As we head into 2020, glassBYTEs.com took a look at the most popular stories of the 2010s. The top ten may not be what you expected but they were the most read based on page views.
1. Honda Requires OE Replacement Windshields for Some Models with Driver Assist, Safety Systems
It may seem as if ADAS technology has ramped up in the past few years, but back in 2014 Honda was already requiring original equipment replacement windshields for certain Honda and Acura models equipped with ADAS features.
“While non-OE parts may look the same and fit in the same physical space on the vehicle, their use may present unforeseen circumstances causing the driver assist or other safety systems to operate abnormally or not at all,” according a statement by Honda.
2. NHTSA Receives More Complaints of Shattering F-150 Back Lites
Reports of shattering sunroofs were also extremely prevalent back in 2014 when more than 30 owners of the 2010 Ford F-150 model complained to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that an alleged glitch in their rear defrosters had caused their back lites to shatter or spiderweb in cracks.
3. Can Repairs Be Successful in Cold Weather?
With the cold weather already hitting many areas of the country, perhaps you will want to refer back to this article from 2014 which talks about tips for performing repairs and replacements in cold weather.
4. Dwyer-Owens Steps Down as CEO of the Dwyer Group
In 2014 Dina Dwyer-Owens left her role as CEO of The Dwyer Group, parent company to Glass Doctor, a position she held for 15 years. She then moved into the role of executive chairwoman of The Dwyer Group.
5. Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Chrysler Over Alleged Sunroof Defect
Before 2014 came to a close, six Chrysler owners filed a nationwide class action lawsuit against the automaker in U.S. District Court of New Jersey alleging that a defect in the sunroofs caused them to leak. Vehicles covered in the lawsuit included the Jeep Patriot, Jeep Liberty, Jeep Compass, Jeep Commander, Jeep Cherokee, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Chrysler Town and Country and Chrysler 300.
6. Is This the Beginning of the End of the Giant Glass Brand?
In November of 2015, three years after purchasing North Andover, Mass.-based Giant Glass Co., Safelite AutoGlass moved to co-brand its name with the company. Prior to this, Giant Glass’ five locations continued to operate under the existing name, and Safelite rebranded its Falmouth, Mass., store into the Boston brand.
“We have leveraged the local brand position held by Giant Glass for almost three years,” said Tom Feeney, Safelite Group president and CEO. “While all the people became Safelite associates operating with Safelite systems and tools, Giant and Safelite operations remained separate. It has now become clear that bringing all our resources in the market together is best way to serve our customers in the future.”
7. Cadillac Hit with Lawsuit Regarding Leaking Sunroofs
In 2017, Cadillac Automobile Company, a division of General Motors (GM), was hit with a lawsuit alleging the company manufactured and/or designed 2010-2013 Cadillac SRX models with leaking sunroofs and had denied warranty coverage for certain year models.
Plaintiff Kelley Gaines, a resident of California, claimed the vehicles were manufactured or designed with defective sunroof seals or drains, allowing water to enter the passenger side of the vehicle.
8. Several Ford F-150 Owners Report Shattering Backlites to NHTSA
A story in 2013 detailed more than 20 F-150 Ford owners of the 2010 model year who complained to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that an alleged glitch in their rear defrosters had caused their backlites to shatter or spiderweb in cracks.
“On a 40-degree morning, I turned the rear defroster on to clear the windows and mirrors. As I was driving my son to daycare, I heard a large pop and then smelled burning rubber. I looked and saw the right rear glass shattered and it was shortened out by the heating element,” reported one owner to NHSTA on December 15, 2013.
9. BMW Asks Court to Dismiss Lawsuit Over Alleged Sunroof Defect
Just three months prior to publishing our number 8 story, BMW asked the U.S. Northern California District Court to dismiss a class action lawsuit in which the plaintiffs, two BMW owners, claimed that drainage tubes installed to pull water away from vehicles’ sunroofs did not properly work, leading to water damage.
“Recognizing that there is no warranty coverage for water leaks in their used BMW vehicles, plaintiffs (Monita) Sharma and (Eric) Anderson seek to impose on BMW NA an obligation to fix their cars for free, ad infinitum, by claiming that they—and a large group of owners and lessees of BMW vehicles sold in the United States over more than ten years—were ‘defrauded’ by BMW NA through an alleged design defect in their sunroofs that may result in water leaks,” BMW’s attorneys claimed in court documents.
10. GM Extends Headlamp Module Warranty
You never know what will appear in the top stories, and this number ten of the decade may be a surprise. It was the story following a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigation, stating that General Motors (GM) had extended its headlight warranty to cover problems related to its headlamp driver modules recall.
The initial recall was for defective low-beam headlights and daytime running lights on certain GM makes and models that were prone to failure. After receiving 128 consumer complaints following the recall, NHTSA opened an investigation on April 30, 2017, to see if the recall fixed the affected vehicles and if enough vehicles were included.
*Editor’s note: The Google analytics data available goes back to July 15, 2010, so the top stories exclude any prior to that time.
