Exploding Panorama Sunroof

Trying to get the word out about this since no one seems to be aware of this problem until it happens to them (me included). I was driving down a highway in Phoenix and then suddenly heard what sounded like a gunshot. Got out of the truck to discover that one portion of my sunroof had busted. The tempered glass shattered but stayed mostly intact so I was able to confirm that there was no impact mark on the glass. Confused, I hit up Google and sure enough, it’s a pretty well-known problem that Toyota is aware of but won’t issue a recall because I guess it doesn’t happen enough. But buyer beware and if you have a kid in that backseat, then you might wanna keep that blind closed for his or her safety. I got lucky and my kid wasn’t in the truck at the time. Some common theories that make sense are pressure/temperature fluctuations, body flex busting the glass because it’s too thin, and glass imperfection when manufactured. I’ve contacted BEC and am currently playing phone tag. Yes, I have insurance. Yes I bought the extended warranty. Truck is just over bumper to bumper warranty at 42K and extended warranty “doesn’t cover glass”. My insurance shouldn’t be responsible for cover a manufacturer defect. And I shouldn’t have to pay a deductible. Hopefully Toyota does the right thing and pay for the repair. Will update.

 

This may be newish on tundras, but is well known for pano roofs on other Toyota models. It was the main reason I got an extended warranty for my Camry. Good luck finding a new Camry without a pano roof.

 

Awesome, I was just wondering what else could go wrong when I get up to sedona...

 

Indeed. Another reason to not have one. What is BEC?

 

That happened to my neighbor's 2015 RAV4 a few months ago. I've avoided getting a sun/moon roof due to eventual leakage but exploding glass made it a definite deal breaker. And it's not a Toyota only problem, seems many other auto brands have experienced exploding sun/moon roofs.

https://www.consumerreports.org/car-safety/exploding-sunroofs-danger-overhead/

 

Very interesting Consumer reports article.
In this day and age it seems we all have to take a little blame. Companies to be competitive strive to be innovative in order to attract potential buyers and we as consumers seem to never be satisfied with "good enough". We always want "more". In the case of autos the Tailgate that go up and down with the push of a button or are sectioned like the chevy to unfold into a makeshift step. Touch screens, sun roofs, power seats, cruise-control, and the list goes on and on and when we get it we still want more because - Good enough just won't do.
Governments want better mpg, less emissions and nanny safety features the latter of which removes us from taking responsibility for our own safety and when they get it they still want more because - Good enough just won't do.
Companies strive for the most profit - How cheap can we build this and still have it work and when they achieve it they still want more because good enough just won't do.

Caveat- without the continual drive to do or have better we would all still be pounding rocks but for all the mentioned above it pays to step carefully and consider not only what we can do or want but what could go wrong.

P.S. I really need to get out more.

 

Same here

 

Ahhh don't forget about the massaging heated seats
Yeah all kidding aside I agree with you to an extent, yes each mfg wants to have the lastest and greatest but make sure it works,and I don't mean just a few times.

It seems as though alot of self accountability has gone to the way side especially after the Plandemic.
QC has fallen onto the toilet and the blabbernet does not help keep the fires at bay,but in the same hand it brings it to light and hopefully and I do mean hopefully this shit gets recognized and rectified.
How about Stillen and there problems,even with being on these message boards they have first hand knowledge from us the consumer letting them know whats wrong with it & with positive suggestions (in the beginning) on "how to" fix it, and they go stealth mode on the people who purchased their product...

JMH.02

 

Was/Is your roof window tinted? Is any auto glass tempered glass? Wonder if it's some pressure issue. And not temperature issue.

 

Toyota “Brand Engagement Center” 1-800-331-4331. I think it’s a call Center/hotline that they’ve set up to deal with all of their shortcomings as a company. Probably motivated for instances just like mine where a customer gets screwed by a defective product that Toyota should be covering, but falls out of warranty.

 

It’s not tinted but a dark privacy glass. Factory stuff. And yes, it’s tempered. Could have been ugly if the window blind was open and my daughter was in the backseat.

 

I live in Vegas. Makes me want to tint my pano. Anyone get their’s tinted? Hopefully some quality ceramic will cut some heat off the roof during the brutal summers here.

 

my Camry’s pano has made creaking noises when turning from day one. It does it more often and louder when it’s hot outside. Not saying it’s not a pressure issue, but I think heat plays a factor.

 

Some people say that tinting it makes it more prone to exploding.

 

I think so too but funny thing about that day. The truck was in Phoenix, Arizona and we were well past the prime heat of the day and actually 30 minutes before sunset. Everything that I’ve read says it happens when you are at highway speeds and that’s exactly when it happened to me. So lots of wind cooling off the top of the truck and air condition wide open and comfortable inside.

 

This is one of the reasons I have been on the fence regarding tinting my pano glass...while I would love to lower the solar pass-thru and heat with a good quality 50% ceramic tint I am afraid that by doing so I will also increase the likelihood of thermal damage to the glass and would Toyota then use that as an excuse to void any warranty or responsibility. On the flip side, having the tint in place would help with glass scatter if it did explode.

