C2, C3 Fastback Window Spontaneous Collapse

[Tom R.]

Anyone ever experience, see or hear of such a thing...it's like spontaneous combustion! I opened the garage door to this (photo). Last time I was in there was last weekend.

Nothing was missing, nothing out of place and the appearance is that both ends of the rear window blew out from the inside. Yet, the seat was upright and the cover in the storage area was not compressed from someone crawling in. The broken glass as shown, dribbled down the rear quarter panel and onto the floor as tho a force forced it backward. Almost looks natural

Called in the police whose assessment was that there was no obvious criminal intent. He explained they would expect to see evidence of someone going thru drawers, cabinets, etc but no signs of entry. I don't know what to make of it but I'm out a date coded pace car rear window.
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[Tom H.]

Re: C2, C3 Fastback Window Spontaneous Collapse

Never seen anything like it !

[Joel A.]

Re: C2, C3 Fastback Window Spontaneous Collapse


Wow, Tom! That's the dardest thing I've ever seen(well...today, anyway).
I'd have to think this was heat related in some way...either too much heat, or none at all.
Do you suppose the rear defog energized by itself? That is, assuming you don't have a battery dis-connect, which I'm sure you do, but...that's the first thing that came to my mind, since it doesn't appear to be malicious vandalism...
that sux....

[Michael G.]

Re: C2, C3 Fastback Window Spontaneous Collapse

Tom, Did you have a CO2 fire extinguisher inside the car? If yes, you might want to check it.

[Pete B.]

Re: C2, C3 Fastback Window Spontaneous Collapse

I had an 86 that I bought new, sometime in 88 the same thing happened to me. Dealer said no dice to a warrantee claim. Car was sitting in a garage and poof it was gone. I suspected a latent defect in the glass.
Sorry for your loss!

[Michael W.]

Re: C2, C3 Fastback Window Spontaneous Collapse

Tom,

I saw something similar many years ago with my own eyes on a first generation Barracuda. It had been parked in the shade for several hours and as the car was backed out into the sun the back light just popped and collapsed upon itself. No known chips or cracks before that.

Sorry to hear the news.

[Joe L.]

Re: C2, C3 Fastback Window Spontaneous Collapse

Anyone ever experience, see or hear of such a thing...it's like spontaneous combustion! I opened the garage door to this (photo). Last time I was in there was last weekend.

Nothing was missing, nothing out of place and the appearance is that both ends of the rear window blew out from the inside. Yet, the seat was upright and the cover in the storage area was not compressed from someone crawling in. The broken glass as shown, dribbled down the rear quarter panel and onto the floor as tho a force forced it backward. Almost looks natural

Called in the police whose assessment was that there was no obvious criminal intent. He explained they would expect to see evidence of someone going thru drawers, cabinets, etc but no signs of entry. I don't know what to make of it but I'm out a date coded pace car rear window.
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Tom-----


I've never seen this occur on a Corvette. However, I've seen it quite a few times on other cars. Way back when someone explained to me the "physics" behind it but I've forgotten what it was. Vaguely, I recall it has something to do with tempered glass.

I think we have at least 1 person that frequents this board that works for Pilkington Glass. Maybe he will have some information.

By the way, whenever I've seen or heard of this occurring in the past, it's ALWAYS with a PARKED vehicle. I've never heard of it happening while a vehicle is being driven (although that does not mean that it doesn't occur under such circumstances).

[Tom R.]

Re: C2, C3 Fastback Window Spontaneous Collapse

Wow, Tom! That's the dardest thing I've ever seen(well...today, anyway).
I'd have to think this was heat related in some way...either too much heat, or none at all.
Do you suppose the rear defog energized by itself? That is, assuming you don't have a battery dis-connect, which I'm sure you do, but...that's the first thing that came to my mind, since it doesn't appear to be malicious vandalism...

That's not a bad thought. I disconnected the disconnect because it was providing a solid enough connection and I was having trouble with it starting. Of course, power is off but who knows.

[John H.]

Re: C2, C3 Fastback Window Spontaneous Collapse

We had three instances of similar "total crystallization" failures in the field on Viper coupes, and I had one fail the same way while in the subassembly fixture in the plant. We called in the same PPG rep who inspected the three cars in the field, and he confirmed that all four windows were from the same lot. Never did nail down what kind of a process issue at PPG might have caused it, but there were no other failures.

[Tom R.]

Re: C2, C3 Fastback Window Spontaneous Collapse

I'm curious is if the window is "tight" and with age the glass gets brittle, it gets to a point that it gives. Is this a possibility?

[Joe L.]

Re: C2, C3 Fastback Window Spontaneous Collapse

I'm curious is if the window is "tight" and with age the glass gets brittle, it gets to a point that it gives. Is this a possibility?

Tom----

I don't think that glass is subject to becoming "brittle" with age.

[Mark W.]

Re: C2, C3 Fastback Window Spontaneous Collapse

I've seen numerous instances of windows exploding from the inside out in Colorado (probably happens elsewhere), but the vehicles were all outside. Sometime when the wind blows fairly hard for a period of time and all windows are shut tight, the pressure builds inside the vehicle and windows blow from the inside outward, however they are more often side windows, not windshield or rear.

[Steven B.]

Re: C2, C3 Fastback Window Spontaneous Collapse

A neighbor had his rear window on a Tahoe shatter/explode from the inside out in January when the temp was in the 50's. I Googled auto windows exploding and got alot of different scenarios, but no one seems to know the cause.

[Mike M.]

Re: C2, C3 Fastback Window Spontaneous Collapse

Hi Tom.
You haven't moved to Amityville have you?
I seem to remember that in '58, GM changed the ventilation system in their full size cars. As a result and mentioned above, after a rain ( or cool and humid), then siting in the sun, the rear windows would disintegrate from the inside out.
So, could there have been an extreme atmospheric and/or temp change after you parked the car?
Looks like '78 and up owners might consider popping the hatch when parking their car.
Good LUck
HaND

[Joe T.]

Re: C2, C3 Fastback Window Spontaneous Collapse

I had similar incidents on a couple of GMC Jimmy/Yukons I have owned. One was a door glass and the other was a cargo/passenger area glass. One just disintegrated when I closed (not slammed) the opposite door. I suspect that there was some long festering damage to the glass like a stone chip etc that finally caused the stress to overcome the structure. OBTW: Glass is not a solid (crystalline structure). It is, as I understand it a highly viscous liquid. Tempering does cause stresses within the glass, hence the small diamonds as oppsoed to the long shards.