My 2011 CMS experienced a bizarre spontaneous crack on the INSIDE of the windshield. It looks very much like a stone hit it creating a star shaped pattern, followed by a crack which propagated to the top of the windshield. The bizarre part of this is that there is definitely no impact mark from the outside and I'm quite sure it happened while I was washing the car.

I usually park in my garage, but on a very warm day I parked outside in the morning, and didn't get around to washing in until late afternoon. I did not see a crack when I pulled it out of the garage, and the crack is close to the driver's line of sight. In the afternoon, I squirted the car with water for an initial rinse, then began soaping, starting with the roof. When I got down to the windshield I noticed the crack. It can't be from an impact inside the car because the location of the star shape is about an inch below the top of the dashboard where nothing can hit it, as you can see in the attached image.

A few days later I took it to my dealer in San Diego, and the SA looked at it and told me it was not covered under warranty. In effect, he told me that it was either hit from the outside (without the slightest hint of a mark? -huh?) or that this happens from time to time and I should have let the car cooled before I washed it. I couldn't believe he said that. He sent me to a nearby glass shop, who told me the same thing. Being suspicious of the dealer installer, I went to other glass shops who all told me this was incredibly rare and probably was due to a glass inclusion or defect.

Has anyone else experienced this? Do I have any recourse? Should I contact MINI directly? Since the glass is cracked on the inside endangering the driver, I feel it might be proper to report this to NHTSA. What do you think?

 

That is definitely a hit from an object, so I doubt you have any recourse. As for the crack being a danger, there is a laminate that keeps it from shattering in on the driver so you are fine.

You could try and complain, but I doubt you will get much traction. Check your insurance, you might be able to get it replaced by them. Just be sure and ask for OEM glass.

 

The center shows where the defect or impact occured.....could be a temp change combined with a defect, anything is possible i guess....
.just a guess, but do you wear a ring or have a watch? Maybe wipeing/washing it, it chipped a spot...or maybe a phone on the dash with hard braking? Then rapid temp change caused it to radiate. Kinda sucks. With my metal wstchband, i once managed to scratch a windshield accidently....polished it out with a kit, but was still a pain.
Auto glass (the front) is typically 2 layers, with a clear plastic layer holding them together....side/rear windows are usually tempered....so they shatter into a million tiny pieces.

 

Bluebrat, I had something kind of similar - I had a crack that started next to the A-pillar with no impact point that I could detect. I had the dealer take a look and it to see if it was a stress crack. It turned out there was an impact point and a very slight ding on the edge of the A-pillar. The way they found the impact point was to trace the crack with a pen or sharp-tipped object. Even if the windshield feels flat and undamaged to the touch, the pointer will catch on any impact point.

 

So the dealer has a magic tool to detect invisible nicks so that they will never have to replace a windshield under factory warranty.

 

A fine tipped ballpoint pen is all it takes...
You just run it along the crack....and you can feel the spot where a tiny chip was...the starting spot of a crrack....
Windshields are kinda like tires...they are exposed to hazards, and are dammaged in doing their job....parts of the cost of OWNING a car.
I hate to speak up and defend dealers regularly, but it seems so many folks believe that when thir car is under warrenty, they will not have to spend a dime on it....and expect EVERYTHING to be covered. A car is a big $$, but most folks forget repairs are factoring into the cost of a new car...and warrenty repairs are for failures due to factory defects.
A crack on the bottom area inside a windshield sucks...but it just looks like a phone or somerthing flew forward, and hit the spot....and the outer few inches of the windshield is the most vulnerable.
It certainly does not hurt to ask your dealer if they will fix an item....lets face it, MINI's as a brand DOES have a bit of a history of glass cracks due to stresses.....

 

Good reason to get zero deductable on your comprehensive coverage,

it's dirt cheap and worth it.

 

No, in my case Mini and the dealer reviewed it and agreed that it was a flukey situation so they replaced the windshield and split the cost between Mini warantee, the dealer, and me. I thought that was a more than fair solution on a wear and tear item.

 

Part of the self-entitled generation we are living in sadly. Many people think that warranty means full coverage even on wear and tear. I see this a lot with cell phones

Someone dropped a phone in the toilet and was demanding it be replaced under warranty.

 

I hope they broght it to you in a plastic baggy!!

 

I didn't mess with it, was just in the store when the fool tried to return it. Needless to say, the tech wasn't happy when he heard what happened.