 

Unfortunately it happens across all manufacturers, not just Toyota. No solid consensus on what causes it, lots of theories such as to much pressure on the glass during installation, extreme temperature changes, window tint, etc.

https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/at...ral-investigation/2LYOK6VVDNGI3OAL7W5QS27WKU/

ATLANTA — Federal officials say they have determined that there are no serious safety risks after thousands of people reported that sunroofs were exploding in their vehicles.

Regulators have closed their investigation into these explosions, but people who have experienced this told Channel 2 consumer investigator Justin Gray that it sounds and feels like an explosion in their vehicles.

Auto safety advocates say that really puts drivers at risk of an accident.

Kate Holder said she had to pull over after hearing what she can only describe as an explosion while driving her brand-new Jeep Wagoneer to work.

“I was going 55 miles an hour, then all of a sudden, like, literally an explosion,” Holder said.

Then she got out of the car.

“I just stood up on the rail. Got up and saw the big hole,” Holder said.

“Truly spontaneous?” Gray asked Holder.

“Yes, the most bizarre thing ever,” she said.

But when Channel 2 Action News checked with federal regulators, we found spontaneous breakage of panoramic sunroofs have been happening with a variety of makes and model vehicles for years.

So much so that The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched a 7-year investigation finding, “spontaneous sunroof glass shattering is not an uncommon occurrence: More than 4,000 complaints of such occurrences were reported by the 13 manufacturers”
Gray checked the NHTSA complaint database as recently as last week.

The driver of a Ford Edge wrote, “I was driving down the road when out of nowhere my sunroof started raining glass in the inside of my car!! There was no Crack or stone that hit it nothing!!”

“That type of distraction while you’re driving, you know, you’ve got tempered glass chunks all over you and you don’t know what just happened. I think any reasonable person can see that that could pose a pretty serious distraction risk,” said Michael Brooks, executive director of The Center for Auto Safety.

But in 2021, NHTSA closed its investigation into panoramic sunroofs without ever determining what’s causing them to spontaneously explode, writing it “has not identified sufficient evidence of a safety-related defect in the subject sunroof.”

“What if the glass got into my baby’s eyes, or face, or even the car seat?” Holder asked.

She told Gray that she’s just thankful she had the cover closed on the sunroof.

“Now, I don’t want to open up the sunroof … just in case,” Holder said.

NHTSA said there have been about a dozen reported minor injuries, most from cleaning up the glass.

Gray checked with NHTSA before his report on Wednesday to see if there have been any updates. A spokesman told said there is no current investigation into the sunroofs.

 

I guess I like living dangerously, I tinted my pano roof, & leave the sun shade open 95% of the time.
If I fail to post sometime, you'll know what happened.

 

Same.

 

Can and does happen to all brands. Next door neighbors KIA Telluride just replaced - $6000 !!!

 

There aren't enough windows in the car. Let's put one more on the roof.

 

Sunroofs on vehicles are just bad ideas

 

X2

 

Thank you. I was unaware of such a thing.

 

I hate you all. New Fear unlocked

 

Agreed. I've never opened the sunroof, or even the shade, on my last 3 Tundras. It's a totally useless feature to me. Unfortunately, it's rare to find a higher trim packaged truck without the damn things.

 

I've never liked sunroofs or had any inclination to use one. You get baked on by the sun, they make the roof liner sit lower, can/will leak, if you roll over you have a gapping hole above your head, etc. Obviously people must like them, but never been my thing.

The exploding glass reminds me of Prince Ruperts Drops, where the glass has a lot of internal stress from cooling and once it fails everything blows apart. My parents had a 4Runner where a rock bounced off the front of an enclosed Uhaul they were towing, tapped the rear glass, and it exploded the same way. I think there's a combination of factors at play, probably an issue with the glass itself that causes it to explode instead of just fracture, the glass being thin so you end up with very low structural margins so the glass cannot handle much stress or strain, and lastly the glass is either improperly installed or not supported or OVERLY supported so the glass can easily get over stressed from the body flexing, thermal deformation, vibration, etc.

 

Yes, it was beautiful in the Platinum I test drove but after prev issues with them I swore never again. Had to buy a loaded Limited to avoid it. Funniest experience was the 250# Black Bear that ripped it off my 4Runner to get to a Salami Stick while in Kings Cyn Natl Park. (My fault - was thoroughly warned)

 

I have insisted on a sunroof on all the vehicles I have purchased going all the way back to a 1983 VW Rabbit GTI.

I always have it tinted (my 2025 TRD Pro has Ceramic 90%) and I have never had an issue with breaking, exploding, creaking, leaking, etc.

To each his/her own, I guess, but it's really nothing to be fearful about, the failure percentages are nominal.

To the person saying that "if you roll over, there's a gaping hole in the ceiling", I say - ever heard of a convertible?

To the person saying "new fear unlocked" - generalized fear is worthless. Every time you do anything, including walking out your front door, or getting off the couch, there is risk involved.

 

Ive had my pano tinted since 2/22 when I bought my truck...no issues living in SoCal and parking outside 24/7. Talk to your tint shop and they will make proper recommendations. I went ceramic, as dark as the shop felt comfortable with.