While driving yesterday, I heard a loud pop sound on my roof. When I arrived home about 5 min later I checked the roof and saw no issues or visible damage. About an hour later I heard another loud sound coming from my garage. This is when I discovered that the moonroof had spontaneously shattered and cracked. There was no known impact , falling objects or anything that would explain how this happened. The fact that I heard the initial popping noise while driving and that the glass continued to fracture while the vehicle was parked raises serious concerns about a possible defect in the glass or moonroof assembly. I have since found other owner reported complaints involving spontaneous glass failures on other Ford vehicles. I'm glad that no one was in the car when the glass shattered causing serious harm.
Ford Explorer sunroof shattered problems
66 of the 34,661 owner complaints about the Ford Explorer describe sunroof shattered, most of them for the 1993 model year.
- owner complaints
- 66
- worst model year
- 1993
- typical mileage
- 38,000
By model year
Often reported together
What owners say
The glass roof exploded while traveling down the road. No cause for failure present.
I was driving on the highway at approximately 70mph in my 2023 Ford Explorer Platinum which has 30,000 miles on it. We heard a loud noise which sounded like a gun went off inside the car. My sunroof exploded outward with no warning or messages and no impact. Edges of the remaining glass were angled upward indicating that the glass burst outward. There were no signs of glass impacting the thin fabric retractable shade. We had been driving for about 3 hours when the incident occurred. I took the vehicle to a Ford dealer, they took pictures and submitted a request for it to be covered under warranty but have not confirmed. We could have been at risk if I had not maintained my composure and moved safely to the shoulder. Vehicles behind us may have been impacted by the flying glass but I did not see any other vehicles pull over. I did get an estimate for repair from a local body shop in case Ford does not agree that it is a manufacturing problem. This should be covered by Ford!!!
Sunroof shade broke will not retract properly, causing serious visual concerns obstruction view our the rear window of the vehicle . There was no warning lights , or signs this was going to happen ,
Sunroof spontaneously shattered while driving down the road.
We were driving our new 2026 Ford Explorer on the highway around 7:45 am on 8/15/26 when suddenly we heard what sounded like an explosion. Fortunately, my husband did not wreck, roll the car or stop on the highway like I would have given the pure terror I felt. He pulled over, and we looked around and confirmed the sunroof was completely shattered. Fortunately, the shade was closed, or our daughter and dog would have been covered in glass. No object impact, collision, extreme temperature, or weather event was observed before the sunroof shattered. Fortunately traffic was light, and we feel lucky to be unharmed/alive.
Moonroof had a seal leak. Ford replaced entire moonroof assembly. 3 weeks later the moonroof spontaneously shattered while driving down 40 MPH road, no trees, no rocks, etc. Fortunately, the inner cloth canopy was closed or shattered glass would have fallen down and hit driver and passengers.
I purchased a 2022 Ford Explorer XLT in March 2026 with approximately 19,500 miles on the vehicle. While driving, I suddenly heard a loud noise above me. I looked up and discovered that a clip from the panoramic sunroof shade had broken. I took the vehicle to the dealership for inspection and was informed the repair would cost approximately $500. While waiting at the dealership, another customer arrived with the same problem on their Ford Explorer. This is a safety concern because the unexpected noise distracted me while I was driving and caused me to look away from the road to determine what had happened. A component of the panoramic sunroof shade should not fail under normal use, especially at such low mileage.
Driving down the highway at 60 mph and the sunroof exploded. No cars in front of me and nothing in on coming lane . I was on a newer road no big bumps. Sounded like a shot gun went off glass all over
Interior panoramic roof shade roller broke and is not retracting the liner anymore
Related recalls
Structure: body
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Explorer vehicles. The roof rail covers may come loose and detach from the vehicle.
- Risk
- A detached roof rail cover can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the roof rail covers and as necessary, repair or replace the push-pins, rail clips, or roof rail covers, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed August 28, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in January 2027. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S54. This recall expands previous the federal safety agency recall number 21V316. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on on July 16, 2026.
Recall number 26V448000 · Recall details
Structure: body
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Explorer vehicles. The driver and front passenger B-Pillar door trim may detach while driving.
