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Exploding Sunroofs!

bayarea415bayarea415 Member Posts: 6
Happen to you guys yet?

Was on driving doing maybe 50-60mph and suddenly heard this loud pop coming from my roof. Sounded like something exploded.

At first I thought someone had actually landed on my roof!! Saw debrises flying off my roof from the rearview mirror.

Open the sunroof shade and realized a huge hole in the middle of the sunroof!! I had to close it cuz the smaller pieces of glass were falling. What would've happened if I had the sunroof open?

I've read somewhere that the NHTSA is investigating Scion's sunroof shattering. Wonder if this is related to Scion's??
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Comments

  • ricksterqricksterq Member Posts: 45
    Wow, that's a bummer. I haven't had this problem with my IS250. I'm coming up on a year old. I HAVE had a problem with some squeeking or a "chirping" kind of noise coming from my moonroof on an intermittent basis. Seems to happen when I'm on the freeway and the moonroof is in tilt position. Lexus has yet to even hear it.
  • mimicat3872mimicat3872 Member Posts: 15
    OMG... Are you seriously serious?! I have never heard of that one but...now shocked...Did you go to the Lexus dealer? What did they say? OR repairing services. :surprise:
  • bayarea415bayarea415 Member Posts: 6
    went to the dealer and they said they had a lex rep inspected and claimed that it was struck by an outside object which voided my warranty (for a replacement).

    there's no way it was hit by a rock or object because i was the only one (car) on the freeway at that time.

    they showed me a mark where an object might have hit (far right corner) but then why there's a huge hole right in the middle of my sunroof? plus the edges of the remain sunroof glass caved upward.

    well took my car to the dealer and they said they want to give me a goodwill gesture (because great customer service and satisfaction as a dealer and mfc) they'll have the sunroof replaced and fixed for free.

    by the way,,,if you guys are not using your sunroof i strongly suggest you guys to have your sunroof shade closed! those pieces of glasses did some major damage to my roof metal and paint! imagine those sharp glasses flying into your face or eyes!
  • louisweilouiswei Member Posts: 3,715
    Do you mind to post some pictures about your exploded sunroof?
  • cbrisleycbrisley Member Posts: 1
    My family and I were returning to Cincinnati from Philadephia about two hours out of Philly. About 8:00 am. Cabin Temp 72 - outside temp 26. On the PA turnpike with nearest vehicle about 1/2 mile ahead - No overpass or falling rock zone and not a single scratch anywhere else on the car.

    Car is a 2007 Avalon with only 2800 miles at the time.

    Suddenly there is an explosion and a very loud wind noise. I felt nothing on the drive train and saw nothing but heard the loud rush of wind over my head. Pulled over and discovered a huge hole in the middle of the sunroof with the remaining glass spidered to the edge. The edges of the glass were all turned upward as if the impact was from inside the vehicle. Able to get to an oasis and buy duct tape and obtain cardboard. Called dealership and they agreed to take a look at it.

