Last week my wife got to test the laminated glass in the left rear door: a rock came up from under a tire next to her and hit the window pretty squarely in the upper right corner. It left a chip about 1/8" in diameter and 1/16" deep with about five cracks radiating out to the edges of the glass. She obviously heard the impact but when she stopped to check the damage, she was looking at the door panel for paint damage. When she didn't see anything obvious, she put the window up and down for the rest of the commute. My 4 y.o. daughter was the one to see the cracks from the inside. The window did not shatter like a normal side window would, but was "starred" like a windshield. When she told me (over the phone), I pictured the backseat covered in pea-sized pieces of glass. I have actually pressed on the glass pretty hard to see if it would flex but it's solid: I am completely comfortable from a safety and security point to drive like this for another week until we can get into the dealer. We've also got aftermarket tints but that film would only hold the shattered glass pieces together, not prevent the shattering like the laminated glass did.
Kudos to Volvo for providing real-world safety for my family!!
Tom
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