The AC in my car broke. Will the heat make my windshield crack worse?
Published on Jan 23, 2026
Hey folks! This is Jake from Magnatech Auto Glass.
Welcome to another Q&A session where I answer questions from y'all on the internet.
Today's question is:
"The AC in my car broke. Will the heat make my windshield crack worse?"
Answer:
Absolutely. Just like we’re dealing with winter temperatures, the same can be said on the opposite end of that spectrum. If it gets too hot out there—like Phoenix, Arizona, 115 degrees—and you’ve got a chip you haven’t taken care of, wait till you hit the wiper squirters and it touches that chip or crack and it runs right across.
It does happen. You can go in for a car wash when it’s really hot—people like to detail their vehicles when the weather’s great. If you haven’t seen that chip and you get a hot windshield wet, it’s going to crack it right across. So definitely check it out before you get a car wash. The core idea is the same as winter: extreme temperature differences plus a pre-existing chip can cause rapid cracking.
Summary:
Extreme heat can cause a windshield chip to crack out, especially when sudden cooling occurs (wiper fluid or a car wash). Magnatech advises addressing chips promptly and avoiding temperature shocks on a damaged windshield.
