Exploding Sunroofs

Just because it is on the internet doesn't make it true . I have never heard of this happening in British Columbia on any car let alone a Kia brand specifically a Cadenza . **** happens sometimes. I had a high-speed blowout and I was fortunate that I did keep my cool and pull over. I was driving a Lincoln MKZ AWDI simply replaced the tire with the same brand I don't believe it was an OEM tire but thinking I was running Michelin high-performance summer tires . and In my view to say you have lost confidence in the lincoln and in your case the Cadenza might be a tad overreacting . Maybe just maybe Kia was right and it was external forces . Three or four sunroof blowouts from questionable le sources a recall does not make . Remember in problem-solving check off the obvious then start on the unobvious ( sherlock Holmes)

More reports from the NHTSA website:

March 15, 2017 NHTSA ID NUMBER: 10966060
Components: VISIBILITY
NHTSA ID Number: 10966060

Incident Date March 14, 2017

Consumer Location WARNER, OK

Vehicle Identification Number N/A

Summary of Complaint

CRASHNo

FIRENo

INJURIES0

DEATHS0

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 KIA CADENZA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT 70 MPH, THE SUN ROOF EXPLODED FROM THE EXTERIOR WITHOUT IMPACT. THE WERE NO INJURIES SUSTAINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 104,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
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NHTSA ID Number: 11011327

Incident Date July 27, 2017

Consumer Location HENRICO, VA

Vehicle Identification Number KNALN4D7XE5****

Summary of Complaint

CRASHNo

FIRENo

INJURIES1

DEATHS0

SUNROOF EXPLODED IN A VERY LOUD MANNER. NO OBJECT HIT THE SUNROOF, IT JUST EXPLODED. VEHICLE WAS UNDERWAY GOING STRAIGHT AHEAD ON A HIGHWAY. NO OVERPASS OR VEHICLE DIRECTLY IN FRONT.
____________________________________

NHTSA ID Number: 10934856

Incident Date December 6, 2016

Consumer Location PORTERVILLE, CA

Vehicle Identification Number N/A

Summary of Complaint

CRASHNo

FIRENo

INJURIES0

DEATHS0

ON DECEMBER 6, 2016 MY SUNROOF EXPLODED WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY. THE EXPLOSION WAS SO LOUD AND VIOLENT I THOUGHT I WAS SHOT. SHARDS OF GLASS RAINED DOWN ON MY HEAD. I WAS ABLE TO AVOID A VEHICLE COLLISION, BUT WAS VERY SHAKEN UP ABOUT THE ORDEAL. MY RIGHT EAR FELT DEAF AND I NOTICEABLE HAVE LESS HEARING AS A RESULT OF THE EXPLOSION. *TR
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Three new reports, and all happened on the freeway. Seems to be a common element to the exploding sunroofs.

What would the lawsuit be over, imperfections in the glass? Trying to sue someone because of a freak accident (possibly under certain circumstances, we don't know yet) is a bit too far for me. The only way to really avoid this is to not have a full glass roof. I hate it when people get sue happy (not saying you are rmorris) and just want to try to extort money. Now, if it turns out that there is knowledge of this happening during x conditions at Kia (or any manufacturer) and they went ahead with it anyways, THEN that would be grounds for a lawsuit. Sometimes things just fail or weird freak things happen but in the case of glass there's only really 1 thing that happens, and that's shatter. It seems much more violent because that's just its nature. It's the same thing with a tire, at lower speeds or sitting at home it may just leak out, but doing 70 on the highway may lead to a sudden blowout. The fact that one of the guys said it sounded like a gunshot to me says there were some good forces involved, probably not everyday driving conditions.

Intersting thought on the sun. The dates of the occurance are mostly in the Spring (March), with a couple on June/July and one in December. I think it would be hard to say if the sun heated something up that contributed to the explosions. I link this to the highway - all these incidents happened at speed without warning. Makes me think there is some kind of vibration or resonance causing it linked to speed.

Oh wow, just found this article from consumer reports. Hyundai and Kia are bad!

https://www.consumerreports.org/car-safety/exploding-sunroofs-danger-overhead/



It's a good read. Some excerpts:

"When asked about its sunroofs, Kia mostly blamed road debris: “When a cause of breakage is identifiable, it is always road debris or projectiles, even in cases involving users who insist no road debris caused the breakage.”

"Searching for a Cause

While there is much debate over the prevailing cause for sunroof explosions, there is generally agreement on this: Current regulatory standards haven’t kept pace with the size or design innovations in panoramic sunroofs. Basically, this means that some sunroofs are underengineered."

