The sunroof on my 2010 RX350 blew. Dealer claimed to have never have heard of such a thing. I pitched a fit!!!! They said Lexus corporate would make a determination. I expcted "sorry" but they covered the entire repair. I have forward this forum to them.... Mine had a hole in the center with the glass pushing outward with thousands of stress fratcures in the glass.
While driving down the highway the sunroof of my VW CC exploded upward. It sounded like a gun shot. Very loud and the entire glass shattered with pieces of glass flying up and out of the vehicle, as well as within the car.
I was very surprised to discover that my sun/moonroof glass seemed to explode unknown to me sometime in last 24-48 hours. The ambient temperatures have been 20-50F mostly in winter, some snow sinc e Christmas, no heat, no noted trauma to roof, maximum speed in Surburban driving 0-45 MPH, sunroof not opened since some months ago....and suddenly heard what sounded like gravel in roof, and when sunscreen indoor electric opener activated, I could see small rounded fractured glass shards from roof. When inspected from outside, above..it appeared to have bubbled/exploded outward, sometime in last 1-2 days, unknown to me..I heard nothing while driving, was hit by nothing, and first sign of trouble was gravelly sound in roof of truck cab.....from glass shards..the outward bubbled fractured glass to the right of the midline, anteriorly with fragmented glass causing defect in about 15% of the roof. my auto insurance's glass warrenty pays for all minus a $100 deductable...awaiting for a reservation for their repair... Very Strange event.....as all of the other reports of this kind of incidence..seems not unique to any single brand or model....just happens...hmmmmmm
I like your explanation. We just had the sunroof on our 2007 CX-7 explode. There were no cars in front, behind, or passing us at the time. It was a cool day and we had just the normal heat on inside and had been driving around town for most of the day at moderate speeds. About 5 to 10 minutes before the explosion, we did here what sounded like a rock hitting glass as we were driving on the interstate at about 65 - 70 mph but we didn't see any damage to windshield or other glass at that point. We were startled by the loud noise. It sounded like a gun shot to us and I wondered if we'd been shot. I stopped just a block down the road to inspect the damage. There was a big hole in the sunroof glass and large chunks and chards of broken glass had been blown mainly into the back seat with finer pieces flying all over the two of us in the front. The remaining glass was broken and protruding upward as if pressure from inside the car blew it out. We immediately called our insurance company then took the car to the local Mazda dealer. The Service Manager said he'd never seen this type of sunroof explosion before. I took photos and left the car with the dealer for repair. There was no damage to frame or exterior of car that we noticed. Our insurance said this is 100% covered with no deductible.
Mine blew up yesterday. In traffic at low speed. No way anything hit it. I keep seeing people talk about cabin pressure being a possibility but it would blow your eardrums before it blew out a window. The other thing I've seen alot and even had the dealer suggest to me is that it might have been an electrical issue. When I asked for an explanation for how an electrical issue could blast out a sunroof their response was "well, we need to take a look at it before we can determine the cause" Then they act like I'm lying to them when I say nothing hit it. What possible reason woud I have for lying about something as stupid as this ? AND Lets say I had been doing 60 - 70 mph down the highway and a rock fell off a truck or something. It would have to be small enough for me to not see it but large enough to bust the glass AND hit it at an angle that would break it, which at that speed would be damn near impossible especially since it was closed. All that aside, We were doing 15-20 in traffic and everyone was too close toghether for anything to have bounced off the road. Early morning so the sun was not a factor. my best guess is somethings bad in the glass making or framing process. Just a theory though. Insurance claim. 100$ deductable. Weak.
I had it happen a while ago and have posted on this forum. I did some research and found documentation that this is a property of tempered glass. It is well known in the industry. One in every so many thousands units of glass that are produced have undetectable defects that cause the glass to explode. It can happen up to ten years after the glass has been manufactured. It is not limited to automotive applications. A friend of mine had it happen with a shower enclosure. He had just renovated his bathroom and fortunately was in another room when he heard what sounded like an explosion. The shower door shattered spontaneously - there was nobody in the room - and flew like shrapnel, damaging the newly installed woodwork.
I have an architectural industry report on this, but there doesn't seem to be a way to include an attachment here. If anyone can figure that out, I'm happy to share it.
For a variety of reasons, we can't accept attachments within messages. However, if you have a link to the report and it's located somewhere online, you are welcome to post a link to it.
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i had almost the same thing happen to my sunroof today. driving 65 mph when the sunroof exploded. sunroof was closed. when i stopped the deflector shield was up??? and the two side metal frames were no longer attached to glass. thank you for your post. hope i can get this paid for! is anyone else having problems out there????
We drove our car off the lot less than 24 hours ago. My husband was driving on the highway, normal speed. It was raining, about 50 degrees, so he had the sunshade closed. Heard a loud boom, opened the shade to find the moonroof basically gone, with shattered glass pointing upward. Drove immediately to the Dealership where all of the staff has never seen anything like it. The Chrysler Warranty Rep on site coincidentally. The Dealership kept the car, will fix the roof and areas of dented/scratched paint and immediately gave my husband a rental car at their expense. Very scary and thank god no one was hurt, luckily light traffic. So far the Dealership has been great.
