Es350 Exploding Sunroof

[Diwit]

My husband and I were driving in the early morning when the sunroof exploded. No other vehicles were in any proximity to my car. Not only did the the sunroof explode but the temper of the glass without any protective film sent glass throughout the cabin of the car. Thankfully we both wear glasses which shielded our eyes. In our minds the sunroof had to have been defective and clearly the safety standard was extremely low for this 7 month old vehicle. The dealer insisted that the high winds and rain had to have been a factor that caused the sunroof to flex and ultimately explode and this was not a warranty issue and insurance would have to cover the $7000 + repair. The back windshield was damaged and the trunk lid was scratched as a result of the shattered glass.

I am extremely disappointed with the the lack of safety precautions for glass in Lexus vehicles, the lack of warranty coverage for a clearly defective and unsafe product as well as the dealership not stepping up to assist their client in rectifying what could have been a potentially fatal cause for an accident.

Thank God I did not purchase the all glass roof model.

This design flaw is potentially fatal to occupants in the vehicle.

[1990LS400]

Photos or it didn't happen. I've seen too many first posts on car forums where a disaster was reported without evidence and the poster never returned. I'm sorry but it's suspicious.

[Diwit]

I wonder if you would be so cheeky if it was your wife or kid driving the vehicle when it happened.

[1990LS400]

I wonder if you would be so cheeky if it was your wife or kid driving the vehicle when it happened.

Yes, I would be exactly as cheeky. I had a sunroof shatter with a VERY loud bang (1990 LS400 in around 2001) and never knew what caused it. It's not all that unusual. I had just passed under an overpass and wondered if someone dropped something from it or if something had come loose from the structure and dropped on my car.

[Diwit]

I can assure you I had not been under an overpass, nor was there any other vehicle around. Additionally, had there been any back seat passengers they would have undoubtedly been injured.

[LexBob2]

I can assure you I had not been under an overpass, nor was there any other vehicle around. Additionally, had there been any back seat passengers they would have undoubtedly been injured.

I'm sure this was a scary incident and I hope you get things resolved. I don't know if this is a design flaw though. Lexus has sold over 115,000 2013 ES here in North America alone, and to date, there hasn't been a recall or safety bulletin regarding sunroofs. I frequent this Lexus forum as well as another one and haven't seen any similar incidents mentioned by other owners. I'm not saying that it didn't happen but it could have been something else that caused it to shatter.

[pj8708]

I'm going to come dowm in the middle of this one. I believe it happened and can't see a profitable reason for saying it didn't. There have been a handful of additional reports exactly like yours where the sun roof has exploded. You might want to do a search of our data bank to find other post.

On the other hand, if, as I say there have been other reports for this same problem, why has Lexus not sent out a service bulletin about it. I think I'll contact Lexus next week.

Paul

[Bluestary]

Oops, apparent double post.

[Bluestary]

Man, that REALLY sucks. I don't believe your insurance should have to pay for it. It should have been covered by your warranty. I' m not sure it is a design flaw unless this has been reported in a number of these cars. It is more like a freak occurrence.

Since it has been a couple of months, do you have any updates on the issue?

[Diwit]

The only update is the total cost of the repair was $6589. I paid the $1000 deductible and my vehicle will carry this major insurance claim which will be an issue when I sell this vehicle.

Overall, my LEXUS Ownership experience rates a 2/10.

[LexBob2]

After this experience do you think you'll keep the Lexus, or move on to something else?

[Diwit]

I will definitely move onto another vehicle. The sunroof was the first disappointment, but having used the vehicle now through the winter I have found a number of issues which in MY opinion are real design flaws.

• The instrumentation for the heat/AC system are a series of relative small buttons under the sound system controls. In order to find the specific control, one has to take their eyes off the road to search for the correct button. Once it is found, you have to engage a button to see the mode the system is in and/or the flow of the heat/fan/AC. Otherwise it is hidden under the top of the navigation screen. Essentially, using this set up to regulate the climate in the car is very distracting when you are driving. (I needed to engage the windshield defogger during a snow storm. Locating the defogger button, then manually increasing the fan speed was harrowing when you are caught in a sudden snow squall).
• The back windshield Defroster only clears a 30 cm strip.
• Not sure why they would mount the garage door opener/Homelink to the rearview mirror. I guess they want you to reset your mirror every time you get into your car.
• The seat position should be tied to the individual remote. Having to adjust the position is not a "convenience".
• Not only is the Navigation system ridiculously complicated and tedious to use, it is so counter intuitive that I just use my phone.
• The Fuel consumption "App" gives me a minute by minute fluctuation of my fuel consumption from stop sign to stop light, when all I really want to know is what my average km/l is. I have not been able to locate how to reset the average consumption unless I fuel the vehicle (which is not representative if you do not fill the tank to the same point every time).
• Outfitted with top on the line snow tires, this vehicle is the least maneuverable/stable I've driven for a very long time.

So yeah....Nice car, looks good and uses regular gas and is very comfortable. The engineering thought processes of the vehicle reminds me of the old GM products of 25 years ago.

Will I keep it? Not for long.

Would I recommend Lexus? NO

Am I disappointed? YES, I heard so many good things about Lexus. I think that was from days gone by.

[LexBob2]

On a positive note, other than the sunroof issue, none of your dislikes are quality or reliability related and most items are things you can look out for on your next purchase.

[Diwit]

That is correct. Apart from the defective sunroof, there are no quality issues. Poor design absolutely, but I am to blame for not paying closer attention to features I was buying.

