Does the New Car Warranty Cover a Cracked Windshield?

No new car warranty we read pays for a windshield cracked by a rock, hail or anything else that hit it. All seven booklets exclude impact damage, by name or by category. A crack with no impact point is different. It can be covered as a factory defect, but at Ford and Chevrolet only for the first 12 months. The other five makers we read set no separate glass period, so a defect crack falls under the basic warranty, which runs 3 to 5 years.

So the first question is not which brand you drive, but whether something hit the glass.

What "new car warranty" and "defect" mean here

• New car warranty. The carmaker's written promise that comes with the car. The Federal Trade Commission calls it "a promise to fix certain defects or malfunctions during a specific timeframe after you buy a vehicle," and notes it "is included in the price." Booklets call it the New Vehicle Limited Warranty. Its widest part is the basic or bumper to bumper coverage, usually 3 years or 36,000 miles.
• Defect in material or workmanship. A fault the car left the factory with: a flaw in the glass, or glass set badly at the plant. Every booklet covers this and only this. How a true glass defect shows itself is covered in glass defects and recalls.
• Impact damage. A chip, star or crack that starts where something struck the glass. You can usually find the strike point with a fingernail. It is road damage, not a defect.
• Stress crack. A crack with no strike point, usually running in from an edge. It can come from a flaw, from how the glass was fitted, or from heat and cold. How to tell the two apart is set out in stress cracks versus impact cracks.
• Extended service contract. A plan you buy on top. The FTC says these are "sometimes called 'extended warranties'" but are "optional contracts." They are covered in their own section below.

What each booklet says, maker by maker

These are the exact words from each maker's own booklet, for the year we could open. Your model year's booklet is the one that binds.

• Toyota (2020 Warranty and Maintenance Guide, page 14). The warranty does not cover damage "resulting directly or indirectly from" a list that includes "road debris (including stone chips), rail dust, salt, hail." Glass is not named. A defect falls under the Basic Warranty, 36 months or 36,000 miles.
• Honda (2025 Warranty Basebook, page 11). Not covered: "Broken, chipped, or scratched window glass unless it is due to a defect in material or workmanship." Basic coverage is 3 years or 36,000 miles.
• Hyundai (2019 Owner's Handbook and Warranty Information). Not covered: "Action of road elements (sand, gravel, dust or road debris) which result in stone chipping of paint and glass." The New Vehicle Limited Warranty runs 5 years or 60,000 miles.
• Subaru (2022 Warranty and Maintenance Booklet). No part is covered that is "damaged due to objects striking the vehicle, road hazards, whether on or off the road." Basic coverage is 3 years or 36,000 miles, and "it covers the entire vehicle."
• Tesla (New Vehicle Limited Warranty, North America, effective September 1, 2026). Not covered: "Windshield or window glass that is broken, chipped, scratched, or cracked, other than as a result of a defect in material or workmanship of a Tesla manufactured or supplied windshield or window glass." It also lists "paint and glass stone chips" as normal wear. The Basic Vehicle Limited Warranty is 4 years or 50,000 miles.
• Ford (2024 Warranty Guide, page 17). Under damage from use and the environment, the guide lists "stone chips, scratches (some examples are on paint and glass)" and "windshield stress cracks." Then it adds: "However, limited coverage on windshield stress cracks will be provided for the first 12 months or 12,000 miles (whichever occurs first), even though caused by use and/or exposure to the elements." Bumper to bumper is 3 years or 36,000 miles.
• Chevrolet (2026 Limited Warranty and Owner Assistance Information, pages 9 and 10). "Windshield cracks are covered for the first 12 months, regardless of mileage, if caused by a defect in material or workmanship." Not covered: "Windshield or glass cracks, chips, or scratches due to impact," and damage from "objects striking the vehicle." Bumper to bumper is 3 years or 36,000 miles.

Chevrolet's booklet also excludes "Alteration of glass parts by application of tinting films." Film on the windshield can cost you the glass claim on that car.