Unfortunately, it's no longer available online. If you can figure out a way for me to share it, I'm happy to do so. I think this report answers most of the questions in this thread.
I just heard about this. Up until now I never heard of such a thing. Leave it to W.L. There was a post about defective tempered glass that sound like it could be a very possible cause. Hope everything turns out OK with the car.
I had this happen to my car Saturday morning. Clear roads, newly paved in the last year so no bumps all of a sudden we heard a boom and my sunroof was gone. Pulled over to make sure my kids who luckily where sleeping where ok, and contacted my Dealer. Took it in and just got a call they will not cover. The reason because it is shattered. Nothing hit it, there where no cars around and no over passes. It just exploded. I opened a claim with Kia expecting them to honor their 100,000 mile 10 year warranty. They said it will take 48-72 hours for a review. Not happy with Kia, especially since this seems to becoming an issue with sunroofs, from what I am reading.
Yesterday, my husband and I were driving our 2011 Hyundai Sonata on the interstate at 65 mph when we were jolted by a loud explosion that sounded like a shotgun blast over the top of us. We immediately pulled off the road where we found our sunroof shattered. It appeared that the glass had buckled upward in the middle. The weather was clear, 78 degrees, no bumps, and no trucks around us. It just happened. We immediately took it to our dealer. They said it wasn't covered under the warranty. It seems like the glass was defective and Hyundai should cover it. They said "no". The paint on the roof behind the sunroof and top of the trunk was damaged from the flying shards. I have a $250 deductible, so I'm not happy about this. I would be interested to know where the glass in these sunroofs is manufactured. Any attorneys interested in looking at this?
I have a 2010 subaru legacy. Today while driving in light snow on the highway my sunroof exploded. SO scary!!! Until now I never heard of such a phenomenon. I called my insurance co. & they'll cover the glass under comprehensive BUT if damage is done to the track I'll have to pay the deductable. I called Subaru to have it fixed & they referred me to a local glass place. Being the first production of a new legacy generation, I researched any known issuse's. What was your end result???
I'm still waiting for my insurance adjuster. My car is still at the dealership. I will have to rent a car for at least a week. I hope that those people who experience this "exploding sunroof" phenomenon post it on car forums such as this one. Perhaps the glass manufacturer or car company will only take notice when someone get seriously hurt or even killed.
Hyundai's & Kia's are made by same company I believe. Did you call corp & place a claim? I am still waiting on mine to be resolved now they are telling me 6-8 weeks not the original 48-72 hours.
This JUST happened to me last night! I have a 2011 Kia Sorento..driving along, heard pop (sounded like gun shot), glass fell around me and the one side of metal frame fell in car too. Tried calling Customer service; not open on Saturday! Have you gotten any more news for Kia??
There I was April 17, 6:30 PM. 72 degrees – late afternoon in Los Angeles 70 MPH – and then, BAM!!! Sounded like a gunshot to the roof of my car followed by the whooshing sound of wind above my head. Thankfully my car was NOT the target of some random shooting ( hey, it could happen). Instead, my sunroof had just exploded! Yep. E X P L O D E D. Weird, right? Cause unknown; I’m comforted somewhat by learning from these postings that I’m not alone in this experience. Thanks to you all here. So – this happens.
Not due to dramatic changes in temperature; not for too tight of an installation; not sure about anything in particular that could cause this freakish event. I’m just wondering what the common denominator is with those of us – I mean, what was “true” about the sunroofs of our respective cars? Do all of us have retractable power roofs? Similar construction and installation? What could possibly be causing this and what is it exactly that might keep this from reoccurring in the future? I’d love to know this one.
BTW, this is a very expensive repair (2007 E350) especially since at 70 mph the aerodynamics of shattered tempered glass efficiently chops away at those beautiful deep layers of black lacquered paint. (Ouch )
Today my wife was driving on I-55, normal speed. It was clear, about 90 degrees, so she had the sunshade closed. She heard a loud pop, opened the shade to find the moonroof gone, with shattered glass pointing upward. It was after 5pm when it happened so I couldn't get in touch with anyone. She had the state police do a report. I will be trying the dealership first. I wish everyone that this happens to would post their experience. This seems like a defect to me. I will update when I find out how this will be handled.
I have had my 2012 Focus HB for about 5 weeks. Within the first week my sunroof stopped working. I took it to the dealer and they said that it was just stuck and they fixed it. Well, fast forward 4 weeks and I'm driving down the interstate at 70mph. It's about 95 degrees outside, the windows are up(all tinted by the way), A/C on, music up, sunroof shade closed. I'm almost at my exit when the shotgun blast happens. Scared the crap out of me!! I pull over to find my sunroof had exploded. All of the edges were pointing outward so I knew nothing had hit it. I took some pics before I touched it and then called the dealer. They told me to bring it in before they could say if they were going to cover it or not. I'm still not sure if they are going to cover it, will find out today I guess, but I've never had this happen with any cars I've had. I've actually never even heard of this happening before. Now I'm wondering if the original issue of being "stuck" was the cause of this! Crazy stuff!!!
