Sunroof Explosion

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

turbogn6

TYF Newbie
Joined
Apr 12, 2010
Posts
1
Reaction score
0
Just wondering if anybody has had their sunroof explode on them? The wife got home last night only to tell me there's a hole in the sunroof the size of my fist. I heard a pop while driving it the day before, but nobody was around me. I just thought it was a rock hitting the windshield. Can these things just explode?
 

Modded

That Guy
Joined
May 3, 2009
Posts
6,942
Reaction score
107
That is an interesting issue.
The sunroofs cannot just explode by themselves for no reason (never heard of that happenning in any car), but they can be broken fairly easily by something dropping on it.
That is most likely what happened when you heard the pop, or previous/post to the pop sound.
Either way, sometime, somewhere, something broke it.
 

baron

Full Access Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2010
Posts
117
Reaction score
0
I have seen an Infiniti with what I could only describe as an exploded sunroof. Now, most likely, something caused the initial stress/fracture that got it to go, but it was completely shattered. Kind of impressive really the way it went. I suppose that it is possible to generate enough of a pressure difference with the way the wind travels around the car, windows up, etc, to make one go. My dad had a rear window on a Jeep Cheeorke do that once back in the early 90's. Driving down the road and the thing just exploded inward.
 

gtbigup01

Full Access Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2009
Posts
326
Reaction score
0
Location
Columbus, GA
Extremely hot car locked up for a long time, Possible, but not likely this time of year unless ur in death valley CA. Also a rumor out that if you tint your sunroof, it can explode and bust. Some cars like my 2002 Nissan Maxima came with an untinted/clear sunroof that I wanted to tint. Shop told me what could happen and i'd have to sign a release of liability waiver. Scared me enough to decide it was easier to just slide the screen fwd if I didn't want the sunlight coming in.
 

Rivieraracing

Full Access Member
Joined
May 2, 2009
Posts
3,810
Reaction score
81
Location
Oregon
So is it an open hole or is the crack/shatter the size of a fist? Were the pieces of glass small pieces or were they sharp shards? I would think that sunroof glass would be safety glass but matters what kind of glass it was to what would have caused it to break/explode?
 

gtbigup01

Full Access Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2009
Posts
326
Reaction score
0
Location
Columbus, GA
So is it an open hole or is the crack/shatter the size of a fist? Were the pieces of glass small pieces or were they sharp shards? I would think that sunroof glass would be safety glass but matters what kind of glass it was to what would have caused it to break/explode?

If you know what tempered glass is, then that's what they use for almost all glass on vehicles, windows, roof etc. It may have something to do with the properties of the glass and how it shatters
 

Rivieraracing

Full Access Member
Joined
May 2, 2009
Posts
3,810
Reaction score
81
Location
Oregon
Yeah, I know what tempered glass is, I am an industrial glazier by trade, I've never really looked to see what kind of glass a sunroof composed of!! I would have figured they would use a laminated glass so that in case it would break it would hold together instead of grenade all over the place since it is over peoples heads!!
Tempered glass is tough stuff, you can actually smack the center of it alot of times with something hard like a hammer and it won't break most of the time, lightly tap the corner and it will shatter. Since tempered glass is heated up in production to make it stronger, sometimes inperfections can form in the glass which can cause it to be weaker than other tempered glass which can allow it to fail easier!!
Could have been something that fell or hit the glass that cause the inperfection to give way or even the heat of the day to cause it to fail!
 

Stockfornow

Full Access Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
Posts
92
Reaction score
0
Location
Spencerport, NY
It's not a sunroof, but my brothers rear windown in an LHS once spider cracked into a million pieces.

Luckily he had tint on it to hold it all together until he got to the glass shop.
 

ncarmouche

TYF Newbie
Joined
Jan 7, 2011
Posts
1
Reaction score
0
Just wondering if anybody has had their sunroof explode on them? The wife got home last night only to tell me there's a hole in the sunroof the size of my fist. I heard a pop while driving it the day before, but nobody was around me. I just thought it was a rock hitting the windshield. Can these things just explode?

I have a 2008 Chevy Suburban and the same exact thing just happened to me and my husband yesterday. We heard a loud pop and than a minute later my sunroof exploded. I am glad my husband was driving otherwise I probably would have lost control of the car. I was also glad that none of us, including my children, weren't hurt by the glass. What would cause this and is there some sort of recall on these things? I have NEVER had anything like this happen with a sunroof.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
128,802
Posts
1,805,642
Members
91,785
Latest member
Eliteweapons
Top