Woman Gets Safelite To Repair Windshield. Then She Tries To Use Her Windshield Wipers: 'I Emailed Customer Care A Month Ago'

When one drops their car off at the shop for professional work, they expect the job to be completed promptly and properly.

Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. The internet is filled with examples of shops doing poor work. For example, one woman claims she took her car to a Take 5 for an oil change, only for them to not actually add any oil to her car, causing the engine to die.

Now, a user on TikTok is calling out Safelite after she got her windshield replaced, only to discover a host of issues with the repair.

What’s Wrong With This Safelite-Repaired Windshield?

In a video with over 210,000 views, TikTok user Kierra Tashee (@kierratashee) shows her car’s windshield, which she claims she recently got replaced at Safelite. The car now has a variety of issues, which she says stem from this repair.

To start, she says the windshield wipers no longer sit correctly on the windshield. When lifting them off, they get stuck at strange, canted angles—and even when they’re resting on the car, they do not look or behave correctly.

According to Tashee, the wipes are currently “not fully going all the way over,” meaning that when she uses them, major parts of her windshield are missed. Not only that, but one of the wiper blades gets stuck toward the edge of the windshield.

“It doesn't even fit right here,” she says of the wiper blade. “He shoved that down. He made that fit right there—not necessarily shove, but he made that fit right there.”

To make matters worse, the lower windshield cowl and molding are visibly loose or simply improperly installed.

“It's supposed to go across the windshield, all the way over,” she summarizes.

In the video’s caption, Tashee writes, “I emailed customer care a month ago and they never responded to my emails. Took me a week to FINALLY get someone [on the phone,] and they are sending someone out.”

What Happened Here?

While some viewers speculated that the windshield was installed upside down, this is likely impossible.

Modern windshields are not simply a flat plane of glass. The top and bottom of the windshield generally have different shapes, widths, borders, corner radii, and more. Not only that, but the rearview mirror mount present on most windshields would be an immediate indication that something was amiss.

Instead, this is likely the correct windshield, just installed and reassembled improperly. 

When windshield wipers are being replaced, they need to be installed at the correct position and at the correct angle to work properly. It’s possible that these windshield wipers were not installed at the correct position, possibly before the wiper motor was fully in its park position.

This could explain a variety of issues with the wipers, including why they no longer travel as far across the windshield, why they feel difficult to raise, and why they are making contact with parts of the car they previously did not touch.

Regarding the issues with the lower windshield, it’s possible that the windshield was not properly installed. However, in several internet threads noting similar issues, users expressed that problems like these were not necessarily as bad as one might think, as it may be merely cosmetic.

What Can She Do?

To determine whether the problem truly is cosmetic, she should contact Safelite and take advantage of the company’s warranty. This will also help resolve issues with the windshield wipers. Tashee’s caption seems to imply that she’s already done this.

While this reduces the headache for Tashee, she’s not the only one to report problems with Safelite. Other internet users have claimed everything from leaking windshields to cut power lines after handing their vehicles over to the company.

Users in Tashee’s comments section echoed these issues and other frustrations with the company.

“They broke my sister’s sensor and said they weren't liable for that,” wrote a user. “It's cheaper and better quality at auto collision centers for repairs like this.”

“Safelite left glass shards all around my center counsel and cup holders,” alleged another.

“They did this to mine too and they just didn't put the pin back in so it never worked,” offered a third. “I just drove in the rain with no wipers. I didn't care enough to fix it.”

Motor1 reached out to Tashee via email. This story will be updated if they respond.

Update July 21: Via email, a Safelite spokesperson told Motor1 that they company has contacted Tashee for more information and intends to investigate the matter to determine next steps.