GL Class (X166) 2013-2015 after facelift became GLS (X166)

Panoramic Roof blew up!

Old Oct 22, 2014 | 03:55 PM
  #26  
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Originally Posted by 43221B
I noticed the other week when lifting my GL with a hydraulic jack to rotate the tires that it had an insane amount of body flex. My X164/was nothing like the X166. Honestly, I was worried the pano roof was going to blow up on me as I lifted the first corner with all the creaking and moaning the chassis was making. Perhaps the body flex is etching a scratch somewhere along the outside edge and the window just gets torqued and twisted back and forth until it breaks.
Originally Posted by cookstar
I have to agree the body flex is ridiculous, paid close to 120k for my car and when I pull outside of driveway I can hear the entire third row creek and groan, its been like this since day 1.
This and this.

Everytime I drive over a driveway apron/curb cut at an angle, the creaking sounds are atrocious. Even my wife/kids have asked me many times what that weird sound is.

Very unacceptable for a premium vehicle like this.

I get that 99% of GL's never see off-road duty but that is still no excuse.
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Old Nov 1, 2014 | 12:30 PM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by mediaguru
Just joined.

My 10 month old 2014 GLK350 sunroof scared the hell out of me. BOOM. I thought I had a tire blowout behind my head. Then a popcorn sound as the glass cracked.

I had an independent glass company examine the sunroof and they determined that there were no impacts (rocks etc) and that a crack went all the way around all four corners.

MBUSA just called me to inform me that they WILL NOT replace this under warranty as they determined it was an "outside influence" which caused the damage.

I'm not happy right now. No car and the part is not in stock, and looks like I may be out $500 deductible from my insurance.
Media guru: I'm an attorney, and I had something similar happen to me. I'm investigating these sunroofs and would like to speak with you. The GLK350 has been noted to be prone to spontaneous failure. If you wish, you may contact me at ppeel1971@gmail.com. Or call my cell at 901-849-0544. First name is Paul. Thanks.
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Old Dec 7, 2014 | 10:45 PM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by DeuceP
Media guru: I'm an attorney, and I had something similar happen to me. I'm investigating these sunroofs and would like to speak with you. The GLK350 has been noted to be prone to spontaneous failure. If you wish, you may contact me at ppeel1971@gmail.com. Or call my cell at 901-849-0544. First name is Paul. Thanks.
the roof on my GL350 2013 just exploded for no reason today while driving on the highway. Will call the dealer tomorrow...cant wait to see their respond.
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Old Dec 15, 2014 | 09:41 PM
  #29  
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Just had my 2015 GL sunroof explode. Had the vehicle 2 weeks and only had 375 miles on it.

First time getting on the highway and sun roof blew out. No glass in the cabin at all, only a small section about 4in by 6in was missing, but entire window was spider webbed. Glass was curved up about 1-2in like someone punched it outward

Dealership said Ill transfer you to parts, will be about $2000 installed....

Awesome! Wonder if anyone has won fighting these guys???
2012 GL did the same thing first month of having it
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Old Dec 15, 2014 | 10:45 PM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by Sirthumpalot441
Just had my 2015 GL sunroof explode. Had the vehicle 2 weeks and only had 375 miles on it.

First time getting on the highway and sun roof blew out. No glass in the cabin at all, only a small section about 4in by 6in was missing, but entire window was spider webbed. Glass was curved up about 1-2in like someone punched it outward

Dealership said Ill transfer you to parts, will be about $2000 installed....

Awesome! Wonder if anyone has won fighting these guys???
2012 GL did the same thing first month of having it
is the repaired covered under warranty? or you gotta pay out of your pocket....
And do you park your car outside or in garage?
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Old Dec 15, 2014 | 10:59 PM
  #31  
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2011 ML350, 2015 GL on the way!
Originally Posted by Dreamszalone
is the repaired covered under warranty? or you gotta pay out of your pocket....
And do you park your car outside or in garage?
No warranty. Will have to pay for it
No I have been parking outside. Weather has been going up and down since we got it. Snowed, sunny, frost and nothing.
Got on the highway and an hour later it just went boom

Mercedes says they can inspect it and decide if something hit it. I asked how do you inspect spider webbed glass?? It was quiet on the other end... Ohh so we cant inspect it?? hmmmm no warranty sorry...
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Old Dec 15, 2014 | 11:08 PM
  #32  
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2015 - GL 550
Sorry to hear that, I too was very reluctant to order panorama roof but I just went ahead and still feel worried after reading all post, so basically if we park it outside often then you are in danger zone

Anyways I believe you can claim it from your Auto Insurance, just tell them something hit it which you don't know......At-least you gonna save $2k...