Ford and Chevrolet run a 12 month glass clock

Two of the seven booklets give the windshield its own, shorter term. That clause is easy to miss, because the summary chart up front shows only 3 years or 36,000 miles. And the two clauses are not the same.

• Chevrolet covers a defect for 12 months, with no mileage cap. The crack still has to come from a defect, and after month 12 the clause no longer covers it.
• Ford covers a stress crack for 12 months or 12,000 miles. It does so "even though caused by use and/or exposure to the elements," so you do not have to prove the glass was faulty. But it stops at whichever comes first, so a high mileage driver can lose it in a few months.

Neither clause helps with a rock: Ford still lists stone chips, and Chevrolet still excludes cracks "due to impact." The other five booklets set no glass term of their own. A claim circulates online that Toyota limits glass to 12 months, but the 2020 Toyota booklet we read says no such thing.

Each row restates a booklet quoted above. "Covered" means the booklet allows it. The dealer still has to agree the crack is a defect.

A worked example: the same crack at month 10 and month 14

Take a crack that runs in from the lower corner of the windshield on a cold morning, the kind defroster cracks describes. Say you find no strike point, even after checking along the edge under the molding line. That fits the pattern in a windshield that cracked with no impact.

1. A Chevrolet at month 10, 15,000 miles. The 12 month glass clause is still open, and mileage does not count. If the dealer finds no strike point and agrees it is a defect, the booklet covers it.
2. A Ford at month 10, 15,000 miles. Past 12,000 miles, so Ford's stress crack coverage has ended, even at 10 months. The guide lists windshield stress cracks as not covered after that.
3. The Chevrolet at month 14. The 12 months have run out. The booklet no longer covers the crack, even though the car is inside bumper to bumper.
4. A Honda at month 14, 15,000 miles. Inside 3 years or 36,000 miles, and Honda covers glass broken "due to a defect." A defect crack is still a warranty question.

Now change one fact. Say there is a small pit where the crack starts. That is a strike point, so every booklet above excludes it. It becomes a comprehensive claim, worked through in who pays when a rock hits your windshield. On a car with a camera behind the glass, the job typically runs $450 to $900 before calibration, and calibration adds roughly $150 to $400, as ADAS calibration explained sets out.

Why you hear both "never" and "always"

One short answer says the warranty never covers glass. The other says glass is part of bumper to bumper, so it is covered. Both are half right.

"Never" sticks because most cracks do start at a strike point, and every booklet excludes those. "Always" sticks because the summary chart says the whole car is covered for 3 years, while the exclusions and the 12 month glass clauses sit pages later. The right answer is the table above: no for impact, yes for a defect, inside the term your booklet sets for glass.

Extended service contracts usually leave glass out too

An extended service contract is not the factory warranty. It is a separate plan sold by the maker, a dealer or another company. The FTC warns that "few auto service contracts cover all repairs and maintenance," and that they "typically don't cover damage that may occur in an accident."

Ford's own 2025 Ford Protect PremiumCARE EV brochure is a clear case. It lists glass under items "Generally Covered by Your Auto Insurance," next to bumpers, paint and sheet metal. Where it does cover a heated rear window, it says "Electrical Only," "Not Glass Damage." Read your contract's exclusions before you assume a plan will pay for a windshield.

Glass cover added to your auto policy is a different product, explained in glass coverage endorsements.

How to take a crack to the dealer

1. Look for a strike point. Run a fingernail along the crack to its start, including the edge. Use the damage identifier if you are unsure what you are looking at.
2. Photograph it on the day. Shoot the start of the crack up close, the whole windshield, and the odometer. The date and mileage decide a 12 month or 12,000 mile clause.
3. Find the glass clause in your own booklet. Look under "What Is Not Covered" for glass, stone chips, stress cracks or road hazards. Bring the page.
4. Book the dealer before a glass shop. Ask them to inspect for an impact point and to write the result on the repair order, whether they accept it or not.
5. If they say impact, switch to insurance. File under comprehensive, following how to file a glass claim. Run the quote against your deductible in the claim calculator first.

If the crack starts at the edge, do not wait. Edge cracks tend to run fast, as edge cracks explains.

