Greetings….

Just wanted to share with you a , and I would appreciate if any of you or anyone you know have had the same experience.

I have a 2005 Nissan Sentra GSX. For the past several months I have not been using it as much as I wanted to limit the kilometer reading as I was planning to sell it. Last October 13, 2009 while I was on my way out of my house to use another car, and while my Sentra was parked in my covered garage, we heard a small explosion coming from the garage. As we looked around on what could have caused the explosion. We where surprised that the rear windshield of the Sentra had a big hole on it and the whole rear windshield shattered.

My first impression that something hit the car that made a big hole, when we where certain that no one could have thrown anything at it nor anything could have fallen, I looked back at the windshield and was surprised that the glass portion of the hole was intact – OUTSIDE THE CAR. Checking closely I noticed that a relatively large number of shattered glass where also OUTSIDE THE CAR. Checking the backseats, there where a few bits of shattered glass but not as much as the ones found outside the car.

The large portion of the glass was right at the bottom of the rear windshield like it just slid off the lower part of the rear windshield (pictured where everything was after the incident)

(view pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/rene149/...ingWindshield#)

I also did not find any explosive materials inside the car cabin, no canisters or anything. The weather that day was cloudy and cool. Definitely no one was inside since the car was LOCKED. Checking the large part of broken glass, there was also no trace of anything that could it that hard to do such damage, as there would have been a scratch or some evidence it there was.

As you look at the pictures, you will notice that the budge on the windshield coming from the hole is in an OUTWARD direction. I can only assume that the windshield gave way and just simply exploded FROM THE INSIDE-OUT—question is HOW and WHY? IS THIS A FACTORY DEFECT of this model?

I am also a car enthusiast and have owned a number of vehicles in throughout my years, and never have I experienced this. I have also worked with two very large vehicle service companies for several years and I have even did business with insurance companies but I have not heard of something like this. Unfortunately, because of the slow down in business late last year I did not have my insurance renewed this year.

Any suggestions from the group how this thing happened? What are my options, asides from shouldering the cost of a new windshield?

Can you also direct me to any other groups where I can post this? I just wanted to get some opinions and similar experiences if any. Thanks!

More power to the group!

-ReneC
Quezon City