2023 Honda HR-V

The rear window shattered with no impact or nothing even touching it. Luckily I was parked when it happened but there’s no explanation other than the multiple news articles about this being a known issue with the defroster and rear glass. I contacted my dealer and Honda directly, they both say they know nothing about it. I do have security video of it happening.

I drove the 2023 Honda HR-V to pick up my teen son from school (about 20 min drive one way) around 4:30pm. It was January 2024, so it was cold. He has his learner's permit, so he drove home. We parked the vehicle in the driveway and walked into the house. Just as we entered the front door, I heard what sounded like a minor car accident (fender bender/glass breaking). I walked back out the front door to see what happened but there were no cars in the street. I thought it was strange, but assumed the sound must have been glass breaking from something else besides a car wreck and went back inside. (View of the HRV was obstructed from where I was when I went back to look.) We came back outside a few hours later to drive the car to soccer practice and that's when we noticed the back window of the HR-V had completely shattered. By this time it was dark outside so it was hard to see. We quickly changed to my vehicle to get my son to practice and my husband cleaned up the glass on the HR-V (the car that will be my son's when he turns 16). He did not think to take any pictures. But where the window once was, there was one large gaping hole and then fragments of shattered glass around the edges still in the frame of the back window opening, then shattered bits of glass all over inside the vehicle and on the ground. Thankfully no one was hurt because we had just parked the vehicle and walked away. But what if my NEW DRIVER was driving as that window shattered? Or even me as an experienced driver? This could have caused an accident! That's a real possibility and that's dangerous. It literally just shattered for NO REASON. There was no rock or sign of it being busted. Sounds like SEVERAL other HR-Vs have had the same problem. We are STILL waiting on HONDA to fix the vehicle! Paying insurance on a car we can't drive. My son can't practice driving the vehicle we intended him to use at 16. It's a mess. Please help! Honda needs to recall this product!

The rear windshield spontaneously shattered. It was in the late evening and I had put on the rear defogger. It made a loud sound. My infant daughter and toddler son were in the backseat when it happened. I contacted American Honda (Corporate) and reported it as I read online that hundreds of HR-Vs are having this issue due to the rear defogger. The Honda dealer inspected it and they ordered the part and will be replacing it. We had to pay for a rental car in the meantime, which I didn't feel I should have to pay for since it's a car defect. But corporate said it should be covered under my warranty (I lease the car). There were no warning messages or anything to know this was going to happen. This sounds like the beginning of a recall that needs to be put on HR-Vs immediately.

Rear windshield shattered due to windshield defroster and have not received a recall notice. Safety of driver and other can be at risk, as once shattered, cannot drive at normal speed affecting others nearby and, depending on wind speed, glass continuously falls off and can even fly forward to passengers until it's been replaced. Honda is aware of this issue, but has yet to issue a recall. The vehicle has not been addressed by anyone other than Auto Glass Now, who installed new rear windshield. There were no warning lamps, messages, or symptom of the issue prior to the shatter. No police report was submitted, as no vehicles or objects were obstructed at the time the event occurred. I was simply able to pull over.

Car was bought in November/December 2022. Honda was experiencing supply chain issues so had to wait to get a new 2023 model. Around November 2023, the rear windshield glass exploted and shuttered. At first I was told by Honda that they have never heard of that issue; but when I told them that I went to Google and the same situation is happening all over USA, then they said, yes, we know about the problem on this model. They fixed at no cost to me and they provided a rental car as well. I told them that prior to the explosion there was a strong burning smell - later they told me there was probably fumes leaking from the rear windshield glass that was about to explode. In addition, this new car has had a recall (something about the driver's safety belt) and I also mentioned that the steering wheel makes a noise when it goes left or right... the steering wheel feel heavy too. I was then told that that is another issue that certain Honda models are also experiencing. To repair that it will take 6 months for the replacement part to come from Asia so they were not sure if I was able to just keep driving the car (safely) after I made the decision for them to order the part OR I needed to leave my car in their dealer for the length of time until the part arrived. Too many things are happening with the new car... I just want to get a replacement vehicle.

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)