My rear windshield suddenly shattered while the car was idling. I this happened because I was using the defrost system, as from my understanding several 2023 HRVs have had their rear windshields shatter from using the defrost system. The windshield "popped" and left a sizeable hole in the corner. As I drove home, the shattered glass fell into my trunk and possibly left pieces of glass on the road. I was worried that my passengers in the rear seats would have glass showered on them. The windshield is available for inspection upon request. I have not yet been able to take it anywhere to be inspected. There were no warnings before the windshield shattered.
2023 Honda HR-V visibility complaints
Page 3 of 14: complaints 41 to 70 of 397, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Upon opening the driver's side door and getting into the vehicle I heard glass tinkling and turned around to see where it was coming from. I noticed that the rear hatch glass was shattered. Looking closer it appeared that the glass broke in multiple places as there were two large holes and then it also shattered around the edges of the glass. I called my local Honda dealer as well as Honda Customer Service but they told me there hasn't been a recall for the rear glass and that the vehicle would have to be inspected for it to be covered under the warranty. I ended up just getting it fixed with a local auto glass shop since I needed to be able to drive it ASAP. There were no cracks or chips in the glass beforehand and I had not heard rattling or cracking while driving it the last time. We also couldn't find any rocks or anything in or around the car and there were no signs that it could have been a break in. The car alarm never went off and I never heard or saw anybody on the property. I've heard about a rear defroster issue that causes hot spots and the glass to weaken over time. I'm assuming that since I park in direct sunlight and the weather has been hotter lately the change in temperature throughout the day and the direct sunlight finally caused it to shatter. Thankfully nobody was in the car when the glass shattered and I wasn't driving at the time. Cleaning up the broken shards of glass was not fun, as glass had fallen into the grass around my car and tiny slivers were still in the interior of the vehicle that the shop vacuum couldn't pick up.
After getting into the driver seat and closing the car door, the rear windshield shattered for no apparent reason.
The contact owns a 2023 Honda HR-V. The contact heard a loud pop and became aware that the rear windshield had shattered. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there were no signs of an impact that could have caused the damage to the windshield. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.
Rear window shattered. I entered my car and as soon as I closed the driver door, the back window shattered, unwarranted by anything else.
The contact owns a 2023 Honda HR-V. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling at a stop light, the rear windshield exploded, causing a large hole near the top of the windshield on the driver's side, eventually causing additional fractures throughout the windshield. The failure occurred with no impact to the vehicle. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the failure was common. The dealer diagnosed that the windshield needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 95,000.
Back in mid January, there was a winter storm in our area that hit overnight. Mild snow, but predominantly ice. Heading into work the next morning, I needed to use my defroster (both front and rear) to allow visibility with my windshields. I was able the clear the ice off my window and arrived safely to work. 8 hours later I headed home and again there was still some ice on my rear-windshield which prompted the use of my rear defroster. On my way home (less than 15mins from work) I did not notice any changes in visibility. Once I arrived home, I discovered that my entire rear-windshield was uniformly shattered, still intact, but shattered. Seems as though my window shattered sometime during the work day. The next day I went to my dealership as my car is still under warranty and had only been purchased less than 15 months prior. The service advisor informed me there was nothing they could do for me. Informed them of my research, as I was not the only 2023 Honda HR-V with this issue and stated that this was something that needed to be addressed by them or American Honda. At the start of February I got a response from the service advisor that my case was approved at the district level, but there were no windows available. Unrelated to the window, I was in a separate accident which prompted removal of my broken window to fix the body. The repairs were completed within two weeks and was released with crash-wrap hoping I could immediately transfer it over to Honda, but there still was no window available. I reached out to American Honda hoping for some assistance and still have no results. While i now get weekly updates on status, there is no guarantee of product delivery. It is now end of April, I have been without a window since end of February (broken window since mid-January). While my case is classified as critical, I still have no answers as to when I can/will have a window.