This happened to me today!!! I was on I-10 and had just pulled out of the Welcome Center, driven a few miles and "BOOM!!" I immediately contacted Roadside Assistance and they drove my car to the nearest dealership. I am having to stay in a hotel as I am out of town and wondering what will happen. The dealership indicated that this doesn't just happen and they are not sure how they are going to handle it. I am glad to know I am not the only one this has happened to.
**UPDATE** Well, it's now July 8th and my car is still in the shop. Apparently, the manufacturer of the glass is not making any for service, only production!!! Luckily, Ford is covering it under warranty and they have provided me with a rental car. But, the owner of the dealer is involved and has contacted Ford but there is no ETA on when they might have a new sunroof for my car. :mad: So I sit here, driving a Mazda CX9 SUV rental, until they get one. My only issue, I'm paying for a car that I haven't had in the past 4 weeks and that I have no idea when I get back!!! But at least Ford is owning up and taking care of it, it could be much worse!!! I'll post updates as I get them!!
So I was driving down the freeway in auburn today its about 65 degrees n sunny. I have a hyundai sonata 08 and we jus got it used at the end of 2010....so I was on the freeway and my sunroof exploded and it was super scary..... it sounded like someone threw a firework on my roof. I would like to kno more about ur situation. If u can email me at jackson.josette@gmail.com....I only signed up for this to talk to u bcuz ur sitiation matches my exactly....
While driving 75mph on the interstate yesterday, suddenly a huge explosion (like a bomb) goes off above me. The sunroof exploded into a million little pieces all over me and the car. I literally was in shock! Pulled over to the right and called my husband who told me to drive the rest of the distance (15 miles) to the VW dealer. Pieces of glass continue to fall on me as I drive to the dealer. They said it will be covered by warranty. That's good, very expensive! The temp. the last few days has been very hot, not sure if that was a factor or . Never want a sunroof again!
My's son's 2011 Kia Optima had the same thing happen. Kia warranty would not cover - even though car was only 3 months old. How did you come out with the dealer? He is in Colorado by the way.
Have been reading on different sites that Kia may be selective on what it covers under the bumper to bumper warranty. Any experiences with a problem they say isn't covered?
Hyundai wouldn't cover my sunroof repair either. The glass as well as the framing needed to replaced plus body work on the roof, sides of the car where shards of glass cut up the paint. My insurance covered the cost but my deductible was $500 which I'm mad that I had to pay. I really think it's defective glass.
There is a news story about an exploding sunroof: http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/23597762/detail.html I think if there is a defect in the glass, it will explode or shatter under pressure. I think it should be covered by the auto dealer - if it will shatter as they say from being hit by a rock, then it's an accident waiting to happen. Can you imagine getting caught in a hail storm? I would hope the glass wouldn't automatically just shatter - should be stronger than that.
This Just happened to me I too have a 2011 Hyundai Sonata Limited. I was traveling on tollroad 90, no overpasses, no truck around, NOT HIT BY ANYTHING!!!!! All of a sudden I hear this LOUD explosion and the next thing I know I am covered in glass. I was doing 70 miles an hour and must of had an angel on my shoulder cause I didn't CRASH> My husband called roadside assistance and they put him in touch with the Hyundai consumer line which said "they never heard of this before" BULL_ _ _ _. U know they have and they are covering something up. THIS IS A DEFECT, and someone is not going to be as lucky as you and I. If my grandson was in the back he would have been hurt and then , well OH MY just imaginne.
It is not so much a defect as a known property of tempered glass. Go back to my message #61 in this discussion for more on this. I did some research that explains why this happens.
I have a 2011 Jetta TDI, less than 1300 miles. Sunroof exploded in an outward direction while driving down a 2-lane road (no overpasses) at about 60 mph. Really don't think a rock hit it (as dealer professes) and no other logical explanation. It happened 10 minutes into the drive, outside temp. was 45 degrees, hadn't yet turned the heat on in the car. It's only Oct. and snow removal hasn't used rocks/sand on the road yet. Dealer will replace it under direction from local VW mfg rep. as a part of their "good-will gesture" program since it's a new car. Great, it's paid for but what if it happens again? I'm a little concerned VW is brushing this incident off as something it isn't in order to avoid a recall. There is a flaw here that is potentially a safety risk. I'll put up another posting after my car is fixed and I've had a deeper discussion with the dealership.
