Sunroof Safety

[bradly1101]

This article shows that incidents of exploding sunroofs are under-reported to the NHTSA, but are increasing. With them getting bigger and bigger (and more popular) it seems the chance of defects in the glass are growing too. Although lightly addressed in the article, I've always wondered how they affect roll-over safety. I'm glad I opted out of getting one in my current car. I never liked the glare from them either (which could affect the driver's vision), and they can leak.

https://www.consumerreports.org/car-safety/exploding-sunroofs-danger-overhead/

 

[PricklyPete]

Really? We sell something like 16+ million cars in this world and we are worried about 900 that have sunroofs that shatter? Tell me how many of those caused a real injury. I would be way more worried about all of the cheap battery powered devices around my house that are likely to start a fire...or actually getting in an accident with said car.

The panoramic sunroof in my wife’s Q7 is probably one of our favorite features of the car and it gets very regular usage.

 

[mindless1]

Meh, my oldest vehicle is ~ 20 y/o and I've enjoyed that sunroof with no leaks or breaks, but if it shattered I'd be DIY fixing it so not reported to NHTSA. Come to think of it, I rarely open it so if it started leaking, given that I'm going to be the end-owner (before junked) so I don't care about what little resale value it has, I would just caulk it in permanently shut to resolve the leak.

A sudden BOOM sound might startle me but as a driver you have to have the mindset that a loud noise doesn't make you start driving crazy different. Are you going to cause an accident every time someone unexpectedly blares their horn? Granted I could see getting glass in your eye(s) to be a major safety issue but I've never heard of, let alone experienced first hand, anyone getting in an accident because their sunroof shattered.

If it really bothers you, you could replace the glass with polycarbonate. It might yellow over time but if it does so evenly it shouldn't look too bad. If it's not flat then you may need the original glass to form the polycarb to the right shape.

 

[bradly1101]

In the roof area, I'd want steel protection with a headliner; the thought of a long, bloddy, asphault scrape mixed with glass
Doesn't sound appealing,

 

[mindless1]

The thin metal replaced by a sunroof is not structural, is probably the least of your worries if in an accident that bad.

People like to say they want more safety but do they really? You can weld a roll cage into any vehicle, whether full frame or unibody, or wear a helmet, either of which would make far more difference than sunroof vs not.

 

[Insomniator]

Cars feel like caves without a sun roof... I'll take my chances. Never heard of them causing a problem.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

This is new to me.

It's probably some sympathetic vibration/harmonic thing with defective hunks of glass.

 

[NutBucket]

Love sunroofs! Next best thing to a convertible since I have two kids.

 

[bradly1101]

This is new to me.

It's probably some sympathetic vibration/harmonic thing with defective hunks of glass.

Also the article points to the fact that many of these sunroofs cover a large part of the roof, flexing with the stresses on the car from bumps and temperature changes.

 

[KentState]

I'm at least 1,000,000 times more worried about all the people screwing around on their cell phones around me than this issue.

 

[Raizinman]

I’ve seen two exploding sunroofs. Both were vehicles that had undergone vehicle damage and repair (the vehicles did not roll or had roof damage). The conclusion we came to was that as the repaired vehicle flexed (the repairs caused it to flex slightly different than OEM) it put pressure on the sunroof glass and thus popped it. This use to be a common occurrence with back windows that would just shatter, often for the same reason.

 

[JulesMaximus]

In the roof area, I'd want steel protection with a headliner; the thought of a long, bloddy, asphault scrape mixed with glass
Doesn't sound appealing,

Why do people worry about nonsense like this? Have you EVER rolled a car over in your life? Ever driven a convertible? Or a motorcycle? Probably the same person riding his motorcycle at 100mph down the freeway with no helmet on worrying about what happens to the sunroof in his family car if he rolls it over.

Practically the entire roof of my car is glass and I've never given it a thought.

Christ, some people worry about the dumbest shit.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Why do people worry about nonsense like this? Have you EVER rolled a car over in your life? Ever driven a convertible? Or a motorcycle? Probably the same person riding his motorcycle at 100mph down the freeway with no helmet on worrying about what happens to the sunroof in his family car if he rolls it over.

Practically the entire roof of my car is glass and I've never given it a thought.

Christ, some people worry about the dumbest shit.

I do have plenty of faith in the structure of modern cars, with or without sunroofs. But if you flip a car with an open sunroof, try to be wearing your seatbelt at the time. Then you won't be dragged along the ground with the broken glass.

To your point: it's not you you should be worried about, it's all the other nutcases out there. Like my (deceased) grandparents.

My grandparents bought a Volvo 240, back in the '80s, because of their recurring "stacking" ads.

And wouldn't you know it, they flipped the thing (nodded off at the wheel), and walked away with a few bruises. So they bought another one. Wrecked it. Walked away. Bought a third. Grandpa died of a stroke before he could wreck it and grandma stopped driving.

I'm not going to defend my grandparents' driving habits, but I am going to say, "stuff happens." Drink more coffee, I guess, is my point, maybe?

 

[Raizinman]

All defects start with just one vehicle. There may only be a few cars with this defect today, but shortly there could be more. Making a complaint at the NHTSA is the best thing to do if you have a problem such as this. They keep tabs and will investigate and issue a recall if necessary.

 

[gorcorps]

I hate how standard they've become. Seems like I can't get a top trim level vehicle without some ridiculous sun/moonroof as part of the package... as if it's a feature. I would rather it be gone.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I hate how standard they've become. Seems like I can't get a top trim level vehicle without some ridiculous sun/moonroof as part of the package... as if it's a feature. I would rather it be gone.

Get used to it. I don't see that changing anytime soon.