Where this answer stops applying

This page reads seven booklets, each for one model year. Terms change between years, and Chevrolet's booklet is not GMC's, Buick's or Cadillac's. Kia, Nissan, Mazda, Stellantis and the luxury brands were not read here. Your own booklet governs, and the dealer and maker decide whether a crack is a defect. A maker can also extend coverage for one known fault: Subaru did so for qualifying cracks on some 2019 to 2022 Outback, Legacy, Forester and Ascent models, to 8 years or 100,000 miles, as a new windshield that cracked after replacement explains. The new vehicle warranty is written around the glass the car was built with. A windshield a shop installs later falls under that shop's warranty, or under a parts warranty if a dealer fits a genuine part (Subaru's booklet has one). Shop warranties are set out in replacement warranty and what to expect. A leased car has the same factory warranty, but the return inspection is a separate contract, covered in glass damage on a leased or financed car. Nothing here is legal advice, and no booklet read says how a dealer must test for a defect.

What to do next

If you found a strike point, the warranty is out, and the next step is a repair check or a claim on your own policy. If you found none, take the car to the dealer with your photos and booklet page, inside your glass term. Glass choices for a replacement are compared in OEM versus aftermarket glass. Everything else on paying for glass is in the insurance section.

Frequently asked questions

Does the factory warranty cover a rock chip in the windshield?

No. Every new vehicle warranty booklet we read excludes damage from road debris or objects striking the car. Toyota names stone chips, Hyundai names road elements that chip glass, and Chevrolet excludes cracks due to impact. A chip is a job for your comprehensive coverage or your wallet, and many insurers waive the deductible for a repair.

How long is a windshield covered under a new car warranty?

It depends on the maker. Chevrolet's 2026 booklet covers defect windshield cracks for 12 months at any mileage, and Ford's 2024 guide covers stress cracks for 12 months or 12,000 miles. Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Subaru and Tesla set no separate glass term in the booklets read, so a defect falls under basic coverage of 3 to 5 years.

Is a stress crack covered by the manufacturer's warranty?

Often, if it is new enough. A stress crack has no strike point, so it can be a defect. Ford covers windshield stress cracks for the first 12 months or 12,000 miles even if use or weather caused them. Chevrolet covers them for 12 months if a defect caused them. Other makers cover a defect under the basic warranty, if the dealer agrees it is one.

Does an extended warranty cover a cracked windshield?

Usually not. An extended warranty is really a service contract, a separate plan you buy. Ford's 2025 PremiumCARE EV brochure lists glass among items generally covered by your auto insurance, not the plan. The FTC notes that few service contracts cover all repairs. Read the exclusions page of your own contract before counting on it for glass.

Will window tint void my windshield warranty?

It can on a Chevrolet. GM's 2026 Chevrolet warranty booklet excludes damage caused by alteration of glass parts by application of tinting films. The other booklets read do not name tint film, but they exclude alterations and non-approved parts in general terms. If you plan to film the windshield on a new car, read the exclusions first.

Sources

• Toyota 2020 Warranty and Maintenance Guide (What Is Not Covered, page 14; Basic Warranty, page 13)
• Honda 2025 Warranty Basebook (New Vehicle Limited Warranty, page 11)
• Hyundai 2019 Owner's Handbook and Warranty Information (Section 4, New Vehicle Limited Warranty)
• Subaru 2022 Warranty and Maintenance Booklet (Subaru Limited Warranties, What is Not Covered)
• Tesla New Vehicle Limited Warranty, North America, effective 2026/09/01 (Exclusions and Limitations)
• Ford 2024 Model Year Warranty Guide (Damage Caused by Use and/or the Environment, page 17), owner-posted copy
• 2026 Chevrolet Limited Warranty and Owner Assistance Information (GM file dated Oct 29, 2025, pages 9 and 10), hosted copy
• Ford Protect PremiumCARE EV extended service plan brochure, 2025 (What is not covered), owner-posted copy
• Federal Trade Commission: Auto Warranties and Auto Service Contracts