In April, I returned to my vehicle in my employer’s parking lot in Cranberry Township, PA and found the rear window completely shattered, with glass both inside and outside the vehicle. I immediately contacted my Honda service center and was told there were no reported issues or recalls. Because the vehicle was unsafe to drive, I contacted my insurance company to arrange the repair. My employer reviewed the security footage and confirmed that no one approached the vehicle between the time I arrived and the damage was discovered. Once it was determined that there was no vandalism, accident, or outside cause, I contacted Honda Customer Service. I was then told that Honda was aware of a safety issue involving the rear window, that Honda would cover the replacement cost, and that I should submit a reimbursement claim. I submitted the AutoGlass Now receipt for $441.76 and my credit card statement. I paid a $100 deductible, and State Farm paid the remaining balance. Neither State Farm nor I should bear costs resulting from Honda’s acknowledged rear window issue. I requested that Honda promptly reimburse my $100 deductible and reimburse State Farm. It is a battle. The incident created a major safety concern. I am grateful it occurred while the vehicle was parked rather than on a major highway with family members inside, where sudden rear window failure could have posed a serious hazard. Still, I was left after work with an unsafe vehicle 40 minutes from home, had to cover the rear window in case of rain, arrange for my sister to pick me up, and wait several days for the repair to be completed. It is most disturbing that this issue was already known and could have been fixed before this catastrophic failure. Something should be done about this before lives are lost. Also, when reaching out to the Honda service center, they don't acknowledge the issue and direct you to your insurance company so that Honda is not responsible for the full cost of the repair.
NHTSA complaint #11758855 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Metairie, LA
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On 5/232026 .. there was a severe thunderstorm . No hail . No signs of cracked window prior or as I approached my Honda 2023 HRV . I got in car and noticed windshield were foggy so I turned on both defroster. 10 mins later I heard a loud “boom “ in the back of my car.. I was starteled and immediately turned around and noticed the rear windshield was shattered and had a circular shaped broken glass hole. I never rolled anything on the street and no none was in sight .. I approached my home and parked the car and immediately checked the back to see if a rock or some sort was in the trunk however there was no evidence of that . Researching I notice many others have experienced this random spontaneous shatttering related to manufacturing error of window/defroster glue on defroster coiling . This was a huge danger for anyone in the back including myself the driver .. I’m very upset that Honda has not set a full recall on this other customers . I could have or another person sustained a serious injury. Now I’m waiting to get this repair which is a huge inconvience because all weekend it has stormed and having a garbage bag as a cover is so embarrassing ., I’m very displeased with Honda right now .
NHTSA complaint #11739775 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
East Rutherford, NJ
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My back windshield shattered and when I went to the dealership they said there was a recall on the back windshield but I never received any notification about this recall
NHTSA complaint #11710302 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Volo, IL
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I had just arrived home from a short 2 mile drive and was sitting in my car for a few minutes with the vehicle running when the rear glass suddenly shattered. Confused and startled, I got out of the car to inspect what happened and noticed the the entire glass was shattered and left and right edges broken more than the rest. While taking photos, the middle of the glass caved in. This is a known issue, and the manufacturer issued a recall regarding this. The rear windshield was replaced last December by the dealer.
NHTSA complaint #11707377 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Lynnwood, WA
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Rear view window shattered while driving
NHTSA complaint #11697810 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Dover, NH
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Rear glass exploding a second time after repair
NHTSA complaint #11647712 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Rancho Cucamonga, CA, CA
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Me and my grandkids had a scary experience sitting in my 2023 Honda HRV in parking lot with the vehicle off. The back window exploded around the perimeter. The window started making a crackling sound then completely shattered. I have owned the vehicle for just about a year. I took the car to the dealership in regards to this issue and spoke with a manager who approved repairing the window and having an electrical inspection. He advised the window would be ordered and to check back in a few days for repair and inspection. When I reached back out to the dealership I was advised by a tech that the rear glass had NOT been ordered. The rear glass has now been ordered, however, now I'm being told that the glass is on backorder with 149 orders before me. When I asked tech how long it would take to get repaired he didn't have an answer and told me to check every week. In the mean time I asked if the inspection can be done; I'm still pending getting an appointment for the electrical inspection.