"One problem is that modern designs are more three-dimensional and often involve bending glass to the curvature of the roof, notes Rob Vandal, senior director of research and development with Guardian Glass, a major American automotive glass supplier. That makes them more susceptible to impacts, even from very small objects, Vandal says, because they present a more vertical surface for an offending object to strike."

"If sunroofs are “just breaking [on their own],” Corsi says, “it’s likely to be a manufacturing flaw,” noting “the larger the piece of glass, the smaller the margin of error.”
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I had no idea sunroof glass is unregulated - consensus is laminated glass (like the front windshield) is the strongest, while tempered is weaker. I've heard some popping and creaking noises from the sunroof before - this has me more worried than I was before.

Some more reports from NHTSA:

January 11, 2018 NHTSA ID NUMBER: 11062161
Components: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
NHTSA ID Number: 11062161

Incident Date January 10, 2018

Consumer Location MADISON, MS

Vehicle Identification Number KNALN4D76E5****

Summary of Complaint

THE FRONT GLASS ROOF PANEL/SUNROOF EXPLODED WITH NO EVIDENCE OF ANY OUTSIDE FORCE OR FACTOR. CAR IS A 2014 KIA CADENZA PURCHASED USED IN 2017 WITH 10,000 MILES. MILEAGE AT TIME OF INCIDENT WAS 17,629. NO RELEVANT MAINTENANCE HISTORY ASSOCIATED WITH THE INCIDENT. I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE IN RIDGELAND, MS SOUTHBOUND ON A FRONTAGE ROAD OFF OF I-55 AT 6:20 PM CST AT A SPEED OF APPROXIMATELY 55 MILES PER HOUR IN DRIVE AS THE VEHICLE HAS AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. IT HAD BEEN AN OVERCAST DAY AND AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT IT WAS NOT RAINING AND THE TEMPERATURE WAS NEAR 60 DEGREES. THERE WERE NO CARS ON EITHER SIDE OF ME NOR IN FRONT OF ME FOR A REASONABLE DISTANCE. AS I WAS DRIVING, THERE WAS AN EXTREMELY LOUD EXPLOSION WHICH SOUNDED AS IF A GUN HAD BEEN DISCHARGED IN OR NEAR MY CAR. I WAS EXTREMELY STARTLED BY THE EXPLOSION AND IMMEDIATELY HEARD OUTSIDE NOISE AND FELT AIR COMING IN FROM THE TOP OF THE CAR. I SLOWED AND ENGAGED MY HAZARDS UNTIL I COULD GET TO A LOCATION TO INSPECT THE CAR. I NOTICED AN INTERESTING SMELL DIRECTLY AFTER THE INCIDENT BUT COULD NOT DETERMINE WHERE IT WAS COMING FROM AND IT DISSIPATED. ONCE I PARKED THE CAR IT WAS AS EXPECTED, THE FRONT SECTION OF THE ROOF GLASS HAD A LARGE HOLE WITH GLASS SHARDS AND THE REMAINDER OF THE FRONT SECTION OF GLASS WAS CRACKED BUT HAD NOT DISLODGED. THE REAR GLASS SECTION APPEARED TO BE UNHARMED. THREE WORK EMPLOYEES AS WELL AS MY WIFE WITNESSED THE DAMAGE DIRECTLY AFTER I PARKED. THIS WAS A TRIP I HAD MADE NUMEROUS TIMES WITH NO UNUSUAL ROAD CONDITIONS, TRAFFIC OR WEATHER IN THIS CASE.
___________________________________________

February 5, 2018 NHTSA ID NUMBER: 11066923
Components: STRUCTURE
NHTSA ID Number: 11066923

Incident Date January 31, 2018

Consumer Location WINTER GARDEN, FL

Vehicle Identification Number KNALN4D79F5****

Summary of Complaint

WHEN I AM DRIVING HOME JUST A MILE AWAY FROM HOME I HEARD A POP NOISE SIMILAR TO A BALLOON AND MY KIDS WITH ME AND I ASKED THEM DID THEY HAVE ANY BALLOONS WITH YOU ALL . THEY SAY NO AND HEARD THE SAME NOISE AND I WAS THINKING MAY BE THE TIRE POPPED BUT I DIDN'T FEEL ANYTHING IN MY STEERING WHEEL . THEN I STARTED HEARING WIND NOISE COMING INTO THE CAR. THEN I REALIZED THE SUNROOF MUST HAVE EXPLODED. I GOT TO MY HOUSE AND GOT OUT CHECK IT OUT FIND ITS STARTING CRACK ALL OVER THE FRONT MOON ROOF. I COULD HEAR IT'S SLOWLY CRACKING WITH SUEAKY NOISE WITH PRESSURE AND ITS LIFTING SLIGHTLY OVER ITSELF. WE ARE SAFELY CONE OUT OF THE CAR BEFORE THE GLASS CAME DOWN.I HAVE HEARD SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH KIA SORENTO BUT NEVER WITH CADENZAS.NOW I SEE THE PROBLEM OF USING TEMPERED GLASS IT SEEMS VERY DANGEROUS THEY ARE VERY SHARP. I CONTACTED KIA AND THEY SAID WILL CALL BACK IN 2 DAYS AND THEY CALLED BACK BUT I COULD COULDN'T PICK UP, NO ONE ANSWER MY RETURN CALL I AM WAITING FOR 4 DAYS NOW FOR A SOLUTION TO THIS.
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February 22, 2018 NHTSA ID NUMBER: 11074369
Components: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
NHTSA ID Number: 11074369

