Honda Owners Plagued with Panoramic Sunroof Problems

Panoramic sunroof problems reported by Honda vehicles include glass shattering without any warning and without impact.

Panoramic sunroofs can cover nearly the entire roof of a vehicle. The glass needed to cover the larger area might need to curve due to the vehicle’s design. Several models of Honda vehicles include the panoramic sunroof as a buyer option.

The automobile industry and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)  have received hundreds of reports of panoramic sunroof problems, but most consumers don’t know the glass exploding is even a possibility until it happens to their vehicle.

The problem is present not just in Honda vehicles but in Toyotas as well, and it has been the subject of consumer litigation against Nissan and Volkswagen.

Consumer Reports conducted an investigation into panoramic sunroof problems and found there is little consensus on why these panoramic sunroof problems are becoming more common. Speculation includes that the sunroof designs lack sufficient engineering or that they are made of the wrong type of glass.

As part of its investigation, Consumer Reports analyzed NHTSA complaints. Since 1995, the NHTSA has received 859 complaints of exploding sunroofs. Out of those, 71 percent have happened since 2011, which is about the time panoramic sunroofs became a widely available option. Thirty-six complaints included reports of injuries, including cuts to the head and hands, but no serious injuries or deaths have been reported.

Still, consumers who have a Honda panoramic sunroof that has exploded say the noise is so loud, it leaves their ears ringing. Many victims say when they take the vehicle to the dealership to report the panoramic sunroof problems, the dealership’s representative blames a rock or some other object that must have hit the sunroof. Consumers take issue with that explanation, especially when they know theirs was the only vehicle on the road and no one else was around throwing things at them.

Panoramic Sunroof Problems Reported by Consumers

One owner of a Honda Accord said he was driving home and suddenly heard a “loud boom.” He thought someone must have thrown a rock in his back windshield, but the back windshield appeared undamaged. When he stopped at a red light, he looked up to see the sunroof had shattered in the middle. He said he had been driving in the middle lane with no trees or debris in the area.

Another Honda owner said the sunroof exploded on his wife’s way to work, after she had just driven a couple of blocks from home. The dealership allegedly insisted something must have hit it, even though the woman said nothing did. The insurance company allegedly refused to cover the damage because it was considered heat-related, even though the owner claims the car had been garaged and the temperature at that time of the morning was only 68 degrees.

The owner of a 2010 Honda said after 11 months and 9,000 miles, his sunroof exploded when he was going 70 miles per hour on the freeway. He said, “No impact, no raining bricks, it just creaks and then explodes.”

Honda owners said the cost to repair the panoramic sunroof problems ranges between $1,100 and $2,000.

Join a Free Toyota, Honda Panoramic Sunroof Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you own a Honda or Toyota with a panoramic sunroof that shattered, you may be entitled to compensation.

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