2007 Scion TC: sunroof shattered

Filed Apr 7, 2014 · Visibility · 90,000 miles · OR

I was driving on the highway at approximately 65mph with my sunroof in the slightly lifted position only and all other windows closed. Out of nowhere there was a loud noise that sounded like a gunshot and we saw shattered glass from my sunroof flying out first and then shattering down onto myself, my adult passenger, her 1 year old daughter that was in her car seat in the back as well as on our two small dogs. When we pulled over and got out of the car, we had to shake glass from our clothing and hair as well as carefully remove it from our seats and all over everywhere else and then very carefully remove glass from covering the baby and the our dogs in the back seat. We are all lucky we were not injured from the flying glass. We then had to carefully remove the remaining loose chunks of glass from the roof so they wouldn't fall down on us and what remained was just the outer portion of the glass and a giant hole. This was a very scary incident and could have caused serious harm if the sudden noise caused me to swerve into something or another vehicle. Upon reading numerous reports, I have yet to see toyota step up and make it right, but I intend to fight and get them to recall and fix the scion sunroofs!

Filed Feb 3, 2014 · Visibility · 86,500 miles · AZ · 1 injury

I was driving down the freeway going 65 MPH. All of the sudden I heard a really loud gunshot sound and then the middle of the sunroof exploded. All the windows, including the sunroof, were closed. I only had the visor open; when the glass broke, I had glass in my hair and all down my back. When the sunroof broke, the front piece of the sunroof flipped open as well. Looks like some took their fist and hit the sunroof from the inside of the car. The right side of my ear still hurts from the sound of the gun shot sound. My car is currently with the dealership for them to inspect it. When I called the dealership and scion corp office, they both said they have never heard of this happening on this vehicle. I find this very hard to believe as there are hundreds of postings online stating that this is becoming more and more of an issue. I thank god that my 4 year son wasn't with me at the time as glass would have gone all over him. I want scion to pay for this damage as this is a huge safety issue. I could have caused an accident or even have killed myself as glass went everywhere. Does someone need to be killed in order for someone to look at this issue? Thank you in advance for your time and help with this matter.

Filed Jul 19, 2013 · Visibility · 68,000 miles · PA

My daughter was able to purchase her dream car, a scion tc, a few months ago, and as she was returning home from oc, md, on 18 jul 13, she heard what sounded like a gunshot and saw something fly off her car so pulled over to discover her sunroof had exploded (sunroof was closed as it was hot and she was using AC)...she was 1-1/2 hr away from home. As she tried to locate a vacuum cleaner to clean out the glass inside her car, she realized pieces of glass were breaking loose from her sunroof and flying behind so she pulled over again and literally had to wrap her sunroof in a towel to keep herself and other motorist safe. I contacted the dealership and they would not accept it as being defective...claimed something had to have fallen and hit her sunroof for this to happen. Contact has been made to insurance for a claim, but after reading all the blogs, I will pursue toyota to replace this at their cost as it seems to be a recurring issue with this vehicle. Primary buyers of these vehicles are the younger generation and it sickens me to know toyota is not stepping up to the plate and recalling them to correct the problem and keep the drivers and surrounding motorist safe. I am on my second toyota tacoma, have always deemed toyota as economical and safe vehicles; however, depending on how this ordeal is handled, will determine how faithful of a customer I am in the future!

Filed Aug 7, 2012 · Body, Visibility · 92,093 miles · NJ

While driving at highway speeds (65 MPH), I heard a loud "pop" followed by glass raining down around me. I pulled over and examined my car to find the perimeter of the sunroof entirely missing and the interior portion of the sunroof shattered. There were large chunks of glass inside the car along with pieces of metal. The sunroof was open at the time. The temperature was in the low 70s. There were no overpasses nor were there any trucks around me. There was no impact mark on the glass to indicate road debris.

Filed May 1, 2012 · Visibility · 86,203 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota scion tc. The contact stated that the sunroof shattered while driving 65 MPH. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer. The dealer stated the motor shorted and the frame bent which caused the glass to shatter. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 86,203. Updated 7/18/12 *cn updated 07/25/12.

Filed May 20, 2011 · Visibility · 120,000 miles · MD

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 scion tc. The contact stated while driving approximately 60-65 MPH, there was a loud noise which sounded like a gunshot; and then suddenly the sunroof exploded. The sunroof was closed when the failure occurred. The vehicle was not inspected or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The current and failure mileages were approximately 120,000.

