Sunroof Exploded

[Franco]

Last week while driving on the freeway in heavy rain my sunroof exploded. I heard a loud crack and thought I may have picked something up that hit the wheel well. When I got to my destination I walked all around and looked under but didn't think to look at the roof. By chance I happened to look out a second story window and I noticed the hole. When this happened I was no where near an overpass or anything else that could have dropped on it. If you look at the photo it appears to have been forced up. It is currently at the dealer waiting for replacement class. They didn't yea or nay about it being covered under warranty.

 

[waynehead99]

That glass does look like its pushed up in the picture... My guess is with tempered glass (I am assuming that is what is used), sometimes in manufacturing, the tension gets a little much and over time... this can happen.

I had a sliding glass door do the same once, scared the crap outta me.

Based off the picture, I would be pushing the dealer if they don't do warranty on it. Its clear that it exploded up.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Welcome to the Forum from NH.

Lots of knowledgeable folks here who freely share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Knowledge is power.

I hope that you will become a participating member in the Forum's discussions.

Pics of the truck, please.

You are already receiving sage advice from the knowledgeable folks on this Forum.

That certainly sucks. I've seen other windows 'explode, but never a sunroof. Good that it is under warranty.

 

[Franco]

Its now 6 days since I left with the dealership and still no answer from GM on getting replacement glass.

 

[swathdiver]

Its now 6 days since I left with the dealership and still no answer from GM on getting replacement glass.

Inconvenient but to be expected with a new model on top of all this "supply chain" chaos. Enjoy the rental.

 

[Staggered 02]

Bummer. Sorry to hear. Do you know what brand moonroof that is? I think there is only on or two these days. American Sunroof was bought out by Webasto or something like that. I was told that certain SNs had a recall because they were known to delaminate and come apart. Anyway, you can check the SN to see if it falls within the recall SNs and brand. Might be worth your while to do a little searching.

Good luck.

 

[BG1988]

Last week while driving on the freeway in heavy rain my sunroof exploded. I heard a loud crack and thought I may have picked something up that hit the wheel well. When I got to my destination I walked all around and looked under but didn't think to look at the roof. By chance I happened to look out a second story window and I noticed the hole. When this happened I was no where near an overpass or anything else that could have dropped on it. If you look at the photo it appears to have been forced up. It is currently at the dealer waiting for replacement class. They didn't yea or nay about it being covered under warranty.

be sure to report this to the NHTSA

it's not GM first time of roof separation

it's 0:50 in

 

[Franco]

Its now 6 days since I left with the dealership and still no answer from GM on getting replacement glass.

Week plus two days, just heard replacement glass on its way from MI. Should be in by mid week. Hopefully they know how to replace it.

 

[chevylade]

Seems to be a more common problem than I would have expected across many car manufacturers. Consumer Reports published an article on this back in 2017. Here’s the link but I don’t know if you can get to it without being a CR member. https://www.consumerreports.org/car-safety/exploding-sunroofs-danger-overhead/

 

[Rocket Man]

Tempered glass is going to bulge toward the direction it curves when it shatters unless a huge object is thrown through it so it’s impossible to tell what caused it to break. It could have been a flaw in it or it could have reacted to differences in temp from the outside to the inside or any number of things. The way sunroof glass is made, with the areas that are covered with a dark coating to hide the mechanical parts behind it, makes it weaker than, say, the side window glass so more failures occur. And the bigger they are, the weaker they are. I have been in the glass industry all my life snd as they say, sh*t happens without explanation especially with tempered. I have seen big pieces in towers start breaking for no known reason, and I’ve had to hang 300’ up in the air on a swing stage to replace it. We had one building we installed and warrantied the exterior on, 33 stories, and glass is still breaking for no known reason 7 years later. I’m just glad you had the shade closed otherwise it might have caused an accident.