While driving at approximately 55 mph on a clear day, the panoramic sunroof glass spontaneously shattered with a loud explosion. There were no overpasses, construction zones, or other vehicles in the immediate vicinity to suggest an external impact from a rock or debris. The glass shattered into small granules, some of which fell into the cabin while the vehicle was in motion, creating an immediate distraction and safety hazard.
2020 Honda Pilot: sunroof shattered
5 of the 497 complaints about the 2020 Honda Pilot describe sunroof shattered.
- owner complaints
- 5
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- recalls
- 1
Sunroof shattered by model year
What owners say
The sun roof shattered without provocation while driving in the interstate. Glass showered in the cabin to the driver, front passenger and floor in the back seat. Temp outside was between 55-57F. Inside cabin heat in system was at 69F. Seat warmer were on. It was raining at the time of incident between 2:30-3:15pm. I (driver) was very shaken by incident but did not lost control of steering. Initially could not correlate explosion like sound to location. Thought it was in rear of car but upon feeling rain and recognition of glass in the cabin realized it was the sunroof. Vehicle was at around 60-65mph in 70mph. This is memorable as GPS send notification of speed checks on zone prior to incident. Car in front was very far ( more than 10 car lengths) in two lane road. Car in rear was also at about 2 car lengths. Not reported to insurance as deductible is higher than cost of repair. Did not reported to police as no other vehicle involved and no loss of vehicle control. Definitely a safety risk. Both passengers were wearing glasses, and long sleeves due to weather and glass was all over driver and Passeger. Explosion sound was terrifying and unsettling. No warning lights or sounds noted prior to the incident. Car had been driven the day before. Car is always stored in garage. This was first drive of day for car.
Sunroof exploded without warning while driving on the highway at 75mph. The explosion was extremely loud and the scare could have caused me to cause an accident with other cars nearby. I had two little children with me in the car. Vehicle has been sitting at the dealership, with not ETA of part due to backorder.
While driving on a highway, my sunroof exploded. There were no other vehicles near me and nothing hit the vehicle or sunroof. Shards of glass came loose from the vehicle thankfully my sunshade was closed, or the glass would have entered the cabin.
While driving down the highway, we heard a loud, sudden pop and then wind. The sunroof shattered and the cover was closed so all glass ended up on the cover. There were no overpasses above us or vehicles in front of us that could have caused anything to fall on the sunroof. There was nothing other than glass found on the cover and no damage to the top of the vehicle (as if something would have hit the glass and bounced off). The driver was startled and, if the cover had not been closed, the glass would have ended up in the face of our backseat passenger. Prior to this, I had no problems with the sunroof and there had been no prior damage to it. When I took the Pilot in for repair at the Honda service center, I was told that they have heard of a few cases like this where the sunroof spontaneously imploded, but that it was not a safety recall or under warranty. I have photos of the shattered sunroof.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
Structure: body
- What is wrong
- Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Pilot and 2019 Passport vehicles. The front frame left and right side upper members may not have been welded completely to the unibody. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 208, "Occupant Crash Protection" and 219, "Windshield Zone Intrusion."
- Risk
- In the event of a crash, incomplete body welding may provide inadequate protection to occupants, increasing the risk of an injury.
- Remedy
- Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicle for missing welds, free of charge. If the vehicle is identified as missing welds, the dealer will offer to repurchase the vehicle or provide a similar replacement vehicle. Owner notification began November 6 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Honda's number for this recall is X6J.
Recall number 19V784000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2020 Honda Pilot sunroof shattered
Is sunroof shattered a common problem on the 2020 Honda Pilot?
5 of 497 owner complaints about the 2020 Honda Pilot (1%) mention sunroof shattered. The model year with the most reports is 2016.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2020 Honda Pilot?
There is 1 recall and 5 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2020 Honda Pilot
Backup camera 62Stalling 40Collision warning 38Adaptive cruise 37Screen failure 36Lane assist 26Start-stop 21Check engine light 18Headlights 17Won't start 17Fuel pump 15Jerking 14Knocking 12Engine failure 11Hesitation 11Warning lights 11Loss of power 10Grinding brakes 6Harsh shifting 6Shudder 6Fire or smoke 5Fuel gauge 5
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