    Thought it strange but now I am more curious.
  • douglas1961douglas1961 Member Posts: 1
    It was on June 4th 2007 when it happened. I was in a 2006 Cadillac STS by myself doing approx. 70 mph with a temperature of 74 degrees outside and an inside temp set at 72 degrees. All windows and sunroof all closed tightly. I was nose to nose with a semi with no other vehicle in front to be seen and all of a sudden an explosion! I flew off of the left side of road and regained control after a couple seconds. I looked all around and saw my sunroof was mostly gone except for the perimeter which was in a million pieces still intact though. I had glass all down my shirt, in my eyes and throughout the entire car. It was such an explosion I had hearing problems for days and found through Stat Care that I had fluid behind my eardrum from the explosion. I continued to my office where I cleaned out my eyes and clothing of glass particles. Then took the car to the dealership where they claim I had to have been hit by a rock...I DON'T see any possible way a rock hit my roof doing 70 mph when NO BODY was in front of me and I am nose to nose with a semi...
    Can not explain this, but it could of been a terrible accident in the making..??????
  • cworthincworthin Member Posts: 2
    We had this happen on our 2000 VW NB while wife driving on hgwy - hot day (over 90) popping sound and sunroof shattered. Dealer tech stated he thought it looked like it exploded outwards - not from external source. We had replaced and now two weeks later while sitting inside house i heard a loud popping sound & went out to find the rear window had shattered - same thing - totally looks like outward pressure caused it. I've taken pic's which show the outward direction & NO penetration holes from external source. Called dealer & they claim never to have been aware of this happening. Glass company states that they have seen examples of shattering due to excesive heat/pressure build up. The interior of car 160+degrees & the glass actually 140 degrees to the touch (used meat thermometer). have been told that there may be a compound issue related to the tinting which contributes to this - am researching this now. Too much of coincidence for there not to be some other explanation. Both hot days - car parked in sun. AC on ads pressure if outside air vent closed & fan on high. The other just pressure building while sitting in hot sun. I wonder if keeping the airvent closed causes extra pressure to build up?
  • leahlittle1leahlittle1 Member Posts: 1
    We got home from work yesterday and the rear window of our 02 VW Passat had exploded from the inside while sitting in the driveway. The shatter-proof glass kept it in place, but it's completely shattered, pushed in an outward direction. Over 100 degrees, and it was parked in the sun. Life.
  • porchieporchie Member Posts: 50
    My sons 01 Dodge Dakota had the passenger side window blow out the other day. He said he heard a loud popping sound and then a 'bam' sort of sound and the window shattered. No one around for as far as he could see. Driving on a road at about 45 mph. He didn't see anyone anywhere. Nothing was found inside the car that would have able to break the window. The glass guy said he had heard of windows just 'exploding' for no apparent reason. It was a very hot day 90+, but this happened in the early evening. Just weird! Luckily no one was hurt.
  • minicoopersminicoopers Member Posts: 26
    Our 1985 Dodge Caravan (when new) with the optional deep tinted factory sunscreen glass imploded on us while sitting in the sun. Not many glass shards on the outside but what a mess inside! :cry:
  • toby_xtoby_x Member Posts: 1
    Just happened to me yesterday!!!

    Driving on the freeway, minding my own business, and.....BOOM!!!

    I thought a gun went off or maybe a tire exploded. I Looked around at the other cars
    on the freeway but no one was swerving.

    A few minutes later I looked up to close the sunroof and noticed it was shattered but held together by the tint.

    Glass replacement company needed to order the glass and said it would take two days, so they taped it up and let me drive away.

    On the freeway, everything seemed fine until I started to hear the sound of tape ripping. Then the entire sunroof all taped together, ripped off and slid down the roof and trunk and finally into traffic where it exploded into thousands of shards of glass.
  • rgarza4x4rgarza4x4 Member Posts: 1
    The sunroof just exploded on my wife's 2008 CX 7 as we were driving on the road at about 65 mph yesterday. I just cannot blame that a rock could have caused this. I believe that the contributing factor is a metal bar that runs across and underneath the front of the sunroof is too close to the sunroof. If a rock or other object hit the sunroof right above the metal bar, it could cause the sunroof to shatter. Another assumption or contributing factor is a variation of temperatures between the sunroof and this metal bar. I am putting this info out there to see if other CX 7 owners have had this happen to them or if it happens to others in the future. My insurance company will be replacing my sunroof at a cost of $50.00 for the deductible. Perhaps Mazda needs to re-engineer the sunroof assembly.