I had little bit different experience. One day, I got into my car & look up the sky I noticed my sunroof glass was shattered. I was freaking out what had happened. When I took it to Mazda dealer & they inspected and conclude that there's no way this glass would shattered like this unless manufactured defect sunroof glass. When I called Mazda USA customer service, they said your waranty has been expired. They'll not cover the sunroof. They said that's why you have insurance. I couldn't believe my ear when he said that. I also have other problem with steering wheel. Mazda is a junk car. More to that Mazda USA is junk company which would not listen customer's voice. I would never ever buy Mazda again & I'll tell all my friends about this company
coming home to arizona the sunroof exploded on our minivan. felt like rocks were dropped on the roof. We did not hit a bump, 45 degrees, 70 mph and no drop in elevation. And no my wife was not driving. The hole was in the center of the window and the remaining glass was angled outward like the object hit the glass from the inside. we had the cover shut which was good because otherwise glass could have hit anyone inside the car
on the way to work today!! scared crap out of me!! Brought it right to Woodhouse Mazda in Omaha where without hesitation they said it would be covered under warranty & has happened to 2 other Mazda vehicles. They said it was because of higher pressure in the vehicle & it is very windy day.
I just had the same situation happen with my 2012 Kia Sorento EX (new when purchased; owned for 8 months; 8,000 miles currently), and I'm wondering how you were able to get Kia to cover this under warranty.
I was driving down I-88 on Saturday, April 21st when suddenly there was a loud gunshot/explosion sound. I wasn't driving under an overpass, and no cars or semi's were anywhere near my vehicle. It was actually a nice sunny day with the temp in the mid 50's. After recovering from the initial shock, I noticed wind coming from above. Luckily I was able to grab the sunroof cover (which was thankfully closed) and hold it closed before it opened and allowed thousand of glass shards to fall onto my girlfriend and me. Once I realized what had happened, I pulled over and called Kia roadside assistance immediately. The vehicle was towed to the nearest dealership for inspection as directed by the people at Kia. Once the service manager was able to take a look at the vehicle on Monday, he said that he could not find an impact point from any outside force, and that it was obviously a defect in the glass. For some reason the Kia rep in Arizona is saying that this is not covered under warranty. We fought back on this all day Monday, and the case # is currently being escalated for further review. We are supposed to hear back by today. I have a bad feeling that they are going to come back, and still refuse warranty coverage. Sorry for the wordiness, but I wanted to explain my experience as detailed as possible.
Can you please provide me with some detail regarding your experience? I don't want to have to take Kia to court, but I will gladly do so if it comes down to it. I'd appreciate any help that you can provide. I'd be happy to provide you with my personal email address if you'd prefer. Thank you.
I was driving on the highway with no traffic in front of me doing about 110 km when I heard a load bang and found that my sunroof had blown out. I spoke to Nissan about what had happened and they gave the same answer that many of you have heard “it was probably caused by road debris” Nisan for some reason does not seem to be taking this as a safety concern and considered the matter closed when I told them insurance was going to cover it. Unfortunatly I don't really expect any answers from them I did still want to ask the questions.
I have sent Nissan Canada the following letter:
To the attention of Nissan Canada I had a sunroof catastrophically fail at highway speeds shattering into small rectangular fragments. The road was quiet and I did not see anything hit my car but when it blew out it sounded like a shot gun going off. When I pulled over to inspect what had happened I found a large hole in my sunroof about 6 inches in diameter with the edges pointing outwards. The interior of the car was also covered in small shards of glass as well as a piece approximately 2 inches in diameter that was still intact. How common is it for tempered glass to fail in this way and is this being treated as a safety concern with Nissan? In my opinion a sunroof should not be able to shatter in this way, either from being struck by an object or from a catastrophic failure of the stresses that is inherent in tempered glass. Much of the glass shattered into pieces .15 x .15 x .05 inches. These fragments are easily small enough to go into the eyes of the occupants and cause injury as well as a possible accident. I am surprised that a laminated glass such as that used in the windshield of all modern automobiles is not used for this application as it would have solved this problem. I did speak to Nissan Canada as well as Brasso Nissan and was given the same answer, "Nissan is not responsible for glass damage since it could have been caused by road debris. The problem with this answer is that they are not taking responsibility for the safety concern and there should be no circumstance that a sunroof should fail in this manner. This is Nissans responsibility weather or not the damage is being caused by road debris or defects in the product itself. Either the process being used to manufacture the sunroof is wrong or the wrong material is being used for this application and it Nissans responsibility to solve this problem and provide a safe automobile for its customers. Since Nissan does not appear to be taking responsibility, could you please supply me with the following information?
Specifications of the glass being used Manufacturer of the glass to make the sunroof Lbs of force required to shatter the sunroof The percentage of Sunroof glass that is found defective at time of production and was not released. The percentage of these sunroofs that were found to be defective due to the international stresses Measures used for quality control for this product
I am not writing this letter merely for compensation for the repairs to the Nissan Rouge although I do believe Nissan should be compensating both myself and Wawanesa for any cost incurred. Wawanesa Insurance is covering my claim even though I do not carry glass coverage since in there opinion the damage was not caused by road debris but instead a defect of the product itself.The reason for the letter is to make Nissan and Nissan owners aware of what I believe to be safety issue that up to this point Nissan has not yet addressed.