NHTSA complaint #11643534 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Tacoma, WA
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Rear window glass shattered while I was driving to work Sunday 01/12/2025
NHTSA complaint #11636196 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Philadelphia, PA
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Spontaneous and catastrophic explosion of back window
NHTSA complaint #11631486 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Middletown, OH
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Rear window shattered for no apparent reason (no contact, no impact). Cold temperatures (30F), in Ohio near winter.
NHTSA complaint #11630244 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
New City, NY
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Rear Windown shattered while car parked for no apparent reason.
NHTSA complaint #11628191 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Buffalo, NY
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Rear windshield shattered while driving. Defrosters were not on and the car had been warmed up with remote start before driving.
NHTSA complaint #11624780 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Farmington, AR
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I was driving down [XXX] towards Springdale, AR on [XXX] at approximately [XXX]. I was in the middle lane with no cars near me. I didn't go under any bypasses. My sunroof exploded. I did not hit a rock nothing hit me it just imploded. I have already called Honda who said they will do nothing about it. It's a 2023 Honda HRV with 17,000 miles on it. This is not wear and tear. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11618034 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Salem, VA
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
At around 7am Sunday morning, I turned on the ignition and clicked on the defogger because there was condensation on the front and back windshields. I drove away, traveling through quiet residential neighborhoods. Not many people were around. About five minutes later, I heard a crashing sound. I looked up and saw the rear window had shattered. I drove to where I was going--it was a minute away. I got out the car. The entire window was in tiny pieces, with shards of glass falling off.
NHTSA complaint #11617477 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Spokane, WA
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The Back window blew up and dispersed glass at least 5 ft into my driveway while I was standing behind it. It was very scary and frightening. Fortunately, I did not get hit with any debris. The windows continued to make a crackling sound for several minutes. I had just got a safety recall a few days before and was planning on taking it in but the notification should have been much sooner and marked urgent, for example: Do not drive your car, it may blow up. When I researched, I can see that the issue was known as early as Jan 2024 and I was just notified in September 2024. Also, Honda is not offering loners for the fix even though we have to wait for the window to come in and have no transportation. They should be very accommodating considering the situation - people could really get hurt.
NHTSA complaint #11617044 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Stockton, CA
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My dad was driving his Honda and the rear window all of a sudden shattered without cause. My dad was so scared. This happened on 9/13/24 at 6pm. Already called Honda about this matter and hopefully I will get a call back with a good news.
NHTSA complaint #11614572 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Scarsdale, NY
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
- rear window scattered
NHTSA complaint #11613931 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Woburn, MA
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Driving today a softball size hole appeared in the back glass (at trunk). There was no sign of a rock or anything else that went through the glass. When the trunk was opened to see if there was anything that had gone through it the entire glass shattered.
NHTSA complaint #11611759 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
New Britain, CT
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I turned on my rear defrost and headed to work. About 15 minutes into my drive, my rear windshield exploded. I thought someone shot it out or threw a rock at it. It scared me a lot causing me to startle while driving. At a stop light I looked a the rear windshield and asked the person behind me if anything hit my car. She didn't see anything hit my car. What I saw was a baseball size hole. As I drove, more of the glass fell out with only a small amount left around the edges by the time I got to work.
NHTSA complaint #11611865 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Martinez, CA
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Had just parked my car at work and suddenly the back windshield shatters with a huge bam! Sounded like a gun shot. I called the police and they say it had to of spontaneously shattered with no previous damage. It was terrifying
NHTSA complaint #11605402 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Corpus Christi, TX
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
After a 20 minute drive back to house, a smell of something burning became present inside the car. Rolled windows down to let smoke filled cabin escape. Upon arrival inside the garage and after parking car. As I was exiting car, the rear window exploded with my daughter a few feet from back of car. It was loud and recorded on video. Back of window was hot to touch. Honda dealer was quick to blame an impact from a foreign object, along with outside smell of fire entering the cabin while driving to explain away the damages. Also, the window being hot was blamed on a hot sun. Reached out to Honda, and I put in complaint. 3 days later, Honda dealer has been approved to fix problem. No warning lights. Just a strong smell of an electrical short that needs to be found. Glass was everywhere.
