Exploding Mercedes Sunroofs Lawsuit: List Of Affected Sedans Is Long
An amazing lawsuit allegedly affecting almost every car Mercedes made with a sunroof has just been filed. The class-action lawsuit alleges that the glass in Mercedes’ panoramic sunroofs is defective. It says they explode randomly without any force or external objects hitting them. The list of affected Mercedes sedans and SUVs is quite long.
Here’s the long list of allegedly affected Mercedes models:
Those models involved in the lawsuit are 2003-present C-Class, 2007-present CL-Class, 2013-present CLA-Class, 2003-present E-Class, 2008-present G-Class, 2007-present GL-Class, 2012-present GLK-Class, 2012-present GLC-Class, 2012-present ML-Class, 2010-present M-Class, 2015 Maybach S-600, 2009-present R-Class, 2013-present S-Class, 2013-present SL-Class, and 2013-present SLK-Class. That’s quite some list.
As an example, a woman plaintiff leased a new 2018 Mercedes E300 from a California Mercedes dealership. In 2020 while she was driving on the freeway she heard a loud explosion. When she pulled over and got out she saw that her sunroof had shattered. She had the shade drawn so no glass entered the interior.
A Mercedes tech told her the dealership had a similar sunroof incident earlier
She took her car to the dealer to have the sunroof replaced. The service manager told her the glass would not be covered because something must have hit the glass. She had the work to replace it performed. When she picked it up after the work was completed a Mercedes tech told her the dealership had a similar incident from a different owner a couple of months previous.
The tech told her that Mercedes would never admit responsibility for fear of damaging its reputation. The woman called Mercedes corporate offices to explain what happened but they refused to pay her for the repairs. “Ms. Zaroukian had the sunroof replaced at Zoom Autobody in Pasadena, California for $12,583.96. She paid $207.50 for a rental car from Enterprise. She was required to pay $1,000.00 out of pocket to repair the sunroof.”
The lawsuit alleges Mercedes has known at least since 2013 that the sunroof glass randomly shatters without being struck by anything. Mercedes stands firm that the sunroofs shatter due to rocks or other objects hitting the glass. The lawsuit counters that objects “would not impact the sunroof with sufficient force to cause it to shatter. Moreover, driver reports specifically contradict Mercedes’ position,” says CarComplaints. There have been reports of similar incidents happening to other manufacturers’ vehicles, too.
Drivers have reported shards of glass cutting them and damage to paint and interior components
RELATED: Owners Are Suing Mercedes-Benz for $200 Million Over Exploding Sunroofs
Ms. Zaroukian was lucky her sunroof shade protected her from being cut or receiving other more serious injuries. Others haven’t been so lucky according to the suit. Drivers have reported shards of glass cutting them along with damage to both paint and interior components. Some have been involved in accidents due to the distraction of the sunroof exploding.
But the problem gets worse. Even after Mercedes replaces the panoramic sunroofs they explode again. In these instances, owners expect Mercedes will not charge for these second repairs. But Mercedes’ warranty says, “DAMAGE TO GLASS: Glass breakage or scratches are not covered unless positive physical proof of a manufacturing defect can be established.”
The class action was filed this week in the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