Both of our cars have them, my last two cars had them. I like them as it gives the cabin a more open feel and my wife loves having a moon roof in our cars.

The only drawback I can see is a little less headroom space, although this is not a problem for me personally, and a little more greenhouse effect. I tinted mine which helps a lot with the greenhouse effect. I don't mind the extra cost and, quite frankly, I would always check that box anyway if special ordering a car.

The masses have spoken. Either special order your car without it, if you can, or deal with it.

I do have plenty of faith in the structure of modern cars, with or without sunroofs. But if you flip a car with an open sunroof, try to be wearing your seatbelt at the time. Then you won't be dragged along the ground with the broken glass.

To your point: it's not you you should be worried about, it's all the other nutcases out there.

Why would I EVER not wear a seat belt? Fastening my seat belt is literally the first thing I do when getting in a car after I shut the door. Only a moron would drive a car and not wear a seat belt. Not only is it illegal, as it should be, it is idiotic. Plus, the seat belt is something that can prevent injury and death that I actually have control over. I don't spend much time worrying about things I have no control over... like what other people are doing. Although, it does annoy me when I see people texting while driving.

I don't worry about glass breaking around me if I'm in an accident. If it breaks, it breaks...

I've been in a few accidents over the years, most of which were not my fault, and none of them resulted in the car being upside down.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I hate how standard they've become. Seems like I can't get a top trim level vehicle without some ridiculous sun/moonroof as part of the package... as if it's a feature. I would rather it be gone.

Same with nav systems.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Same with nav systems.

That's another feature I would not live without. I was visiting my family in Florida last week and rented a 2018 BMW 740i for 4 days (man that's a nice car-but that's a subject for another thread). We flew into Orlando and rented the BMW to drive 70 miles north to Ocala where my niece was getting married. We used the NAV system in the BMW for nearly all of our driving directions and it worked extremely well. On the way back to Orlando there was a traffic jam due to an accident and the NAV system popped up a message alerting us to the accident and traffic jam and calculated a route around the traffic and estimated how much time we would save by taking the alternate route. All I had to do was click yes and it guided us around the mess.

Of course your phone could do the same thing but it depletes the battery quickly when you use it for navigation and even if it didn't drain the crap out of my phone battery, it still wouldn't be as easy to use as the built in NAV, especially not while driving or if I were the only one in the car.

I will say, the system in that 740i is pretty slick and it was invaluable on that trip. I've never been to Ocala before and probably never will again but it was so much better than a map and easier to use than a cell phone. Plus, it left the cell phones free to do other things like play music or make phone calls (my 15 year old son handled the operation of the music play lists from his phone which synced up easily to the car).

 

[bradly1101]

I hate how standard they've become. Seems like I can't get a top trim level vehicle without some ridiculous sun/moonroof as part of the package... as if it's a feature. I would rather it be gone.

I agree. Also, being tall they certainly get in the way.

 

[bradly1101]

Why do people worry about nonsense like this? Have you EVER rolled a car over in your life? Ever driven a convertible? Or a motorcycle? Probably the same person riding his motorcycle at 100mph down the freeway with no helmet on worrying about what happens to the sunroof in his family car if he rolls it over.

Practically the entire roof of my car is glass and I've never given it a thought.

Christ, some people worry about the dumbest shit.

I didn't say I was worried or have "sunroof anxiety," but if I was in a rollover I'd rather have no sunroof up there, especially not a giant "panoramic" one. And no I have never been in a rollover, but I know three people who have.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Why would I EVER not wear a seat belt? Fastening my seat belt is literally the first thing I do when getting in a car after I shut the door. Only a moron would drive a car and not wear a seat belt. Not only is it illegal, as it should be, it is idiotic. Plus, the seat belt is something that can prevent injury and death that I actually have control over. I don't spend much time worrying about things I have no control over... like what other people are doing. Although, it does annoy me when I see people texting while driving.

I didn't mean to imply that you didn't. Just, like, you know. In general.

 

[XavierMace]

859 reports in 22 years? Yeah, I think I'll sleep just fine at night.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I didn't say I was worried or have "sunroof anxiety," but if I was in a rollover I'd rather have no sunroof up there, especially not a giant "panoramic" one. And no I have never been in a rollover, but I know three people who have.

Did any of them have glass sunroofs in their cars? Did they incur injuries because of the sunroof? Seems like an extremely remote possibility quite frankly.

Mine is tinted and I usually keep the sunshade closed (it is see through so you still get light in with it closed). I'm not worried about it at all and at 5'11" I have plenty of headroom in the car. Even my friends who are 6'1" or 6'2" have plenty of headroom in the front passenger seat. It's a coupe so I wouldn't put anyone in the back seat anyway.

 

[bradly1101]

Did any of them have glass sunroofs in their cars? Did they incur injuries because of the sunroof? Seems like an extremely remote possibility quite frankly.

Mine is tinted and I usually keep the sunshade closed (it is see through so you still get light in with it closed). I'm not worried about it at all and at 5'11" I have plenty of headroom in the car. Even my friends who are 6'1" or 6'2" have plenty of headroom in the front passenger seat. It's a coupe so I wouldn't put anyone in the back seat anyway.

No sunroofs, and they're all fine. Being 6'4" I get pretty close to the roofs in some cars.

 

[JulesMaximus]

No sunroofs, and they're all fine. Being 6'4" I get pretty close to the roofs in some cars.

I have a friend who is 6'7". He doesn't fit in most cars. We go to the Los Angeles Auto Show every year and try to find out what cars he fits in.

I can't imagine rolling a car. Not something I ever want to experience but at the same time I couldn't possibly care less about sunroof safety... if that's even a thing.

Hell, the entire roof of my car is glass and my car is pillarless too.