Honda HR-V Rear Windows Are Shattering. Here’s What Owners Should Do.

The rear windshield shattered on CR’s own 2023 HR-V last week as one of our testers warmed up the car using remote start on a cold New England morning. Nobody was injured, and the cargo in the rear wasn’t damaged. But our tester had to clean up glass shards from his driveway, and the contents of the cargo area were no longer secure from weather and theft.

Honda says the problem is due to a manufacturing defect that allows the sealer used to secure the rear glass on some HR-Vs to come in contact with the defroster’s heating elements. Over time, this weakens the glass as the defroster creates a “hot spot.” But the automaker advises owners to continue using the rear defroster as needed.

As with nearly all new vehicles, the HR-V uses tempered glass in its rear window. When it breaks, it creates small pieces instead of dangerous, jagged shards. That means the broken glass poses little risk of direct injury to occupants.

But some auto safety experts think that a driver who is startled by the spontaneous shattering of glass could lose control of the vehicle and cause a crash, a safety concern that should lead to a recall.

“This is a known defect in some Honda HR-Vs, and especially if someone’s driving at high speed or in dense traffic, it could all too easily lead to a crash,” says William Wallace, associate director of safety policy at CR. “For the sake of its customers and everyone on the road, Honda should convert its service campaign to an official safety recall of all affected vehicles, which would help get the word out and maximize the number of owners who get their cars fixed.”