Panoramic Sunroof Explosion
#121
Really?
Acura: "Sorry, something must have hit it. Please file an insurance claim"
You" "But nothing hit it."
Acura: "Sorry, we won't cover it"
What are you going to do? Do you think that somebody is going to ride in on a white stallion and fight for you, telling Acura that they must "prove" that it was a road hazard?
Like with any other denied claim, you have several choices:
Suck it up and pay
Sue them in small claims court
If you sue them, then you either pay for the repair first and then sue, or let the car sit with a busted moonroof for a few months while you sue them.
Acura: "Sorry, something must have hit it. Please file an insurance claim"
You" "But nothing hit it."
Acura: "Sorry, we won't cover it"
What are you going to do? Do you think that somebody is going to ride in on a white stallion and fight for you, telling Acura that they must "prove" that it was a road hazard?
Like with any other denied claim, you have several choices:
Suck it up and pay
Sue them in small claims court
If you sue them, then you either pay for the repair first and then sue, or let the car sit with a busted moonroof for a few months while you sue them.
#122
Acura and the dealerships can do whatever the hell they want and decline coverage at their whim. If you think it's not legal, then it's still up to you to take them to court on that. Often times, the cost of doing so is more than just biting the bullet and covering the cost yourself, as I discovered when they wouldn't honor their battery warranty or replace a broken key.
#123
Suzuka Master
Acura and the dealerships can do whatever the hell they want and decline coverage at their whim. If you think it's not legal, then it's still up to you to take them to court on that. Often times, the cost of doing so is more than just biting the bullet and covering the cost yourself, as I discovered when they wouldn't honor their battery warranty or replace a broken key.
what happens if car insurance looks at it and says: “nope, its not accident/hazard, its a mechanical defect, we wont cover”
#124
Suzuka Master
Really?
Acura: "Sorry, something must have hit it. Please file an insurance claim"
You" "But nothing hit it."
Acura: "Sorry, we won't cover it"
What are you going to do? Do you think that somebody is going to ride in on a white stallion and fight for you, telling Acura that they must "prove" that it was a road hazard?
Like with any other denied claim, you have several choices:
Suck it up and pay
Sue them in small claims court
If you sue them, then you either pay for the repair first and then sue, or let the car sit with a busted moonroof for a few months while you sue them.
Acura: "Sorry, something must have hit it. Please file an insurance claim"
You" "But nothing hit it."
Acura: "Sorry, we won't cover it"
What are you going to do? Do you think that somebody is going to ride in on a white stallion and fight for you, telling Acura that they must "prove" that it was a road hazard?
Like with any other denied claim, you have several choices:
Suck it up and pay
Sue them in small claims court
If you sue them, then you either pay for the repair first and then sue, or let the car sit with a busted moonroof for a few months while you sue them.
If they not going to cover, why not ask them for explanation of what they observed that points to damage vs mechanical failure? They need to have a reason why its not covered by warranty.
I would start nice with them before escalating this.
#126
I heard back from the dealer after Acura requested a bunch of pictures from the dealer. I guess acura saw something because they are covering it under warranty. I'm actually shocked. Probably a case by case. Fyi, I was hearing the popping noise when the car was at an angle. Not sure if that has anything to do with what happened.
#127
Drifting
I heard back from the dealer after Acura requested a bunch of pictures from the dealer. I guess acura saw something because they are covering it under warranty. I'm actually shocked. Probably a case by case. Fyi, I was hearing the popping noise when the car was at an angle. Not sure if that has anything to do with what happened.
My faith in humanity is momentarily restored.
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zroger73 (02-19-2020)
#128
Suzuka Master
I heard back from the dealer after Acura requested a bunch of pictures from the dealer. I guess acura saw something because they are covering it under warranty. I'm actually shocked. Probably a case by case. Fyi, I was hearing the popping noise when the car was at an angle. Not sure if that has anything to do with what happened.
can you find out if its defective glass or incorrect installation?