NHTSA complaint #11601287 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Benton City, WA
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
In Oct. 13, 2023, I was driving and my back window exploded. The dealership said they could not do anything about it so I had to go to a glass store and have a new one put in when they had availability about 2 weeks later. So I drove with No back window during cold times. I had only had the cat a little over a year.
NHTSA complaint #11599331 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
South Setauket, NY
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Rear wind shield exploded overnight when it was parked. No one touched it.
NHTSA complaint #11593193 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Killen, AL
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The rear window shattered while I was in the doctors office. The Honda dealership here replaced the window from a local glass installer because the Honda window is on backorder. They will replace the glass when they receive the Honda window. The rear window defroster has a defect that causes the window to shatter. I'm just glad I wasn't driving when it happened or I could have wrecked. I haven't been charged anything for the window. There wasn't any indication that there was a problem.
NHTSA complaint #11593215 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
St Louis, MO
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
We bought this 2023 HRV sport on [XXX] 2024, from the dealer St Louis Honda -Dave Mungenast. It has just under 6,000 miles on it. On Monday [XXX] I was driving on a road, non highway. Driving about 20-25 mph and the rear hatch window shattered. We were not rear ended and nothing was thrown at us. We had a baby sitting rear facing in the back seat. That window could have shattered and blown all over the baby and other passenger in the rear seat causing serious injury. I drove the car to the dealer since we had the car less than 48 hours. We were given a loaner car. On Tuesday, [XXX] I received a call from Matt at the shop dealership. We were told that the back window was on back order and they did not know when they would get one. I’m very concerned that this could’ve caused serious injury to the baby that was in the backseat. And in researching this window I’m finding out that this is a common problem with the HRV. When will this problem go on recall? I bought a Honda because of the safety and reliability that comes with it. Less than 48 hours of having this new car, the back window shattered. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11593222 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Norristown, PA
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Rear windshield shattered
NHTSA complaint #11591597 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
New Rochelle, NY
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
my back window exploded at a stop light, literally out of nowhere
NHTSA complaint #11590848 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Champion, MI
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While leaving the driveway for work, without any warning the rear windshield shattered. Extremely loud almost like a gunshot. I was driving approximately 10 miles an hour. Upon research by my husband it appears there are several complaints of this happening to this make and model.
NHTSA complaint #11590292 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Olney, MD
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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.
NHTSA complaint #11589490 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Youngwood, PA
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On [XXX] at about [XXX] , I was sitting in the driver seat of my 2023 HR-V and the rear windshield exploded and shattered. I was stunned due to the loud noise, much like a gun being fired near my ears and head. After turning head to look to see what caused this event, I did not see any other persons or vehicles near my vehicle. I contacted Honda for road side assistance since the car had less than 36,000 miles. The car has about 33-34000 miles. Honda arranged for vehicle to be towed to Baierl Honda in Wexford PA. I was forced to rent a car to return home, since I was about 70 miles from home. On Monday, [XXX], John from Honda service called me to say Honda has no availability for a loaner vehicle and he needed a few days to look into damage to rear windshield. My auto insurance rep state that I could file a claim to self pay for windshield replacement and to cover auto rental for 10 days. Insurance rep spoke with John of Honda service to determine no of days to cover rental. Auto insurance rep stated GEICO will not pay for Baierl Honda to repair rear windshield and will only pay Safelite glass repair. John stated he needed a few days to investigate damage to vehicle. It is [XXX], and I don’t know if Honda will repair rear windshield. This is a known safety issue with Honda and Acura, windshields and auto glass explodes and shatters. Car can be inspected at Baierl Honda in Wexford PA. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11588826 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.