A copy of this letter will be sent to:
Nissan Canada Wawanesa Insurance The Alberta Motor Vehicle Council (AMVIC) Edmunds.com
I have had the 'exploding sunroof' happen twice on my 2003 Ford Focus ZTW.The first time was about 3 years ago in spring with the ambient temp being just above freezing. I can't recall if it was windy or not, but I was going about 30kmph when I heard the 'shotgun blast' referred to in many of the previous stories. The second time was Tuesday this week with the temperature being about 15 degrees Celsius with a very strong gusty wind. Again shotgun blast followed by tinkling glass on the sliding cover. The interesting quirk is that this episode happened within less than 1/2 mile of the first incident on the same highway. I am inclined to think that it may be the car flexing that may cause this, but who knows. I would appreciate any insight. Good thing about the Ford Focus is that the glass is very easy to replace, and I was able to find new roofs at a salvage yard on both occasions.
The exploding sunroof just happened to me in my 2011 Ford Taurus. It is still in the warranty period, but Ford is fighting me on it saying that is a road hazard. Noting hit the car. We were going 70 mph on a 74 degree day on an open 4 lane highway with no other cars around. It's obvious that the forces went outward.
If I were on an LA Freeway, there would have been a big accident behind me as the glass started hitting cars.
It is so typical of car manufacturers to not accept responsibility. I really think Ford is using defective glass as this has happened to me twice already, and to numerous other Ford owners.
Re: Kylen2002: I just had the sunroof explode on my 2013 kia sorrento, which I have had for 6 weeks. Very similar situation to yours... driving along then boom! Kia is supposed to call me tomorrow. Curious - where did you end up with Kia on this? God forbid - after the fix did it happen again?
Lexus fully covered ours in the IS-250 3 years ago and it didn't happen again. I think it is a weakness in the glass and once it is fixed it won't happen again unless you are really unlucky.
I had this happen to me in April2011 on my 2011 Kia Sorento. Same story, I was driving, loud pop and glass fell all over me. Got it towed to dealership and they covered everything under warranty. Now, get this, I was driving the same car today and the exact thing happened...yep, explosion #2. I again had it towed to the dealer and they gave me a rental. They will keep me posted. I don't expect a problem, KIA should cover the defect under warranty; however, I am concerned since my car is much older now. They will be in for a battle if they tell me it isn't covered!
My sunroof suddenly shattered recently too. I have a older Ford SUV but it turns out the make and age don't matter so much as the details on the sunroof itself.
On another forum about this issue I found the below post and it turns out my sunroof is part of the recall and I never got the notice, though I have had it fixed at least 3 times as the open/shut mechanism is constantly breaking down. So I am posting this in hopes that others might read it and not spend their own money if they don't need to. I would not have known if I hadn't spent 1/2 hour or more researching the issue on the net. The glass shattering suddenly is exactly what happens in the defective sunroofs though supposedly it is "rare".
I was driving down the highway and heard a loud bang, like a large boulder fell on the roof. Then there was a rattling, crunching noise like the boulder was rolling around on top. When I stopped a couple of miles later off my exit, the glass on the sunroof was totally missing. This happened after I had been stopped in the traffic on the highway, heard a screeching and looked in my side mirror to see a little red car behind me swerving widely across three lanes or traffic, nearly tipping over and forcing other cars to swerve and screech as well. The person had jammed their brakes on to avoid rear ending me as I guess he wasn't expecting stopped cars on the highway. No one was hurt and no cars collided amazingly but my nerves for sure where on edge. And then the sunroof thing happened 5 minutes later. What are the chances of that I wonder? Especially because the defective sunroof issue is. "rare" ( riiiiigggght, but common enough to deserve a recall??!!).
Good thing I didn't have the sunroof's inside cover slid back or I would have been showered with glass going down the highway at 65mph. Good thing also that I didn't panic and swerve or slam the brakes on since I could have had a accident. But then again, having had many "clunker" cars in my life this is not the first time something drastic and unexpected has happened to my car while traveling 65 in the fast lane. Try the car stalling suddenly at this speed or the hood flying up and covering the front windshield so that you can only see through the little air vent grate; both of these happened to me in different cars and more than once, since the problems weren't easily fixable.
I thought a rock hit it, though, since I wasn't going under anything or near the edges of the road, I couldn't see how that was possible, since it would have to drop straight down with a lot of force. As they mention, actually, I did notice more wind noise than usual from the sunroof over the past month or two but I thought it just wasn't fully closed, since the mechanism to close the roof never seems to work right. And I guess you might not know if your sunroof is aftermarket either, since the dealer or the person you bought it from may not have told you. This only applies to aftermarket sunroofs, i.e. installed after the car leaves the factory assembly line.
