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Crack in panoramic sunroof

55K views 65 replies 48 participants last post by  Greg S  
#1 ·
Has anyone had this problem?
The glass in the panoramic sunroof has a crack across the corner maybe 15 cms long. The car is less than a year old
There is no sign of impact on either side of the glass
Local dealer spoke to Volvo initially who said it will have been caused by an impact. My dealer said they cannot see any evidence of impact and have sent in a report. I am waiting to hear back!!
 
#2 ·
Is this result of the car setting in the sun with the sunshade closed. I'm just asking because I had mentioned this problem with some friends and they thought that might be the problem. My car is garaged all the time. But I have given this some thought because the car is left out during the day in the sun. Volvo has an automatic setting that will cause the sunscreen to close if the setting is on. I think that is a good idea, but I am afraid to use it.
 
#6 ·
Hi Kim. They claimed it was due to impact and the way they found that out was by running a machine over my sunroof to find the contact point. . No visible sign.. They asked me for 1k to fix this.
The crazy thing is i'm driving my car to the supermarket and back. That's about it during the pandemic. How much impact is needed for me not to notice and yet cause major cracks in a luxury car sunroof? My guess is it's temperature related. According to the message boards there have been issues with panoramic sunroofs, and Volvo's in particular, over the years. Regardless i will contact Volvo corporate and see if there is anything they can do.
 
#7 ·
This just happened to me. I have an appointment tomorrow. I am really hoping they do not tell me I have to pay out of pocket. This seems to be a design or materials defect. I am out of town, took my 2020 for my first road trip to visit family. My son and I noticed the crack during our 500 mi road trip but I have no idea when it happened. I have had the sun screen closed because it's been very hot where I live. The person who answered the service line at the dealer said that he sees this somewhat frequently, but only with the 40s. I asked if it is heat-related, he said iit is caused by cabin pressure or vibration. Has anyone gotten this resolved without paying out of pocket?
 
#8 ·
Hi Unikitty
Sorry to hear that you have also had this problem!
I still have not managed to get this sorted. I reported the problem in the beginning of May and I'm still awaiting a reply from Volvo
I rang today and have been assured they will return my call tomorrow!!
I will update on here as soon as I have any further info
Regards
Kim
 
#13 ·
Yes! Very concerning! It seems that every customer service representative directs me to the same person, whose name is Maturin and email: volvo1@mailac.custhelp.com and this person usually does a copy and paste of previous messages saying that my warranty is no longer valid...I have a 2021 with many years and miles left on my warranty. It's very concerning based on the incredibly high number of stress cracks in their OEM glass!
 
#10 ·
Hi all,
This just happened with my XC40 T4 2021. :eek:
Driving on the Highway on a sunny saturday, the sunroof started to crack from passenger side extremity to driver side (French set up :) ). The car is 300kms old !!
Went to the dealer that said immediately « That’s an impact, it’s fréquent » without looking carefully the sunroof
Honestly, i definitely doubt of it, and I am lucky enough that I don’t have any franchise for it.
However, unbelievable that is not taken into warranty !
 
#12 ·
Hi all,
This just happened with my XC40 T4 2021. :eek:
Driving on the Highway on a sunny saturday, the sunroof started to crack from passenger side extremity to driver side (French set up :) ). The car is 300kms old !!
Went to the dealer that said immediately « That’s an impact, it’s fréquent » without looking carefully the sunroof
Honestly, i definitely doubt of it, and I am lucky enough that I don’t have any franchise for it.
However, unbelievable that is not taken into warranty !
Volvo has a design flaw or a quality issue with their OEM glass. I am now on my third windshield and it's only a 2021! No chips or road wear...very disappointing for a company that prides itself on safety!
 
#15 ·
My daughter was riding in the back seat this weekend and asked me if I knew that my sunroof was cracked. I did not know it was. 2021 XC40 T5. Bought 10/31/2020, has less than 6,000 miles. I broke my ankle 1/1/2021 and it sat inside garage for all of January and February. I am the only one who drives the car and I have never heard anything hit the roof of the car. I am taking the car into Volvo dealership on Thursday to take a look. I don't like what I am reading on this board.
 
#17 ·
Jumping in here. Just noticed that my sunroof is cracked. Doesn't look like impact at all. It goes across the width of the sunroof as one long crack...impact will spider...this clearly looks like stress. Anyone have good tips on how to handle with dealership? Kind of upsetting as I was just there two weeks ago. It's a 2021 with 5K mile son it.
 
#28 ·
My xc40 has this exact wavey crack, side to side. Can only see it from Inside glass. No impact. My son spotted it. Just inside 3yr warranty so will report tmro. Weather is cold but not freezing. I did recently set roof screen to auto close. I can’t think of anything else. It’s windy but no sign of damage outside.
 