I took it on faith that Lexus engineering and technology was cutting edge. It clearly is not.

[pj8708]

Did you drive your ES350 before you bought it???

I have had an ES350 - 2010, and a ES350 - 2013. After owning both models I don't think we're talking about the same cars. I fully understand the mess with the sunroof, but I think your extrapulating that incident over to the whole car and that is simply not right.

Good luck in your hunt.

Paul

[Diwit]

Paul, I stated it was my fault for not researching features more thoroughly.

The car is lovely at first glance and many issues relating to the heat/climate control/defrost and defogger would not be an issue for owners in warmer climates.

I also stated that I had no issues with the quality of the vehicle.

This forum is designed for Lexus lovers, not necessarily Lexus owners.

[pj8708]

I think everyone has had a chance to try and come up with an answer, but it looks like thats only going to come from Lexus corprate. As I said earlier, according to previous postings on this subject, this flaw is not unique. I'm going to spend some time this week trying to pin down some one who will at least talk about the subject. Maybe I should call the NSA. They probably no the answer any way!!LOL.

Paul

[hluthra]

Most shocking incidents of any car I have ever driven in 30 years:

Driving down the freeway and all of a sudden, I hear huge BOOM sound!

I pulled over to see if there was a flat tire. Instead - a busted Sunroof.

Attached pictures. I hope lexus will fix this, as it appears to be a

lexus problem.

[LEX-SV]

So what was replacement car? Maybe without moonroof or pano roof.

[kcooper]

I too had the unfortunate experience of an exploding sunroof but fortunately I wasn't in it at the time. It happened overnight in my garage. I usually keep the sunroof cover closed at all times and noticed it was open as I felt a breeze upon leaving for work. My husband took it into the Lexus dealership and they tried to tell him a stone had hit it. Pretty hard to do when sitting in a garage. We tried to collect on warranty but they waffled. The first person my husband talked to said that it should definitely be a warranty problem and that he would start a file but in the end it was turned down. Lexus should stand behind their product - and do something to fix the issue. It is either a defect in the glass or the window was not installed properly but they shouldn't blame it on rocks and force their customers to pay for it.

[VACarter]

Add me to the exploding sunroof club. It happened today, driving 40 mph in 45 degree sunny weather. My front panoramic sunroof spontaneously exploded. Outwards. Loud boom. Looked around, no one nearby. Stopped at light looked up saw blue sky and shattered glass. Pulled over to a safe place, took photos, called Lexus. Their first response was to call my insurance company. I asked why, I had photos that showed it was obviously blown out from inside the car. After a 45 mi it's chat with Corporate, I have a case number. Car is not at dealer.

[Paul Cummings]

I have a 2015 Rx350 L/Certified..  Had it for two weeks and the sunroof exploded.  Called the dealership and they talked to Corp. representative and they said tough luck. not covered under warranty.  This is clearly a material defect and a safety hazard.  i cannot believe that Lexus won't stand behind their vehicle.    Been a Lexas owner for over 20 years, GS LS and not Rx.  Corporate will not give any feedback other to say there has been no recall.  Can clearly see it has happened to others.  Leaving the Lexus family

[Diwit]

If it was not bad enough that Lexus did not stand behind their product, I had no alternative than to make an insurance claim for the $7K repair and replacement bill.  Once a claim is filed on a vehicle it is reported on the vehicle CAE FACTS.  This $7K claim significantly lowered the trade in value of the vehicle.  

That is the first and last Lexus I will ever own.  It's unfortunate that the corporation completely ignored this safety hazard, because except for this instance, it was a great reliable vehicle.

I've moved on and never turning back.

[1990LS400]

22 hours ago, Diwit said:

If it was not bad enough that Lexus did not stand behind their product, I had no alternative than to make an insurance claim for the $7K repair and replacement bill.  Once a claim is filed on a vehicle it is reported on the vehicle CAE FACTS.  This $7K claim significantly lowered the trade in value of the vehicle.  

That is the first and last Lexus I will ever own.  It's unfortunate that the corporation completely ignored this safety hazard, because except for this instance, it was a great reliable vehicle.

I've moved on and never turning back.

Unfortunately, the exploding glass sunroof problem is occurring in vehicles from most car companies.  That there are only a handful of auto glass suppliers might have something to do with it.  Moving from Lexus to other brands doesn't mean it's not going to happen again.  Here is an interesting Consumer Reports article with a podcast about it:  https://www.consumerreports.org/car-safety/exploding-sunroof-cases-head-to-court/

Why did your replacement sunroof cost $7K?  Mine was a long time ago but it was less than $1K with an OEM glass panel at a collision repair facility owned by the Lexus dealership.  The current retail price of an OEM sunroof panel for a 2013 ES is only $830.46 and the going price is around $630.  The replacement of mine was completed within an hour so the labor cost couldn't have been much.   Based on your photos, your glass sunroof looks like the one I had replaced on my LS.   Replacing the sunroof did not affect the value of my Lexus.  Why yours?

 

[pj8708]

I have always had good luck with Lexus and my dealer. However. this problem has been a nightmare going back into the 2006 models. If you look for the search feature located at the top right of the page. There have been repeated occurrences of this nonsense in other manufacturers as well. I wonder if Lexus gave in and pays for one of these they fear they'll be swamped with more complaints.

Will your insurance company take on Lexus to protect their exposure to further claims? Someday, someone in the car will be hurt by flying glass. Maybe Japan will wake up.

Paul