shooting a pellet gun from above.

 

[crenca]

I was not on a road where it would’ve been likely for someone to be shooting a pellet gun from above.

I took your description of "just before" literally... I imagined you were driving into the structure itself, so plenty of opportunity to rain down pellets from above

 

[tourproto]

I took your description of "just before" literally... I imagined you were driving into the structure itself, so plenty of opportunity to rain down pellets from above

My insurance company asked if I was going under an overpass when it happened. This was in the 2006-07 timeframe when stupid kids got their jollies by throwing large rocks at cars going under overpasses in the Portland area.

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