#23 ·
I just noticed significant cracking in my rear panoramic glass while washing my car this morning, so it occurred some time in the last few weeks. I’ve got the squiggly crack towards the rear of the pane that goes all the way across but then the crack continues towards the front, as well. I can’t tell if there’s any impact- I don’t see any, but it’s hard to tell. I’m in Southern California and I park outside, so the car is in direct sunlight every day. I scheduled an appointment for service for later this week for an hvac issue as well as the rear seatbelt recall, so I’ll have them look at this and will report back.
 
#24 ·
I just noticed significant cracking in my rear panoramic glass while washing my car this morning, so it occurred some time in the last few weeks. I’ve got the squiggly crack towards the rear of the pane that goes all the way across but then the crack continues towards the front, as well. I can’t tell if there’s any impact- I don’t see any, but it’s hard to tell. I’m in Southern California and I park outside, so the car is in direct sunlight every day. I scheduled an appointment for service for later this week for an hvac issue as well as the rear seatbelt recall, so I’ll have them look at this and will report back.
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That is not good - hopefully it is something they will cover under warranty - have read some people have had experiences where it usually is not covered - like say there do not appear to be any signs of impact. Possibly is heat related and with the heat expansion/pressure which in turn causes it to crack.
 
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#30 ·
I have the exact same issue and just called the dealership - they said they had someone else in having it repaired today and they think a seagull must have dropped a shell on it to cause the crack! Unbelievable!!! This is clearly a defect in the material and Volvo should cover it under warranty. Next step to call Volvo directly.
 
#27 ·
Volvo needs to stop scapegoating the owners and take responsibility for this problem. The photos prove that these cracks are the result of some sort of defect -- materials, workmanship or design. Reading these accounts of Volvo's unsatisfactory customer service is very disturbing and makes me think I should cancel my C40 order and stick with BMW, even if it means delaying my EV purchase. I will continue to follow this thread closely while waiting for my C40 to be shipped so please continue to update us on how the company is resolving each of these situations. Thank you.
 
#29 · (Edited)
Same thing happened to our XC90 (rear glass crack) and I ended up DIYing the replacement. The writeup is posted here: Rear sunroof glass cracked. Possible DIY replacement?. The XC40 will almost certainly be a little different, but the XC90 front glass was very simple to replace so it may be worth a look if anyone wants to avoid an insurance claim or large labor expense.
 
#32 ·
I recognize it is essentially anecdotal information, but when we scheduled repair of our moonroof with the dealer, they remarked that they had done 20 or so of the same repairs recently. They then went on to regail us with their knowledge of how trucks can throw up rocks in such a manner as to break roof glass.

At some point the numbers might add up to something significant enough for Volvo to act or maybe I am being overly optimisitic.
 
#33 ·
I’ve just returned from my Volvo dealership in Watford (UK) after informing them of my cracked panoramic roof (fine crack from side to side - front panel) 2021 T5 model.
4 technicians and the manger (who ran a ballpoint pen along the crack) diagnosed a stone impact which chipped the ‘flat’ glass which lead to the hairline crack the complete width of the car roof. How a stone could chip a flat roof without me noticing or hearing it is beyond me.
The dealership stated that if they accepted the fault and Volvo subsequently rejected their diagnosis, then the dealership would have to pay for the repair - so they always look really hard to find a fault. Reading the XC40 posts and repeated issues of cracks for so many new cars, how is Volvo ignoring this.
Forcing dealerships to find spurious faults of impact and stone chips has spoilt my Volvo ownership experience - it’s ludicrous!!
So now I have been told if I want to take it further, I have to call Volvo directly as the dealership refused to accept the issue.
Wake up Volvo, the problem won’t suddenly disappear and why should owners have to suffer such issues with brand new cars. A known fault should be dealt with, not thrown back at the paying customer.
Their tag line - Premium, Progressive and award winning???
 
#34 ·
Welp.... this thread interests me as the heat here has been unbearable and it's worrisome. Yesterday at the peak of the heat at a Traffic light, the temperature was reading as high as 120 degrees. At work, it's parked outside with NO coverage whatsoever, so i'm concerned if it's temperature related.

Also, if the "reason" is due to some "pseudo impact" or "stones".....then I'd like to see the % comparison of SAME reported incidents/conclusion by OTHER CARS before I accept an out-of-pocket responsibility with my insurance. To debate the "stone" reason is as good as saying "....btw these "stones" are JUST targeting Volvos across the World...."

If it's pressure related, then I'd better crack the windows open when I'm parked outside at work during such high temperatures, assuming the internal cabin is functioning like a pressure cooker.

HHmmm......
 
#35 ·
We’ve just discovered the same problem in a UK-supplied 2020 model vehicle… Exactly the same circumstances - no known impact, no clear impact damage, crazy/wavy cracks all across the front segment…

Car is going in for inspection in two weeks time - I dare say we’ll get the same “it’s an impact” story….