2013 Volkswagen Passat: sunroof shattered

Filed Jan 22, 2019 · Visibility · 120,000 miles · AL

I was traveling to work on interstate 85 (which as four lanes) and all of a sudden there was a gun shot/explosion sound that rattled my car. I froze and closed my eyes (thank god I was on a straight road & did not yank my steering wheel), when I opened I was covered in glass. For some reason, my sun roof exploded for no apparent reason. It was not below freezing or extreme heat and I had not been under an overpass. I had glass in my clothes, my mouth, my hair, and all in my car.

Filed Aug 1, 2015 · 45,492 miles · OR

I was driving home with my three kids from utah to oregon on I-84. While passing through boise, id there was suddenly a loud explosion sounding like a bomb or gunshot. I looked back to make sure my kids were okay and they had a look of terror on their faces and asked what that noise was. I wasn't sure what had happened and then small glass shards started raining down on me through the vents in the shade shield of the sunroof. I thought that something must have landed on the car even though I hadn't passed through any overpasses and quickly pulled over to inspect the sunroof as I knew it had broken but couldn't quite see what had happened since I had the shade shield closed. When I got out to examine the sunroof, it had spontaneously exploded outwards, not imploded inwards. The glass was shattered but was still mostly intact, most likely from the tinting, but it was clearly pushed outwards and not inwards. I had all the windows and sunroof closed at that time. It was about 95 degrees outside and I had the air conditioning on in the car. We were listening to a audio book and not to any bass thumping music. When I called the dealership, the man said he had never heard of that happening before and that it was impossible for a car to do so. Well, it is possible and it did happen and I'm glad that I had enough presence of mind to remain calm and not swerve into other traffic on the busy interstate when it did happen.

Filed Oct 24, 2014 · Visibility · 45,275 miles · AR

I drive a 2013 vw passat tdi se. Yesterday, october 23, 2014, the sunroof exploded upward/outward for no apparent reason. The weather was not extremely hot or cold. We were on a "lonely" stretch of interstate 40 just east of winslow, az. This occurred late in the afternoon, not during the hot, middle of the day. No objects struck our car/sunroof, it just blew upward leaving a large hole in the glass.

Filed Oct 7, 2014 · Visibility · 18,000 miles · WA · 1 injury

While driving 65 MPH on interstate in nice weather and low traffic the sunroof of my 2013 volkswagen passat exploded outwards creating a large hole 18" - 20". It was a loud gunshot type noise and some glass ended up on our faces and arms creating minor cuts. Most of the glass was blown outside the car and damaged the roof and trunk. When the explosion occurred the windows were closed and the sunroof was also closed and the air conditioner was on. We were not under any overpasses or near buildings or road debris. Dealership will not repair under warranty saying it is an outside force. Vw customer care was difficult to reach and also denied the claim and I will have to file an insurance claim due to extent of damage.

Filed Dec 20, 2013 · Visibility · 11,000 miles · TX

While driving 65 MPH and without warning the sunroof of my 2013 volkswagen passat exploded outwards, creating an approximately 18" hole. Some glass fell inside but the majority of the glass exited the car. The outside temperature was ~65 degrees, no other windows were open and the sunroof was fully closed; the interior cover of the sunroof was open. Neither the heat or air condition were on. I was not on my cell phone and the music volume was on low. I am the first owner of this car, having taken possession 87 days ago. The dealership will not accept culpability and has stated I would have to prove a factory defect LED to the explosion of the sunroof. An internet search indicates the exploding sunroof is not an unheard of problem. We continue to address this issue with the dealer but as of this moment, indications are they will expect our insurance to cover the costs of repair.