Hail Storm Test - Involuntary Of Course

However, based on various forums I believe the windshield of Mazda CX5 is somehow more perceptible to such damages than other comparative cars.

The NHTSA makes decisions based on the best available SCIENCE. Not "beliefs" or suppositions or Internet message forums. Federal law requires that of all federal agencies. It's a good thing too. They don't listen to voodoo witch doctors either.

It is my firm belief the windshield is thinner than most other cars and thus cracks easily.

There are two problems with that statement:

1) You are assuming a thinner windshield cracks easier than a thicker windshield. This is categorically false, as windshields have become thinner they have been able to maintain, and in some cases surpass, the impact resistance of the thicker windshields they replaced.


2) It's trivial to determine the actual thickness of the windshield and plenty of modern cars use the same thickness windshield. There is nothing rare or unusual about the CX-5 windshield. Your "firm belief" that it's thinner is of zero importance to NHTSA.


In order to maintain high fuel efficiency most probably a thinner windshield is being installed effectively cutting down on weight but sacrificing safety. Consequently, I am reaching out to your group since you look into automobile safety and their standards and tests.

There are already federal standards in place for the impact resistance of automobile windshields and the CX-5 has already shown it exceeds those standards or it wouldn't be allowed to be sold.

As for myself, I already have 2 cracks due to rock chips already in my 4 month old new car, whereas my 9 year old car suffered from no such damages, yet.

The NHTSA will not be impressed with a sample size of one! Like I said, they must use the best available science. Using a sample size of one, I can tell you after four winters my CX-5 windshield has taken a number of rock hits (one of them a really big 'thwack') and it has never cracked. But my previous 4 vehicles all suffered cracked windshields, mostly within the first year of ownership. But it's a fallacy to even mention a sample size of one.

Furthermore, the NHTSA is concerned with safety, not durability. Even in the recent devastating hailstorm, I only saw one CX-5 that had cracked glass but the hail didn't penetrate into the cabin (unlike numerous photos of other brands of cars). Even if CX-5 glass cracked more easily than other cars (and I haven't seen any evidence they do), it wouldn't be an issue that the NHTSA concerns itself with. It would be a durability issue, not a safety issue. federal agencies tend to understand what their mission is.

That's why I say you're barking up the wrong tree!
 
We've had three major hail storms passing through Dallas / Fort Worth area on March 17th, 23rd, and April 11th this year and two of them hit our area in north of Dallas. The worst hits were at north-east suburb of Wylie where some of the roof got punctured through by softball-sized hail TWICE! Many houses just had a new roof and now got totaled again! Here are a couple of Dallas Morning News clips on April 13th, 2016:

North%2BTexas%2BHail%2BStorm_DMN_%2B20160411_01.jpg


North%2BTexas%2BHail%2BStorm_DMN_%2B20160411_02.jpg
 
We've had three major hail storms passing through Dallas / Fort Worth area on March 17th, 23rd, and April 11th this year and two of them hit our area in north of Dallas. The worst hits were at north-east suburb of Wylie where some of the roof got punctured through by softball-sized hail TWICE! Many houses just had a new roof and now got totaled again! Here are a couple of Dallas Morning News clips on April 13th, 2016:

North%2BTexas%2BHail%2BStorm_DMN_%2B20160411_01.jpg


North%2BTexas%2BHail%2BStorm_DMN_%2B20160411_02.jpg


This video of it is amazing. https://amp.twimg.com/v/b1b00485-2eee-41a8-a18b-a228ca1320cb
 
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