1killera4
2018 A4 S LINE Stg. 1 / 2021 CX5 Carbon AWD Turbo
Vents can fail...just like windows can fail. Where do you think the weakest part of the presented issue is? See above diagram.
Rear hatch glass shattered suddenly for no reason 2023 CX-5 Signature Turbo
- Thread starter TouringFan
- Start date
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- '23 CX-5 CE
hsdejong
Mazda CX-5 2023 Exclusive-Line Black Comfort Pack
The chance that all the vents in the back of the car are completely clogged or closed is small, but not impossible. However, the extra air pressure that is created by closing a door in those circumstances will not break a normal car window. So there must have been something wrong with the window before it broke. For example, a material defect, crack or a hard metal imperfection that touches the window where it is attached to the frame. The chance that another event would cause the window to break is therefore considerable.
For that reason, the advice not to leave the air conditioning on re-circulation before opening or closing a door seems exaggerated to me.
For that reason, the advice not to leave the air conditioning on re-circulation before opening or closing a door seems exaggerated to me.
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2023 CX-5 2.5 Turbo AWD Auto
RIP 8/23:2013 CX-5 Sport FWD Auto 120k
I’ve had a habit of turning the AC off before turning the car off for years. Not saying recirc is a guaranteed preventative action to prevent reoccurrence, but it made me think of a funny example of a habit learned from when I was a kid.
When I first learned how to drive my grandfather stressed and freaked out over the AC being on when you start the car. “It’s bad for the engine to have that load on it as soon as it starts!”. Thus my OCD behavior was forever cemented, and continues even with my RAV4 hybrid. I don’t believe it even has a belt driven compressor (electric now?), lol!
When I first learned how to drive my grandfather stressed and freaked out over the AC being on when you start the car. “It’s bad for the engine to have that load on it as soon as it starts!”. Thus my OCD behavior was forever cemented, and continues even with my RAV4 hybrid. I don’t believe it even has a belt driven compressor (electric now?), lol!
hsdejong
Mazda CX-5 2023 Exclusive-Line Black Comfort Pack
I think your grandfather had a point. It is best to start the car with as few energy consumers as possible. And there is another reason.
Turn off the air conditioning for the last 5 minutes of your journey to ensure that the air conditioning evaporator is blown dry before turning off the car. This is to prevent mold in your air conditioning system, which smells and produces unhealthy air.
Turn off the air conditioning for the last 5 minutes of your journey to ensure that the air conditioning evaporator is blown dry before turning off the car. This is to prevent mold in your air conditioning system, which smells and produces unhealthy air.
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2023 CX-5 2.5 Turbo AWD Auto
RIP 8/23:2013 CX-5 Sport FWD Auto 120k
That’s a huge one to do. Your AC will smell FUNKY in Florida if you don’t do that.
Anyway, back on track with exploding rear windows. Sorry, didn’t mean to digress 😄
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- Plano, Texas, USA
Every modern vehicle at the rear either in trunk or on the side there are exit vents to the outside to maintain a constant air through-flow in the cabin. Those vents are there also to relieve the pressure from when a door, or the trunk lid、liftgate are to be closed. Those exit vents are large with a rubber flapper to serve as the one-way valve. It’s almost impossible to fail unless you purposely block the vents.
I don’t doubt it happened to you but maybe the Audi folks just gave you a convenient explanation to cover up that their product was flawed. I’ve been frequenting car forums for years now, and I have not seen a prevalence of reports of shattered windows due to the recirculate button been on.
Sure, my experience is anecdotal, but so is yours. Until someone or some organization does a scientific survey and analysis with a large dataset on this matter, anecdotal is all we have.
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- Plano, Texas, USA
And there’re air exit vents at the rear of the cabin just for that purpose, recirculate or not doesn’t matter.
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- '23 CX-5 CE
We had a Q5 prior to our current CX-5. There are plenty of reports of panoramic sunroof glass shattering on the Q5 forums. IIRC, it was due to a stress induced during installation at the factory.
Lots of good discussion here and I appreciate it. Bottom line is glass panel like this only has structural integrity if the forces all around the edges are equal and there are no flaws in the glass that cause a stress point. It is very likely in my case that there was a mistake made when it was installed that caused uneven distribution of forces which over time weakened the glass. Slamming my door shut was the final straw. I was pissed that the door did not shut completely with a normal amount of force and pissed about some personal things that had nothing to do with my CX-5. This was a stack up of multiple contributing factors and impossible to prove there was a flaw from the factory. It is never just one thing that causes a failure like this. My reason for posting is that if this is or will be happening to more owners, then that is an indication of a larger problem from the factory. Only way to find out is to spread the word and see if it is happening to others.