So, to make a long story short, everyone reading this might want to check their sunroof unless they are positive it is factory installed. I don't think this is only for older sunroofs either. The website http://sunroofcheck.us/identify-your-sunroof.html shows the pictures of the sunroof open/close buttons and if your sunroof control buttons don't look like that then you are all set. If it they do then all you have to do is open the roof and look at the serial numbers pasted inside the front frame of the sunroof opening and if they are between 6000000 and 6396298 you need to replace the roof ( for free but not at the dealer; the website will list the places to take the car)
Webasto Product North America, Inc. ("WPNA") has decided that a defect that relates to motor vehicle safety may exist in vehicles equipped with certain Hollandia 700 and 600 ("700/600") aftermarket (non-factory installed) sunroofs manufactured from 2002-2009 and all TVS 900 ("900") series aftermarket sunroofs. These sunroofs are involved in a voluntary safety recall. In rare instances, conditions existing with the adhesive bond between the glass and metal frame in these affected Hollandia 700/600 and Hollandia TVS 900 series aftermarket (non-factory installed) sunroofs can increase the risk that the sunroof glass may completely debond from its frame. Completely debonded sunroof glass can detach from the vehicle while driving and could strike another vehicle or injure a pedestrian.
Complete glass-to-frame debonding can develop gradually and may be evidenced by metal corrosion around the sunroof frame, wind noise, vibration, visual bond separation and/or water leakage. These conditions may be observable for several months before complete glass-to-frame adhesion debonding can ultimately occur.
Determining If You're Affected: The most recognizable components of the sunroofs affected are the switches and presence of a Webasto logo on the sunshade handle. Below, we have provided documentation so you can identify whether your sunroof is included in the recall. All affected sunroofs will have one of the following switches (I can't post the pictures of the switches, so check the webpage, http://sunroofcheck.us/identify-your-sunroof.html )and have a Webasto logo on the sunshade handle.
On Thursday August 2, 2012 my wife and I we traveling from Simi Valley Calfornia to Vancouver, BC Canada. We purchased our SRX in June 2012 and had less than 2,000 miles on it when we started our trip. We got a far as Gilroy, CA (about 300 miles into the trip) when we heard a loud explosion and then the sound of wind and broken glass. We were traveling about 65 mph on highway with no cars in front or to the side. The Sun roof was closed at the time and the shattered glass could be seen through the head liner. We got off the freeway quickly and asked ON-STAR for the nearest Cadillac dealership. Luckily it was only 1 mile away. ON-STAR downloaded turn by turn instructions and we got to the Gilroy Cadillac dealership at about 2:30 pm. They looked at the damage and tried to locate a replacement part, however, none were available in California. The dealer coordinated with the regional Cadillac rep and ordered a part from Detroit. The part was overnight shipped but would not arrive until Monday. The Cadillac people provided us with a rental car and we continued on to Oregon. We shortened our trip and returned to pick up our repaired SRX on Monday evening (4:00pm). We put over 1,300 miles on the rental car. Cadillac covered everything under warranty including the rental car.
Thank you for taking the time to post this, larryz2! We're glad that the dealership took such great care of you, and wish you many more happy miles in your SRX!
This just happened to me while driving to work. I was on the highway here in Raleigh and doing about 70. Suddenly, just as everyone else described, a loud gunshot noise and glass flying everywhere. It was nice yesterday afternoon so my sliding cover was open since I had been using my sunroof recently. I have been in touch with Volvo USA and it sounds like they may cover the costs. Nothing hit it, I am sure, because the glass is coming upwards. A cop stopped to help me (nice folks those NC troopers!) and told me weirder things have happened, but that this was pretty weird! The glass is still cracking and I'm going to have to drive it, but with the cover closed... VERY VERY scary. Thankful I was in the right lane and was able to pull off quickly in rush hour traffic. Whew. Any other reports of this from Volvo owners? I have seen some on Volvo forums.
Could you please email me the doc? alogg24@gmail.com Sunroof on my 05 Volvo s40 exploded this morning while on my way to work (on the highway, glass fell all over me...) and I'd really like some answers/possibly use this to get the $950 bill paid for. Thank you so much!
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I have an architectural industry report on this, but there doesn't seem to be a way to include an attachment here. If anyone can figure that out, I'm happy to share it.
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2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
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Andrew
Not due to dramatic changes in temperature; not for too tight of an installation; not sure about anything in particular that could cause this freakish event. I’m just wondering what the common denominator is with those of us – I mean, what was “true” about the sunroofs of our respective cars? Do all of us have retractable power roofs? Similar construction and installation? What could possibly be causing this and what is it exactly that might keep this from reoccurring in the future? I’d love to know this one.
