NHTSA Complaint #10984346 — 2016 LEXUS RX350

I WAS DRIVING ON I-10 EAST CLOSE TO THE TX-LA BORDER, ON PAVEMENT THAT WAS EVEN, ALTHOUGH NOT WITHOUT SOME OCCASIONAL ROUGHNESS. TRAFFIC WAS HEAVY AND MOVING AROUND 65 MPH. IT WAS 67 DEGREES AND CLOUDY. I HAD BEEN ON THE ROAD FOR ABOUT 3 HOURS, WHEN MY FRIEND AND I HEARD A LOUD CRACK. IT SOUNDED AS IF SOMETHING HIT GLASS, BUT WE SAW NO FLYING OBJECTS AND THE SOUND WAS SINGULAR; NO ADDITIONAL OR RESIDUAL SOUNDS. WE BOTH JUMPED AND STARTED LOOKING TO SEE IF THE WINDSHIELD WAS DAMAGED BUT DID NOT SEE ANY DAMAGE. LATER WHEN WE STOPPED FOR GAS WE WASHED THE WINDSHIELDS AND DID ANOTHER LOOK, INCLUDING LOOKING FOR PAINT DAMAGE. WE FOUND NOTHING. WE CONTINUED DRIVING TO OUR DESTINATION. THE NEXT MORNING WHEN WE GOT IN THE CAR AND SHUT THE DOOR, WE HEARD GLASS FALLING. I STOOD ON THE OPEN DOOR AND SAW THAT THERE WERE TWO SMALL HOLES IN THE SUNROOF AND THE ENTIRE SUNROOF WAS SHATTERED. THE COBWEB EFFECT WAS 100%, AND EXTENDED TO EVERY SQUARE INCH OF THE GLASS, ALL THE WAY AROUND THE PERIMETER. I CALLED THE LEXUS DEALERSHIP NEAREST ME; AND I CALLED OUR INSURANCE PROVIDER TO START A CLAIM. GIVEN I WAS SOME DISTANCE FROM HOME, IT WAS LATE FRIDAY, AND NO ONE COULD GET THE GLASS, I HAD A LOCAL AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR SHOP (THE LOCAL AREA CONTRACT FOR OUR INSURANCE COMPANY) COLLISION WRAP THE ROOF SO I COULD DRIVE HOME, AVOID FLINGING GLASS ON TRAFFIC, AND BE PROTECTED IN CASE OF RAIN. MY HUSBAND NOTIFIED THE DEALERSHIP WHERE WE LEASED THE VEHICLE AND MADE AN APPOINTMENT (WE GO TOMORROW). NO ONE FROM THE TWO DEALERSHIPS OR THE INSURANCE COMPANY MENTIONED THAT SUNROOFS ON LEXUS/TOYOTA HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO SPONTANEOUSLY "POP" SINCE 2010. THE CAUSE OF THIS RISK MUST BE DEFECTIVE DESIGN AND/OR GLASS; THE SUNROOF MATERIALS BEING USED ARE EVIDENTLY UNABLE TO TAKE THE PRESSURE AND ABSORB THE SHOCK. THE ROOF'S MOST VULNERABLE PART IS EXPLODING AS A RESULT. 2016 MODEL; DRIVEN 6 MOS; >6000 MI.