NHTSA Complaint #11688984 — 2022 INFINITI QX60

2022 QX60 equipped with a Panoramic Moonroof. While in Florida 850 miles from home, I was traveling alone at about 35mph when I heard a loud explosion. It sounded like a gun shot at close range. I kept driving but observed my surroundings and there was no traffic, no construction, nothing overhead, no warning lights. When I got to my destination a couple miles away, I inspected the vehicle, fully expecting to see a bullet hole or shattered rear window from a bullet. What I found was the front moonroof had shattered and mostly still intact. It had blown up and out and not inward as it would if it were hit with a projectile. I contacted the nearest Infiniti dealer in Mobile Alabama 100 miles away, but they couldn’t look at it for at least 3 weeks. I covered the moonroof with heavy plastic and duct tape to keep the elements out of the vehicle and keep the moonroof intact as much as possible to help with Infiniti’s investigation. The cullet that had fallen into the sunshade was vacuumed up and kept also. After a tense 850 mile drive home, at times in torrential downpours, I contacted our local Infiniti dealer who wanted to inspect the vehicle. They informed me that their investigation could not determine a cause, but they did know it was not a warranty issue and denied it. I had the moonroof replaced by a local glass repair shop and then had to take it to a body shop to have the headliner dropped so cullet could be removed. I talked to numerous Infiniti representatives throughout this process, and everyone asked if I filed an insurance claim, I had not. Insurance should not have to pay for a manufacturer's defect that is still under warranty. As an Engineer for a tier one auto supplier that manufactures automotive safety glass for most major automobile companies, I can say with a high degree of certainty this was due to a manufacturer's defect or a design flaw. Due to the circumstances at the time, Nickel sulfide (NiS) inclusion is the most likely cause.