    :(
  • esfoadesfoad Member Posts: 210
    Shouldn't Mazda replace that sunroof for free under the manufacturer's warranty?
  • TripleCrownTripleCrown Member Posts: 1
    The moon roof glass in my 2001 PT Cruiser broke yesterday. Going about 60 on the freeway, and boom! Thought something hit me at first, but then realized that the glass has simply shattered. There is no evidence of anything having hit it, and it appears to be bubbled outward, as if from pressure inside the car. Out of warranty, of course, but seems like the manufacturers should do something about this.
  • wdlwdl Member Posts: 1
    Boom! (rattle)..like a rock and sand had hit the car (2007 CX7-2 days ago).
    A frantic search finds all ok, still going 60 mph, crowded highway, no overpass, not hit by another car.Took the next off-ramp and found a hole in the middle of a shattered sun roof - glass blown upward? The inner slide was closed and caught the pieces - no sign of anything punching thru from the outside which surely would have bust thru the slide as well. We had just driven from the Oregon coast over a very cold and snowy mountain road.The rain had let up when this happened. The heat was on inside. We think its the temp. difference combined with a defect glass.
    Went straight to the dealer in Portland - great service! Warranty covered the repair and car hire!
    I read a similar report on a RAV4
  • lshoeelshoee Member Posts: 1
    We were driving about 75 mph and went under a bridge and the sunroof just exploded. When we pulled over we noticed that the glass was pushed UP not down like something hit it. Can it just implode. No windows were open in the car at the time - could it be a change in pressure as we went under the bridge? Glass rained down everywhere but thankfully none of us were injured. Is it true that Mazda pays to replace it. I have their extended warranty.
  • lakebreeze1lakebreeze1 Member Posts: 8
    Add me to the club. My 16 mos. old Avalon ltd. just had it's sunroof go "POP".
    Driving with it in the tilted position. Nothing came by to hit it. It just went.
    The dealer, Wilde Toyota, Milwaukee, WI is taking care of it. They noticed
    scratches in the trunk lid paint from the glass shards and are having both the glass and repaint covered under warranty. (They're handling it well so far, no hassles).
    They claim they hadn't really seen this happen before but when it happened
    to me, I thought of these postings so I wasn't too shocked.
    No cause from heat, pressure or impact, just a flaw in the glass somewhere that finally went.
  • ajgrantcshajgrantcsh Member Posts: 9
    Same thing for me on a brand new (4 months) 2009 BMW 335 xi. . I was not going under an overpass, there were no trucks near me, nor were there too many other cars in the vicinity. I heard a loud pop and my sunroof shattered. I saw nothing coming at me, nor did I find any rocks in the car.

    BMW sent out an engineer. He and the national engineering group evaluated the damage and maintain that the sunroof was hit by something. They have denied any responsibility for covering the repairs, so it's going through my insurance company. Total bill was just over $2,000 to replace the glass, clean out all the glass fragments that were in the headliner and paint the trunk and roof - they had lots of scratches from the flying glass shards. I still don't see how anything could have hit the car given where I was - maybe a bird dropped a stone. It's been almost 3 weeks - two weeks waiting for the BMW and insurance adjusters and a week to do the work. I just want my car back and get out of the awful Dodge Charger I rented. That's another thing. BMW offered to put me into a rental while the car was waiting to be evaluated and then backed out when it became an insurance claim - so I also have the excess rental charges to pay for.

    The report I got from BMW indicated that the glass exploded from the impact of a small stone and the difference in air pressure and temperature between the interior and exterior. I was at sea level and the temperature inside and outside was almost identical. I'm really skeptical about that explanation.
  • britmombritmom Member Posts: 2
    I just had the same thing on my 2008 bmw, did you have any problems getting it fixed? I had the glass replaced, by the authorised glass people with safelite, and now my sunroof is not working properly! I KNEW I should have gone to the dealer to get it fixed!! It will open, and go halfway, then open again!! The guy just could not get it to work, so I am now HOPEFULLY going to get it sorted with the dealer. My sunroof was at a tilt when it exploded! same thing didn't drive under anything, not driving too fast, no trucks close by, no birds about....just an almighty noise and then glass chips falling on my head!!!!! I did not even realise it was my car!!!...have to get mine painted too...just want it fixed!!!!!!
  • ajgrantcshajgrantcsh Member Posts: 9
    Sorry to hear of your ongoing problem. Despite what BMW said, I do believe there is ample evidence that these things just explode spontaneously.

    I did take mine to my dealer's body shop. They did a superb job with both the roof and the paint. Just one small problem I have is a rattle somewhere in the roof. I think it's the shade thumping against something when I go over rough road. Made an appointment to drop it off next week to take care of that.