BTW, this is a very expensive repair (2007 E350) especially since at 70 mph the aerodynamics of shattered tempered glass efficiently chops away at those beautiful deep layers of black lacquered paint. (Ouch )
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/23597762/detail.html
I think if there is a defect in the glass, it will explode or shatter under pressure. I think it should be covered by the auto dealer - if it will shatter as they say from being hit by a rock, then it's an accident waiting to happen. Can you imagine getting caught in a hail storm? I would hope the glass wouldn't automatically just shatter - should be stronger than that.
have a 2011 Hyundai Sonata Limited. I was traveling on tollroad 90, no overpasses, no truck around, NOT HIT BY ANYTHING!!!!! All of a sudden I hear this LOUD explosion and the next thing I know I am covered in glass. I was doing 70 miles an hour and must of had an angel on my shoulder cause I didn't CRASH> My husband called roadside assistance and they put him in touch with the Hyundai consumer line which said "they never heard of this before" BULL_ _ _ _. U know they have and they are covering something up. THIS IS A DEFECT, and someone is not going to be as lucky as you and I. If my grandson was in the back he would have been hurt and then , well OH MY just imaginne.
It is not so much a defect as a known property of tempered glass. Go back to my message #61 in this discussion for more on this. I did some research that explains why this happens.
Dealer will replace it under direction from local VW mfg rep. as a part of their "good-will gesture" program since it's a new car. Great, it's paid for but what if it happens again? I'm a little concerned VW is brushing this incident off as something it isn't in order to avoid a recall. There is a flaw here that is potentially a safety risk.
I'll put up another posting after my car is fixed and I've had a deeper discussion with the dealership.
manufactured defect sunroof glass. When I called Mazda USA customer service, they said your waranty has been expired. They'll not cover the sunroof. They said that's why you have insurance. I couldn't believe my ear when he said that. I also have other problem with steering wheel. Mazda is a junk car. More to that Mazda USA is junk company which would not listen customer's voice. I would never ever buy Mazda again & I'll tell all my friends about this company
I was driving down I-88 on Saturday, April 21st when suddenly there was a loud gunshot/explosion sound. I wasn't driving under an overpass, and no cars or semi's were anywhere near my vehicle. It was actually a nice sunny day with the temp in the mid 50's. After recovering from the initial shock, I noticed wind coming from above. Luckily I was able to grab the sunroof cover (which was thankfully closed) and hold it closed before it opened and allowed thousand of glass shards to fall onto my girlfriend and me. Once I realized what had happened, I pulled over and called Kia roadside assistance immediately. The vehicle was towed to the nearest dealership for inspection as directed by the people at Kia. Once the service manager was able to take a look at the vehicle on Monday, he said that he could not find an impact point from any outside force, and that it was obviously a defect in the glass. For some reason the Kia rep in Arizona is saying that this is not covered under warranty. We fought back on this all day Monday, and the case # is currently being escalated for further review. We are supposed to hear back by today. I have a bad feeling that they are going to come back, and still refuse warranty coverage. Sorry for the wordiness, but I wanted to explain my experience as detailed as possible.
Can you please provide me with some detail regarding your experience? I don't want to have to take Kia to court, but I will gladly do so if it comes down to it. I'd appreciate any help that you can provide. I'd be happy to provide you with my personal email address if you'd prefer. Thank you.
I spoke to Nissan about what had happened and they gave the same answer that many of you have heard “it was probably caused by road debris”
Nisan for some reason does not seem to be taking this as a safety concern and considered the matter closed when I told them insurance was going to cover it.
Unfortunatly I don't really expect any answers from them I did still want to ask the questions.
I have sent Nissan Canada the following letter:
To the attention of Nissan Canada I had a sunroof catastrophically fail at highway speeds shattering into small rectangular fragments. The road was quiet and I did not see anything hit my car but when it blew out it sounded like a shot gun going off. When I pulled over to inspect what had happened I found a large hole in my sunroof about 6 inches in diameter with the edges pointing outwards. The interior of the car was also covered in small shards of glass as well as a piece approximately 2 inches in diameter that was still intact. How common is it for tempered glass to fail in this way and is this being treated as a safety concern with Nissan? In my opinion a sunroof should not be able to shatter in this way, either from being struck by an object or from a catastrophic failure of the stresses that is inherent in tempered glass. Much of the glass shattered into pieces .15 x .15 x .05 inches. These fragments are easily small enough to go into the eyes of the occupants and cause injury as well as a possible accident. I am surprised that a laminated glass such as that used in the windshield of all modern automobiles is not used for this application as it would have solved this problem. I did speak to Nissan Canada as well as Brasso Nissan and was given the same answer, "Nissan is not responsible for glass damage since it could have been caused by road debris.
The problem with this answer is that they are not taking responsibility for the safety concern and there should be no circumstance that a sunroof should fail in this manner. This is Nissans responsibility weather or not the damage is being caused by road debris or defects in the product itself. Either the process being used to manufacture the sunroof is wrong or the wrong material is being used for this application and it Nissans responsibility to solve this problem and provide a safe automobile for its customers. Since Nissan does not appear to be taking responsibility, could you please supply me with the following information?
Specifications of the glass being used
Manufacturer of the glass to make the sunroof
Lbs of force required to shatter the sunroof
The percentage of Sunroof glass that is found defective at time of production and was not released.