Incident Date February 22, 2018

Consumer Location MISSOURI CITY, TX

Vehicle Identification Number KNALN4D76E5****

Summary of Complaint

MOONROOF EXPLODED FOR NO OBVIOUS REASON WHILST DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS
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July 30, 2018 NHTSA ID NUMBER: 11114680
Components: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
NHTSA ID Number: 11114680

Incident Date July 27, 2018

Consumer Location ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, NJ

Vehicle Identification Number N/A

Summary of Complaint

WAS DRIVING DOWN A BUSY LOCAL ROAD WHEN OUT OF NO WHERE, I HEARD A LOUND EXPLOSION. I LOOKED AT THE REAR VIEW MIRROR THINKING SOMETHING HAD CRASHED INTO THE BACK WINDSHIELD, BUT THERE WAS NOTHING. I GOT OUT TO CHECK THE CAR AND NOTICED A HUGE HOLE IN MY SUNROOF. THE GLASS HAD SHATTERED AND PIECES WERE EVERYWHERE. I CALLED KIA TO SEE IF IT WOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, BUT THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY'VE NEVER COME ACROSS SOMETHING LIKE THIS. I EVEN SHOWED THEM MANY SOURCES ONLINE OF PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE SAME EXACT ISSUE AND THEY STILL FAILED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE DEFECT. IT WAS CLEARLY DUE TO TOO MUCH PRESSURE FROM HOW THE CAR WAS DESIGNED AND BUILT AS THE SUNROOF WAS CONCAVING UPWARDS. CLEARLY A SAFETY HAZARD WHILE DRIVING DUE TO THE LOUD, UNEXPECTED EXPLODING SOUND AND WORST CASE, COULD'VE CAUSED INJURY WITH GLASS FALLING EVERYWHERE HAD MY SUNROOF BEEN ACTUALLY OPEN.
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September 20, 2018 NHTSA ID NUMBER: 11130448
Components: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
NHTSA ID Number: 11130448

Incident Date September 18, 2018

Consumer Location COLORADO SPRINGS, CO

Vehicle Identification Number KNALN4D78E5****

Summary of Complaint

WHILE DRIVING ON 9/18 NORTHBOUND ON I-25 AT 75 MPH OUTSIDE CASTLE ROCK. CO, MY SUNROOF EXPLODED. GLASS RAINED DOWN ON ME. THERE WERE NO OTHER CARS AROUND ME AT THE TIME AND THERE IS NO OTHER DAMAGE TO MY CAR. THERE IS NO OBJECT IN THE CAR THAT WOULD INDICATE THE SUNROOF WAS HIT BY SOMETHING.
__________________________________

Interestingly there are no reports of exploding sunroofs on the '17-19 MY Cadenza's

And some more:

November 12, 2019 NHTSA ID NUMBER: 11279519
Components: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
NHTSA ID Number: 11279519

Incident Date November 7, 2019

Consumer Location HARRIMAN, TN

Vehicle Identification Number KNALN4D77F5****

Summary of Complaint

2015 KIA CADENZA PANORAMIC SUNROOF SPONTANEOUSLY EXPLODED WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. SOUNDED LIKE A BOMB EXPLODED IN THE CAR AND THERE WAS NO EXTERNAL OBJECT INVOLVED.
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January 2, 2021 NHTSA ID NUMBER: 11386068
Components: STRUCTURE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
NHTSA ID Number: 11386068

Incident Date December 28, 2020

Consumer Location RICHARDSON, TX

Vehicle Identification Number KNALN4D77E5****

Summary of Complaint

MY KIA CADENZA HAS PANORAMIC SUNROOF. WHILE I WAS DRIVING I HEARD LOUD BOMB EXPLOSION NOISE AND THE SUNROOF EXPLODED. I ALMOST LOST CONTROL BUT LUCKILY NO ACCIDENT HAPPEND.
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Number reported seems to be slowing down