    Good luck with your repair.
  • greginazgreginaz Member Posts: 4
    Our sunroof exploded outward like a gunshot two weeks ago. Lexus at first said it must have been a rock hitting it but there were no overpasses, no trucks around and it would take a huge rock coming straight down to break it while we were going 60 mph on I-10. Finally the service manager said it was a gray area after I pointed out several other cases I found on Google. They said Lexus always gives the customer the service when it comes to gray areas so they did fully fix it on warranty. The car only has 14,000 miles on it. I think it is a more common problem then Lexus wants to admit. For AZ it was not hot, about 95 degrees and we had driven for 20 miles so the car had cooled off.
  • 08jeepliberty08jeepliberty Member Posts: 2
    I purchased my Jeep Liberty in April of 2008 and have genuinely been pleased with both the vehicle and the service. On June 24 my wife and I, while on vacation, were driving down I-10 in southern Mississippi and were suddenly frighten by what sounded like a shotgun blast just above our heads. We looked around and there were no other vehicles or overpasses in sight. We pulled over on the shoulder of the road to do an inspection of our Liberty and found that the sunroof had apparently exploded! The glass had shattered into thousands of small pieces from the exact center of the sunroof and the remaining glass fragments in the sunroof were bent outward as if the force of the explosion was from within the vehicle. South Mississippi was under an extreme heat warning at the time, and the outside temperature reading, as read on the vehicle display, was 102 F. After inspecting the outside of the vehicle, we could not find evidence of any other damage. We immediately called the service department of our dealer to report the incident and see what we should do about this. The service manager told us he had never heard of a sunroof exploding and suggested we make an insurance claim to repair the damage. I, however, feel that the explosion was the result of a defective glass which exploded when there was a huge difference in temperatures inside and outside of the car. Since it was unlikely that we could get the vehicle repaired quickly, and we didn’t want to lose the money we had prepaid for a 4-day stay at the beachside condo in Alabama, we decided to do a temporary fix on the sunroof with some gray duct tape, being careful not to get any of the tape on the painted surface on the roof. It’s now Monday morning (June 29) and we have returned home. I decided to get on the computer and investigate if there were any other reports of exploding sunroofs, and found the reports recorded on this site.
    I am now trying to decide if I should file an insurance claim as if the damage was from a rock that struck the roof, or insist it was the result of a defective glass. I feel strongly that the incident resulted from a defect rather than a rock, since there were no overpasses or other vehicles anywhere near us when it happened, and the unlikelihood that a rock would strike the exact center of the sunroof with no surrounding damage of any type. One of my other concerns is that some of the glass fragments that fell between the roof and the interior lining of the vehicle must be removed or they will make noise or cause other problems in the future. Any advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated.
  • richardb621richardb621 Member Posts: 1
    I just had the same thing happen to me Friday when I was driving on the highway.I was a nice day temperture about 75F and no cars by me when, the sunroof popped.
    I have a 2006 xi BMW that I purchased in April 2009, I will bring this to the Dealer Monday
    I will let everyone know .
  • 08jeepliberty08jeepliberty Member Posts: 2
    Just a follow-up on the 2008 Jeep Liberty exploding sunroof. The dealer has refused to fix the sunroof under warranty; or in other words, they claim no responsibility for having to replacing the sunroof. In fact, the service manager told me that the decision was made by a regional service manager in Atlanta. When I asked for a means to contact this person, she told me that she could not give out any information about this person. She told me I should bring it to a glass shop and file an insurance claim for the repair. When I asked her “are you refusing service on my vehicle” the service manager then backed off and said she would get back with me on the matter. She never retuned my call, although she claimed to have left several messages, none of which I received. Oh well…so much for good service! I’m interested if BMW will agree to fix your car under warranty. Judging from some of the previous reports on this topic, they should. But this is probably the difference between a quality manufacturer (like BMW) and a bankrupt manufacturer like Chrysler.
  • britmombritmom Member Posts: 2
    I'll actually be very surprised if they fix it!! I know when mine shattered, I tried to call BMW first, but they didn't answer the call after call that I made, and leaving messages telling them to call me asap it was urgent!! So gave up and filed a claim with my insurance. FINALLY they got back to me! Well I told them what had happened, and said that I had actually already filed a claim with my insurance because I had heard nothing back, they said, 'Oh, O.K. thats alright then!!!!' No 'Oh don't worry we'll check it out!..Nothing!!! Then again, it depends where you are, and what your BMW dealership is like!! Hopefully you'll have a nice one :0)
  • mmmitcmmmitc Member Posts: 2
    The same thing happened to me with my Mazda cx-7 It is out of dealer warranty so they said Mazda wouldn't pay, I have extended warranty but they said they don't cover anything like that. I think they should recall I have a 5 month old baby and 3 yr old. Thank God the roof part was closed. Did you have any luck when you contacted Mazda?
  • mmmitcmmmitc Member Posts: 2
    We were driving on interstate- nice day about 85 degrees. My 5 month old and 3 year old in back seat. We heard a loud explosion like a shot gun. Actually thought we had blown a tire but after looking the tires were fine. We continued to drive and heard air entering vehicle. We opened the sun roof and saw large hole in roof. Like it just exploded. There was nothing that flew up and hit it. It just exploded. Mazda is saying because it is out of warranty they will not cover it. My extened warranty also does not cover it and my insurance company is saying manf. defect. I am so frustrated!!!!!!!!!
  • dano29dano29 Member Posts: 1
    Add my 2007 Infiniti FX35 to the list of vehicles with exploding sunroof. While driving home to Canada the sunroof exploded like a shotgun. We pulled over and discovered the big hole in the sunroof. Infiniti won't talk to me about warranty, only that it is not covered. The initial sunroof replacement was C$1,400 and now there is an additional $3,700 ($5,700 total damage) required to remove glass from between the roof and the inside panel. I am getting nowhere with Infiniti on the warranty so I am beginning small claims court proceeding here in Alberta. Very frustrating.
  • robbie567robbie567 Member Posts: 1
    my saab 9-3 was at the mechanic, i received a phone call explaining that my sunroof had shattered. When i asked what the hell this meant the mechanic explained that my sunroof had shattered outward, but remained intact except for a few small peices. Anyone else have this happen to them
  • howardruhowardru Member Posts: 155
    Perhaps you should check the SAAB message board.....

