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Exploding Sunroofs!

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

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Messages Page 10 of 12

#91 of 116 2010 Mazda CX7 sunroof exploded by kellygrl

Jan 12, 2012 (8:39 am)

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.

#92 of 116 2011 Optima sunroof explodes by optimasx

Apr 18, 2012 (9:26 am)

Mine exploded on Monday, being covered by warranty, no issues. That some are not getting this covered is bs....this shouldn't be happening.

#93 of 116 Re: 2011 Optima sunroof explodes [optimasx] by kylen2002

Apr 25, 2012 (10:51 am)

Replying to: optimasx (Apr 18, 2012 9:26 am)
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.

#94 of 116 Nissan Rouge exploding sunroof by steveo22

Jun 07, 2012 (8:22 pm)

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

#95 of 116 Ford Focus exploding sunroof by 2003focus

Jun 09, 2012 (6:20 pm)

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.

#96 of 116 Re: Ford Focus exploding sunroof [2003focus] by pismopat

Aug 17, 2012 (12:51 pm)

Replying to: 2003focus (Jun 09, 2012 6:20 pm)
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.

#97 of 116 Re: Ford Focus exploding sunroof [pismopat] by 2003focus

Aug 17, 2012 (1:46 pm)

Replying to: pismopat (Aug 17, 2012 12:51 pm)
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.

#98 of 116 Re: 2011 Optima sunroof explodes [kylen2002] by maritak

Sep 09, 2012 (4:23 pm)

Replying to: kylen2002 (Apr 25, 2012 10:51 am)
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?

#99 of 116 Re: 2011 Optima sunroof explodes [maritak] by greginaz

Sep 09, 2012 (8:24 pm)

Replying to: maritak (Sep 09, 2012 4:23 pm)
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.

Messages Page 10 of 12

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