I pulled my car into my driveway on April 22, 2024 and got out of the car to assist my husband with his walker. We heard a big BANG at the back of the car. When we walked behind the car we found that the rear window had completely shattered. It had been raining and we had the reat window defogger running in the car. If this had happened while the car was moving it could have caused an accident with all of the glass falling out onto the road and endangering the cars behind me. I have called Safelite to come to my house to replace the glass as I don't feel safe driving the car like this.
While driving, with my rear defrost on, my rear window shattered. It was loud, and very scary. I’m glad my kids weren’t in the backseat. Brought it straight to my local Honda dealership where my vehicle was purchased and was surprised to hear they knew of the issue but no recall had been issued.
Rear hatch window exploded on Jan 12th, 2024. Honda claims its related to the rear defroster in use or improper installation where the adhesive used comes in contact with the heating elements causing a hot spot in the glass thus exploding. The window was replaced on April 12th, 2024. The issue I have is Honda is NOT guaranteeing the replacement and just stating the warranty of 3 years / 36,000 miles. I waited 3 months for "the fix" and no guarantee? I will discuss further with the dealership.
The contact owns a 2023 Honda HR-V. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH with the rear defogger activated, within 15 minutes of the defogger being activated, the rear windshield imploded. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided the contact with a claim number. The approximate failure mileage was 26,000.
Was driving at a regular route, about 50mph and was using only front windshield defroster at the time because the weather was cold and the entire rear windshield shattered suddenly and made a whole on the left side I had my toddler in her car seat and thankfully she wasn't injured. Looked up online after the fact and found several exact incidents in this same model and year vehicle
Rear windshield shattered while driving with rear defroster on
My rear window shattered after prolonged use of the rear defroster. It was raining in California very heavily in January 2024. I had been using my rear defroster for a long period of time. On [XXX], I got into my car and as soon as I closed the door the windshield shattered and sprayed glass on the inside of my car and all over my driveway. There was no warning or indication of this, it just shattered on me when I got into my vehicle. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The rear windshield shattered while driving in I95. The road was smooth and I did not hit a pot hole. It randomly made a loud sound and the rear windshield fell apart while driving. I tried uploading 5 pictures but it keeps saying upload failed.
My rear window exploded while parked on the garage. I had the rear defroster on for only a few minutes. There was a loud bang that startled me and left me in shock unknowing what it could be. There was absolutely no warning of any kind. I took my vehicle into my local dealer where I bought the car. Still awaiting an answer. I saw online this has happened to many people with this same year and make.
Turned on car to warm up and set my windshields to defrost. 15 minutes later when after waiting for car to warm up I turn off the defrosters because I smell something warm/hot. 5 minutes later my rear windshield pops and shatters. All while parked, checked for any sort of debris and none to be found.
The rear window shattered on March 8, 2024. The defroster had been used briefly to clear fog. It was parked and when I returned to the car later, the window was shattered. There was a hole in part of it where it had broken with glass on the inside and some shards on the outside on the ground. It was is also broken around the edges where it would be sealed to the rest of the car. I had to drive home in the rain for approximately 40 minutes with glass continuing to break with any minimal and normal bumps from driving on the road. Had anything happened, like a wreck, while we were driving, this defect likely would have affected our safety in addition to simply having glass falling at random. Because we initially thought the car might have been broken into, the police were called and did inspect it. Nothing was stolen and the hole was not big enough for anyone to get into the vehicle. I found this has been a known issue with the HR-V after having it checked on. When I called the dealership this morning (3/9/2024) they stated they didn’t know anything about this issue and did not have any information on it. They gave me Honda’s customer service number, which I called, but since it’s Saturday, no one was there to answer. There was no warning or any symptoms prior to this happening. It’s like it spontaneously shattered.
Woke up in the morning and discovered that my rear windshield had randomly shattered at some point during the night while it was parked. At first thought it was vandalism, but there was no specific point of impact anywhere on my windshield and it was not indented at all. If I was driving my vehicle when this occurred, it absolutely could've resulted in sudden shock and caused an accident. There was nothing wrong with my windshield in the days leading up to this.
