Exploding Sunroofs: Danger Overhead

[Olde Hornet]

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

An exploding sunroof might sound like a freak occurrence, but a Consumer Reports investigation has found that it’s not. These incidents have happened in every month of the year in every part of the country, in vehicles from all over the world; they have occurred on interstates, on country roads, and even while parked in driveways.

Sunroofs have significantly expanded in size in recent years, and they’ve also grown in popularity. And the number of consumer complaints about them shattering without warning has soared.

While this doesn’t happen nearly as often as, say, a tire blowout on the highway, any explosion while driving can present a real safety hazard.

And although the issue is well known to the auto industry and government safety regulators, drivers generally assume that their sunroofs are safe.

 

[Big Thunder]

Trust me when I tell ya....this is real. Happened to me and my wife driving from ATL to Baton Rouge a couple of weeks ago.

We were rolling 65S thru Evergreen Alabama at the time. The windows were up, the roof was closed and we were cruising
at 77mph. Suddenly, we hear what sounded like a gunshot...POW!!! Immediately, we looked around to try and determine what the heck
happened. I first thought something may have dropped out of the sky because there was no other cars around us; we were not
under an overpass, nothing hit the car/window/roof...nothing like that. After composing ourselves, with ringing in our ears, we pulled off and called police.

Looking at the car from the outside, you could clearly see that the roof exploded "upwards"; meaning from the inside (of the car), out.
It really was one of the oddest things we have ever had happen to us and I hope to never have it happen again.

After getting things squared away with the police, one of them mentioned that the very same thing happened about a month
earlier. Also, after driving an hour or so to the next nearest Hertz location, the agent there mentioned that they had several
others cars to experience the same in the last 6 months.

I am so glad that I was not reclined all the way back when it happened. We got shards of glass all over us; head, arms, neck, back.
I thank God that my wife did not panic and lose control of the car, and that we did not suffer an accident as a result

 

[Olde Hornet]

I am happy you and your family are safe.

I was surprised to see this article.