Tesla Model Y Owner Says His Windshield Cracked While He Was Using the Cabin Preconditioning Function - Multiple Owners Jump at the Chance to Confirm It Happened to Them As Well

It’s winter in America, and Tesla Model Y owners above the Mason-Dixon line are happily using their cabin preconditioning feature to prepare their vehicles ahead of driving in frigid weather. Cabin preconditioning is a way to automatically warm the cabin in winter and clear the windshield of moderate ice. It saves time and can make your trip more comfortable. Unfortunately, owners report that it can also result in a broken windshield.

Here’s what one owner posted today in a popular Tesla Model Y Club online:

Preconditioning my Tesla Model Y, and my windshield cracked. Is this a common problem? What are some of the reasons why this happened, and how can I prevent this from happening?

Tesla says in the Model Y owner's manual that preconditioning “...ensures that the cabin climate and Battery are preconditioned by your departure time.” The Model Y can use the cabin’s HVAC system to warm up a cold car, and any minor ice buildup will be removed, as will any condensation that makes seeing through the windshield difficult. The “Defrost” air vents can do that work.

It did not take long for this Model Y owner’s problem to be validated by many other Tesla owners. Here is a list of some of the comments in support of the idea that preconditioning a Model Y can and does result in a broken windshield (sometimes)
VP - “Happened to me, when I had it repaired, there was another guy there, with the same crack, same place. I saw a rack of maybe 20 windshields in the shop.”
MW - “I just posted about the exact same thing. It happened to me yesterday.”
ML - "Same thing happened to me last week. This is the 2nd time."
GE - “Unfortunately, it happens all the time, hence Tesla actually offering insurance for their windshield, which can cost upwards of $2k.”
DJ - “Yeah, mine cracked about a month ago. Second one already. The last one cost $1845 to replace. Need to order another one.”
BB - “This is a fairly common occurrence and has been for a long, long time.”

The list of Tesla owners who reported the same problem with their Model Y windshield cracking all were posted within just two hours of the original post. It seems many Tesla owners have had this problem.

Many owners wanted to express that they feel windshield cracks from cabin conditioning are not Tesla-specific. Here’s what some of them posted in support of the “It happens to every vehicle” theory:
JPM - “It's not a Tesla thing, just physics.”
BB - “It's not a Tesla thing. Ask any windshield repair guy.”
DS  - “A small stone chip could cause that.”

Many Tesla owners want this to be a problem for all vehicles, and we have no argument that windshields on many cars do crack. However, in over ten years of testing over 50 cars per year, I have never had one crack when warming up a vehicle prior to driving, electric or not. And our winters here in New England are pretty cold.

Many owners had a bit of advice to help prevent this from happening again. Here is the advice they offer:
JPM - “I set the heat very low in cold weather and don't use the defrost, takes a little longer but won't crack the glass.”
BB - “You have to leave one of your windows cracked. Not enough to let water in but just enough to let air in and out.”
GN - “Set climate to Auto...don't defrost.”
SS - “Buy a better car.”

We like JPM’s advice best. The idea being that if you slowly warm the car’s glass, it will have a lower chance of thermal shock cracking the glass. Seems logical to us. And it is easy to do. In fact, it is advice I will start to use in my own vehicles going forward.

Do you think that cracked windshields when conditioning a cabin in cold weather is a more common occurrence in Tesla Model Y vehicles? Tell us your observations in the comments section below. 

John Goreham is the Vice President of the New England Motor Press Association and an expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE int). In addition to his fourteen years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can connect with John on LinkedIn and follow his work on his personal X channel or on our X channel. John employs grammar and punctuation software when proofreading, and he sometimes uses image generation tools. 

Image of Tesla Model Y Premium in snowy setting courtesy of Tesla, Inc.