#129
Burning Brakes
I really wish there were some close up pictures of what failed
#130
User Awaiting Email Confirmation
Honestly, that latest picture does look like there was impact almost dead center in that crack. I could be wrong, as I'm not an expert. Glad to hear that Acura is starting to entertain covering these under warranty. Perhaps they're slowly realizing there may be a design flaw with these god forsaken panoramic moonroofs? Hopefully this pushes them to simply make these damn things optional rather than standard.
#131
Three Wheelin'
Honestly, that latest picture does look like there was impact almost dead center in that crack. I could be wrong, as I'm not an expert. Glad to hear that Acura is starting to entertain covering these under warranty. Perhaps they're slowly realizing there may be a design flaw with these god forsaken panoramic moonroofs? Hopefully this pushes them to simply make these damn things optional rather than standard.
(For those who say we somehow find a way to talk about Tesla in every thread, please note my valuable contribution here!)
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Madd Dog (02-20-2020)
#133
Burning Brakes
yea really, The Acura dealers like to just tell everyone it’s normal or that the other RDXs on the lot do the same thing. Oh the other cars have squeeking suspension, it’s normal, the other Cars have creeky sunroofs, that’s normal, oh the brakes squeak on the other ones, that’s normal. Oh we can’t reproduce the limp mode, no codes, we arnt gonna say your lying but we arnt gonna believe you. Oh your sunroof broke, that’s not a warranty issue, gets pretty old, doesn’t make a lot of people want to keep buying Honda/Acura
#134
yea really, The Acura dealers like to just tell everyone it’s normal or that the other RDXs on the lot do the same thing. Oh the other cars have squeeking suspension, it’s normal, the other Cars have creeky sunroofs, that’s normal, oh the brakes squeak on the other ones, that’s normal. Oh we can’t reproduce the limp mode, no codes, we arnt gonna say your lying but we arnt gonna believe you. Oh your sunroof broke, that’s not a warranty issue, gets pretty old, doesn’t make a lot of people want to keep buying Honda/Acura
#136
Suzuka Master
It’s a good outcome since they are covering it under warranty. Maybe they are finally realizing they need to get their shit together and take responsibility for the quality.
#137
Maybe he had the radio turned up too loud.
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RENARELLO (02-21-2020)
#139
Drifting
Truth is stranger than fiction. There are competitions for loudest car audio systems. And yeah, a panoramic sunroof might not be a good thing.
Guess I'd better keep the shade closed when I crank up the classic rock!
Guess I'd better keep the shade closed when I crank up the classic rock!
Last edited by Wander; 02-21-2020 at 12:11 PM.
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RENARELLO (02-21-2020)
#141
Suzuka Master
looks like their CEO is admitting that there are problems, they need to keep their customer base happy before things get even worse, denying warranty coverage would be a disaster.
#142
Burning Brakes
#144
Ya.... some of us have been saying this about Acura. when few of us here reported quality issues on 2019 model, we were met with skepticism and chalked as one off. When CS report on reliability came out, bunch of knights and defenders of the faith came out blasting CSR’s methodology and relevance.
Honda/Acura is not what it used to be on reliability. Granted, they might still be better than others but there are better brands out there now if that’s your primary goal when car shopping
Honda/Acura is not what it used to be on reliability. Granted, they might still be better than others but there are better brands out there now if that’s your primary goal when car shopping
#145
#148
Summer is Coming
Some automakers choose to use stronger and safer laminated glass in their sunroofs and Pano roofs because they realize the issues of tempered glass. Of course Acura choose to save money and blame the owner as per their usual pattern lately.
This is a good read on the subject.... Note that Honda uses laminated glass on the Pilot. The discontinued ZDX had several incidents of the rear window exploding that I'm sure someone can find on Acurazine somewhere. There is another thread on the popping noise that some RDX owners experience as they back out of their driveways and the car body flexes. I'm sure this body flexing must put a load on the tempered glass.