The percentage of these sunroofs that were found to be defective due to the international stresses
Measures used for quality control for this product
I am not writing this letter merely for compensation for the repairs to the Nissan Rouge although I do believe Nissan should be compensating both myself and Wawanesa for any cost incurred. Wawanesa Insurance is covering my claim even though I do not carry glass coverage since in there opinion the damage was not caused by road debris but instead a defect of the product itself.The reason for the letter is to make Nissan and Nissan owners aware of what I believe to be safety issue that up to this point Nissan has not yet addressed.
A copy of this letter will be sent to:
Nissan Canada
Wawanesa Insurance
The Alberta Motor Vehicle Council (AMVIC)
Edmunds.com
If I were on an LA Freeway, there would have been a big accident behind me as the glass started hitting cars.
I just had the sunroof explode on my 2013 kia sorrento, which I have had for 6 weeks. Very similar situation to yours... driving along then boom! Kia is supposed to call me tomorrow. Curious - where did you end up with Kia on this? God forbid - after the fix did it happen again?
On another forum about this issue I found the below post and it turns out my sunroof is part of the recall and I never got the notice, though I have had it fixed at least 3 times as the open/shut mechanism is constantly breaking down. So I am posting this in hopes that others might read it and not spend their own money if they don't need to. I would not have known if I hadn't spent 1/2 hour or more researching the issue on the net. The glass shattering suddenly is exactly what happens in the defective sunroofs though supposedly it is "rare".
I was driving down the highway and heard a loud bang, like a large boulder fell on the roof. Then there was a rattling, crunching noise like the boulder was rolling around on top. When I stopped a couple of miles later off my exit, the glass on the sunroof was totally missing. This happened after I had been stopped in the traffic on the highway, heard a screeching and looked in my side mirror to see a little red car behind me swerving widely across three lanes or traffic, nearly tipping over and forcing other cars to swerve and screech as well. The person had jammed their brakes on to avoid rear ending me as I guess he wasn't expecting stopped cars on the highway. No one was hurt and no cars collided amazingly but my nerves for sure where on edge. And then the sunroof thing happened 5 minutes later. What are the chances of that I wonder? Especially because the defective sunroof issue is. "rare" ( riiiiigggght, but common enough to deserve a recall??!!).
Good thing I didn't have the sunroof's inside cover slid back or I would have been showered with glass going down the highway at 65mph. Good thing also that I didn't panic and swerve or slam the brakes on since I could have had a accident. But then again, having had many "clunker" cars in my life this is not the first time something drastic and unexpected has happened to my car while traveling 65 in the fast lane. Try the car stalling suddenly at this speed or the hood flying up and covering the front windshield so that you can only see through the little air vent grate; both of these happened to me in different cars and more than once, since the problems weren't easily fixable.
I thought a rock hit it, though, since I wasn't going under anything or near the edges of the road, I couldn't see how that was possible, since it would have to drop straight down with a lot of force. As they mention, actually, I did notice more wind noise than usual from the sunroof over the past month or two but I thought it just wasn't fully closed, since the mechanism to close the roof never seems to work right. And I guess you might not know if your sunroof is aftermarket either, since the dealer or the person you bought it from may not have told you. This only applies to aftermarket sunroofs, i.e. installed after the car leaves the factory assembly line.
So, to make a long story short, everyone reading this might want to check their sunroof unless they are positive it is factory installed. I don't think this is only for older sunroofs either. The website http://sunroofcheck.us/identify-your-sunroof.html shows the pictures of the sunroof open/close buttons and if your sunroof control buttons don't look like that then you are all set. If it they do then all you have to do is open the roof and look at the serial numbers pasted inside the front frame of the sunroof opening and if they are between 6000000 and 6396298 you need to replace the roof ( for free but not at the dealer; the website will list the places to take the car)
Webasto Product North America, Inc. ("WPNA") has decided that a defect that relates to motor vehicle safety may exist in vehicles equipped with certain Hollandia 700 and 600 ("700/600") aftermarket (non-factory installed) sunroofs manufactured from 2002-2009 and all TVS 900 ("900") series aftermarket sunroofs. These sunroofs are involved in a voluntary safety recall. In rare instances, conditions existing with the adhesive bond between the glass and metal frame in these affected Hollandia 700/600 and Hollandia TVS 900 series aftermarket (non-factory installed) sunroofs can increase the risk that the sunroof glass may completely debond from its frame. Completely debonded sunroof glass can detach from the vehicle while driving and could strike another vehicle or injure a pedestrian.
Complete glass-to-frame debonding can develop gradually and may be evidenced by metal corrosion around the sunroof frame, wind noise, vibration, visual bond separation and/or water leakage. These conditions may be observable for several months before complete glass-to-frame adhesion debonding can ultimately occur.
Determining If You're Affected: The most recognizable components of the sunroofs affected are the switches and presence of a Webasto logo on the sunshade handle. Below, we have provided documentation so you can identify whether your sunroof is included in the recall. All affected sunroofs will have one of the following switches (I can't post the pictures of the switches, so check the webpage, http://sunroofcheck.us/identify-your-sunroof.html )and have a Webasto logo on the sunshade handle.
Sarah, GM Customer Service