NHTSA Complaint #10244060 — 2005 SCION TC

INCIDENT OCCURRED ON 9/30/08 AT ~3:15PM. I HEARD A LOUD BANG (SOUNDED LIKE A SHOTGUN BLAST) WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT ~60MPH. MY IMMEDIATE REACTION WAS TO DUCK...I LITERALLY THOUGHT SOMEONE WAS SHOOTING AT ME. AFTER A QUICK SECOND TO COLLECT MY WITS, I LOOKED AROUND AND SAW NO DAMAGE. ONCE THAT "SOAKED" IN, I REALIZED I HEARD WIND NOISE (I REMEMBER THINKING THAT WAS ODD BECAUSE WINDOWS WERE UP AND SUNROOF WAS CLOSED). I PULLED BACK THE SUNROOF SCREEN AND, TO MY ASTONISHMENT, SAW THAT THE SUNROOF HAD SPIDERWEBBED INTO THOUSANDS OF TINY PIECES...PIECES THAT WERE ALREADY STARTING TO FLY OFF INTO TRAFFIC BEHIND ME. I PULLED OVER AND GOT OUT TO LOOK AT THE DAMAGE. THE SUNROOF LOOKED LIKE SOMETHING HAD BLASTED IT FROM THE INSIDE OUT. I CLEANED UP THE GLASS THE BEST I COULD ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AND HEADED STRAIGHT FOR THE DEALER. I HAD HEARD OF DEFLECTOR SHATTERING (RECALL WAS COMPLETED ON MY DEFLECTOR), BUT NOT THE SUNROOF. THE DEALER REFUSES TO PAY FOR THE SUNROOF EVEN THOUGH I HAVE THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. THEY CLAIM THAT IT WAS CAUSED BY A ROAD HAZARD. THE WEATHER WAS MILD, NOTHING HIT MY SUNROOF FROM THE OUTSIDE AND, BASED ON SIMILAR INSTANCES FILED HERE, I FIRMLY BELIEVE THERE IS A DEFECT WITH THE DESIGN. TOYOTA SHOULD DO THE RIGHT THING, FIX THIS ISSUE AND HONOR THEIR WARRANTIES. *TR