Just as the title says! My sunroof shattered into a gazillion pieces. It was in the vent position and as I tried to close it, it made some creaking noise and then BOOM! I was driving home a few hours ago and were hardly any cars around. So I am ruling out anything hitting it.

Fortunately, I was wearing a hat (Fedora), so my whole head was protected. But the glass got all over the place. I had to exit and find a place to clean up, at least the drivers seat, to avoid scratching the leather.

First thing tomorrow, I am going to take it to my local service center and hope that this is covered under warranty. I am still in the warranty period. This looks like a pretty big job as the whole unit might need replacing.

At least there is no forecast of rain this weekend!

Anyone else had this happen? I tried to search for others that had the actual glass break, but I think this is the first.

 

Glad you're OK! Maybe there was something in the track like a loose screw, etc? I'm sure your dealer will replace it, it'll just be a pain for you trying to keep your valuables secure/dry until they change it, probably won't have the panel in stock either! Good luck, let us know how it works out!

 

A million little sunroofs all over the place!

 

Tempered glass does shatter into a million pieces. If is does break, better lots of pellets of glass rather than shards of sharp pieces falling on your head. You may want to check you auto insurance as glass replacement may be covered under your policy.

 

I am so gald we did not get the sunroof. So many problems with them.

 

But for everyone that complains or has an actual problem like erf2u there are a thousand others without a single problem. I have never had even the slightest problem with my sunroof. The HHR has the exact same sunroof as the Cadillac CTS.

 

I have never heard of a sunroof shattering on its own.
something had to cause it in the mechanism or a very strange coincidental impact at the right moment. I had no idea the motor was even strong enough to tweak the glass frame enough to shatter it.

while I have never required a sunroof in any car I have had, in fact, some I wish it never came with one. My HHR has one, and I could care less...just one more thing to worry about(leaks, repairs, etc)...but it does help resale for some reason.

I have worked on several cars that needed sunroof replacement. some require removal of glass frame only, while others require the entire frame/tracks/hardware to removed all as one unit.

many repairs have nothing to do with the glass panel...mostly frame/mechanism. Our cars have a solid molded headliner, so I assume the entire headliner will need to be dropped to repair/replace any part of the assembly.

I would also check with your insurance company...many times, glass replacement is covered under the same policy as comprehensive(theft/vandalism) with a $100 deductible...or whatever yours is.

but if you have a warranty, what I would do is mention the circumstances, and hope the dealer will consider it a mechanism problem(if it is) and not a impact/glass problem.

remember, dealers get paid to do warranty work, so they shouldnt fight you...

 

where i worked before, we replaced a few shattered moonroofs. Some of them broke due to vandalism and a few broke due to a manufacturing flaw. We replaced many of the ''skyview glass roof panel'' on nissan maximas , which i believed were improperly heat treated at the glass factory and at some point would just shatter. Ocassionally, a customer would have to get his side window or moonroof replaced because a rock hit the glass, leaving a small indent in the glass. The tempered glass was somehow weakened and over time (driving over bumpy roads) the glass would just burst. I myself own a 2004 honda civic with a power moonroof and have had absolutely no problems. I do recall a one particular day, this customer came to our shop looking for a replacement glass for his 1989 camaro iroq.. He was driving down the freeway and his buddy in the passenger seat decided to open the glass t-roof above his head. Well, he opened it allright...the glass caught the wind and went flying down the freeway as they were already doing about 80 miles an hour. I think the part from GM parts department was about $1000 in 1989.