Back windshield shattered. Parked in driveway and had not been taken out that day.
My rear window unexpectedly shattered without any force while I was sitting in the car parked.
While parked about to drive out to work @ about 18:30, I turned on my car and my rear windshield spontaneously shattered. My wiper is still intact, but my entire windshield has spider web-like cracking all over, leaving a hole on my left side, slightly big. Please see photos attached. (My recalled seatbelts were already serviced by AutoNation Valencia.) I found an online article from last month where this is a random, on-going issue with Honda 2023 HR-V models: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
As I see in the news now, my rear window blew out on the expressway on 1/17/2024 on the way to work at 5:30 a.m. With the very cold day below zero it sounded like an explosion and then it crumbled. Luckily I was close to work and my team was able to help me shrink wrap the window to be able to get home. On 1/20/24 I took the car to Safelite for replacement which was done under my insurance. I have no idea this was a problem for my model vehicle.
The back window blow up
My rear windshield on my brand new car shattered in January 2024. This caused a giant hole to form in the window and almost removed all the glass from it. I took the car into the dealership and the service technicians there determined it was caused by a manufacturing defect when they installed the windshield. They taped some garbage bags to cover it up and said that I would be on a loaner waitlist and have a rush order put on my parts. They also claimed the car is still drivable even though it is winter, and driving without a windshield is torturous, and also the bags could easily fly off and cause an accident to someone behind me. The dealership then came back and said they will not be providing a loaner and will only provide me a rental when the parts come in as they can not justify the expense of giving me a rental/ loaner beforehand. It has been a month and still no parts or other solution has been provided. The dealership and corporate office for the brand is saying that I have to drive around without a rear windshield and bags taped over it or find another solution on my own. This all seems insanely unethical and and a terrible example of customer service. They have not helped me with my safety issue of my rear windshield and are refusing to take on any expense to help me in the slightest, besides the actual repair itself whenever that may occur. It has been over a month since the windshield broke, and the parts keep getting pushed out further.
While driving, I heard a loud pop, and the rear windshield shattered completely. I had the rear defroster on. There was no sign of an object that hit the windshield, it just blew out unexpectedly. I took photos and called the insurance company, but nobody else has inspected the windshield except for me. This posed a safety risk, as I was startled and could not see out the back window. I was not able to pull over due to the lack of a safe area to pull over. There were no warnings of this event, this was the first and only incident. I did some research on this issue, and it appears that I am not the only one who has had the rear windshield shatter in my 2023 Honda HRV, due to a manufacturing defect in the seal around the rear defroster system.
Rear windshield shattered when wife was driving to work, took to dealer and they have ordered window but it is back ordered for 4 weeks
While my car was sitting in our garage, not driven for two days, our back windshield shattered out of nowhere. We just heard a loud bang and found a hole in the glass and could see it was separating from the sides of the window. We took our vehicle to the dealership and it’s been over a week with no estimated date it will be fixed and still no loaner vehicle has been offered.
I was driving about 35 mph, in morning on 10/3/23. Suddenly the rear windshield shattered accompanied by a very loud noise at the rear or hood of car. At first I thought someone threw a rock, or fired a gun, on my car. Pulled car over to inspect. I was very shaken. The road had a few pine trees adjacent, I thought perhaps a large heavy pine cone could have fallen on the back windshield, but had no evidence of that happening specifically. I have read subsequently about this happening with other 2023 HR-Vs. I don’t know if I turned on the defroster that morning or not. It is possible, because it was a chilly morning. I reported it to my insurance, they covered the entire rear windshield replacement cost.
On November 27th at 7:30 am I used the remote start feature on my car for the first time and when I walked out to my car and went to open my door, my entire back windshield exploded. For reference I had not use the rear defroster before so when I used the auto start feature on my car this was the very first time the rear defroster had been used.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2023 Honda HR-V?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history