NHTSA complaint #11724222

Owner complaint summary

The moonroof spontaneously shattered when I was driving on the freeway which sounded like a gunshot. There were no external factors such as debris from other vehicles and the temperature outside was relevantly constant at about 78F. No other cars were close to me or in front of me. For almost the entire 2 years I had my car, nothing has ever damaged the moonroof glass. I do want to note an observation that may or may not be linked to the potential safety defect: I do recall hearing strange pebble-like noises occasionally on the freeway & off the freeway at speeds of 35-65 mph. It sounds like crumbs falling down the sides/top of the car in a horizontal pattern. I observed this as early as 1 month into ownership. Upon closer inspection after stopping to inspect my vehicle, the glass shows to have shattered/blew up & outward in cube shaped pieces and the pattern of the glass appears spiderweb-like, not originating from an impact point. The fracture pattern of the remaining glass appears to match a smooth edge breakage pattern which indicates stress failure due to a spontaneous glass breakage. The dealer has denied coverage due to the technician 'finding no evidence of structural damage.' Yet, my moonroof shattered upwards and there is not evidence of an impact crater. My car is still under warranty and under 2 years old and currently is only at about 20,500 miles. The dealership quoted me 2500185 diagnostic. I will be elevating to Toyota corporate to request a closer inspection. Based on research, I discovered numerous reports of similar spontaneous sunroof failures in Toyota vehicles. The failure presents a high risk for public safety because the glass could fall into the eyes and face of the driver at highway speed. Additionally, drivers could be startled & swerve on the road at high & low speeds, on the freeway/streets. There were no warning signs/alerts. One moment I was driving to work on the quiet road & the next I heard what sounded like a gunshot.