stainlessman

Last year my uncle in Alaska bout a new leftover 2014 F150 XLT , three days later he noticed a small crack. After two months it stretched across the windshield. He drives very little. Maybe 5k a year. Hes old...80 yrs old and was really pissed. Everything up there costs more. His $60.k truck left over he still paid $52.k , then the windshield cracked.

DAI6.2

Ive had bad luck getting hit with rocks, only my super duty windscreen took the chip without cracking before i got it in to be sealed, week or 2 later, my sierra cracked the next day, the f150 cracked the next day as well, if i get a chip on this windshield hopefully i can get it sealed same day.

B-ManFX4

I used to live in FL and used the "free windshield" plan perpetuated by the glass shops. Nothing is free - if your insurance company replaces your windshield, they will tag your history as having made a comprehensive claim. When you shop for new insurance the claims will show up as having been processed and paid.

Saleendude07

The sounds screen in my 2014 cracked about a month after owning it. First vehicle to ever have a cracked windshield in. Didn't replace it with a sound screen, used whatever safelite puts in, and the darn thing scratched cleaning ice off one morning. Hoping my 16 will fair a little better.

Billy_Jack

I'm on my 2nd windshield. After replacing the factory from a 3 foot crack, I got another chip 2 days later in the new windshield. It hasn't expanded and seems to be holding up so far. In 30 years of driving, I never had a windshield problem.

https://www.f150forum.com/f118/last-...iveway-350888/

tareed94

Cracked mine the first week I had it. Rock got flung up by a Silverado 1500, and instantly cracked. Shopped around for OEM, but everywhere was around $550+. My deductible was $500 at the time so I went aftermarket without soundscreen for around $320. I don't notice any difference in noise, but I need to get it replaced again (hopefully under warranty) as this windshield has a ripple in the inner layer on the passenger side. I think the soundscreen is a weaker windshield, but I don't have any data to back that claim up. Just that I've never had a crack, but this time I did.

Ernest T

I think glass is thinner than it has been in the past. We have three cars newer than 2014 and all have chips or cracks. I had a loner Tahoe when our Chevy was in the shop the last time and I got a chip in that windshield too. I have owned older cars for ten years without getting a chip in the windshield.

RVerz

This is a known issue. Many many many new F150 owners like myself have had to shell out $600 +/- for windshield replacement. Mine, like many others started in the 1 inch area below the wiper blade. I didn't even have a car in front of me.... I just heard a click and a few minutes later crack shot across my windshield. It's possibly a lamination or a stress issue. Looks to me that the soundscreen has too soft filler goop and not thick enough exterior glass thickness. Regardless, it had to be replaced and the cost came from my pocket. Just part of the couple grand extra I spent after buying my truck to get it squared away and safe. Thanks FORD

MikeN77386

I got a rock chip on my truck with about 3k miles on it. Got it filled the next day and no issues since.

Good news is once the trucks have been out for a few years the windshield cost goes down significantly as more aftermarket parts are made available.

If you want the dealer part (carlite glass with the f150 logo in the 3rd visor) you'll pay a premium - carlite sells the branded windshield to the dealership, they mark it up and sell it to you (or the glass company you use).

You can get the same carlite windshield "aftermarket" with no f150 logo for considerably less and it's the same windshield - with the soundscreen acoustic interlayer.

It depends on where you are at too how much windshields cost. In houston there is a lot of competition and we are a port city so the cost on windshields is low. Distributors and dealers here are buying them in bulk so they get a better deal than the guy in Casper Wyoming (just picked a small city in the middle of the country) who buys them one at a time.

I could make a case that the carlite glass is better than the aftermarket chinese glass but the "aftermarket" US made glass by carlite pilkington or PPG are all good windshields - and you can get them all with the acoustic interlayer (as carlite calls it "soundscreen").

The chinese glass is not unsafe per se I just feel like the visibility through it at an angle is not as good as the USA made glass all of the time.

I used to work for a fairly large glass company my wife's uncle owns so I've seen a fair share of this stuff...

elgigantejake

My understanding is that the windshield is also considered a stressed member so it now will crack easier.