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Not sure about others but have had four previous vehicles of all different makes with properly maintained sunroofs last over 10-12 years without issues(leaks, breakage, etc.)
It is possible we've been Lucky.
Luck has nothing to do with it. Like you I own a now older vehicle which I purchased NEW in 2002 a 2002 BMW/MINI MCS 5speed fully modified street legal (meaning it still has all the emission equipment) and road track and have never had any problem form a well-engineered vehicle and that includes the sunroof. On a 200ft skid pad if I were tested my competition would be a Ultima GTR . LOL
At Laguna Seca in Monterey Bay area aka MAZDA Raceway there are pictures in the club house of my MINI in turns on only 3 wheels. LOL If that does not place a full stress on the body and the sunroof cant think of what else would. I know that the Structal engineered design of the roof with the sunroof while it does add about 50+ lbs to the GVW makes the total structural body stronger and I have only ever felt I needed was a harness bar for safety. During some Tech inspection the sunroof is never question but my harness bars often gets looked at carefully for meeting regulations and requirements. LOL Go figure that when we are talking about sunroofs and safety?
My MINI also has well over 400WHP factory engine block 1.6 (actual number has been a close secret for years. Only a very few know my real numbers) and a 3 stage Nitrous oxide system along with many many many very well engineered performance parts LOL
Have you ever heard of a case of a steel car sunroof shattering from an impact? Not talking theoretical here, an actual case of this happening.
No, I have not and never said I did.
Vehicle manufactures use different types (alloys) and thicknesses of sheet metal it is not always steel.
Modern vehicles are as strong and safe with or without a glass sun/moon roof "if" you properly wear your seatbelts.
Engineering and crash testing has proven this over and over again.
It is a personal choice to choose none, a glass one or a metal one.
It has zero to do with safety.
and on another different forum the last response Jan 5, 2022
If you type in the subject and vehicle forums the age of this discussion is almost as old. Yet on this forum if wee look more then 50-% of the responses are repeated information from basically the same members including myself. We have 3 types of responses, the concerned member that it may happen to them the uninformed members and members that are a bit more industry or material knowledgeable.
My thought is why on all the forums is this forum still commenting with really nothing new that has not been stated or expressed at least twice? I also notice that visitors viewing this thread has dramatically declined from say 2-3 weeks ago? Even those casual and frequent flyers as visitors have lost interest in this thread.
Just wanted to point that out and also this was not my observation but another member that PM'd .
Just saying.. I think unless a member quotes me incorrectly with anything I have already posted there really is nothing new I can contribute.
My sunroof blew out today: suddenly a LOUD pop, like a gunshot. The inside cover was shut, but the sudden increase in wind noise from the roof area let us know what had likely happened. It was sunny, temp about 65-70F, as I was driving along about 65 MPH on the freeway in San Diego. Dashcam video confirms no flying rocks or even vehicles close enough to have thrown one; not going under an overpass, either. Car windows were all closed, the climate control set at 72F; interestingly, there was no ear-popping pressure change when it blew out, so air pressure seems an unlikely cause. The car is always garaged, has not been washed or wet for at least 10 days.
We never use the sunroof, and wish we didn't even have one, but it is standard on the Grand Touring Reserve vehicle we chose from the limited selection available during Covid. (Not a great time to buy a car, but our previous car, a Mazda CX-9, had dumped it's coolant into the oil pan and self-destructed due to the poor design of that V6 motor.).
Not much glass inside. Apparently most of it blew up high enough to not even scratch the roof or fin.
My sunroof blew out today: suddenly a LOUD pop, like a gunshot. The inside cover was shut, but the sudden increase in wind noise from the roof area let us know what had likely happened. It was sunny, temp about 65-70F, as I was driving along about 65 MPH on the freeway in San Diego. Dashcam video confirms no flying rocks or even vehicles close enough to have thrown one; not going under an overpass, either. Car windows were all closed, the climate control set at 72F; interestingly, there was no ear-popping pressure change when it blew out, so air pressure seems an unlikely cause. The car is always garaged, has not been washed or wet for at least 10 days.
We never use the sunroof, and wish we didn't even have one, but it is standard on the Grand Touring Reserve vehicle we chose from the limited selection available during Covid. (Not a great time to buy a car, but our previous car, a Mazda CX-9, had dumped it's coolant into the oil pan and self-destructed due to the poor design of that V6 motor.).
Not much glass inside. Apparently most of it blew up high enough to not even scratch the roof or fin.
Wow I haven't seen that one before on these cars. I know on the 2019+ Acura RDX's they have issues with the rear glass randomly exploding and cracking everywhere...
There is a LOT of information that is not posted and looking carefully at the glass I doubt and how the incident happened anyone that is tech savvy would not likely suggest a defect.
But hey when COVID came out there were so many and still is so many symptoms you ask 100 people I am sure 90% will tell they know they had caught it? lol
BTW for anyone actually reading the report there are NO dash camara's for the general retail currently available that can record small solid object like pebbles!
And apparently in the case of the last report on a front dash cam no rear which is important in the case of trying to theorize a cause and help eliminate some theories.
soooooo here we go again after this thread had all but died since 7-12-23
Maybe the "never used it" had something to do with it?
That happened to me with the old-style cable hand brake on my new Toyota Celica.
I never used it until nearly a year after I bought it and the cable snapped.
Never figured out why the wire cable looked brand new, it just split apart, and the shop replaced for free.
Maybe the "never used it" had something to do with it?
That happened to me with the old-style cable hand brake on my new Toyota Celica.
I never used it until nearly a year after I bought it and the cable snapped.
Never figured out why the wire cable looked brand new, it just split apart, and the shop replaced for free.
This latest response is normal for someone that feels that it was no way possibly anything they did, and it MUST be a defect?
There own responses indicate the lack of simply cleaning the seal area. Also NO ONE posting the broken sunroofs has mention what would happen should a small pebble get wedged in that are cause a Clearnce issue?
case in point, car washing, a car wash facility (car wash) cannot clean this area of a sunroof. Anyone that has a clean tooth brush a little soap and water can do the test/cleaning themselves and see how dirty this most often overlooked area. The white toothbrush will be dirty and brown colored.
07-11-2023, 02:48 PM
Another CX-5 sunroof explodes, Feb 27, 2024
