Reports of car sunroofs spontaneously shattering have surged in recent years, with incident numbers potentially on track to reach a record high this year. Thousands of drivers have filed complaints with U.S. auto-safety regulators over the past few years detailing startling instances of their sunroofs suddenly breaking, often while the vehicles were in motion.
Nearly 500 complaints regarding broken sunroofs were submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the current year, approaching the 550 complaints filed across all of last year. Since 2021, the NHTSA has received close to 2,800 complaints about unexpectedly broken sunroofs, with over 500 involving more recent model years.
Drivers have described the incidents with alarming intensity. One owner, Amber Nguyen, recounted driving her 2025 Lexus SUV when she heard a loud bang, describing the sound as "totally different than if a rock just hits your car." Another owner reported a "gunshot" sound before their Mercedes-Benz sunroof shattered. In other documented cases, a Kia minivan's sunroof exploded while driving on a Wisconsin highway, and a GMC SUV's moonroof fell onto seats occupied by children.
These failures have been reported across more than 200 models from 17 different manufacturers in the last three years. On average, such failures occur about once a day, and approximately one in five complaints involve vehicles from the 2025 or 2026 model years. Common vehicle models cited in complaints include the Toyota RAV4, Hyundai Palisade, Kia Telluride, and Honda CR-V.
While the exact cause remains unclear, potential factors include design and manufacturing flaws. Other theories suggest repeated impacts from road debris over time, combined with extreme temperature fluctuations, could cause the glass to expand and break. Owners have also shared experiences on social media, with some linking the incidents to using the vehicle's heating system during cold weather.
Despite the rising number of complaints, sunroof failures have rarely resulted in recalls. The NHTSA previously investigated reports of unexpected sunroof damage in Kia Sorento SUVs starting in 2013. After a seven-year investigation involving over 4,000 reported incidents, the agency concluded in 2021 that there was insufficient evidence of a defect, attributing the issues to minor, imperceptible damage from small rocks that accumulates over time. A NHTSA spokesperson stated that the agency is monitoring the issue and is unaware of any crashes or serious injuries linked to shattered sunroofs.
Major automotive glass suppliers are reportedly moving towards using laminated glass, similar to windshields, and other reinforced materials in production. Meanwhile, sunroofs and moonroofs have become increasingly common features, with industry data indicating they are now equipped on over half of vehicles produced for the U.S. market, a 35% increase over the past decade.
Automakers have offered varying explanations. Hyundai stated that its studies have not identified any defects, attributing breakage to debris impacts. Honda noted that an increase in CR-V models equipped with moonroofs could skew complaint numbers, suggesting a lower incidence rate relative to the number of units sold. Kia and Toyota did not immediately respond to requests for comment.