Let's Talk Sunroof Safety

LISmama810 · Jun 5, 2014

I want to talk about potential safety issues surrounding sunroofs. This isn't a "ZOMG! They're so dangerous! Don't use them!" thing. Despite rumors to the contrary, I'm not a TOTAL buzzkill. But I do have some concerns about them, so I'd like to have a theoretical discussion.

Here are my concerns.

1) Stuff could fly in/out of them in a crash.

I read an article a couple years ago about a woman who had a hand transplant after losing her hand in a car crash. During the crash, her hand flew out the sunroof and was crushed. I don't know if the sunroof was OPEN at the time, or if it was closed but shattered upon impact or what. But somehow in the course of the crash, she lost her hand.

Now, the same thing can happen with windows (glass breaking and something intruding/extruding) but these days there are usually airbags that serve as a buffer.

I would imagine that keeping the fabric panel closed over the sunroof (when it's closed, of course) would also offer some protection in the case of the glass breaking.

2) The ceiling is different

In cars without a sunroof, the ceiling is flat. With a sunroof, there is usually (always) a "border" around it, meaning that the ceiling isn't flush. Instead, there are "corners" the protrude all the way around, conveniently right over the driver's (and passenger's) head. I would think that could cause issues in a roll-over. I mean, if I were to run head-first into a wall, I'd want to hit a flat wall, not a corner. But if you have a sunroof (even if you never use it), have a rollover, and hit your head on the ceiling, you're likely going to hit that ridge, sort of like the infamous Dorel "notches of death."

So...anyone have thoughts? Statistics? Other comments?

tl01 · Jun 5, 2014

A simple sunroof isn't something I worry about as long as the rest of the car has good rollover performance. The one in my odyssey is small. A panoramic roof... maybe because more of the roof is glass. As I understand with regard to the roof structure... the strength comes from many parts of the vehicle including the pillars and windshield etc. I might be more worried about the glass itself popping but the glass is safety glass... so I would be more worried about the exposure to the outside than the glass. I'm not worried about the area around the sunroof especially on factory installed sunroofs.

I know some vehicles with panoramic roofs have fared well in the IIHS roof strength test. That said... I think I would still purchase a vehicle with a panoramic roof it it was available on my car.

CarSafetyGuy · Jun 5, 2014

I haven't seen any reports on the IIHS site on differences in fatality or injury rates for identical models with and without sunroofs.

Persimmon · Jun 5, 2014

No help but I am glad you posted this. I have been wondering about this myself and you asked better questions. It is so hot here in the summer and DH wants to get one with his next car so he can vent it while it is parked.

Baylor · Jun 5, 2014

Of all the things I am concerned about in a car sun roofs are not one of them. To me it is no different than having another window.

Jackie010307 · Jun 5, 2014

My bil has been a master mechanic for many years and for several different makes. This discussion was had with him because my mil thought about having a sunroof installed in a vehicle that didn't come with one. When a manufacturer makes a vehicle with a sunroof it is subject to the same testing that vehicles without a sunroof are. They reinforce the roof and sides to be able to withstand the same forces as a solid top. If it was put on aftermarket then that reinforcement isn't there, and that's when I would worry. A factory installed sunroof isn't something I would really worry about. I'm sure things like the accident where the person's hand was out of the sunroof are possible and do happen, but the window next to you is larger and poses more of a risk for that sort of injury.

MotoMommaNH · Jun 5, 2014

Jackie010307 said:
My bil has been a master mechanic for many years and for several different makes. This discussion was had with him because my mil thought about having a sunroof installed in a vehicle that didn't come with one. When a manufacturer makes a vehicle with a sunroof it is subject to the same testing that vehicles without a sunroof are. They reinforce the roof and sides to be able to withstand the same forces as a solid top. If it was put on aftermarket then that reinforcement isn't there, and that's when I would worry. A factory installed sunroof isn't something I would really worry about. I'm sure things like the accident where the person's hand was out of the sunroof are possible and do happen, but the window next to you is larger and poses more of a risk for that sort of injury.

:yeahthat:
My sister was involved in a front end crash in a vehicle with an aftermarket sunroof. It shattered and pieces fell down and cut her head. Not badly, but still. And that didn't even result from crash forces directly on the roof! Just the way the vehicle contorted from the front end.

LISmama810 · Jun 5, 2014

To be clear, it's not cut glass or roof strength I'm concerned with. It's exposing body parts to the outside (I mean, KQ had some nasty arm injuries from contact with the road during her crash, IIRC).

We have a new car with a sunroof we'll probably never use, and that "corner" is so close to the top of my head...it just doesn't seem as safe as having a flat ceiling.

Baylor said:
Of all the things I am concerned about in a car sun roofs are not one of them. To me it is no different than having another window.

I knew someone would say something like this, which is why I specifically stated that I wasn't advocating for not having sunroofs--I just wanted to discuss theoretical issues. I never said anyone should be concerned/not concerned, and the fact that someone isn't concerned is not a reason not to discuss it.

kaysmom · Jun 5, 2014

Just wanted to say you are not alone in wondering this! We actually went with our Denali (with higher miles) over an Acadia because it had the panoramic roof and I just didn't feel comfortable with it. The Denali has a sunroof which we hardly ever use, that I didn't necessarily want, but it's over my head not my kids' which was my deciding factor.