Filed Apr 20, 2011 · Visibility · 75,000 miles · PA

I was driving to work at 6 am on an interstate going 65 MPH. When I heard a large "boom" sound. I felt a large rush of air and glass began to fall on me. (it was sunny and approximately 40 degrees). My all of my windows, including the sunroof, were all closed at the time of this explosion. This sound was a result of my sunroof exploding from the inside out. I immediately pulled over and checked for debris, or anything that may of caused this to happen. I found nothing. There was no other drivers around me, and no overpass I drove under. When looking at the car from the outside, the (front) sunroof looked like a volcano, rising up from the car with jagged edges around it. There is no possible explanation of why this happened!! I noticed that many other complaints from scion owners had the same occurrence with their sunroofs. I took the car to a certified toyota dealer, and the service manager spent the day investigating the cause of this sudden explosion. All mechanisms associated with the sunroof were working properly and were not defected. After my experience and reading the experiences of other scion owners, I am concerned of why this hasn't been addressed by toyota or the federal safety agency? The noise of this incident caused my to swerve and panic. It was a very scary situation and could've LED to an accident, injury or death of myself and/or other motorists. Why was the glass not safety glass? What would cause this to happen to a sunroof with no apparent cause? I was very lucky that I nor anyone else was not injured from this occurrence. Please investigate this matter! Thank you!

Filed Apr 8, 2011 · Locks, Visibility · 63,915 miles · CA

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota scion tc. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH the sunroof was open and it shattered. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but they have they were unable to diagnose the failure. The latch on the vehicle was also broken. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 63,915.

Filed Feb 22, 2011 · Visibility · 22,500 miles · FL

I own a 2007 scion tc and I was driving at approximately 35 MPH on a business district street in the city when I heard a loud gunshot-type sound and the sound of broken glass on the roof of my car. I pulled over at the next intersection and saw that the front section of the glass panoramic roof had shattered and some of the metal parts of the assembly were knocked out of place. The wind deflector was also in the up position and parts of that assembly looked to be possibly damaged as well, although the sunroof had been completely closed at the time. There did not seem to be an impact to the roof glass by any object, and upon inspection the shattered glass looked as if it had exploded upward and the edges of the glass had cracked and broken away as if under stress from the outer edges. Went to the dealer, they said they had never seen anything like this before. Manager (service or general, not sure) declares nothing they can do as the car is out of warranty: purchased 4+ yrs ago but only 22,500 mi at time of incident. Car is not drivable with this damage so I filed a claim with my auto insurance, who declares this is not considered glass breakage (I.e. Windshield) so I must pay $500 deductible toward $892 for repair and replacement. I feel this is either a design flaw or glass defect and constitutes a serious safety issue which should be corrected by the manufacturer as well as reimburse me and my insurance company for all repair costs (my deductible and the portion paid by my insurance company including the rental car while my car was out of service to me). Honestly, I would prefer if this were caused simply by impact with an object, because under these circumstances I don't know that will feel safe in this car any more or confident that it won't happen again, perhaps resulting in more serious damage or even injury. I have contacted the manufacturer directly with my concerns, waiting for a response.

Filed Nov 7, 2010 · Visibility · 58,345 miles · FL · 2 injuries

Sunroof shattered while driving. The sunroof was in the open position with windows up. Smooth, paved road with no vehicles in front or behind that could have kicked up road debris. While examining the shattered sunroof, no marks were noticed that would indicate the sunroof being struck by a foreign object. The wind deflector shows no signs of any type of damage. Both the driver and 6-year old passenger received minor scrapes and cuts due to glass falling into the interior of the vehicle.

Filed May 11, 2009 · Visibility · 25,946 miles · CA

Shortly after returning home my 2007 scion tc sunroof shattered without warning while parked in my driveway. I called a policeman to take a look and discovered there was no sign of impact, only shattered around the edges and the wind deflector was in the up position even though I did not open the sunroof. The center started to bulge upward before cracking and falling into the interior. Car has less than 26,000 miles so I took pictures and took it to the dealer. Dealer would not cover the damage as warranty repair and suggested I go through insurance. Other owners having the same complaint and this safety issue needs to be addressed.

Filed Jan 19, 2009 · Visibility · 39,000 miles · TX

While driving home on 1-16-09, my sunroof just exploded. I was driving about 45 MPH, with no cars in front of me or behind me when I heard the loud explosion. I got out of the car and looked at my sunroof. All four corners were completely busted out. The middle was completely intact, but shattered throughout with no signs of impact. My sunroof deflector however was in the up position as if I was trying to open the sunroof. But that wasn't the case since it had been raining earlier in the day and it was 44 degrees out side and I was a mile away from home. I have an 100,000 mile warranty on the car and the dealership I took it to said I'm out of my warranty even though I show him my paper work. They said it is inlined with a rubber seal so that it couldn't just shatter. Looking on the internet at several message boards, I have read several complaints about the same issues.