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Exploding Sunroof

Old May 15, 2019 | 09:27 AM
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Default Exploding Sunroof

2 weeks ago, my wife was driving with one of my daughters in the car and had the sunroof randomly, and inexplicably explode over their heads.(2013 GS350 Fsport, 60k miles). They both described the circumstances- no cars around- desolate area. Absolutely no reasonable explanation for the shotgun explosion of glass over their heads. Thankfully, they were not hurt!!

My first pass dealer estimate was $2600 + tax, which I thought was outlandish- so I spent some time with a google search to learn how common this situation is. That prompted me to open a case with Lexus, and once my dealer found out corporate was involved, they revised the quote to $1100. This still includes the mark up on the sunroof glass of 135% over MSRP, (Arlington Lexus in Arlington Heights is a criminal organization.)

I appealed the incident to Lexus corporate for them step in and make things right - and after 5 days, Lexus corp told me to take a hike. Dialing it back to what Lexus would actually have to pay, their cost of the sunroof and a few hours of shop labor... ~ $600 all in. My guess- they probably don't want to set a precedent here and open themselves up to all past and future cases. Seems pretty trivial to me, so I'm taking a major issue with how they are choosing to handle this and not surprised to read others experiences mirror my own. I've not owned another brand for the last 12 years and have a 2015 GX sitting on the driveway as well. Lexus just told me they couldn't give 2 squirts about me or my families safety- or any other victims of their faulty sunroofs.

Anybody with a sunroof, be aware of what can happen and be safe out there! Id really encourage you tall to consider leaving the interior roof cover closed at all times when the actual glass roof is closed. My family could have been hurt by the glass, or much much worse, had our sun roof cover been open when this happened.



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Old May 15, 2019 | 09:33 AM
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Originally Posted by DavidBe
2 weeks ago, my wife was driving with one of my daughters in the car and had the sunroof randomly, and inexplicably explode over their heads.(2013 GS350 Fsport, 60k miles). They both described the circumstances- no cars around- desolate area. Absolutely no reasonable explanation for the shotgun explosion of glass over their heads. Thankfully, they were not hurt!!

My first pass dealer estimate was $2600 + tax, which I thought was outlandish- so I spent some time with a google search to learn how common this situation is. That prompted me to open a case with Lexus, and once my dealer found out corporate was involved, they revised the quote to $1100. This still includes the mark up on the sunroof glass of 135% over MSRP, (Arlington Lexus in Arlington Heights is a criminal organization.)

I appealed the incident to Lexus corporate for them step in and make things right - and after 5 days, Lexus corp told me to take a hike. Dialing it back to what Lexus would actually have to pay, their cost of the sunroof and a few hours of shop labor... ~ $600 all in. My guess- they probably don't want to set a precedent here and open themselves up to all past and future cases. Seems pretty trivial to me, so I'm taking a major issue with how they are choosing to handle this and not surprised to read others experiences mirror my own. I've not owned another brand for the last 12 years and have a 2015 GX sitting on the driveway as well. Lexus just told me they couldn't give 2 squirts about me or my families safety- or any other victims of their faulty sunroofs.

Anybody with a sunroof, be aware of what can happen and be safe out there! Id really encourage you tall to consider leaving the interior roof cover closed at all times when the actual glass roof is closed. My family could have been hurt by the glass, or much much worse, had our sun roof cover been open when this happened.

This is a known problem to Toyota and Lexus. Just google "exploding sunroofs" and you can see that there have been many reported instances of this, including ongoing litigation.
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Old May 15, 2019 | 10:01 AM
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Bob Rohrman is not part of a criminal organization, geez. This happens more often than you may think. Even more common with pano roofs. All manufactures, not just Toyota/Lexus. Also, the glass breaks up into small pieces that are not sharp, so no fears of being injured by the glass. There's more concern with being startled by the sound, than anything.

Your insurance (comprehensive) will cover this. Just let them deal with it.
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Old May 15, 2019 | 10:27 AM
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Originally Posted by Mike728
Bob Rohrman is not part of a criminal organization, geez. This happens more often than you may think. Even more common with pano roofs. All manufactures, not just Toyota/Lexus. Also, the glass breaks up into small pieces that are not sharp, so no fears of being injured by the glass. There's more concern with being startled by the sound, than anything.

Your insurance (comprehensive) will cover this. Just let them deal with it.
Take a look at Rohrmans prices- criminal informally- not literally.

