spontaneous fracturing of QQ panoramic Sunroof

[Melissa]

Last week my Qashqai panoramic sunroof cracked spontaneously at speed from the F.D.S. windscreen side edge to some 30 centimetres towards the centre on the A38 section with no bridges, booms or signal gangways nearby and with and no vehicles within half a kilometre. It was at six in the morning and apart from being frosty, the driving conditions were perfect. It was as loud as being close to a shotgun discharging. A second "bang" occurred a couple of days later extending the crack a little further towards the centre, confirming that the origin of the stress fracture as being at the edge. I booked in the vehicle for inspection at the Exeter dealerships and yesterday received a call from David that this would not be covered under warranty. I already experienced one warranty accepted when a fan bearing fault blew the main fuses and nearly wiped out my husband - who was overtaking a convoy of trucks at the time the systems failed -at speed in the Midlands earlier in 2017. I am now afraid of this car. How Nissan can say that this is not a manufacturing fault is beyond me when there is a class action being taken against Nissan in the States on this very matter related to a number of models on sale there; there are videos of the panoramic sunroofs exploding UPWARDS online and Nissan claim that they are strong enough to withstand being rolled or dropped upsidedown onto concrete. Think of the dynamics guys. Only a heavy object falling vertically onto a horizontal plane could provide an impact that could cause this crack - not a chipping or stone from the surface - and there is no evidence of that and all the evidence points to a manufacturing fault in the toughened glass or in the fitting of it into the bodywork. I am looking at a £700 outlay to repair this and will give Nissan one more chance before I escalate this with the DVSA and Trading Standards. If there is further delay, I risk a more serious and potentially catastrophic failure of the sunroof that could endanger our lives.

Edited January 5, 2018 by Melissa
spelling mistake

[Trevor]

Hi Melissa ... welcome to the Forum

Sorry to hear about your problems with the car....the glass roof is an issue that tends to affect many other makes as well (Lexus, being one of them, Audi is another).

I believe the fault is with the size of the glass and the fact that it is subjected to the twisting and movement of the vehicle frame....not to mention harsh vibration such as driving through potholes.

Although the vehicle looks good with plenty of natural light coming into the cabin, it is fair to say that its not the brightest move by any manufacturer when it comes to design over function.

I would personally have the glass replaced and worry about fighting a claim afterwards. It is better than the option of the glass shattering and having to deal with all of that.

I wonder also, if your car glass insurance covers it as it is accidental damage(?) 

Let us know how you get on with it all.

Cheers Trevor