    This is the Mazda CX-7 board.... The chances of a CX-7 owner, also being an owner of a Saab 9-3 are miniscule....
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Sorry, no, this is not a Mazda CX-7 board. Please look at the top of the discussion to see the vehicles this conversation includes. In fact, it includes any vehicle with an exploding sunroof, whether listed or not, since only up to nine vehicles may be listed at a time. Have a look at the Saab 9-3 "board" and you'll see this discussion appears there as well.

    As with the other posters here, Robbie's actual experience was terribly unfortunate, but his post is welcome in this discussion. :)
  • howardruhowardru Member Posts: 155
    When I look at the top of this page, it says

    You are here: Make Index Mazda CX-7


    That says Mazda, CX-7 which is the make and model I navigated to.

    Says it on the bottom of my page too.

    If people want to populate the forum with off-topic models and cars, then so be it. Being the moderator, it would be more effective as a research tool to keep the members focused on the MAKE as indicated on the You Are Here page...
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    You are missing the What is this discussion about? line in the header at the top of the page. You can list any of those make/models and find this discussion there (did you check the Saab 9-3 link I gave you?). If you display the discussion from any of those page lists, that particular vehicle will show up where you are seeing the CX-7. In other words, this discussion belongs to all of those models just as much as it belongs to the CX-7.

    We have many discussions that encompass more than one make/model and this is how we manage it. I am sorry if you don't find it to your liking, but it's been this way for many years and it's not likely to change.

    Rather than you and me continuing to disrupt this topic with this subject, please feel free to email me directly, or else to use the Help link to find the Contact Us page.

    Thanks!!
  • aerblandaerbland Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2007 Mazda 3 and the same thing happened to me last week. I was driving down the interstate during a warm day and I also heard air coming in via the sunroof cover and opened it to find a huge hole in my sunroof glass, the whole thing shattered. Any luck with Mazda?
  • doindmathdoindmath Member Posts: 1
    ...so I could not have a sunroof! I really just wanted more head room...
  • brianwittybrianwitty Member Posts: 1
    Exploding sunroofs are not a manufacturer defect. They only happen when the sunroof is closed and the windows are rolled up. Car manufactureers have gotten very good at making the cabins airtight so the inside of the car will remain at the same cabin pressure as when the car was sitting still. Now when you are driving down the freeway at 65-70 miles per hour the air rushing across the top of the car creates lift (bernoulli effect). If you are driving against the wind you can add the wind speed to your traveling speed and soon have pressure differences like you might see in a tornado tearing the roof off of a house. The specific day's barometric will also be a factor. Anyway the glass is literally sucked upward and breaks equalizing the pressure. The immidiate change in pressure stops the upward suction, and the remaining glass falls in your face. Side windows, windsheilds and rearglass do not have the same ammount of pressure on them because of the aerodynamic shape of the car. Sunroofs are positioned close to the windshield where the air traveling over the car still wants to travel in an upward direction.
    So- it is not a manufacturer defect, but it is a design flaw. Sunroof cars should be have a pressure equalizer much like modern airliners do. Or at least move them back on the roof a few inches (but thats not as much fun. right?) I haven't done the math, and dont plan on it, but my theory is that the tinted wind diffuser on the front of many sunroofs (that help deflect the wind from entering the car when the roof is open) probably makes the upward pressure worse when the roof is closed.
    Wow- feels good to actually use some of that college physics I studied so hard for. Studied Physics/aerospace - work in real estate! LOL
    Anyway I saw how many people were commenting about exploding sunroofs, but didn't see any answers provided.
  • pam445pam445 Member Posts: 2
    This just happened to my two month old 2010 jetta sportwagen TDI! We were driving on the interstate when we heard an incredibly loud bang and realized the sunroof had imploded. This is a panoramic sunroof with two separate panes of glass, and it was the front one that imploded. We were on a wide, open road with no cars around. Nothing hit us. The glass was completely shattered and the glass that hadn't fallen or flown off was pointed upwards, not down into the car like you'd expect if something large enough had hit it to break it.

