Consumer Reports article on exploding sunroofs

silverrascal

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I read the article but I'm still questioning what exactly is causing the sunroofs to explode. Is it the heat? Is it the material? Is it a design defect? What's the cause?
 

Captaindicki

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I read the article. I came away solidifying my opinion that Korean cars are junk
 

Gruber

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The problem is that in a relatively new car on warranty glass can break because of impact and it also can break "by itself." In old cars it can break because it's old. Usually there is no way to prove in court what caused the glass to break. On one hand there are possible defects in glass or faulty installation (e.g. edge chips), on the other hand there is absolutely no doubt that plenty of people will try hard to extort the warranty even though they know they dropped a brick on the sunroof or drove through hail etc. Besides, how can anyone ever be sure a small rock didn't hit the sunroof? Very tiny rock can easily cause such "explosion."

These things are rare for most people. No one in my household ever had to replace any auto glass. I once had a small crack in the windshield, caused by a small rock/pebble coming from a truck on a freeway. It never got larger for over 10 years and I never tried to do anything about it. I also once had a crack at the bottom of the windshield in a rental SUV. I never noticed when it happened and it could have been there before. That summarizes all my adventures with auto glass.

The only real solution to this problem is, as usual, through testing, not just statistics. Someone needs to look at new cars and find those manufacturing defects. If this is not done, glass is glass. It's random/unpredictable. For this reason it's best to deal with glass issues by insurance. And sure enough windshield replacement is one of the most common car insurance claims. So is hail/storm damage. Still, that doesn't mean that car/glass manufacturers should get away with tolerating defects and that they shouldn't try to make stronger glass.
 


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calonzo

calonzo

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Does car insurance glass coverage cover sunroofs? I thought just windshields.
Otherwise the deductible will likely mean that you will be paying for it out of pocket.
 

HappyTrails

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My sunroof exploded today. I was sitting at a stop light and BANG! Luckily the shade was drawn so I wasn't sliced by the glass shards that went everywhere. Of course the dealership refused to cover it under warranty. It's a 2019 Hatch EX with 8k miles on it. Dealership wants $950 installed price.

Honda Civic 10th gen Consumer Reports article on exploding sunroofs IMG_5231
 

Lightning13

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My sunroof exploded today. I was sitting at a stop light and BANG! Luckily the shade was drawn so I wasn't sliced by the glass shards that went everywhere. Of course the dealership refused to cover it under warranty. It's a 2019 Hatch EX with 8k miles on it. Dealership wants $950 installed price.

IMG_5231.jpeg
I call BS on that dealership. Fight em tooth and nail, it's not your fault you got a defective sunroof.
 

Leveslady

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My sunroof exploded today. I was sitting at a stop light and BANG! Luckily the shade was drawn so I wasn't sliced by the glass shards that went everywhere. Of course the dealership refused to cover it under warranty. It's a 2019 Hatch EX with 8k miles on it. Dealership wants $950 installed price.

IMG_5231.jpeg
 


a c i d.f l y

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My dealer had extra coverage for the glass for $350 with an IBEX application that's like RainX on steroids. Free replacement of any glass for five years due to roadside hazards. I have Sensing, so that front window is about $900-1200, while my old 96 Civic had the glass and rubber seal replaced for $170.

Your insurance, should you have comprehensive, usually has a secondary support or rate for glass coverage repair.

Sunroof glass popping like that sounds random as hell. Also, the shards aren't going to cut you. They're tempered safety glass. When they break, the edges aren't sharp.

I also wonder about the cars with high numbers of incidents and if they have poorly designed aerodynamics, such that small rocks are directed by the air to hit the sunroof and aren't channeled away. I have two small dents from rocks at the top back corners of my roof after two and a half years, and 13,000 miles.
 

KYBubblehead

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Not in my Civic, but my wife's new CR-V. Unnerving, to say the least...
 

stevessvt

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I wonder if it’s being caused by temperature differential? Freezing cold outside and blasting the heat inside....Does this happen more often in the winter?
 

EdwarDallas

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This happened on my 2016 Honda HRV 6-MT, I had to pay $750 to replace the glass.
 

aighead

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I read somewhere that it seemed to happen more with people that keep their shade closed...
Sponsored

 


 


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