NHTSA Complaint #10520728 — 2013 FORD EXPLORER

MY PANORAMIC SUNROOF EXPLODED!! I WAS SITTING IN MY VEHICLE, PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY AND HEARD A LOUD NOISE. I GOT OUT AND CHECKED THE TIRES AND AROUND MY VEHICLE. I SAW NOTHING UNUSUAL SO I GOT BACK IN, TURNED THE AIR OFF AND THAT'S WHEN I DISCOVERED IT WAS THE SUNROOF. I HEARD CRACKLING OF GLASS. GOT BACK OUT AND STEPPED IN THE BACK PASSENGER DOOR AND LOOKED ON TOP - IT HAD CRACKED IN THE SHAPE OF AN X WITH A SMALL POP UP RIGHT IN THE CENTER. IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT NOTHING HAD HIT THE GLASS BECAUSE I WAS PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY AND THE GLASS WAS PUSHED UPWARD INSTEAD OF INWARD. I TOOK NUMEROUS PICTURES OF THE VEHICLE SITTING IN MY DRIVEWAY RIGHT AFTER THIS HAPPENED. DROVE IT TO THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP, WITHIN A HALF HOUR, AS PER THE SERVICE MGR. FOR PRE APPROVAL OF WARRANTY COVERAGE. IT WAS DENIED TWICE. FORD'S RESPONSE FOR DENIAL OF WARRANTY COVERAGE : " AS PER SECTION 3 OF THE WARRANTY AND POLICY MANUAL, DAMAGED GLASS (STONE CHIPS, SCRATCHES, ETC.) IS NOT CONSIDERED A WARRANTABLE CONDITION UNLESS AS RELATED TO ANOTHER DEFECTIVE COMPONENT. THE LOUD NOISE AS DESCRIBED BY THE CUSTOMER HAS GENERALLY BEEN FOUND TO BE THE TIME IN WHICH THE GLASS IS IMPACTED IN OTHER SIMILAR CASES. THE POINT OF IMPACT TO THE GLASS IS THE PLACE IN WHICH THE GLASS IS BROKEN AND BOWED UPWARD (BOW UPWARD DUE TO INTERIOR CABIN PRESSURE IS SLIGHTLY GREATER THAN AMBIENT PRESSURE WHEN WINDOWS ARE UP AND THE HVAC SYSTEM IS RUNNING.) UNFORTUNATELY, THIS BROKEN GLASS IS CONSIDERED TO BE DAMAGE THAT CAN NOT BE COVERED UNDER THE NEW VEHICLE WARRANTY AT THIS TIME." 23 DAYS LATER...MY $40K VEHICLE IS STILL DAMAGED AND SITTING IN MY GARAGE B/C THIS IS AN ONGOING ISSUE WITH THESE PANORAMIC SUNROOFS EXPLODING. FORD CAN NOT KEEP UP WITH THE DEMAND FOR REPLACEMENT GLASS. I PRAY SOMEONE, ESPECIALLY A CHILD IS NOT INJURED OR EVEN WORSE KILLED BY THIS DEFECT. *TR