Rear WIndow Shatters...Defect?

[EnterpriseRental]

Hi Folks,

I was closing the rear window on my 2004 Envoy last night and it shattered into a million pieces.

The window had been open fully, and I had started pushing down on the handle to close. THe window moved about 6 inches towards the close position with no excessive force noted when the entire window went... Luckily I only experienced a few cuts on my legs from the glass.

Has anyone else experienced such a problem? My thought is that perhaps one of the two struts that support the window stuck while compressing the piston during closure. The differential force between the two struts stressed the window and hence the failure. In any case something like this should not happen.

Whether or not this is a true defect, please let this serve as a warning to be careful when closing the rear window.

Enterprise

[TweakedGM]

take it to the dealer they should replace it

[eca_frank]

Hi Folks,

This original posting is quite old now, but it may indicate a much more general problem with the rear windows on GMC Envoys.

The rear window on my 2003 Envoy XL shattered last night (7/22/2005), while the vehicle was parked in my driveway! This is the SECOND TIME this window has exploded on my Envoy! The first time was in April of 2004! On that occasion my wife was in the process of opening the tailgate when the window shattered and showered her with broken glass.

The first time GMC replaced it on warranty. This time they are refusing to cover it because the vehicle has 40,000 miles and is "out of warranty". My only questions is, "what does the extra 4,000 miles that I have on the vehicle have to do with the glass?" The vehicle has a 36,000 mile warranty, but I don't see how a few extra miles should affect the glass.

GMC customer assistance says "the problem is environmental, having to do with the heat here in Florida!" If that's the case, why did it happen the first time in New Jersey, in April when it is not real hot? And, if the problem is that the vehicle can't take the heat here in Florida, why is GMC selling them here?

I'd be interested in hearing from anyone else having similar issues with the Envoy, or similar vehicles such as the Chevy Trailblazer.

eca_frank

[GMMerlin]

The first time GMC replaced it on warranty. This time they are refusing to cover it because the vehicle has 40,000 miles and is "out of warranty". My only questions is, "what does the extra 4,000 miles that I have on the vehicle have to do with the glass?" The vehicle has a 36,000 mile warranty, but I don't see how a few extra miles should affect the glass.

GM offers a 3 year /36000 mile warranty on their vehicles. After the warranty coverage time has expired, the manufacturer has no obligation to repair your vehicle. Doesn't matter if it is 4 miles out of warranty or 4 million miles out of warranty.

I have only seen one glass shatter and that was caused by a bent strut.

[Schurkey]

I'd do four things:

1. Gather up your receipts/documentation from the previous glass problem.

2. Contact the NHTSA http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/ or 1-888-DASH-2-DOT to file a complaint. While you're on the web site, you could search for recalls or bulletins that pertain to your glass problem. There's a boatload of info on Trailblazers/Envoys, so be prepared to spend some time.

3. Contact Chevrolet: http://www.chevrolet.com/contactus/

4. Even if you have to pay to fix this now, SAVE the receipt so if it happens again, you've got more ammunition to convince Chevy that it wasn't fixed properly the first time, and/or that there is some design flaw. Glass breakage like this should not "just happen" repeatedly. There is a reason.

[douce7]

Good Day;

I have just returned from my dealer half expecting that my back window would be repaired but alas it remains duct taped with plastic bags. My back window shattered the day before yesterday when I went to open the trunk. The weather was cold (-8 C) and there was ice building up. Now that I have been able to seen under the cowling I have come to realize that both the window and the whole back door are on the same hinge. This means that all and any pressure is placed directly on the window and would explain why with little lift there is a tremendous leverage on the glass that exploded in my face. I was very lucky that I turned away in time but my kids may not have been so lucky.

The glass which is $2200 (Cdn) is very expensive but my problem is that I cannot install another and let my kids open it.

I am looking for anyone who has had a similar problem or has had any problems with the glass and the trunk.

Thanks

D7

[poppatom]

We had the exact same experience of our back window shattering for the second time.
The first time was in October-the temperature was not cold, it was raining we went to the car at about 9pm only to find our window shattered, we figured it may have been vandalism, however, no stones or anything was found in or out of the car. We put it through our insurance company and figured it was over.
WRONG-this week my husband was removing groceries and had the door openwhen he heard a loud noise and the glass shattered all around him.
The glass place will replace the window on warranty, however, it is the last time, and I guess we will be responsible if it happens again.
We are nervous with this car and worry if we go on a trip, the possiblity of the window shattering is always there.
As of this point, we have no idea what happened, and was told (by the dealer ) when the glass is repaired, to bring it in for a check, although, the say they have never heard of this problem before.
If anything is found at the check up I will post it.
any new info would be appreciated.

TM

[kjmcmcmj]

I was putting somethings in the back of my 2005 Trailblazer this morning and was closing the lift and the widow shattered over top my head and all down my back, scared the living crap out of me thought someone had thrown something. Called the dearlership but it is a Saturday and no service people availble We will see what happens Monday morning

[4pebbles]

We found this website after having had the same thing happen to us! We have a 2005 Envoy XL just purchased in July 2005. On 12/18/2005 there was nothing stored in the back of our vehicle and it was in the middle of a driveway, I placed a laundry basket in the back and proceeded to close the tailgate. There was a small amount of resistance then the rear window shattered. We took it to the dealer the next day thinking it would be covered under warranty. They refused to cover it as the frame to the window was bent and they insisted that the window must have hit something. We spoke directly to the company while at the dealer and they also said it would not be covered. Our insurance company did cover the replacement but it's aggravating to be told that we must be lying and then find that others have had the exact same problem occur with the same vehicle from different model years. And to find out that others have had the problem fixed under warranty but to be told by GMC that they have never seen it happen. Hopefully this will help if our rear window shatters again.

[horse482]

Everyone with this problem should report it to the National Highway Traffic Safty Administration as said in a previous post. If they get enough complants they will research it them selfs and could make gm create a recall on the problem. Note to the forum admin could this be put at the top of the forum so that if this is a major problem that every one can see what needs to be done to report to the NHTSA. Thanks.

[hoinsky]

My 2006 Envoy is on it's 3rd rear window. So the problem is not with the glass because I had an aftermarket glass and that shattered for no reason. It was a cool day in PA.
My neighbor just had his shatter in CT.
In my opnion, there is a design flaw in the lift units.

[maxwedge]

Welcome to AF, please check the dates on the threads before posting this is waaaay too old, thanks.