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Thread: Sunroof Explodes on my wife's 2014 Nissan Rogue

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    Angry Sunroof Explodes on my wife's 2014 Nissan Rogue

    I wanted to share our experience of yet another exploding sunroof concern. My wife was attending a course out of town in Spruce Grove, Alberta last Thursday when without warning on a secondary road with no other vehicles nearby - and a passenger as a witness - the sunroof exploded outward without warning. As reported by many other people, the sound was not unlike a gunshot going off. My wife almost lost control of the vehicle, and fortunately they were both unharmed yet shaken by the incident. Our vehicle is a well maintained 7 month old car with 14,000 km.

    I contacted Royal Oak Nissan on Friday to describe what had happened. Without seeing the vehicle the sales manager and service advisor blamed the incident on a rock striking the sunroof. How could they know? They hadn't seen the vehicle or the damage yet. The sales manager contacted their warranty advisor by email and advised I would have to go through insurance and file a claim. Warranty does not cover glass. The cost of repairs is in the $1500-$2000 range. They offered to reduce the expense by a mere $200-$300 which is pointless if I have to file a claim and pay a deductible.

    When my wife returned, we brought the car to the dealer Wednesday. I filed a complaint with Nissan Canada Customer Relations that day. They took my information and gave me a file number. They advised me to call the dealership's service department to request an inspection of the vehicle to help determine the cause of the incident. They advised it will take up to 5 business days to act on my request and by that time my vehicle might already be repaired (?!??) I followed their instructions and called the dealer. Their service department had no idea what I was referring to and said call back when the supervisor was in.

    I called Thursday. Supervisor is dealing with another customer and not available. Called today. Telephone tag several times, and the only reason they actually needed to reach us was to get the approval of paperwork for insurance claim. Supervisor said there is nothing they can do regarding investigating cause of incident as they have almost completed the repairs. So what was the point of my complaint?

    I received a message to call back Consumer Affairs with Nissan Canada. Called them back and same story - warranty doesn't cover glass. Once again, what was the point in repeating this complaint?

    I've been a loyal customer (begrudgingly) due to my wife's love of Nissans. She purchased a 2001 Nissan Sentra from Sunridge Nissan after university, and it was relentlessly faithful until it was written off for hail damage. We purchased a brand new 2013 Rogue for her from Royal Oak Nissan which was also written off for hail damage ($22,000+). Even after the hail, the sunroof stood up to the abuse even though the windshield and rear window were destroyed. After that vehicle was destroyed in the Airdrie hail, my wife insisted on a new 2014 Rogue. Now 7 months after buying this vehicle I'm refused coverage under warranty and forced to file an insurance claim. I even paid for an extended warranty on the vehicle. And the dealer still insists that a rock struck the sunroof. Trying to show online accounts of other people with the same issue made no difference to them. Most complaints support the theory of poor quality glass, airtight interior cabin compartments causing pressure issues (hence exploding from the inside out)- or both. Neither of these is the fault of the customer.. It's poor materials and poor design on the manufacturers part in my opinion... And there should be a recall in place for such a thing.

    They have permanently lost our business and I will never buy a Nissan again. We will probably sell it as soon as it makes financial sense to do so. Loyalty means nothing to some manufacturers. Out of all the online complaints I've heard... A few makes have made goodwill gestures and covered the expense, but I repeatedly see Nissan as a manufacturer that leaves their paying customers in a lurch.

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    You might as well boycott other car makers as its a problem with at least 1/2 dozen other vehicles.


    https://www.google.ca/search?q=vehic...INLvoAT10IH4BQ

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    Gf had a very similar story with her used smart4two with pano roof. Parked it outside in the winter. Went to go to work in the morning, closed the door and roof explodes. Mercedes told her that this could only happen from a rock or some other non covered cause. Replacement cost was astrometrical so she sold it for parts basically. Pano roofs scare me.

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    Boycotting moonroofs altogether is the way to go. I rarely ever open mine and they add a lot of weight up top where you do not want it. Spontaneously exploding moonroofs is enough for me not to own a car with one if I can help it.

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    Royal Oak will do just fine without your irrational business. They are a good dealership and aren't trying to screw you.

    Every car can do this, Alberta has a high rate of sunroof explosions. I have extra insurance on my pano sunroof after seeing EVERY type of car explode. Do some homework.

    Tons of gravel on our roads, lots of trucks, fluctuating cabin pressures depending on a/c load, sunshine and cargo in the back, This makes for a bad situation for a tiny rock.

    I drive with my sunroof cover closed unless the roof is open specifically for this issue.

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    Would have been nice if the dealership could have responded better, but like they say glass isn't covered under warranty. Glass breaks, its what happens. Cars are constantly in contact with rocks + other crap and body movement, which doesn't agree with glass that much. I have my doubts about pressure causing glass to break though... are the cabins of these vehicles actually air tight? even so, the pressure difference shouldnt be enough.

