It shatters because it's made from tempered glass. It's made to shatter upon impact for safety reasons.
What I would do?
I would see if it's possible and go to a glass company and get them to make me a laminated piece of glass to the dimensions of your sunroof. Only issue might be the thickness.
To the OP, why would expect the car company to go good for a sunroof that breaks? Would you go after them if your windshield cracked?
I would recommend shopping around when looking to get it fixed. When I got mine fixed the place I went to charged me less for all the work including labour than the dealership quoted me for just the glass. The biggest kicker was when that same dealership was delivering my new sunroof to the shop when I dropped off my car.
To the OP, why would expect the car company to go good for a sunroof that breaks? Would you go after them if your windshield cracked?
To get change. This shouldn't happen. Transport Canada is aware of it and is also investigating change. Change as in mandating laminated glass.
And I bent over the first time. The fact that it happened 4 months later is why I'm raising an issue. We're a one car family and are now without a car. Again. You're right, windshields crack. Then you keep driving and fix it when it's convenient. Being showered in glass isn't convenient. Being told it's the ski boxes fault, when your vehicle is marketed for just that, isn't convenient. Being asked to pay $1,200 every few months and having to wait two weeks because you can ONLY get the sunroof from Subaru isn't convenient.
And I didn't expect them to be good for it the first time it happened. So what's next? A new sunroof and having it explode in a few months only to be stranded again? No matter the cause, that's unacceptable.
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It shatters because it's made from tempered glass. It's made to shatter upon impact for safety reasons.
What I would do?
I would see if it's possible and go to a glass company and get them to make me a laminated piece of glass to the dimensions of your sunroof. Only issue might be the thickness.
To the OP, why would expect the car company to go good for a sunroof that breaks? Would you go after them if your windshield cracked?
No glass shop would be willing to replace a DOT approved glass type with a different DOT glass type. If it breaks when replaced with OEM equivalent, that’s not on them. If it breaks and someone is injured when they have knowingly installed the ‘incorrect’ type, there is a fair amount of liability opened up.
Also, auto manufacturers certainly should be held to corrective actions when repeated and documented malfunctions are present. A tire runs over #### all the time, and occasionally they get punctured. But if tires started blowing out during regular use...we’d end up with the Firestone fiasco again.
I can also see the manufacturer's side though, hard to provide warranty on glass. Seems like something that a class action or a DOT investigation would be the only way a consumer could get traction. Even then unless a recall is issued the OEM's don't have to do anything.
Until this thread I had never heard of this happening. The only thing I've ever seen is one of those old glass pop up aftermarket sunroofs flying off in front of me. They were made to be removable and you had crappy little catches on them.
No glass shop would be willing to replace a DOT approved glass type with a different DOT glass type. If it breaks when replaced with OEM equivalent, that’s not on them. If it breaks and someone is injured when they have knowingly installed the ‘incorrect’ type, there is a fair amount of liability opened up.
Also, auto manufacturers certainly should be held to corrective actions when repeated and documented malfunctions are present. A tire runs over #### all the time, and occasionally they get punctured. But if tires started blowing out during regular use...we’d end up with the Firestone fiasco again.
It's incredibly hard to prove that it didn't break from a stone flying off the road, vs poorly manufactured.
They should be laminated anyways. All glass in a vehicle should be laminated IMO
They should be laminated anyways. All glass in a vehicle should be laminated IMO
If made properly tempered glass is amazingly strong. I wouldn't want laminated glass all around in my car it would end up chipped and scratched or even cracked.
If made properly tempered glass is amazingly strong. I wouldn't want laminated glass all around in my car it would end up chipped and scratched or even cracked.
What about transparent aluminum. Light weight, strong, transparent can hold in several tones of water and hump back whales?
Let me just get you the formula from my computer.
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If made properly tempered glass is amazingly strong. I wouldn't want laminated glass all around in my car it would end up chipped and scratched or even cracked.
The only reason vehicles don't have laminated glass all around is cost. Tempered glass is one lite, laminated glass is two. Bulletproof glass is laminated.
If something is strong enough to scratch, chip, or crack laminated glass, tempered glass would be shattered.
The only reason vehicles don't have laminated glass all around is cost.
High end luxury cars have double pane tempered glass with a vacuum chamber, not laminated.
Quote:
If something is strong enough to scratch, chip, or crack laminated glass, tempered glass would be shattered.
Definitely false tempered glass is much harder and stronger but of course has less give once the tolerance is exceeded it shatters by design. You can scratch tempered glass without it breaking I've polished out such scratches.
Sunroof/moonroof glass does not need to be laminated if made properly. This is a new problem due to cost cutting.
If made properly tempered glass is amazingly strong. I wouldn't want laminated glass all around in my car it would end up chipped and scratched or even cracked.
I'll take scratched or chipped in a second if it means the sunroof doesn't explode.
At least you can still use the car with a crack in your sunroof. We're a single car household and needed to rent a car to go away for the weekend. The rain in the forecast doesn't help either. With sunroof glass taking two weeks to get here, this has become the least reliable vehicle I've ever owned.
I can also see the manufacturer's side though, hard to provide warranty on glass. Seems like something that a class action or a DOT investigation would be the only way a consumer could get traction. Even then unless a recall is issued the OEM's don't have to do anything.
Until this thread I had never heard of this happening. The only thing I've ever seen is one of those old glass pop up aftermarket sunroofs flying off in front of me. They were made to be removable and you had crappy little catches on them.
And that's why I brought it up. It's a problem that is growing every year. I talked to Transport Canada. They're aware of the issue and are looking at changes but bureaucracy takes time. In the interim, according to TC there are manufactures that use laminated glass in their sunroofs. Ford being one example.
Also, some manufactures seem to be easier to deal with than others when issues do arise.
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This happened to me back in 2010, I was driving north on highway 2 just south of Olds when I heard a loud bang, couldn’t figure out what it was so I pulled over once I got to the Olds turnoff. Opened the vinyl interior sunroof cover and shards of glass fell on my lap.
I’m still not sure if it was a rock from the vehicle in front of me that caused it to shatter or just the pressure inside the car as I had the drivers window open. Scared the hell out of me though and I have not purchased another car with a sunroof since
GM did not pay for RJ he replacement and I did not pursue it any further. Sure ticked me off at the time though as I was just about to sell the car!
