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Exploding Sunroofs!

116 messages,  Last post on May 21, 2013 at 6:36 AM

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Messages Page 7 of 12

#59 of 116 Re: sunroof exploded [rgarza4x4] by hlynnbv

Jan 22, 2011 (4:30 pm)

Replying to: rgarza4x4 (Dec 25, 2008 1:36 pm)
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.

#60 of 116 05' Accord Exploding sunroof by pga1969

Feb 08, 2011 (10:22 am)

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.

#61 of 116 Re: 05' Accord Exploding sunroof [pga1969] by ajgrantcsh

Feb 08, 2011 (11:02 am)

Replying to: pga1969 (Feb 08, 2011 10:22 am)
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.

#62 of 116 Re: 05' Accord Exploding sunroof [ajgrantcsh] by kirstie_h HOST

Feb 08, 2011 (11:56 am)

Replying to: ajgrantcsh (Feb 08, 2011 11:02 am)
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.

#63 of 116 Re: Exploding Rear Glass 2009 Scion Tc [rocco1951] by fastpitch3

Feb 24, 2011 (10:17 am)

Replying to: rocco1951 (Jul 14, 2010 10:00 pm)
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????

#64 of 116 2011 Chrysler 200 by llevesque

Mar 11, 2011 (1:39 pm)

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.

#65 of 116 Re: 05' Accord Exploding sunroof [kirstie_h] by ajgrantcsh

Mar 11, 2011 (4:14 pm)

Replying to: kirstie_h (Feb 08, 2011 11:56 am)
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.
 
Andrew

#66 of 116 Re: 2011 Chrysler 200 [llevesque] by eg_engineer

Mar 12, 2011 (3:10 pm)

Replying to: llevesque (Mar 11, 2011 1:39 pm)
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.

#67 of 116 2010 Kia Forte by nett2002

Mar 15, 2011 (2:52 pm)

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.

#68 of 116 Exploding sunroof 2011 Hyundai Sonata by heidij

Mar 19, 2011 (9:48 am)

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?

Messages Page 7 of 12

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