I learned a lot from my initial google searches- it happens a ton, but that doesn’t change the safety concern nor does it shed the manufacturers responsibility to its customers.
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Old May 15, 2019 | 10:30 AM
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Illinois is a criminal & insolvent state so it makes sense that the dealers act accordingly. I left about a month ago and will never look back and I'd invite others to do the same.
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Old May 15, 2019 | 11:12 AM
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Originally Posted by Lend0
Illinois is a criminal & insolvent state so it makes sense that the dealers act accordingly. I left about a month ago and will never look back and I'd invite others to do the same.
Yeah, the grass is always greener...
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Old May 15, 2019 | 11:16 AM
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IL is the brownest of the brown so yes the grass is greener. LOL
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Old May 15, 2019 | 11:17 AM
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Originally Posted by DavidBe
Take a look at Rohrmans prices- criminal informally- not literally.
If you didn't like their pricing, why did you buy from them? There are many other dealers in the burbs.

Originally Posted by DavidBe
I learned a lot from my initial google searches- it happens a ton, but that doesn’t change the safety concern nor does it shed the manufacturers responsibility to its customers.
The manufactures usually claim it was hit by something. It's very rare to get any of them to cover it, except I think Hyundai/Kia does. Not to mention, your GS is 6 years old.
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Old May 15, 2019 | 11:36 AM
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Originally Posted by Lend0
Illinois is a criminal & insolvent state so it makes sense that the dealers act accordingly. I left about a month ago and will never look back and I'd invite others to do the same.
I'll be right behind ya, I have a few more years here and can't wait to leave!
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Old May 15, 2019 | 11:44 AM
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Here you go: https://www.consumerreports.org/car-...nger-overhead/ Make sure you have comprehensive covering all glass!
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Old May 15, 2019 | 02:13 PM
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This happens with any tempered glass. There could've been impact on the glass from some time ago which creates a weak spot and only after awhile,the internal stresses of the glass finally causes it to fail and explode.

It's certainly not specific to Lexus/Toyota.
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Old May 15, 2019 | 03:19 PM
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Originally Posted by er34
It's certainly not specific to Lexus/Toyota.
This page has a summary of incidents in Canada. It's exceptionally rare for Lexus, and there are definitely models that are problematic.
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Old May 15, 2019 | 03:57 PM
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Originally Posted by DavidBe
2 weeks ago, my wife was driving with one of my daughters in the car and had the sunroof randomly, and inexplicably explode over their heads.(2013 GS350 Fsport, 60k miles). They both described the circumstances- no cars around- desolate area. Absolutely no reasonable explanation for the shotgun explosion of glass over their heads. Thankfully, they were not hurt!!

My first pass dealer estimate was $2600 + tax, which I thought was outlandish- so I spent some time with a google search to learn how common this situation is. That prompted me to open a case with Lexus, and once my dealer found out corporate was involved, they revised the quote to $1100. This still includes the mark up on the sunroof glass of 135% over MSRP, (Arlington Lexus in Arlington Heights is a criminal organization.)

I appealed the incident to Lexus corporate for them step in and make things right - and after 5 days, Lexus corp told me to take a hike. Dialing it back to what Lexus would actually have to pay, their cost of the sunroof and a few hours of shop labor... ~ $600 all in. My guess- they probably don't want to set a precedent here and open themselves up to all past and future cases. Seems pretty trivial to me, so I'm taking a major issue with how they are choosing to handle this and not surprised to read others experiences mirror my own. I've not owned another brand for the last 12 years and have a 2015 GX sitting on the driveway as well. Lexus just told me they couldn't give 2 squirts about me or my families safety- or any other victims of their faulty sunroofs.

Anybody with a sunroof, be aware of what can happen and be safe out there! Id really encourage you tall to consider leaving the interior roof cover closed at all times when the actual glass roof is closed. My family could have been hurt by the glass, or much much worse, had our sun roof cover been open when this happened.

A used one in great condition goes for $275 on eBay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/123753667212

Easy to swap the sunroof glass, just 4 bolts hold it in place. You remove the accordion trim(just pull on it) on the side part of the sunroof glass and you will see the bolts.
I took the sunroof glass out to replace the rubber seal, overall took me 30 minutes doing it for the first time.
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Old May 15, 2019 | 03:59 PM
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Most people get their side and rear windows tinted. They should also get their sunroof tinted, if nothing more than the sole purpose of having the window tint film contain the shattered glass bits if the sunroof does ever break/explode even though the sunroof may be made with laminated glass.

Also, you should have comprehensive glass damage on your auto insurance policy.




Sorry, but the next two images do not increase in size so they are difficult to read...but you get the picture that the problem is not with just a few car brands.






Last edited by bclexus; May 15, 2019 at 04:18 PM.
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Old May 15, 2019 | 04:27 PM
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Originally Posted by Mike728
If you didn't like their pricing, why did you buy from them?.
Who said I bought from them? I have a hole in my roof and it was raining on and off since it happened. I took it to the closest dealer I could.

.
The manufactures usually claim it was hit by something. It's very rare to get any of them to cover it, except I think Hyundai/Kia does. Not to mention, your GS is 6 years old.
6 years, garage kept. 60k miles. They didn’t claim it was hit by anything- they can’t confirm a root cause because there is no glass or evidence left to inspect.
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