Keep us informed how it goes...And surprise after numerous complaint from customers why Mercedes is not acknowledging the issue or issuing a TSB. Good thing would be to report to http://www.nhtsa.gov/

Thanks
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Old Dec 15, 2014 | 11:31 PM
  #33  
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got the news last week...the waranty will cover for mine apparently..crossing my fingers.
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Old Apr 27, 2016 | 05:12 PM
  #34  
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My panoramic exploded

My panoramic glass exploded while i was driving and initial i thought my tiers busted but soon all the glass from the roof started creaking and coming down , luckily i had the inner lining which collected all glass. There was no impact , no external factor or temperature change etc. I was traveling with the baby . The dealer is not covering it under warranty as my car is just 3 months old.

A roof which explodes and just like that is not safe. Also they know its one of the important part of the car shouldn't they use the best quality material and develop some system that in case of breakage there is no casualty.

I trusted MB and liked them for safety.
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Old Apr 27, 2016 | 09:12 PM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by Rakesh Kumar
My panoramic glass exploded while i was driving and initial i thought my tiers busted but soon all the glass from the roof started creaking and coming down , luckily i had the inner lining which collected all glass. There was no impact , no external factor or temperature change etc. I was traveling with the baby . The dealer is not covering it under warranty as my car is just 3 months old.

A roof which explodes and just like that is not safe. Also they know its one of the important part of the car shouldn't they use the best quality material and develop some system that in case of breakage there is no casualty.

I trusted MB and liked them for safety.
Which panel exploded, 2nd or 3rd?
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Old Dec 23, 2017 | 11:09 PM
  #36  
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OK, so it happened to us today while driving from Texas to Colorado...

Here are the specifics:
2015 black GL550 with pano roof
Outside temp 56 degrees, inside thermostat 68 degrees
Cruising around 80mph (speed limit 75) just outside of Clayton, NM
Thule box carrier on top so there was no way any debris would have been able to break the glass (we have used this box carrier on numerous occasions before without incident)
2nd row fixed glass roof exploded, and if not for the covered shade, shards of glass would’ve literally covered and injured both my teenagers, wife was driving and had an anxiety attack.
Called roadside assistance and they were of no help
Nearest MB dealersip in Colorado Springs sounded like they didn’t want to help either
Bought $18 worth of duct tape to cover the hole, turning my luxury SUV into a redneck ghetto mobile
Will contact MBUSA next

Last edited by tdt5648; Dec 24, 2017 at 08:56 AM.
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Old Dec 24, 2017 | 09:58 AM
  #37  
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After all these years, there's no rhyme nor reason why these things explode? A friend of my told me Cadillac has the same problem.

Originally Posted by tdt5648

OK, so it happened to us today while driving from Texas to Colorado...

Here are the specifics:
2015 black GL550 with pano roof
Outside temp 56 degrees, inside thermostat 68 degrees
Cruising around 80mph (speed limit 75) just outside of Clayton, NM
Thule box carrier on top so there was no way any debris would have been able to break the glass (we have used this box carrier on numerous occasions before without incident)
2nd row fixed glass roof exploded, and if not for the covered shade, shards of glass would’ve literally covered and injured both my teenagers, wife was driving and had an anxiety attack.
Called roadside assistance and they were of no help
Nearest MB dealersip in Colorado Springs sounded like they didn’t want to help either
Bought $18 worth of duct tape to cover the hole, turning my luxury SUV into a redneck ghetto mobile
Will contact MBUSA next
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Old Jan 10, 2018 | 12:19 PM
  #38  
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Bummer. Did you do an aftermarket tint on the pano? That could cause it to explode.
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Old Jan 10, 2018 | 12:34 PM
  #39  
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Wow that has me worried. I may just put a tint in place incase that does happen to help prevent glass shards from falling all over.
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Old Mar 17, 2018 | 07:47 AM
  #40  
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Panoramic roof blew

