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Roof Glass Stress Cracks, vol. 2

32K views 54 replies 30 participants last post by  Skione65  
#1 ·
I felt that it was important to revisit the subject of the roof glass (midsection) stress cracks appearing on current Model 3s. Please remember that this forum does not tolerate disrespectful or uncivilized comments. Sharing knowledge and experiences will benefit us all and shutting down threads that get out of control benefits no one.

So earlier this week, prolific YouTuber Ben Sullins posted his own roof glass crack with no apparent precipitating physical damage. Somewhat hilariously, the three small cracks rapidly expanded into a crack shaped like the Tesla logo. This is not an isolated case and these are only the cases that we hear about publicly.

Obviously there is a stress/body flex issue here and we will have to see how this plays out.

 
#2 ·
Obviously there is a stress/body flex issue here and we will have to see how this plays out.
If you watch the tail end of the video, he fills us in how it played out.

It says Tesla repaired it two days later and there were only a few cases where the roof glass was assembled wrong.
 
#3 ·
I had totally forgotten about this video. I have almost the exactly the same issue. Same location on roof, same shape (I thought it looked like a tree, totally missed the Tesla logo similarity) Similar circumstances from what I can tell as well, driving on a highway on a hot day.
 
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#5 ·
Sorry to hear. VIN number and picture of the crack please. Trying to determine if this is limited to early builds or is an issue for later builds also.

If there is a long delay in obtaining the part, you might request a loaner as this is a structural component and may be dangerous to continue driving when cracked significantly.
 
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#7 ·
My Vin and delivery date are in my signature. The SC replaced my roof section under warranty. They had seen 2 other similar cases as of Wed. this week. This was my first interaction with Tesla service. While the lady on the phone was nice and eventually very helpful, she seemed to get confused on occasion. The service rep at the SC was fantastic. The service was completed ahead of schedule to help with my personal travel plans. I couldn't reasonably ask for a better experience.
 
#8 ·
Sorry to hear. VIN number and picture of the crack please. Trying to determine if this is limited to early builds or is an issue for later builds also.

If there is a long delay in obtaining the part, you might request a loaner as this is a structural component and may be dangerous to continue driving when cracked significantly.
VIN 255xx here. I'm now scheduled to head to Nashville Tuesday morning for service. They're going to determine if it's a stress fracture to cover under warranty (even they seemed positive it would be) but also gave a cost breakdown for replacement (+/- $1000).
I still find it a wonder how it forms a Tesla "T." :)
 

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#10 ·
It's a security feature.

No T crack, no warranty replacement.
 
#11 ·
Because of the crazy jumping around with the Model 3 VINs, perhaps build date (mm/yy) from the door sticker would help us better understand if there's a pattern.
@PTC Gator was a 5/18 build and I suspect @theblindtree was probably June or July build. That's concerning because Ben Sullins was told his issue was limited to early build which doesn't seem to be the case.
 
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#13 ·
Wow. Just built last month. Not a good sign.

Plus, you mentioned you were going through a car wash so presumably low torsional stress on the frame.

It does seem like most of these cracks are occurring in warmer weather/sunny climates. If this is a thermal issue, hopefully Tesla can change the glass material slightly to fix the problem. That's a lot better than a structural stress issue which would be MUCH harder to retroactively fix.
 
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#14 ·
Driving home yesterday I also noticed the Telsa logo thermal stress crack in my front roof glass. (June 2018, 313xx)
Crack is through outer layer of glass and did not split through the vinyl interlayer. Definitely consistant with thermal stress: perpendictual to edge with no visible impact point. No extreme heat temps or car washes yesterday either. Just a normal, high of 83F, Detroit day.

 

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#17 ·
Driving home yesterday I also noticed the Telsa logo thermal stress crack in my front roof glass. (June 2018, 313xx)
Crack is through outer layer of glass and did not split through the vinyl interlayer. Definitely consistant with thermal stress: perpendictual to edge with no visible impact point. No extreme heat temps or car washes yesterday either. Just a normal, high of 83F, Detroit day.

View attachment 12564 View attachment 12565 View attachment 12566 View attachment 12567
@kbb,

I'm assuming no tint correct?

Ski
 
#24 ·
My car experienced spider cracks in the shape of the Tesla "T" today. We were driving in the heat (94 degrees) and pop. We looked up and saw the cracks. I made an appointment to get it fixed.

I would like to start a contest of the Best Glass Roof Tesla "T" crack.
Good news is that this seems to be temperature related and it's starting to get cooler. Bad news is that it seems to be occurring in more recent VINs so whatever the root cause, it hasn't been resolved. Great thing is Tesla will replace it free...as long as it looks like the Tesla logo. Lol!
 
#25 ·
I picked up my car 2 weeks ago and just noticed a crack running the enire length of the front roof. There is no apparent impact. I scheduled service, but can't get an appointment until Dec 6. My car is parked in the garage at home and at work, and I was out of town during the winter storm this week. I'm happy to share my VIN info but I don't know which part of the VIN to report here.
 
#30 ·
I must be extremely unlucky.

I took delivery of my first Model 3 in early September. Within the first week, a stress crack appeared in the roof glass, about eight inches behind the rear headrest on the driver's side. The crack stretched from the edge about 24" toward the middle.

