01 360 spider - RH Windows blown away by closing door!

Ouch, never heard of that happening before. Maybe the door switch is not functioning and the window didn't drop when the door was open. Normally the window should drop half an inch as the door opens and then raise again after it closes.

 

Sorry to hear about this. I do not have a spider, but do the windows lower automatically just a bit before you open the door. If so, it is possible that the window was all the way up when the door was closed which would cause the window to contact the top window seal which could have caused the window to shatter......Steve

 

The windows are supposed to drop a little but that isn't his problem. He said that the top was down so it really didn't matter if it dropped or not.

I have never heard of this happening on this or any other car. In fact, the windows are pretty darn tough and they are safety glass so they don't fracture into sharp shards. Generally a window breaks into small squares so the whole things sounds very odd.

Given the circumstances, I suspect that the window may have been replaced with a very poor quality window and it was either damaged already, installed improperly, or both of the above.

 

So funny how you can read a post and miss an important peice of info, such as the Top Was Down......Thanks for waking me up.......Steve

 

I'm very sorry to hear your wife even got injured. Never heard anything like this before. Are you sure that your wife isn't wearing a ring with a hard diamond which would have got in contact with the window while slamming the door? Such things really happens though...

 

It DOES matter, as the window would hit the hard plastic trim on the A pillar. At least on the 430. BUT if the window was up before closing door, it means it didn't go down when opening door last time, and that further means whoever opened the door must have had a hard time doing so. Strange accident. Hope your wife heals quickly OP.

 

I knew it would hit the top but I didn't think it would hit the A pillar. My car is here at work so I can look when I go out.

 

Sorry to hear that!
I hope she is fine.

 

The windshield is LAMINATED SAFETY glass and the other windows are single layer TEMPERED glass. Tempered glass is designed to fracture into many small pieces, leaving no jagged shards of glass. All it takes to fracture tempered glass is a small nick, then a jolt. This makes it easy to break safely in the event you need to exit the car quickly through the window. It can even happen with the glass only experiencing a very rapid temperature change. I suspect that the window had a small nick or other defect from which the failure started.

I've worked with both types of glass and dealing with government safety departments in Europe and the USA regarding testing the glass in construction equipment cabs. Even when you know it's going to "pop" during a certification test, it makes a helluva bang and can startle you.

Hopefully you wife suffered no serious injury.

Cheers,

Fred R.

 

Had something similar on a work truck recently. Driving down the road and the pass side window exploded into a thousand pieces. Freaked my guy out, he thought someone shot at him. Glass people said it happens sometimes, tempered glass gets a little defect and then one day... Boom!

 

Yeah, especially on a hot day and the glass is cold too

 

This phenomenon is due to a manufacturing problem called a "nickel sulphide inclusion."
Here's a link........
http://www.picams.com.au/documents/Toughened%20glass%20-%20with%20an%20achilles%20heel.pdf

Regards,
Rob Tait
www.cartint.net.au
Australia.

 

Yep, crazy stuff!

A mate was driving his car down the road one day and the drivers side rear exploded. Happened last Xmas.

New window and tint, $250.

Definitely happens.

Thanks for sharing Rob.

 

Interesting that it can happen suddenly without warning signs.
Thank you, there are other threads which have baffled people on this exact subject