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05 LGT- 1600 miles and side window blows out?


Shag-e

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I have 1600 miles on my 05 lgt sedan and yesterday I was in a parking lot talking to a friend and the window just all of a sudden blows out :eek: We found glass more then eight feet away!

 

Not 100% on the cause, but these are the events before it happened.

 

I'm driving around with the window down, pull into a parking spot. Take my seatbelt off, roll up my window, turn off the car, open the door, get out and start talking to someone and then BOOM! Glass every where. I thought I got shot at!!!!

 

I have a call into the dealership, but I have no idea what they are going to say. Does anyone have experience with this? I could have my insurance cover the glass, but I want to bring this to Subaru's attention and maybe there is a problem.

 

I'm just happy I was not driving when this happened!

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my guess would be a bbgun.

 

ditto! check inside the car and see if you can find one (good luck)

 

your insurance should cover it. you'd probably have to pay a deductible

258k miles - Stock engine/minor suspension upgrades/original shocks/rear struts replaced at 222k/4 passenger side wheel bearings/3 clutches/1 radiator/3 turbos
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What did they say at the dealership when you asked them to fix the window under warranty? Did they automatically assume that it was some type of defect?

 

I guess so, they didn't ask too many questions and made one call to the regional rep and he ok'd it.

 

Pretty painless

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It's a trend.

 

Happened to my 2002 Dodge Dakota pickup truck. I wasn't in the car at the time, but I walked out in the morning to find glass all across the street. Defintely blown OUT, not smashed IN.

 

(Not to mention there was a digital camera on the passenger seat, and various other valuables here and there... all untouched.)

 

Weird.

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happened to my ex-wifes Passat. She had the car in the sun all day, went through a car wash in the afternoon, and as she was driving away, the rear window just blew out, GONE. I attribute it to the extreme change in temp from the over 100 degree outside temp and being in the sun, to the extreme cold water of the car wash...too much temp change, and maybe a small chip or something somewhere, and it was all lost from there.

 

This does not explain your issue, since you did not have temp change issues...but still, kinda freaky.

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My sister in-law's windshield cracked on her integra from bringing it outside to inside a garage to be cleaned. Funny thing is it happened at the dealer she was buying it from when they were cleaning it for her to take it. They called and didn't know what to say. :)
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My dads older sentra had this happen becasue of it being a hot day, parked in a lot when into store came out and the window was blown out, not in. I usually keep my windows craked on real hot days anyhow.
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In regards to a very hot interior, (if you have a sunroof) open the sunroof to the vent setting to allow hot air to escape. Also try a windshield sunshade as well.

 

As for the original poster, glad no one was hurt and your car will be fixed like new.

 

-S

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There is an explanation for what happened to you side lite (window). I am an engineer with seven years experience in the glass industry.

First of all the side and back lites are tempered glass. The tempering process does two things to the glass. First, it strengthens the glass. The glass becomes four to five times more resilient to breaking due to impact over standard annealed glass. Second, it turns glass into safety glass. When the glass breaks it breaks into thousands of small pieces, thus avoiding any kind of guillotine effect.

The explosion or blowing out is normal when tempered is broken. Tempered glass has a stress differential between the outside surface and the inside surface of 10,000 psi. When the outside surface is penetrated the lite will literally release the stress differential from the inside out. This will normally not hurt anyone, unless your eyes are in the way.

Why did your side lite break? There are two possibilities. One the edge of the glass was touching a stress point that penetrated the compression layer, not likely. Two the lite had a nickel sulfide inclusion that damaged the lite when it got hot enough, more likely. Nickel sulfide contamination is a rare occurrence in glass manufacturing, and is not the fault of the user.

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There is an explanation for what happened to you side lite (window). I am an engineer with seven years experience in the glass industry.

 

 

 

First of all the side and back lites are tempered glass. The tempering process does two things to the glass. First, it strengthens the glass. The glass becomes four to five times more resilient to breaking due to impact over standard annealed glass. Second, it turns glass into safety glass. When the glass breaks it breaks into thousands of small pieces, thus avoiding any kind of guillotine effect.

 

 

 

The explosion or blowing out is normal when tempered is broken. Tempered glass has a stress differential between the outside surface and the inside surface of 10,000 psi. When the outside surface is penetrated the lite will literally release the stress differential from the inside out. This will normally not hurt anyone, unless your eyes are in the way.

 

 

 

Why did your side lite break? There are two possibilities. One the edge of the glass was touching a stress point that penetrated the compression layer, not likely. Two the lite had a nickel sulfide inclusion that damaged the lite when it got hot enough, more likely. Nickel sulfide contamination is a rare occurrence in glass manufacturing, and is not the fault of the user.

 

Of course this was my #2 explanation for the glass failure after my BB Gun / Second Shooter therory... ;)

 

Damn...This guy knows a thing or two about glass. (Know any good window tinting places in Eastern Pennsylvania?)

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Something similar happened to me with my back driver side window, 05 LGT Wgn. We were on the highway at night, on our way out of town for the weekend and suddenly the window just burst. Our baby was even in the back seat at the time so it was a bit scarey. Fortunately the window stayed together (in thousands of pieces) until we got off the road. The dealership didn't really believe us at first and had the regional manager check it out before they agreed to cover it.
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