About 2 years ago I had the floor to ceiling glass surround in our bathroom replaced. As the guys were removing the old glass it exploded. It was pretty catastrophic. Glass went everywhere even into two adjacent rooms. Two of the guys had some decent cuts on their arms. This was thicker glass than the pano roofs and of course they were putting force on the glass removing it, but it didn't take much as they were trying to be very careful. It is prestressed to shatter rather than leaving large shards of glass that can seriously injury someone in a crash. I have laminated glass in a full size glass storm door. While I haven't tried t break it, it feels like I could hit that thing with a baseball bat and it would just bounce off. Car manufacturers know this, they are just cutting costs. They might claim if is a safety thing, but windshields are required to be laminated, why not sun roof? Especially these large roofs that take loads through body flexing.
https://www.consumerreports.org/car-...ding-sunroofs/
This is a good read on the subject.... Note that Honda uses laminated glass on the Pilot. The discontinued ZDX had several incidents of the rear window exploding that I'm sure someone can find on Acurazine somewhere. There is another thread on the popping noise that some RDX owners experience as they back out of their driveways and the car body flexes. I'm sure this body flexing must put a load on the tempered glass.
About 2 years ago I had the floor to ceiling glass surround in our bathroom replaced. As the guys were removing the old glass it exploded. It was pretty catastrophic. Glass went everywhere even into two adjacent rooms. Two of the guys had some decent cuts on their arms. This was thicker glass than the pano roofs and of course they were putting force on the glass removing it, but it didn't take much as they were trying to be very careful. It is prestressed to shatter rather than leaving large shards of glass that can seriously injury someone in a crash. I have laminated glass in a full size glass storm door. While I haven't tried t break it, it feels like I could hit that thing with a baseball bat and it would just bounce off. Car manufacturers know this, they are just cutting costs. They might claim if is a safety thing, but windshields are required to be laminated, why not sun roof? Especially these large roofs that take loads through body flexing.
https://www.consumerreports.org/car-...ding-sunroofs/
#149
Drifting
That's interesting about the Pilot, because I have had sunroof failures on Pilots because of impacts, but the glass held together as laminated glass would. I still put an entire roll of duct tape on it because we were far from home on family road trips.
But IIRC the glass broke into many tiny pieces as tempered glass would, they just mostly stayed together.
I didn't think about it much at the time because I figured all sunroof glass was like that. Are we sure the front sunroof glass on RDX isn't laminated?
[edit] What is CR talking about? Pilot doesn't have a panoramic sunroof. I had examples of both 2nd-gen and current 3rd-gen and they only had a standard moonroof in front.
But IIRC the glass broke into many tiny pieces as tempered glass would, they just mostly stayed together.
I didn't think about it much at the time because I figured all sunroof glass was like that. Are we sure the front sunroof glass on RDX isn't laminated?
[edit] What is CR talking about? Pilot doesn't have a panoramic sunroof. I had examples of both 2nd-gen and current 3rd-gen and they only had a standard moonroof in front.
Last edited by Wander; 03-02-2020 at 11:17 AM.
#150
Drifting
Oh, it looks like Honda added panoramic sunroof to the top-line Elite trim of 3rd-gen Pilot. Not sure if that happened at MMC. I had pre-MMC Touring.
Keeping up with the Joneses.
Keeping up with the Joneses.
#151
Based on CR's article, I gather that only the panoramic sunroof used in the Pilot Elite and Black Edition uses laminated safety glass while the regular sunroof in the other trims is tempered.
"Honda: The company says its only vehicle currently for sale with a panoramic sunroof, the Pilot SUV, uses laminated glass."
The article is dated August 13, 2018. The 3G RDX went on sale June 1, 2018. Depending on when CR obtained the information from Honda, the RDX may or may not have been on sale at that time.
"Honda: The company says its only vehicle currently for sale with a panoramic sunroof, the Pilot SUV, uses laminated glass."
The article is dated August 13, 2018. The 3G RDX went on sale June 1, 2018. Depending on when CR obtained the information from Honda, the RDX may or may not have been on sale at that time.
#152
Drifting
Based on CR's article, I gather that only the panoramic sunroof used in the Pilot Elite and Black Edition uses laminated safety glass while the regular sunroof in the other trims is tempered.
"Honda: The company says its only vehicle currently for sale with a panoramic sunroof, the Pilot SUV, uses laminated glass."