Baylor · Jun 5, 2014

LISmama810 said:
To be clear, it's not cut glass or roof strength I'm concerned with. It's exposing body parts to the outside (I mean, KQ had some nasty arm injuries from contact with the road during her crash, IIRC).

We have a new car with a sunroof we'll probably never use, and that "corner" is so close to the top of my head...it just doesn't seem as safe as having a flat ceiling.

I knew someone would say something like this, which is why I specifically stated that I wasn't advocating for not having sunroofs--I just wanted to discuss theoretical issues. I never said anyone should be concerned/not concerned, and the fact that someone isn't concerned is not a reason not to discuss it.

Did I say it was not worth discussing? No, I just posted my thoughts on it. For the love of mike.

LISmama810 · Jun 5, 2014

Baylor said:
Did I say it was not worth discussing? No, I just posted my thoughts on it. For the love of mike.

When the question is, "Are there potential safety issues with XYZ," and someone answers, "I'm not concerned about it," that doesn't really answer the question.

My question wasn't "Is this something that keeps you up at night?" It was, "Theoretically, could these be issues?"

DawgDad · Jun 5, 2014

Beyond their apparent security issues that allow another, and often times unmonitored entry point into a vehicle, a sunroof to my knowledge has shown no proof of being more or less safe. It does remove some passenger headroom (especially for moonroofs that fully retract into the roofline of a vehicle) in the back, but it's really not an issue since that is usually a small space between the back of front seats and before the sitting headroom of the back seat...like a little hump. Sunroofs, especially aftermarket, extend upwards outside the vehicle when they retract (look like a little spoiler on the roof).

I would say in certain scenarios, a sunroof could be a valuable life saving exit point. For instance both sides of the doors being crumpled, you could exit up through the sunroof to safety...or even if the car start to submerge in a body of water (it takes a while for the car to sink and you don't want to open doors/windows to let the water in).

LISmama810 · Jun 5, 2014

Interesting thought on the route of escape.

SnoGurl · Jun 5, 2014

I have a inbuilt sunroof ('moonroof') roof in my RAV and was thinking about this the other day. Actually, I had a dream it was open and I was in a rollover and landed on a big rock that *just* fit through the space. It was weird. It does worry me that things could fly in/out in a crash, but I too prefer to think of it as an alternative exit.

Also, 'roof' always strikes me as an odd word. I had to keep looking back to see if I spelled it right.

bubbaray · Jun 5, 2014

There are all sorts of problems (across brands and across models) with glass sun/moon roofs shattering inexplicably. The issue has been in the news a lot here lately

Having said that, the only vehicle I've owned without a sunroof was a convertible. All the rest have had them. I definitely don't worry about the risk

jjordan · Jun 5, 2014

My sister was in a car accident once where the car flipped on its side and she crawled out through the sunroof. (She was not injured; the car was totaled but it was an oldish car so it wouldn't necessarily take a huge amount of damage to do that.)

I have wondered about the safety aspect myself... CarSafetyGuy brings up an interesting point that injury/death rates for models with vs. without sunroofs. It does seem like it would need to be sort of an unusual crash for it to make any difference.

henrietta · Jun 5, 2014

It's an interesting question...I never actually thought about it. I really, really love having a sunroof. I have one kid who hates it being open, so that kind of ruins it for me. I nearly cried yesterday when I thought briefly that my new van had a "sunroof" that didn't open (it's fine! LOL) But I'd like to know if there are good safety reasons against them. I can see the added risk of an aftermarket sunroof.

BTW, anyone know what the difference is between a "moon" roof and a "sun" roof? And does that impact the OP's original questions..

bubbaray · Jun 5, 2014

Originally a sunroof was solid, not glass. A glass opening was called a moonroof. The two terms seem to be interchangeable now

Lemonade · Jun 5, 2014

On a 100 degree day, when my son was about 7-8 months old, I got him out of his convertible, in the middle of the backseat of my Nissan Altima. Closed the door and the sunroof shattered. Shattered.
Luckily, he was not in the car. Luckily, the pull across cover was closed because I don't really care for sunroofs anyway and never 'used' it. It was still in one piece, but shattered at that point. Safety glass or whatever. I drove home carefully, and taped it all with packing tape so it would stay until I got it replaced. And taped the inside all around to keep DS safe.

So, yeah. That happened. Nissan had never heard of it before. It was a 2000 and this was summer 2006. Not that old. My minivan doesn't have one and I will probably never buy a car with one again. It came on a safety package that I wanted on the Altima, ironically.

Brianna · Jun 5, 2014

I'm currently dreaming about a 2012 Azera with panoramic sunroof... thanks for bringing this up! It got a good rating from IIHS for roof strength, but I don't see that IIHS specifically tested the trim level with the panoramic sunroof...

Let's Talk Sunroof Safety

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