I called for a service appointment and was told that if there were no signs of impact (there were none to any part of the vehicle) the roof replacement would be covered by the warranty. It took about a month for the service department to receive the part and have availability. The repair occurred all in one day, however there were no loaner vehicles available so I had the option of renting an ICE vehicle from Enterprise on Tesla's dime or using Lyft. I only needed to drive ten miles (to work and back to the shop) so I opted for Lyft. When I picked up my vehicle from the shop the roof replacement looked perfect. There was some confusion about payment; they asked me to pay about $750 for the replacement however I insisted that it be covered by the warranty as a stress crack. They reviewed their notes and accepted to cover the repair by the warranty.

After I got home my wife also inspected the trunk and noticed, in dim light, that it looked like someone had dropped glitter inside it. On a closer look, there were shards of shattered glass all over it, some of theme we pulled out (with tweezers) were really pointy and could have caused someone a really bad day. I highly recommend inspecting the trunk after a roof glass replacement.

Yesterday, my replaced roof glass had a new crack in it. This crack was directly over the rear seat driver's side headrest, about eight inches forward from where the first stress crack occurred. I've just requested another warranty replacement, we'll see how it goes.

VIN ends in 064xxx.
 
#31 ·
I must be extremely unlucky.

I took delivery of my first Model 3 in early September. Within the first week, a stress crack appeared in the roof glass, about eight inches behind the rear headrest on the driver's side. The crack stretched from the edge about 24" toward the middle.

I called for a service appointment and was told that if there were no signs of impact (there were none to any part of the vehicle) the roof replacement would be covered by the warranty. It took about a month for the service department to receive the part and have availability. The repair occurred all in one day, however there were no loaner vehicles available so I had the option of renting an ICE vehicle from Enterprise on Tesla's dime or using Lyft. I only needed to drive ten miles (to work and back to the shop) so I opted for Lyft. When I picked up my vehicle from the shop the roof replacement looked perfect. There was some confusion about payment; they asked me to pay about $750 for the replacement however I insisted that it be covered by the warranty as a stress crack. They reviewed their notes and accepted to cover the repair by the warranty.

After I got home my wife also inspected the trunk and noticed, in dim light, that it looked like someone had dropped glitter inside it. On a closer look, there were shards of shattered glass all over it, some of theme we pulled out (with tweezers) were really pointy and could have caused someone a really bad day. I highly recommend inspecting the trunk after a roof glass replacement.

Yesterday, my replaced roof glass had a new crack in it. This crack was directly over the rear seat driver's side headrest, about eight inches forward from where the first stress crack occurred. I've just requested another warranty replacement, we'll see how it goes.

VIN ends in 064xxx.
Welcome to the forum and sorry to hear about your glass issues.

Thanks for pointing out the need to be vigilant after the glass has been replaced.

At times, the removal of a large, fixed piece of automotive glass held in place with adhesive can lead to some chipping of the glass as the trim removal tool is worked into place (happened to me with a windscreen about 30 years ago).

IMHO, your car is showing body flex that exceeds the manufacturers specifications.....or there is an area of the metal body that is physically coming into contact with the glass.

Without being aggressive about it, I would ask Tesla what happens if the 2nd replacement glass fractures from stress.
 
#32 · (Edited)
Just encountered this the other day as well. I only noticed as I sat in the car while it was Supercharging. Contacted Tesla but no real movement yet. I was told there may be a delay due to obtaining a replacement part.
Hey Tesla Family theblindtree! I wonder you got your cracked glass-top fixed? If so, did they determine its your fault or theirs? I just found my cracked also. It was a cracked that started right in the edge in the middle of the front top. I brought it in and now they determined it was hit by something...possibly a pebble, although there is no sign of even a scratch... I have to pocket out...$1300-1500 if they don't accept it is a defect...:(( (Vin# XXXXXXXJF1719XX) MFR 12/18
 
#40 ·
Sorry I'm only now seeing your post. Tesla didn't try to fight it at all. There was some initial runaround due to the service request some how being entered at two completely different locations, but they did have the parts in. In fact, the service team member brought out one of the techs and he basically acknowledged that it had been an occasional "thing" they'd seen before. After that, it was smooth sailing to get the paperwork taken care of as no charge and getting a loaner. It took several days, as they used a slower adhering process, so just be aware of that.
 
#33 · (Edited)
Guys! I just noticed a huge crack on the top glass !! its not due to impact seems like some kind of stress fracture of somesort, Contacted the SC and hope they will take care of it. Anyone experience this before?
@straightpipeguru, did you get your glass-top cracked issue resolved? It happened to my Model 3 too..:( 4 weeks and 2k miles later. The cracked is right in the middle of the front-edge. Took it in this morning and they determined it was it by something like a rock... but not a scratch or any sign visual to the naked eyes. I ran my fingers & nails thru it in and out but didn't feel a thing until 4 days later, which the crack seem to enlarge while driving.(Vin# XXXXXXXJF1719XX) MFR 12/18
 
#34 ·
I had the same crack appear last week. Currently in the shop. VIN is in the 76000 range. Loving this car in every respect. View attachment 15128 View attachment 15128
@Michael B, I got the same crack and wonder you got yours resolved. I brought to Telsa shop today and they said its not defect...must be caused by some other things...which I see no sign of hit or scratch... :( Hate to go thru insurance or pocket out $1.5k which I think is a defect...
 
#35 ·
I took delivery of my car this morning and just hours later I noticed a similar crack. Huge disappointment but I am loving all other aspects of the car. 100xxx
J, just got my on 12/24/18 and now a big cracked right in the middle-front of top piece. Did you get it resolved? If so, did Tesla claimed as a defect or you have to pay? Thx T
 

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