This was a rental vehicle from ABQ. I was driving and had a passenger in the front passenger seat. It was approx 7:50PM Mountain Time on XXX. We were head south from [XXX] on XXX. About 10 miles out of Santa Fe we heard a loud pop like a gun shot and the sunroof glass exploded and shattered in the van. Traffic was light. We were about 15 seconds behind the next car in front of us and 10 or more seconds ahead of a car behind us. We thought maybe a rock hit the glass and shattered it but we were not close enough to a vehicle for that to occur. In looking online, there are verified reports of this sunroof glass spontaneously exploding. The event startled us. A bit of glass fell on us but we were not hurt. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Honda Odyssey sunroof shattered problems
82 of the 12,943 owner complaints about the Honda Odyssey describe sunroof shattered, most of them for the 2015 model year.
- owner complaints
- 82
- worst model year
- 2015
- typical mileage
- 41,000
By model year
What owners say
While driving on the turnpike, we heard a loud explosion sound and our sunroof shattered. The weather was sunny and clear and there was no other vehicles near us at the time. There was nothing on the road ways either.
Exploding SunRoof: I was driving on the east bound 2020 freeway about 65 mph. There were no taller cars or trucks around, no overpass. All of a sudden there as a huge bang. The glass of the sunroof had exploded. It has not been used in 2 years. I cannot think of anything that could have caused it. I have only opened the sunroof once back in 2024 when I got the vehicle just to see what it was like; I haven't used it since then. When I stopped, it looked like a basketball and gone through the glass. I can't image how dangerous it would have been if the inside cover had been opened and the glass had sprayed the car. I did not get a picture of it. I drove directly to State Farm and they looked at it an approved the repair without photos.
I was driving down the highway at highway speeds with no other vehicles around me and with my air conditioning on and the sunroof exploded.
Driving in city limits without any other vehicles nearby, the sunroof “exploded”. After immediately pulling over and inspecting the sun roof from outside the glass was buckled up, away from the interior of the car. The glass then all fell to the interior door.
My wife and kids were driving down the highway when the moonroof spontaneously exploded. It made a loud popping noise and glass rained down on my wife and two young kids. No warning signs at all. Luckily everyone is safe but this did cause some traumatic. We do feel uncertain about moonroofs now and are considering a different vehicle.
Moonroof exploded while driving 55 mph. I took pictures. It was completely distracting while driving and a very scary incident. Searching online provided a class action lawsuit against Honda for this issue. We have not been able to get it looked at due to it being the weekend and the service department is not open. No police were called. Insurance claim started. No warning before it happened.
Sunroof spontaneously exploded while driving. No object hit the sunroof.
The sunroof/moon roof glass suddenly popped and exploded. No debris of any kind or any car was near me. My car was alone. The roof spontaneously made a “pop” sound and exploded. I’m lucky I wasn’t killed, injured, or in an accident. Glass that explodes and shatters can cause serious harm.There is obviously some sort of defect in Honda’s sunroof glass. Please investigate this thoroughly.
The sunroof exploded, causing the glass to shatter, while driving. The vehicle is available for inspection. The noise from the glass shattering caused ear pain, headache, and tinnitus, which has been evaluated by a doctor. State Farm insurance has aided in the situation. The vehicle is in the body shop for repairs. The sunroof indicated no warning prior to the shattering of the glass.
Related recalls
Structure: body: hatchback/liftgate: support device/strut
- What is wrong
- Honda is recalling certain model year 2008-2009 odyssey vehicles, the gas-filled struts that help to raise and support the liftgate of vehicles equipped with a power liftgate system may be prone to early life failures due to a manufacturing flaw. The flaw can result in a leak of the pressurized gas, leading to reduced strut performance.
- Risk
- Struts with diminished performance can lead to unexpected closure, increasing the risk of personal injury.
- Remedy
- Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace both power liftgate gas struts free of charge. The safety recall began on march 12, 2012. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1‑800‑999‑1009.
Recall number 12V062000 · Recall details
Structure: body: hatchback/liftgate: support device/strut
- What is wrong
- Honda is recalling certain model year 2005 odyssey touring vehicles equipped with power operated rear liftgate. The power liftgate gas struts may deteriorate unexpectedly early. Struts that have worn out prematurely may fail to hold the power liftgate in the fully open position, causing the power liftgate to close unexpectedly.
- Risk
- Injury may result from a power liftgate closing unexpectedly when a person is within the closing path of the liftgate.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the gas liftgate struts and replace if within the recall population. This service will be performed free of charge. The campaign began on march 26, 2010. Owners may contact honda automobile customer service at 1‑800‑999‑1009.
Recall number 10V055000 · Recall details
Structure: frame and members
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: minivans. The front body/frame is missing spot welds.
- Risk
- The missing welds might affect the occupant protection performance in a collision.
- Remedy
- Dealers inspected all the vehicles and they were found to be properly welded.
Recall number 99V339000 · Recall details
Questions about the Honda Odyssey sunroof shattered
Which Honda Odyssey years have sunroof shattered problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2015 (15 complaints), 2014 (8 complaints) and 2018 (7 complaints).
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