Opened sunroof and middle piece that holds liner broke and liner slid back into car .. schickers Ford in union said there were several cars with same problem Ford won't fix and warranty not covering. Just brought car in March
Ford Escape sunroof shattered problems
53 of the 27,615 owner complaints about the Ford Escape describe sunroof shattered, most of them for the 2016 model year.
- owner complaints
- 53
- worst model year
- 2016
- typical mileage
- 43,200
Is there a fix? There are 5 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
What owners say
My sunroof spontaneously exploded while driving. It made a very loud noise, at first I thought a tire blew, but the tire light didn't come on. I could hear like a whistling coming from the top of the car and thought it must be the sunroof. It only cracked at that point, but lots of cracks. We were able to finish driving to our destination, but then when going to drive back home, it began to break and pieces fell onto the cover and some blew away also. There were no signs of issues before this happened.
I was driving on a very flat highway (no other cars around me) and it sounded like an explosion and glass rained down the back of the car. When I get to my destination, I looked at my roof and the sun roof glass had exploded.
Sunroof on the vehicle just shattered. No impact related cause. Maybe heat.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 58 MPH in the rain, the sunroof glass panel exploded and shattered. The contact continued driving. The contact had not sustained any injuries. The dealer was notified of the failure and provided an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and transferred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 119,500.
My panoramic sunroof cracked with no signs of impact at all and once i open the car the sunroof exploded apart.
The Sunroof spontaneously shattered while I was driving home. Upon further inspection, it looked like the glass was becoming separated from the frame as well.
I was driving to work at 7am on Saturday, August 26, 2023- and it was a mild morning... maybe 50 degrees. As I was driving I heard what sounded like a gunshot- and once I was able to gather myself, I realized that my panoramic sunroof had exploded. Outward. Nothing hit the glass- it merely exploded. There is no point of impact from an outside object. I was driving past a cattle ranch- no trees hanging over the road and there were no other vehicles in sight. I was only 2 miles from home and was able to close the sunroof cover and slowly drive home to park in garage. It is available- at our home, currently, if inspection is needed. Glass did fall on me, the driver. Luckily I did not have any passengers with me at the time. And my nerves were shot from the loud sound. We have tried, unsuccessfully, to have our calls returned by Ford. And we are hesitant to reach out to our insurance as we truly feel the manufacturer is at fault here. After doing some research, this seems to be a common problem with many Ford models with panoramic sunroofs. We appreciate you recording this incident- and if you have any advice on how to proceed, that would also be appreciated.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the sunroof inadvertently exploded. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 129,000.
The front section of the panoramic sun roof exploded, for no apparent reason. There was a loud booming sound and glass came raining down everywhere. I was startled and swerved but stayed on the road and did not crash. Broken glass covered me, the front and rear seats, floor, center console etc. Most glass was crumble size but there were fine smaller pieces too. I tried to close the cloth roof but it wouldn't close all the way and glass continued to fall and blow around. There were no trucks around me, few cars, no flying objects, no hot/cold issues, no big bumps in the road; no reason that I saw for this to happen and no warning. The dealership was not interested and Ford company said I was out of warranty so they would not do anything for me. No one has inspected the car yet, but it is currently sitting in my garage if anyone wants to.
Related recalls
Structure: body: hatchback/liftgate: hinge and attachments
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Escape and 2025 Escape vehicles. The liftgate hinge covers may not be properly secured and detach from the vehicle.
- Risk
- A detached liftgate hinge cover can create a distraction or a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and reinstall, or replace any missing liftgate hinge covers as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 3, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SD6. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on on December 3, 2025.
Recall number 25V829000 · Recall details
Structure: body: bumpers: active shutters/grill
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Escape, 2021-2022 Lincoln Corsair, and 2022 Maverick vehicles equipped with 2.5L HEV or PHEV engines. In the event of an engine failure, engine oil and fuel vapor may be released into the engine compartment and accumulate near ignition sources such as hot engine or exhaust components, possibly resulting in an engine compartment fire.
- Risk
- An engine compartment fire increases the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Owners are advised to park and shut off the engine as quickly as possible if they hear unexpected engine noises, notice a reduction in vehicle power, or see smoke. Dealers will modify the under engine shield and active grille shutter, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 19, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S47.
Recall number 22V484000 · Recall details
Structure: body: door
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Escape vehicles manufactured October 5, 2011, through April 10, 2014. Due to an assembly misalignment between the exterior door handle and the door outer panel, the affected vehicles have doors that may be difficult to close or may possibly open while driving.
- Risk
- A door that opens unexpectedly may result in an unrestrained occupant falling from the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and correct the mounting of the door handles, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 30, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑800‑392‑3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S03.
Recall number 14V239000 · Recall details
Structure: frame and members
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2001-2004 Escape vehicles manufactured October 22, 1999, through January 23, 2004, originally sold, or currently registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. These vehicles may experience excessive corrosion at the forward attachment of the lower control arm.
- Risk
- A separation of the lower control arm can result in a significant loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install a newly designed reinforcement cross-brace, free of charge. The recall began on May 30, 2014. Owners may contact Ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S02.
Recall number 14V165000 · Recall details
Structure
- What is wrong
- Ford is recalling certain model year 2013 escape vehicles manufactured from march 8, 2012 through june 7, 2012. Due to mis-positioned carpet padding the center console trim panel may be pushed outboard of the intended position, reducing clearance relative to the pedal package.
- Risk
- The reduced clearance may result in the drivers foot contacting the side of the brake pedal while transferring the foot from the accelerator pedal to the brake pedal, increasing stopping distances and the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will remove the carpet padding and left-side console trim panel replaced with a new panel, free of charge. The recall began on july 20, 2012. Owners may contact ford at 1‑866‑436‑7332.
Recall number 12V319000 · Recall details
Questions about the Ford Escape sunroof shattered
Which Ford Escape years have sunroof shattered problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2016 (6 complaints), 2013 (5 complaints) and 2015 (5 complaints).
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