    If you feel like Nissan has poor quality, don't buy Nissan. I think you'll have to spend excessive amounts of money to buy a vehicle that has a significant difference in quality though.

    1994 Mustang - SBF swap in progress

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    Must have been scary.

    I don't open mine. I simply enjoy having some light coming through.
    Originally posted by rage2
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    Glass breakage like this is "very" common!!! We have a lot of rocks on our roads, and go through more glass than any other province. Having options like fog lights and sunroof's are nice, but they are subject to damage driving down the road any where. It also happens when a rock or somethings is picked up by a car or truck in front of you and is kicked up high in the air, coming back downward seconds later landing on your roof causing a break.

    Working for Honda, Acura and Mercedes, all of these cars/trucks run the risk if you have the option
    Honda/Acura guy

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    Default Re: Sunroof Explodes on my wife's 2014 Nissan Rogue

    Originally posted by ReasonOne
    I wanted to share our experience of yet another exploding sunroof concern. My wife was attending a course out of town in Spruce Grove, Alberta last Thursday when without warning on a secondary road with no other vehicles nearby - and a passenger as a witness - the sunroof exploded outward without warning. As reported by many other people, the sound was not unlike a gunshot going off. My wife almost lost control of the vehicle, and fortunately they were both unharmed yet shaken by the incident. Our vehicle is a well maintained 7 month old car with 14,000 km.

    I contacted Royal Oak Nissan on Friday to describe what had happened. Without seeing the vehicle the sales manager and service advisor blamed the incident on a rock striking the sunroof. How could they know? They hadn't seen the vehicle or the damage yet. The sales manager contacted their warranty advisor by email and advised I would have to go through insurance and file a claim. Warranty does not cover glass. The cost of repairs is in the $1500-$2000 range. They offered to reduce the expense by a mere $200-$300 which is pointless if I have to file a claim and pay a deductible.

    When my wife returned, we brought the car to the dealer Wednesday. I filed a complaint with Nissan Canada Customer Relations that day. They took my information and gave me a file number. They advised me to call the dealership's service department to request an inspection of the vehicle to help determine the cause of the incident. They advised it will take up to 5 business days to act on my request and by that time my vehicle might already be repaired (?!??) I followed their instructions and called the dealer. Their service department had no idea what I was referring to and said call back when the supervisor was in.

    I called Thursday. Supervisor is dealing with another customer and not available. Called today. Telephone tag several times, and the only reason they actually needed to reach us was to get the approval of paperwork for insurance claim. Supervisor said there is nothing they can do regarding investigating cause of incident as they have almost completed the repairs. So what was the point of my complaint?

    I received a message to call back Consumer Affairs with Nissan Canada. Called them back and same story - warranty doesn't cover glass. Once again, what was the point in repeating this complaint?

    I've been a loyal customer (begrudgingly) due to my wife's love of Nissans. She purchased a 2001 Nissan Sentra from Sunridge Nissan after university, and it was relentlessly faithful until it was written off for hail damage. We purchased a brand new 2013 Rogue for her from Royal Oak Nissan which was also written off for hail damage ($22,000+). Even after the hail, the sunroof stood up to the abuse even though the windshield and rear window were destroyed. After that vehicle was destroyed in the Airdrie hail, my wife insisted on a new 2014 Rogue. Now 7 months after buying this vehicle I'm refused coverage under warranty and forced to file an insurance claim. I even paid for an extended warranty on the vehicle. And the dealer still insists that a rock struck the sunroof. Trying to show online accounts of other people with the same issue made no difference to them. Most complaints support the theory of poor quality glass, airtight interior cabin compartments causing pressure issues (hence exploding from the inside out)- or both. Neither of these is the fault of the customer.. It's poor materials and poor design on the manufacturers part in my opinion... And there should be a recall in place for such a thing.

    They have permanently lost our business and I will never buy a Nissan again. We will probably sell it as soon as it makes financial sense to do so. Loyalty means nothing to some manufacturers. Out of all the online complaints I've heard... A few makes have made goodwill gestures and covered the expense, but I repeatedly see Nissan as a manufacturer that leaves their paying customers in a lurch.
    I don't think any car manufacturer covers glass damage. Your going to have to suck it up and go through insurance or pay out of pocket.

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    Default Re: Re: Sunroof Explodes on my wife's 2014 Nissan Rogue

    Originally posted by redblack


    I don't think any car manufacturer covers glass damage. Your going to have to suck it up and go through insurance or pay out of pocket.
    But they've bought TWO whole cars from them! Royal Oak should be giving them back massages while fixing their broken sunroof and apologizing profusely for their shoddy glass in a $25k car!

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    Now I fully understand that the sunroof issue is common on late model vehicles. We had extra insurance, it was covered as a no fault issue claim and I accepted the costs. My concerns lie with how I was treated at the dealership. I've been told "No" with much more grace and civility by other dealers in the past.