    Dealer has quoted just under $2K to fix the sunroof and shade (which was also torn). They say they can't cover it under the new car warranty b/c glass breakage isn't covered, but this is obviously some sort of defect or flaw! I'm not letting this one go lightly. Could have easily caused a wreck or severe injuries. Scary stuff.
  • masstdimasstdi Member Posts: 2
    We had this happen to our 2010 jetta sportwagen TDI about a month ago, just after about 1000 miles. I would press the dealer, as our dealer did cover it under warranty with no grief. We were told that it is a known defect that was traced to a specific manufacturing station and has since been corrected. It was the rear panel on our sunroof, but there was also another car at the same dealer (not sure what panel). If the dealer isn't helping, I'd contact VW directly. Besides the car being at the dealer for nearly 4 weeks, while the glass was located and shipped, no other issues.
  • kipsterkipster Member Posts: 1
    My sunroof exploded this morning on my 05 Dodge Magnum..
    It was tilted open, front windows down about an inch, just like every other day.
    52 degrees outside at 6am.
    No pressurization issue, no temperature change, no moisture issue, no debris, NOTHING!
    Just driving to work, like every other morning, then BANG.
    Glass everywhere.
  • pam445pam445 Member Posts: 2
    To: massti
    Re: 2010 jsw exploded sunroof

    I fought back about this, contacted VW directly, and also contacted the head of the dealership where I purchased the car. VW finally decided to cover it (apparently they happened to have a rep visiting my dealership last week), but said they only had a record of this happening ONE other time to this car, and told me that it was the rear panel of the sunroof (ours was the front). Would you mind telling me which dealer you were at so I can be sure they know I know this has happened more than once! Because they are acting like this is just a "Good Will" coverage.

    My car is still being repaired, because all the parts haven't arrived yet. They did give me a loaner car (only after some hassle).
  • masstdimasstdi Member Posts: 2
    Pam445,
    Glad to hear that you were able to get it covered. Our experience was with Colonial Volkswagen in Massachusetts. Contrary to your experience, they were very helpful. Good luck!
  • hothatchhothatch Member Posts: 1
    I wish I could say this was the only issue I have at only 285 miles. Prior to delivery the hatch was damaged by the delivery truck. After waiting months for my new car I was willing to accept the repair and move on. At time of delivery I was informed that some molding and the windshield would have to be replaced due to a flaw found in it by the local rep. Again can live with it but it is feeling less like a new car. Driving home one nigh nobody else on the road and boom sunroof explodes like a ball was shot though it from the inside. Glass gets on the wipers on scratches the new windshield as well as the top of the car. I'm ready for the new car I purchased now,I think I should call VW. So VW customer care lets me know how sorry they are but they are not going to cover the sunroof but the dealer has chosen to take care of it under goodwill. The other damage sorry to hear. I questioned them on the sunroof and was told that there experts had determined it was broken from outside influences ( Im the only one on the road). I pressed for clarification on determining this and was told the trained experts at the dealer know these things ( I'm in the dealer parking lot at time of the call from VW) back inside I go. Dealership says they made no such statement and that the district rep had made the call without seeing the car based on his experience. VW says the matter is closed and the local rep making these calls he is not available for such things (really).
    My first VW a1976 Sciricco, 34 years of VW this might be my last .
  • spannellspannell Member Posts: 1
    My sunroof exploded on my 2010 Subaru just last week. I was completely shocked! Although on the interstate, other vehicles weren't that close to have hit me with a rock. I think it just blew up. I just bought my car in December. So far, my dealership hasn't been very helpful. I am still trying to get some answers from them about the costs. Reading these accounts really helps.
  • greginazgreginaz Member Posts: 4
    My 2009 Lexus IS-250 did the same thing on I-10 in Phoenix. Lexus covered it 100% but didn't like doing it. After showing them this web site and all the messages they agreed to pay for it.
  • timblomgrentimblomgren Member Posts: 1
    Same thing happened to me today in a 2008 Toyota Highlander, traveling on the freeway at 65mph. Cool, windy day. I wouldn't have believed this happening, if I was not driving the car myself when it happened. I'm certain that we are all dealing with an issue known as "differential pressure". Check your Physics book. High pressure inside the car and low pressure outside the car (the higher the relative wind speed, the lower the pressure outside). This is the only logical explanation I can come up with, as a mechanical engineer by trade. Temperature was not an issue, it was only about 60-65F. There were mildly gusty winds, which, combined with the freeway speed, made a big pressure drop outside. I had the shade drawn underneath it, so at least I didn't get glass all over.