That is exactly how the BMW enthusiast community discovered that there was a flaw in the design of the rear floor on the E36 and E46 series. BMW denied everything for years and tried to squelch any complaints. Eventually, there was a class action lawsuit but I don't know how that turned out. Owners banded together and forced BMW to pay attention. Their response was to make reinforcing plates without actually admitting they made a mistake. I own a 1997 E36 and I bought the reinforcing plates as a preventative measure because I want to keep this car. I never would have known to do that without enthusiasts on BMW forums discussing it.
That is exactly how the BMW enthusiast community discovered that there was a flaw in the design of the rear floor on the E36 and E46 series. BMW denied everything for years and tried to squelch any complaints. Eventually, there was a class action lawsuit but I don't know how that turned out. Owners banded together and forced BMW to pay attention. Their response was to make reinforcing plates without actually admitting they made a mistake. I own a 1997 E36 and I bought the reinforcing plates as a preventative measure because I want to keep this car. I never would have known to do that without enthusiasts on BMW forums discussing it.
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2023 CX-5 2.5 Turbo AWD Auto
RIP 8/23:2013 CX-5 Sport FWD Auto 120k
You’re good! This is how a couple of Mazda issues were discovered too. Turbo not providing boost below 20 degrees F, rocker arm falling off 2018 models due to improper programming, etc. You're lucky data point #1 for rear window explosion!
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2023 CX-5 2.5 Turbo AWD Auto
RIP 8/23:2013 CX-5 Sport FWD Auto 120k
They’re difficult to get around. When my front passenger RAV4 window got smashed out, I brought it to the Toyota dealership to get it replaced. When I looked at who the insurance claim was paid out to, you guessed it. Safelite
For anyone considering using Safelite, make sure you take pictures of your paintwork before handing your car over. As I mentioned before, the back glass on my Honda Accord shattered due to a rear defrost malfunction. I had Safelite come to my house to do the replacement and they scratched the hell out of the paint on the c-pillars and rear quarter panels. I didn’t notice it for a few days. The car was ten years old and the paint wasn’t in the best shape so I never bothered to call it in.
Just take precautions and be prepared.
Just take precautions and be prepared.
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- Plano, Texas, USA
Was this like the NorCal Bay Area breal-in special?⋯
When my front passenger RAV4 window got smashed out, I brought it to the Toyota dealership to get it replaced. When I looked at who the insurance claim was paid out to, you guessed it. Safelite
1killera4
2018 A4 S LINE Stg. 1 / 2021 CX5 Carbon AWD Turbo
what was I ever thinking... LOLHow dare you suggest the use of structured problem solving on the internet?
1killera4
2018 A4 S LINE Stg. 1 / 2021 CX5 Carbon AWD Turbo
So, you have never shut the door on your car while inside and felt the pressure on your ears? All of the VW, Audi and other cars I have owned have done this. My Audi now does it, Hell Even my Acura's did this.
And people who keep saying the glass could have imperfections, I agree. But the issue stated was that it happened when he slammed the door shut. When solving a problematic issue you consider ALL factors of cause to arrive at a Final Root Cause. I offer up a 5 Why method. Ask why a minimum of five times to arrive at a more "Drilled-Down" analysis.
Actually, the 5 Whys questions may show you that the source of the problem is quite unexpected.
Often, issues that are considered technical problems actually turn out to be human and process problems. Hence your saying that the vents let the air out in back. They can fail too. This is why finding and eliminating the root cause is crucial if you want to avoid iteration of failures.
FWIW: I am employed by the US Gov. (DCMA) as a Supplier Quality Engineer. I do this and many other Process Analysis/ Fault Analysis for a living.
1killera4
2018 A4 S LINE Stg. 1 / 2021 CX5 Carbon AWD Turbo
Root Cause Analysis was performed as I have described and this was determined to be the Root Cause.
- D0: Plan - Plan for solving the problem and determine the prerequisites.
- D1: Use a team - Select and establish a team of people with product/process knowledge.
- D2: Define and describe the problem - Specify the problem by identifying in quantifiable terms the who, what, where, when, why, how, and how many (5W2H) for the problem.
- D3: Develop interim containment plan; implement and verify interim actions - Define and implement containment actions to isolate the problem from any customer.
- D4: Determine, identify, and verify root causes and escape points - Identify all applicable causes that could explain why the problem occurred. Also identify why the problem was not noticed at the time it occurred. All causes shall be verified or proved, not determined by fuzzy brainstorming. One can use 5 Whys and cause and effect diagrams to map causes against the effect or problem identified.
- D5: Choose and verify permanent corrections (PCs) for problem/nonconformity - Through preproduction programs, quantitatively confirm that the selected correction will resolve the problem for the customer.
- D6: Implement and validate corrective actions - Define and implement the best corrective actions (CA).
- D7: Take preventive measures - Modify the management systems, operation systems, practices, and procedures to prevent recurrence of this and all similar problems.
- D8: Congratulate your team - Recognize the collective efforts of the team. The team needs to be formally thanked by the organization.