    I've done my research. No rocks were involved during the incident. It occurred on a deserted secondary road with no other vehicles present. I've owned over 250 vehicles in my lifetime, and this is the first time such an incident has occurred. I buy older cars with an excellent track record on the whole. Whenever I have ever had had an issue in the past, dealers have been more accommodating or helpful.

    It's funny, though. My 11 year old Acura has already been written off for hail damage. It has been through 3 hailstorms and the sunroof has been struck at least a dozen times directly by rock... And the original sunroof exists to this day. It's been such a reliable vehicle I intend to continue driving it until it stops running. I've owned many vehicles with sunroofs and have never had such an issue, even after being struck by rocks and various other debris.

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    Boosted life tip #329
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    Make the smart choice.

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    Originally posted by ReasonOne
    Now I fully understand that the sunroof issue is common on late model vehicles. We had extra insurance, it was covered as a no fault issue claim and I accepted the costs. My concerns lie with how I was treated at the dealership. I've been told "No" with much more grace and civility by other dealers in the past.

    I've done my research. No rocks were involved during the incident. It occurred on a deserted secondary road with no other vehicles present. I've owned over 250 vehicles in my lifetime, and this is the first time such an incident has occurred. I buy older cars with an excellent track record on the whole. Whenever I have ever had had an issue in the past, dealers have been more accommodating or helpful.

    It's funny, though. My 11 year old Acura has already been written off for hail damage. It has been through 3 hailstorms and the sunroof has been struck at least a dozen times directly by rock... And the original sunroof exists to this day. It's been such a reliable vehicle I intend to continue driving it until it stops running. I've owned many vehicles with sunroofs and have never had such an issue, even after being struck by rocks and various other debris.
    No rocks were involved at the time of explosion, but this happens well after a rock strike, or whatever weakened the glass. Older cars don't suffer from this because we want our cars to be more comfortable, airtight, which results in a much higher pressure differential at speed. It also doesn't help that roof glass size has grown dramatically in the last couple of years. Blame the consumers for wanting a more comfortable and luxurious driving experience.

    You admitted that your 11 old vehicle's sunroof has been struck by rocks and various debris, what have you changed to ensure your new vehicle is never hit by rocks or debris?

    There's a trick to protecting your pano roofs. Go to shadow tinting. Get the roof glass covered in the headlight protection film. It stops small rock strikes from weakening the tempered glass. That glass is designed to shatter when it's weakened. The pressure differential accelerates the process. The faster you drive, the larger the pressure differential, and force exerted on the glass. Just like most cases, your wife was on the highway. Boom.

    These incidents happens so often these days that any dealership will simply reject the claims. They pay for one and they'll have to pay for all of them. Maybe if you had bought more than 3 vehicles in a decade and a half Nissan might goodwill warranty it for you.

    Sorry if I sound harsh, but this isn't anything new, and everyone seems to try to get warranty when it happens instead of being proactive about it.
    Originally posted by SEANBANERJEE
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    Originally posted by ReasonOne
    Now I fully understand that the sunroof issue is common on late model vehicles.
    What's funny is it seems this issue is only on late model vehicles. And not on every model ever released equipped with this option.
    Looking around
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    Well yeah - look at the race on weight reduction in the past 5 years alone - my old 280zx t tops were ¼" or thicker glass... When the unibody finally let go catastrophicaly - they held the car together (literally - roof wrinkled glass held)

    Nowadays - roof glass is at best 3mm (less than 1/8") - why do you think it shatters easy in late model vehicles...

    And now they're starting to use laminated glass - not tempered. So weaker still...

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    Originally posted by spikerS
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    I wonder if Lexus knows something about all this and chooses to ignore a pano roof option completely? If you are going pano, you have to 3M the thing, no question about it.

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    I had the sunroof explode in my 2001 Oldsmobile Alero years ago, same deal, nobody infront of me just on my way to work one sunday morning and a loud bang and then glass falling on me. ~$1300 to get repaired. Went through insurance and just had to pay my $250 comprehensive deductible. Do you not have that coverage on your brand new vehicle?

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    I agree with the others - a rock probably hit it at some point and weakened it.

    All of my dad's cars have sunroofs, and all of them show signs of rock damage (i.e., chips from rock impacts), so rocks do "frequently" hit a roof panel.
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    Originally posted by CanmoreOrLess
    I wonder if Lexus knows something about all this and chooses to ignore a pano roof option completely? If you are going pano, you have to 3M the thing, no question about it.
    Pano's are actually less likely to explode in my experience, usually have better glass for the size. Lexus/Toyota both have lots of panoramic roofs to chose from. They can still have issues.

    I imagine truck sunroofs have less pressure on them due to smaller cabins and no unibody flexing. I've never changed a truck sunroof.

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