    The sunroof glass definitely appears to be thinner than standard side window glass or windshield glass. And it is probably not the same "grade" of glass. Plus, the sunroof itself is quite long, so the center is not well supported. This is an obvious design defect.
  • menifee1menifee1 Member Posts: 1
    My wife was driving down a empty two lane highway with no cars in sight and no overpasses. Slowing at about 50 MPH to a red light a huge bang Liek a gun shot happend with glass flying everywhere behind the car. My wife was startled and my 3 and 1 year ol kids started screaming... Luckily teh sunshade was closed so no glass came inside the vehicle TG. So she calls Lexus dealership (Riverside, CA) right away and tehy say bring the car in- 40 miles later she gets to the dealership and tehy simply smerked and say yeah right! NOT happy she call Corp.- Corp. was cordial but said tat it would be a couple of days before they could say anything. Today Corp. says that tehy won't do anything about it. My wife asked based on waht and they said that they realy on what the dealership says- well if it has never happened to them or ever seen it I wouldn't belive it either- BUT it did happen and will continue to fight with Corp. to get this taken care of- So FAR Lexus is turning thier head- Insuranec will cover obviously but the principle of it happening and Lexus not beleiving a happy customer pisses me off- What if it happens again?? this time with teh sunshade open - belive me there will be lawyers knocking at my door to say teh least!!
  • greginazgreginaz Member Posts: 4
    Ours is a 2008 IS-250, my wife was going about 60 mph on a pretty hot day. Exactly the same thing. Contact Arrowhead Lexus in Phoenix, they paid all costs for it.
  • rocco1951rocco1951 Member Posts: 7
    Rear glass windshield ( not side windows ) exploded outward while driving 60 mph. No impact from above or any vehicle caused this. Toyota dealer referred replacement decision to Toyota Corp rep who inspected car and refused warranty claim. I asked Toyota Corp for arbitration hearing. One was scheduled but Toyota paid my repair bill from Safelite Auto Glass two weeks before hearing date. Arbitration procedure is outlined in the owner's manual. I had a similar situation for a suspension repair on my 2007 Toyota Tacoma truck. Dealer refused warranty claim but Toyota Corp paid my out of pocket expense-this time without a request for arbitration. Imagine what this would be like if Toyota was not having public relations problems !
  • okeydokey1okeydokey1 Member Posts: 1
    Glad to hear that no one was hurt. Can you tell me which sunroof option you have?
  • 3reese3reese Member Posts: 1
    edited September 2010
    Our sunroom shattered 2 days ago, it was in the 80's outside, and myself, husband and 2.5 yr old were all in the car, ready to leave the store and we heard this huge BOOM. I thought someone lobbed a brick at the car, we both got out and our sunroom had shattered and there was a hole in the middle, but we've both looked and there is no rock, or anything that hit the window. Checking with the dealer today to see what the options are, we've only had the car for 6 weeks. :cry:
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