2016 Subaru Outback: sunroof shattered

Filed Aug 22, 2021 · Seat belts · CO

Incident occurred on Interstate 25 Northbound at approximately mm 190. My speed was approximately 70 mph. Weather was dry and about 70 degrees. I was in the next to left lane in 4 lanes of traffic. The moonroof on my 2016 Subaru Outback exploded violently sending glass outward into traffic. I had never heard of this phenomena so when I saw black material from the top of my car going into traffic I thought it was pieces of my roof rack. I pulled over to the shoulder to examine my car and saw a massive hole in the moonroof. Knowing that if I continued shards of glass would continue to be expelled onto the interstate I pulled the remaining pieces of glass into the interior of the car. Not that it mattered, that's where they fell anyway when I opened the moonroof. The pieces of the moonroof fell into the slots for the seatbelts, rendering the drivers side inoperable. It was a miracle that no other car was seriously impacted and that I was able to get home safely. Subaru and any other car manufacturer that is involved with this problem needs to be held accountable for the damages and remedial repairs. This problem should be addressed by the federal safety agency immediately.

Filed Aug 31, 2020 · 51,000 miles · ND

Without warning the sunroof glass spontaneously exploded while driving 40 miles per hour

Filed Jul 14, 2020 · 60,000 miles · WA

We were driving on i5 north through washington on a roadtrip (going ~65mph), about to enter a thunderstorm, and our moonroof unexpectedly shattered, making an explosion sound. Thankfully no one was hurt and we were able to go to a nearby ford dealership to help us patch the car so we could make our 2+ hour drive home, but it was absolutely terrifying. After further research, we think it's in relation to the pressure difference inside and outside of the car. There was little glass in the car, making it seem as if the explosion was coming from inside. No rock or debris hitting the car was noticed. Here's more information about the issue from an article last year that referenced the federal safety agency: https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/my-sunroof-exploded-government-investigating-exploding-sunroofs/283-c529d7e5-f2c4-488e-ae34-96f781ad5466.

Filed Apr 9, 2018 · Visibility · 31,156 miles · MA

While driving southbound at about 55 MPH on a smooth level divided highway on a clear day with a temperature of about 45 degrees my moon roof exploded. Both the glass portion and the inner sliding cover were closed. There was a loud "wham," and then a rattling sound that turned out to be the shards of class bouncing around on the inner sliding cover. No debris other than the glass was inside the roof, and we checked 100 yards back in the direction from which we came and found nothing that could have hit us from above. Luckily, there was a subaru dealer nearby, and we were able to continue our vacation with a loaner while they fixed the moon roof. We took the opportunity to replace a lost "smart key" at the same time, and that is reflected on the attached bill but has nothing to do with this event. We were uninjured, but had the inner sliding cover been open, we would have been showered with broken glass while driving at highway speed.

Filed Jan 18, 2018 · 16,500 miles · MO

Moon roof glass shattered without apparent cause, while driving on interstate highway at speed limit in good weather and in an area without traffic, overpasses, trees or other known hazards to glass. Thought at first that I was mysteriously hit by another vehicle from nowhere, based on the loud noise when the glass broke. Fortunately, I was not in heavy traffic, where I may have taken evasive action to avoid another apparent collision. Dealer said the needed repairs were not covered, so I had the work completed by a local glass shop for $325 (receipt in my files).

Filed Nov 10, 2017 · Body · 22,000 miles · CA

During a 75 MPH drive on an interstate hwy the moonroof exploded. Due to circumstances we could not visit a dealer and were compelled to tape a temporary cover to the vehicle to limit wind noise. Later in the trip rain occurred, which leaked into the vehicle damaging the interior.

Filed Apr 20, 2017 · Visibility · 20,000 miles · GA

While driving down an open road going about 45mph with no trees and no other vehicles around us, our sunroof exploded. I say exploded because we thought we had been shot. It was a very loud pop and then we were instantly covered in glass. Like almost the entire sunroof was now in pieces and inside the car. I actually googled "exploding sunroof" because we knew we didn't hit anything. There are literally pages of accounts of this happening and there are numerous manufacturers listed as having this problem. Anyway, subaru did replace it and we did not have to file a claim with our insurance but we could have been seriously injured if we were going any faster. The prevailing theory is that in order the save weight on the affected vehicles, the frame of the sunroof isn't rigid enough allowing the glass to move too much which causes the spontaneous explosion.