- Risk
- Door trim that detaches while driving can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will repair the B-pillar trim, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed June 5, 2025. A second notice will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated November 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S53.
Recall number 25V347000 · Recall details
Structure: frame and members
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Explorer and Aviator vehicles. A mounting bolt for the front subframe may have been tightened improperly.
- Risk
- A loose subframe bolt may reduce the vehicle's performance in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and tighten the subframe bolts as necessary, free of charge. Owners may contact Ford Customer Service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Owner notification letters were mailed May 21, 2025. Ford's number for this recall is 25S43.
Recall number 25V316000 · Recall details
Structure: frame and members
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles. The transmission may be improperly secured due to loose cross member bolts.
- Risk
- An improperly secured transmission can result in a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and replace the transmission cross member bolts as necessary, free of charge. If the cross member bolts are missing, dealers will replace the cross member and install new bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 29, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S03.
Recall number 25V020000 · Recall details
Structure: body: roof and pillars
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2019 Explorer vehicles. The A-pillar trim retention clips may not be properly engaged, allowing the trim to detach.
- Risk
- A detached trim piece can fall off the vehicle, becoming a road hazard and increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and replace the A-pillar trim as necessary, free of charge. This will be a phased campaign, with the remedy becoming available in different phases based on model years. Owner notification letters were mailed between July 18, 2024 and December 16, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S02.
Recall number 24V031000 · Recall details
Structure: body
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Explorer vehicles. The retention pins could loosen and allow the roof rail covers to detach from the vehicle.
- Risk
- A detached roof rail cover can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install push-pins and replace any damaged rail clips and roof rail covers, as necessary, free of charge. The interim owner notification letter was mailed on June 22, 2021. Owner notification letters (remedy available) were mailed on October 1, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S22.
Recall number 21V316000 · Recall details
Structure: body: door
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Explorer vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the interior door handle return spring may unseat, resulting in interior door handle that does not return to the fully stowed position after actuation.
- Risk
- If the interior door handle return spring is unseated, the door may unlatch in the event of a side impact crash, increasing the risk of personal injury.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect all four of the interior door handles and either repair or replace them, free of charge. The recall began on July 23, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S11.
Recall number 15V171000 · Recall details
Structure: body: hatchback/liftgate: hinge and attachments
- What is wrong
- On certain sport utility vehicles, the liftgate glass strut may become disengaged or the hinge may fracture allowing the glass to fall and possibly break.
- Risk
- If the hinge should fracture, there is a potential for the glass to fall and ultimately break and personal injuries could occur.
- Remedy
- Dealers will have the liftgate glass strut brackets and glass hinges replaced. For the vehicles built from august 1, 2000 through march 3, 2002, the dealers will replace the hinges and liftgate strut bracket. On vehicles built from march 3, 2002 through june 23, 2003, the dealers will only replace the hinges. The recall began on september 30, 2004. A postcard was sent to owners on december 27, 2004, advising them that parts are now available. Owners should contact ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673.
Recall number 04V442000 · Recall details
Structure
- What is wrong
- Certain pickup truck, van, and mini van conversions equipped with southern comfort built running boards that contain certain courtesy lights manufactured by american technology components, inc. These units contain a courtesy light or lights that might overheat when the wire harness is exposed to excessive moisture and road salt.
- Risk
- This overheating condition can cause the running board to melt or cause a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the wiring harness on these running boards. Owner notification began march 7, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact southern comfort at 1‑800‑745‑6096.
Recall number 03V094000 · Recall details
Structure: body: hatchback/liftgate: support device/strut
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: on certain sport utility vehicles, the hydraulic lift cylinder bracket welds could fracture.
- Risk
- With a broken bracket weld, there is a potential for the liftgate bracket to gradually bend inward allowing the lift cylinder ball stud to disengage, unexpectedly allowing the liftgate to fall from an open position.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install liftgate reinforcement brackets. Depending upon the condition of the liftgate sheet metal in the area of the bracket, dealers may also install a larger reinforcement.
Recall number 99V310001 · Recall details
Questions about the Ford Explorer sunroof shattered
Which Ford Explorer years have sunroof shattered problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1993 (7 complaints), 2021 (7 complaints) and 2020 (6 complaints).
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