The article is dated August 13, 2018. The 3G RDX went on sale June 1, 2018. Depending on when CR obtained the information from Honda, the RDX may or may not have been on sale at that time.
"Honda: The company says its only vehicle currently for sale with a panoramic sunroof, the Pilot SUV, uses laminated glass."
The article is dated August 13, 2018. The 3G RDX went on sale June 1, 2018. Depending on when CR obtained the information from Honda, the RDX may or may not have been on sale at that time.
Not sure if Honda would include Acura models. Red headed stepchild.
#153
Could those Pilots have had tinted or clear aftermarket window film applied to the sunroofs?
#154
Drifting
No film applied, but judging from this image in another CR article, maybe that's just how the cookie crumbles sometimes.
https://www.consumerreports.org/car-...nger-overhead/
https://www.consumerreports.org/car-...nger-overhead/
#155
#156
Drifting
Here's another image from CR, and another article.
Have I mentioned how much I "like" huge sunroofs, and how I wish they would put them in every vehicle? Maybe it's because many years ago, I once watched the windshield of an SUV start to look kinda funny as the vehicle was rolling over the roof in a snowy ditch. I try to keep the rubber side down these days, but stuff happens. And as I learned all those years ago, black ice happens.
BTW, I have verified from the glass labels that both panes of sunroof glass in my 2019 RDX are tempered, as is the sunroof glass in my "beater" 2005 MDX.
https://www.consumerreports.org/car-...head-to-court/
Have I mentioned how much I "like" huge sunroofs, and how I wish they would put them in every vehicle? Maybe it's because many years ago, I once watched the windshield of an SUV start to look kinda funny as the vehicle was rolling over the roof in a snowy ditch. I try to keep the rubber side down these days, but stuff happens. And as I learned all those years ago, black ice happens.
BTW, I have verified from the glass labels that both panes of sunroof glass in my 2019 RDX are tempered, as is the sunroof glass in my "beater" 2005 MDX.
https://www.consumerreports.org/car-...head-to-court/
Last edited by Wander; 03-02-2020 at 05:27 PM.
#157
Summer is Coming
Here's another image from CR, and another article.
Have I mentioned how much I "like" huge sunroofs, and how I wish they would put them in every vehicle? Maybe it's because many years ago, I once watched the windshield of an SUV start to look kinda funny as the vehicle was rolling over the roof in a snowy ditch. I try to keep the rubber side down these days, but stuff happens. And as I learned all those years ago, black ice happens.
BTW, I have verified from the glass labels that both panes of sunroof glass in my 2019 RDX are tempered, as is the sunroof glass in my "beater" 2005 MDX.
https://www.consumerreports.org/car-...head-to-court/
Have I mentioned how much I "like" huge sunroofs, and how I wish they would put them in every vehicle? Maybe it's because many years ago, I once watched the windshield of an SUV start to look kinda funny as the vehicle was rolling over the roof in a snowy ditch. I try to keep the rubber side down these days, but stuff happens. And as I learned all those years ago, black ice happens.
BTW, I have verified from the glass labels that both panes of sunroof glass in my 2019 RDX are tempered, as is the sunroof glass in my "beater" 2005 MDX.
https://www.consumerreports.org/car-...head-to-court/
I don't see how Acura can argue that a rock might have done this while driving down the road. Afterall, how many times do you touch up rock chips on the roof of your car? But rocks hit your laminated windshield often, it takes a pretty decent hit to crack a windshield. Like most things that go wrong with modern Acuras, they just don't want to take ownership of it.
#159
Burning Brakes
every instance of this I have seen they have said to go through insurance sadly, and depending on who you go through it won’t be covered under glass coverage, at least with progressive. They state that sun roof glass isn’t covered under glass coverage but under comprehensive, they consider it the roof and not glass which is super dumb, hopefully your deduct is pretty low
#160
every instance of this I have seen they have said to go through insurance sadly, and depending on who you go through it won’t be covered under glass coverage, at least with progressive. They state that sun roof glass isn’t covered under glass coverage but under comprehensive, they consider it the roof and not glass which is super dumb, hopefully your deduct is pretty low