2012 Kia Optima: sunroof shattered

Filed Apr 21, 2021 · Visibility · 109,000 miles · CA

I was driving on the freeway at about 70mph when my panoramic sunroof suddenly exploded. It was not hit by a rock or any sort of debris, it exploded completely on its own without warning. The loud explosion caused me to swerve and panic brake as glass shards rained down on me from the broken sunroof.

Filed May 1, 2018 · Body · CO · 1 injury

I was driving down a residential street at 35mph and heard what sounded like a loud explosion. I literally thought a gun shot had been fired towards me and hit my vehicle. I tried looking around and nothing seemed to be shattered until I saw my arm bleeding slightly. And small shards of glass on the seat. I pulled the car over to the side of the road and the sun roof was completely shattered. I am able to tell that there was no impact from a rock or anything as the glass is blown outwards and not inward. I am not sure how the glass 'blew up' or shattered if not from any impact but this is very concerning as I do have small cuts on my arm from the glass coming through.

Filed Feb 15, 2018 · Visibility · 64,585 miles · MI

My wife was driving on the freeway at 6:20 p.m in the slow lane at 65 MPH when she heard a loud explosion and the sunroof shattered. There were no vehicles in front of her or around her that could possibly have kicked up a rock or debris from the road. She was also not passing under an overpass or bridge. Luckily, she was able to control the car and was not physically hurt in the incident. This vehicle has a panoramic sunroof and the moving part of the glass sunroof shattered.

Filed Sep 6, 2017 · Body · 77,000 miles · OH · 1 injury

My fiance was drivingdriving 55 down the i77 highway north getting ready to turn off the exit and she heard a loud bang. Next thing she knew she had glass all over her.the powered sunroof exploded!!!!the glass cut her hand in a few spot but thankfully she is ok and didnt wreck the vehicle and that our kids weren't in the car. My fiance called the police and said there was nothing they could do and my insurance has a 1000$$$ deductible.

Filed Jan 19, 2017 · Body, Visibility · 99,000 miles · TX

Sunroof shattered while driving.

Filed Oct 5, 2016 · Body · 11,000 miles · NY

We were on the wantagh pkwy as usual then we heard a loud explosion which sounded like the tired had blown. When arriving home we notice the sun roof had exploded and all the glass was inside of the roof. Thank god through our insurance it was fixed and replaced.....we hate to think that it would happen again. If it does kia need to fix and replace it.

Filed Apr 19, 2016 · 62,000 miles · IN

I own a 2012 kia optima on april 5, 2016 I was driving home from work and my sunroof exploded. At the time I was driving on cline avenue (912). I was not doing anything out of the normal. There were no car around me to hit me there was no falling debris from anywhere. I heard a loud explosion sound and when I looked up I saw my sunroof with a huge hole and two more loud pops came after that. Since that time I have contacted kia USA the corporate headquarters and have not gotten anywhere with them. They have not owned up to the fact that this is happening in their vehicles (2011 -2015). I discovered this while researching on line. Once the explosion happened I contacted the dealership where I purchased it and where I have it serviced on a regular basis. They held my car from monday, april 11, 2016 until friday, april 15, 2016. Nothing was done to it. They claim that they were instructed to hold it so they could an investigation of the car. I have given 3 depositions over the phone to kia with a promise that someone would get back to me soon. That has not happened yet. In the mean time I had to give the dealer ship a deposit so they could order the glass to fix the sunroof. They are telling me that it will cost $440.00 for the class and $80.00 dollars labor. This may not seem like much, but to me it is and I feel like this is kia's responsibility. When I was doing my research on-line I found article of others car makers having the same problem but they paid for the repairs. I was told that my warranty does not cover glass and since the total cost is $520 and my insurance deductible is $500. So this is money I have to pay out of my pocket and presently I am driving around with a piece of plastic for a roof.

Filed Mar 24, 2016 · 61,000 miles · MD

On march 23, 2016 at approximately 2:50 pm I was traveling in heavy traffic on a highway in my 2012 kia optima ex when the panoramic sunroof shattered, in a trajectory resulting the the glass pointing upwards consistent with an explosion outwards. The sunroof was not in use (as it and the accompanying sunshade were completely closed). I became aware of the issue as it occurred very suddenly, sounding almost as if a gunshot had occurred before thentering glass shards landing on the sunshade became apparent by rattling while my vehicle was driving. At the time of the incident, I was traveling at no more than 50 MPH as traffic was heavy and we were traveling through a road construction zone characterized by reduced speed. The weather was sunny and approximately 75 degrees. No other windows were open at the time of the incident. Passengers in the vehicle included myself (driver) and my toddler daughter who was secured in her rear-facing carseat. There were no overpasses or large improperly secured vehicles nearby (such as a dump truck) from which a projectile could have originated to shatter the window. As stated above, the shatter pattern of the glass is consistent with a trajectory of the break from outwards from the vehicle. I have several pictures attached documenting the damage. It is my belief that this break occurred due to a manufacturing error or defect in the glass of the panoramic sunroof free from any penetrating or projectile objects or variables. I was not informed by kia nor my servicing kia dealership that this is a result of any defect or recall and that all repairs would need to be made out of pocket by myself.

Filed Feb 2, 2016 · 60,300 miles · LA

I was driving on i10 driving 70 MPH today and my sunroof exploded. The road was smooth. Nothing seemed to hit me, it just exploded, like a loud gunshot above my head.

Filed Jul 13, 2015 · Body · 61,900 miles · OH · 2 injuries

I was driving with my wife at approximately 70 MPH on a flat, freshly paved highway with no overpasses or others cars nearby when all of a sudden an extremely loud crash (sounded like a gun shot) occurred right above our heads. All of a sudden the sunshade on the interior roof started flapping around wildly in the wind and hundreds of pieces of shattered glass started raining on my wife and my head and body. The sound and falling glass was so sudden and distracting that I nearly swerved off the road, but luckily was able to maintain control of the car. As my heart beat out of my chest, I quickly pulled over to the side of the highway to calm down and assess what had happened. Upon further inspection it looked like the sunroof had spontaneously exploded outward from the cabin. We have no logical explanation for why it occurred other than that it was a pre-existing manufacturing defect, which sounds consistent with other instances I have read online. Doing some additional research I found that there are apparently hundreds of cases of this occurring in kia models and a class action lawsuit is being built. Despite all of these instances being reported I was never alerted by kia that this was an issue or possibility. My car is in the shop now and kia is investigating whether or not they will cover the repair costs (they better after all we went through). My wife and I both suffered several punctures/splinters on our head, arms, and legs from the tiny glass shards. My wife also received a gash/cut on her palm from a piece of glass. Kia needs to address this very serious issue before it happens to others who may not be as lucky as we were to walk away relatively uninjured.

Filed Jun 29, 2015 · Visibility · 40,000 miles · OH

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. While driving approximately 55 MPH, the contact heard a loud pop and the sun roof shattered without warning. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

Filed Jun 26, 2015 · Visibility · 60,050 miles · WA

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. While driving 50 MPH, the sun roof glass exploded with a loud bang. The contact was uninjured. The manufacturer and dealer were made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 60,050.