A California Lexus owner is suing the car manufacturer and its parent company Toyota over an alleged defect that causes the vehicle’s sunroof to shatter.
Plaintiff Ginger Minoletti claims the sunroof of her Lexus RX 350 shattered last February, while she was driving on the highway.
The class action lawsuit says Minoletti noticed a loud cracking noise while the lower cover shade was closed but she didn’t immediately realize what had happened.
Later she discovered the splintered glass from the shattered sunroof, with the pieces of broken glass contained by the closed cover shade, the lawsuit states.
The plaintiff alleges that the defect puts drivers and passengers in great danger of being caught in a shower of broken glass while the vehicle is in motion.
Minoletti says the defendants refused to pay for the replacement of her sunroof because the vehicle’s warranty had apparently expired. She says she had to pay out of pocket for an expensive replacement sunroof.
The class action lawsuit alleges Toyota Motor Corp., Lexus’ parent company, has known about this defect since at least 2012 but still failed to notify customers about it.
She claims Lexus and Toyota are actively trying to block consumers from getting information about this problem.
The Lexus class action lawsuit alleges many consumers have filed complaints about this same defect with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The NHTSA is allegedly investigating similar shattering sunroof complaints lodged against several other car makers, including Audi, Ford and Volkswagen.
Likewise, owners and lessors of other vehicle makes have been bringing similar defective sunroof lawsuits.
In June 2016, a similar claim against Hyundai was allowed to proceed, but only on fraud-based claims. The judge in that case dismissed claims for unjust enrichment and violation of California consumer protection laws.
Plaintiffs in that case complain that the panoramic sunroofs in several models of Hyundai vehicles have a tendency to implode. Like Minoletti, the plaintiffs say the vehicle’s manufacturer refused to pay for the shattered sunroof.
Hyundai recalled almost 20,000 vehicles from model years 2012 and 2013 to remedy the supposed defect. Still, plaintiffs allege the company failed to adequately alert customers to the problem.
Kia Motors America was hit with its own shattering sunroof class action lawsuit in 2015. Plaintiffs there allege Kia has been knowingly selling vehicles with shatter-prone sunroofs for as long as 10 years.
The problem could have to do with the ceramic-tinted area that surrounds the outer zone of the sunroof, which the plaintiffs say weakens the tempered glass.
The plaintiff in that lawsuit said the sunroof on her Kia shattered after only two months of use. The claim implicates several different models of Kia vehicles from model years 2011 to 2015.
In her own Lexus class action lawsuit, Minoletti is proposing to represent a Class of all persons in California who owned or leased a Lexus vehicle with a sunroof.
She is represented by attorneys Brian Chase of Bisnar Chase and Brian Kabateck of Kabateck Brown Kellner LLP.
The Lexus Defective Sunroof Class Action Lawsuit is Minoletti v. Toyota Motors Sales USA, Case No. BC636269, in the California Superior Court for Los Angeles County.
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57 thoughts onLexus Class Action Claims Sunroof Spontaneously Shatters
Similar experience, 2021 Lexus GX 460 sunroom exploded while driving, nothing hit it and no impact on the glass. The sun roof shattered and the glass is falling into the car.
2/13/2023
2010 Lexus ES350
Same as everyone else. Sunroof exploded. Was not hit by anything. I am in a fight now with my insurance company (National General) to get it fixed. TERIBLE TERIBLE insurance company. Avoid them. It has been over a week, no repair. It is raining and I have no garage. They don’t care.
We were driving our 2016 ES350, on Interstate 30 in Arkansas, no one close to us when we heard what sounded like a gunshot., then heard noise like wind realized our Sunroof had exploded. Husband carefully slid shade a bit, yes it was shattered. Closed it up before glass could drop inside of car. Stopped for Duck tape & cardboard, got it taped up to get home.
Sunroof on my Lexus RX 350 just exploded while driving on US 192 it really scared us. Going to Lexus tomorrow. Today is Sunday November 13, 2022.
I will see what they tell me.
The same thing happened to me in my 2019 Lexus ES350. Driving down the interstate, no one around, sunny day and a loud noise sounding like a gunshot. Pulled over and took pictures of the edge of the roof panel shattered in both sides. It’s obvious that nothing hit it. Lexus says they won’t cover it even though I have Certified Platinum warranty coverage. Dealer wants $4700 to fix it. Going to contact NHTSA to file a complaint.
Sent a note to the VP of Customer Retention for Lexus – no answer. What a joke. Don’t think they are ready for all the bad press this will generate.
I just experienced the same thing with my 2022 UX200 which I had purchased 4 months ago. There was absolutely no traffic in front of me for about 300 yards and the oncoming traffic was at least 50 yards away as I was driving on the interstate. I went to the Lexus dealership where I had purchased my vehicle and was told the only way that were to happen is if a pebble hit it, which I am certain that wasn’t the case. Although, even if it was a pebble, the amount of force, given my surroundings, were to put on the glass would have to be extreme, or the glass was extremely faulty which draws a serious safety concern. The vehicle was brought in for service three days prior to the incident and was inspected for any issues which came back all ok, except for a nail in my tire, causing the pressure to drop. My car is in the shop at the moment and I refuse to pay for the damage that I believe the manufacturer should be held accountable for.
Same thing happened to my husband and I Thursday 25, 2022 while driving our 2010 ES 350 Lexus on interstate 40 toward Memphis,Tn. Sunroof exploded, the sound of a shotgun, no joke🙌🏽
Happened to me today. 2019 es350
This same thing happened to me last week. 2017 RX-350 Just like the others said, it sounded like a gunshot. Was traveling on the interstate at the speed limit and there was no sign of anything hitting it Glass fragments everywhere, but they were contained because the cover was closed. Of course, that day was the first rain here in a month, so I went through a lot of duct tape trying to cover up the hole, but that really didn’t work keeping water out. I’m waiting to see if my insurance will cover the replacement, but with such a high deductible, it’s still a lot out of pocket.
I have a 2020 Lexus 350rxl and my sunroof exploded on the freeway on April 14th, 2022. Just like the others said it sounded like a gunshot and scared us to death. No sign of anything hitting it, glass everywhere. Of course, my deductible is high so I had to pay out of pocket over $1k. I just filed a complaint with the NHTSA.
Who can I speak with and join this class action lawsuit? My moonroof exploded while I was on the way to work this morning. My ears are ringing and I am suffering from mental distress of having to drive this car and hoping the front and back windshields will be ok.