3 On Your Side: Shattering Sunroofs Surprising Drivers
By Jim Donovan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- First comes a loud crash, then glass shattering in their car. Many people across the country have had it happen to them, a sunroof explosion! 3 On Your Side Consumer Reporter Jim Donovan has more on the potentially dangerous problem.
It's an experience that drivers and their passengers don't soon forget. For Pegge and John Humphrey of Wilmington it happened while driving on the highway earlier this month. The sunroof of their Toyota RAV 4 exploded without warning. "I thought we got hit by a meteorite," says Pegge, adding, "I could hear a whoosh of air." John says, "It stunned both of us, there was like an 8 to 10 inch hole dead center of the sun roof. It almost looked like a little volcano." Yet when the couple went to get the SUV fixed there were no signs of a bullet, rock or anything having hit. John says,
"They could find no foreign debris."
The same thing happened to Niki Wheeler's Kia Optima. She says, "It literally shattered into a million pieces." And it happened to Bacc Alexander's Lexus too. He says, "The glass was bowed outward, there were no rocks, there were no bullet holes, nobody was beside me."
When Pegge Humphrey starting doing some research, she says, "It's happening with all different kinds of cars in all different parts of our country."
Over 400 complaints about exploding or shattering sunroofs have been filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration involving at least 13 car manufacturers. There's even a name for it, "spontaneous sunroof breakage".
So what's causing sunroofs to explode? There are several theories. First, cars are more airtight than ever, so more pressure is put on the glass. While the glass meets safety standards, these days it's being manufactured to be lighter and thinner. Even temperature can play a role. Many sunroof explosions happen on very hot days when heat gets trapped between the sunroof and a closed visor.
But there is a common denominator, most sunroofs are manufactured using tempered glass. Designed to break into tiny pieces for safety, any flaw in tempered glass can cause shattering under pressure. It happens without warning. We've seen it topple tables, shatter shower doors, and explode on ovens. With sunroofs a flaw can occur during manufacturing, or from something like road debris.
"People describe it as like a gunshot," says Michael Layton of Car Effex of Mantua Township. He's been repairing sunroofs for over a decade and sees the problem often. He says, "We probably do about 10 a month. Normally there's a rock chip or something that actually caused it, like a little chip and once it gets hot enough it just explodes."
Shattering sunroofs have led to recalls on certain Hyundai Veloster models and Audi A8 and S8's and the government is investigating the Kia Sorento for similar complaints.
Meanwhile vehicle owners like John and Pegge Humphrey are left shaken, and with a hefty repair bill of over $1100. John says, "I will never have another vehicle with a sunroof."
Toyota says it's aware of sunroofs shattering on some Toyota and Lexus vehicles but says it doesn't appear to be a vehicle-or component-related issue. In fact, car warranties often won't cover repairs since auto makers blame the damage on external forces like rocks and debris.
So what can drivers do to protect themselves?
- Air out your vehicle when initially starting it, especially on hot days.
- Keep the sun visor open slightly on hot days so heat doesn't build up between the visor and the glass.
- If you're not using the sunroof while driving, keep the sun visor closed. That way if the glass does shatter it won't fall down on top of you.
Hyundai Sunroof Recall Information:
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/jaxrs/download/doc/UCM434434/RCAK-13V051-6060.pdf
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/jaxrs/download/doc/UCM431505/RCAK-12V568-4104.PDF
Audi Sunroof Recall Information:
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/jaxrs/download/doc/UCM445238/RCAK-13V448-6917.pdf
Kia Sorento Sunroof Investigation:
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/jaxrs/download/doc/UCM455160/INOA-EA14002-1938.PDF