Hi Guys, sorry I know this thread is old. In South Africa we are also hearing of A-Class glass shattering. My wife’s cars roof shattered the other day with my son in the back seat for no reason at all. The glass actually cut his face. MB South Africa told me to claim from insurance as they do not cover “window glass”. I contacted MBSA and they also told me to go to hell. I know of many other complaints. I can’t believe that one of the best brands in the world would simply screw their customers like this. Really poor service. Our local currency repair is R28,000 ZAR.
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Old Mar 17, 2018 | 08:12 AM
  #41  
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Yikes. None of these have aftermarket tint applied, correct? Are the insurance companies giving folks a hard time to have their panos replaced?
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Old Mar 17, 2018 | 08:39 AM
  #42  
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Insurance payout pending investigation. They want a report from MB which will be easy as they will simply blame it on a stone chip or something silly. This is what they actually said.

No aftermarket tint applied, 58,000kms on clock, 2016 model
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Old Mar 19, 2018 | 04:45 PM
  #43  
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Glad this post was brought to light again. That's really concerning, I live in sunny south Florida. The GL sits outside all the time, I may need to start bringing it in or put a car cover to shield it from the sun. I don't want to deal with MB for their lack of owner support from the sound of everyone's experience.

Also, I concur about the flexing, it’s a lot of noise. Is the GL frame and body panels made out of Steel or Aluminum?
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Old Mar 20, 2018 | 08:55 AM
  #44  
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Originally Posted by NaviTimer1
Is the GL frame and body panels made out of Steel or Aluminum?
I know the hood is aluminum. But based on the fact that these beasts weigh nearly 3 tons, I'd guess that the rest of the panels are made of steel.
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Old Mar 20, 2018 | 08:03 PM
  #45  
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This is a different scenario but back in the day my 1997 volkswagen gti sunroof exploded also. Car was sitting in my driveway all day and it was hot, all the windows where closed includinv sunroof. I went to the car to grab sometbing from the drivers seat when I closed the door BOOM the sunroof exploded. Volkswagen tried telling me well they werent gonna pay for it. I took pictures when it happened and in the pictures you could clearly see the sunroof exploded out not in.
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Old Mar 29, 2018 | 02:52 PM
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Hi All,

Same thing happened to my A Class last Saturday - after sending the car to Mercedes UK they have told me this is not covered under warranty, they are expecting me to pay for the cost. Lucky this was caught on my CCTV check the below youtube link. They have also left me with me no courtesy car so I am expected to pay for my own travels to work etc. Has anyone managed to get this repaired by Mercedes? What should I do next if Mercedes are not taking responsibility for it?

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Old Apr 1, 2018 | 11:58 AM
  #47  
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Car insurance doesn't pay for this?

Originally Posted by Vicksk
Hi All,

Same thing happened to my A Class last Saturday - after sending the car to Mercedes UK they have told me this is not covered under warranty, they are expecting me to pay for the cost. Lucky this was caught on my CCTV check the below youtube link. They have also left me with me no courtesy car so I am expected to pay for my own travels to work etc. Has anyone managed to get this repaired by Mercedes? What should I do next if Mercedes are not taking responsibility for it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlcQdvsqKdE
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Old Apr 1, 2018 | 01:10 PM
  #48  
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Originally Posted by Vicksk
Hi All,

Same thing happened to my A Class last Saturday - after sending the car to Mercedes UK they have told me this is not covered under warranty, they are expecting me to pay for the cost. Lucky this was caught on my CCTV check the below youtube link. They have also left me with me no courtesy car so I am expected to pay for my own travels to work etc. Has anyone managed to get this repaired by Mercedes? What should I do next if Mercedes are not taking responsibility for it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlcQdvsqKdE
if I were you I would send this to Mercedes and tell them it's going to be all over the world real quick if they don't fix your problem.
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Old Aug 24, 2018 | 10:56 AM
  #49  
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Panoramic Rood blew up

I see that there is a Class action in the USA about this issue. I live in Canada and I have had my Mercedes for less than 3 months when we had a heat wave in Ottawa. The Glass piece between my windshield and sunroof cracked and Mercedes declined to cover it under the warranty. I have reached out to a Class Action Law firm In Toronto to look into starting a class action law suit in Canada against Mercedes and Mercedes Warranty.
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Old Aug 24, 2018 | 04:26 PM
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C63s 2015 & ML350 Bluetec 2012
This failure is more common that you think
See this Consumer's Report report

https://www.consumerreports.org/car-...nger-overhead/
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