A few weeks ago, we were driving our Lexus on the highway when the sunroof exploded. It did not crack, the glass exploded, sending glass flying. The flying glass scratched the paint on the trunk. When we brought the car to Lexus of Maplewood in Minnesota, they told us that, since they had no evidence of manufacturer's defect, we would be responsible for the repairs. They also said that, because they had never heard of such a thing happening, it had to be a foreign object that hit the sunroof, even though we told them that we personally witnessed that there was no foreign object. We also explained that it is not unheard of for this type of defect to occur, which we verified with a quick internet search. They told us to file an insurance claim. We explained that asking insurance to pay for damage that was the result of a defect is tantamount to fraud. Even if insurance did cover the repair, our premiums would increase. This would be great for Lexus, but everyone else would have to pay for their defect.

We spoke with the dealer, as well as with Lexus Customer Service, and they all essentially called us liars. They claimed that their inspection proved there was no manufacturer defect, even though there is no inspection that can disprove faulty glass. Their belief is that a foreign object heavy enough to shatter the sunroof somehow fell from the sky, hit only the sunroof, then flew away without damaging any other part of the car. Their logic is beyond ridiculous. Lexus Customer Service actually said, "Can you prove it wasn't a foreign object?"

Lexus refused to honor a legitimate warranty, leaving us to pay for something that is not our fault. When we paid thousands of dollars for the car, we expected Lexus to honor its obligations. We have received better customer service at Walmart.

Be forewarned that Lexus will honor warranties unless they can find a way to shift the responsibility to someone else.

 

Do a Google search for "exploding sunroof" friend. Virtually every manufacturer will take this position if there's not a known defect. Call your insurance company--your premiums won't increase from one freak incident, unless you have a crappy insurance company.

 

I have conducted multiple internet searches and discovered that this problem is so common that there was a class-action lawsuit about the issue in California. I also spoke with a mechanical engineer who specializes in construction. He said there that poorly tempered glass is common, and there is no inspection that determines defect. Essentially, the exploded glass is proof of defect. He said that the pattern of the break also showed that no foreign object was involved, including the fact that any object heavy enough to cause the damage would also damage the inner sunroof shade, which was untouched. The engineer examined the car and said that Lexus's claim was completely ridiculous.
I consider filing an insurance claim that isn't an insurance issue to be fraudulent, even if it did not result in higher premiums.
This is a matter of Lexus not doing the right thing. They were happy to take our money when we bought the car, but now they want nothing to do with us.

 

You can choose to stand on that principle, pay for the repairs yourself, and spend thousands more suing Lexus for reimbursement.

Or you can let your insurance handle everything, and subrogate against Lexus themselves if they think there's a case to be made. That is, after all, why you pay them.

You could be right that this was a manufacturing defect. Or the dealer could be right that it was damage from an object. Without a detailed inspection prior to the incident, there's really no way to know. But one thing you are definitely wrong about is that because you didn't find the object, that cannot possibly be the cause. Something could have hit the roof weeks or months ago and introduced scratches or microfractures. Then at some point, conditions were right and boom! Something similar happened with my windshield. I noticed a tiny rock chip very low near the cowl. Not sure how long it had been there before I noticed it. But it was tiny, not growing, and not in my field of vision, so I did nothing. 2 years later it suddenly cracked all the way from one side to the other, and I had to replace the windshield.

 

Sorry to hear about the troubles, it's okay to vent. I'd probably be rattled too. The important thing is that everyone was okay. I had a similar experience in a friends X7 in the carwash. The third row moonroof exploded when passing under the fans. Turns out at their house a pine tree had dropped a pinecone perfectly on the glass and caused a microfracture. Since you live in Minnesota the extreme weather could of also played a role in the glass exploding in conjunction with say a microfracture, cold air, vibration etc.

Great post Geko

 

You just compared tempered glass to laminated they are totally different. The rest of your post is one giant excuse for a manufacturing defect.

 

OP, you're never going to prove a manufacturing defect but you're also missing the big opportunity here which is that your incident, being what it is, could not have been caused by you hitting debris and could only have been caused by flying debris hitting you.

The difference is key, as one would be treated as a collision claim and one would be treated as a comprehensive claim.

A comprehensive claim generally won't impact your premium and your cost, while still unfortunate, is at least limited to your deductible.

The advice you're getting from the dealer has actually been nudging you to claim on that basis without telling you how to file your claim. It won't raise your premium, it is the path of least resistance, and it saves you a ton of frustration. And it has the added benefit of getting your sunroof fixed.

 

How much is your comprehensive deductible?

 

if this could be filed under a comprehensive claim then much better to go that route... a lone comprehensive claim will basically do nothing to your premium, and in many cases since this is glass there won't even be a deductible, but that'll depend on the specifics of your coverage

 

…’Some kids playing baseball nearby is what my guess would be”.

If you’re asked.

Any hint to your insurance company that they might think would release their liability, like it was a manufacturers defect might not be of much benefit.

Hopefully you have a modest comprehensive deductible. The sunroof installed is going to cost a lot.

 

Why should insurance pay for Toyota's crappy quality glass.

 

During the replacement of the glass it would have been interesting to closely examine both the glass rubber seal, as well as the metal structure around the glass seal to see if there was possibility of an unfinished sharp metal edge that might have applied pressure to the edge of the glass causing the glass to explode. I could see this happening, especially if glass was expanding in the sun. Did this happy on a sunny day?

 

Because Toyota ain't payin....

 

This sums it up.

 

Makes me wonder sometimes is harsh jolts to the car can cause a micro crack in the glass but shatter on another day.

Like hitting a big pot hole going high speeds, twisting the car's body just a tiny bit.

Just an idea, no idea if that could do it.