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I've owned a 2015 S550 for a year now. The panoramic roof cracked 5 months after I purchased it. While traveling ,I heard a loud pop and just figured something hit my car even though there was nothing around me at the time. I had it replaced. I have driven the car a handful of times since January when it was repaired. The roof just cracked again. Same instance, country 2 lane road, no one around, loud pop and I pulled the screen back and the roof is broken again! The dealership will not stand behind the repair and they tell me I have to file another insurance claim for a $7,000 roof. This is completely unacceptable. Their is obviously a problem that's not being addressed. I see many class action lawsuits
in other states about this same issue. Has anyone else had this same issue?
I had mine crack but it was from a rock, or at least I assumed it was, it was in the front top panel and it was covered by my insurance as broken glass, same as the windshield
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
First of all, sorry for your huge problem. IMO, glass is a horrible material for the roof of a car. The Panorama Roof in my 2015 S550 squeaked and creaked and would never shut up. No such issues with the glass roof on my 2018 S560, but I still hate it. I’m afraid that as these cars age and the bodies get tweaked and twisted by mere usage and road imperfections, that we will see more and more of these ridiculous glass roofs fail. Yet another reason to never own one of these cars out of warranty. That said, there have certainly been instances where these roofs and the surrounding glass panels have failed and warranty coverage was denied. If I had a W222 that was ever involved in a reasonably major accident—and the insurance company chose to repair it, the day it came out of the body shop, I’d sell it, as I believe it would be a rolling time bomb, with the frigging glass roof waiting to explode. Sorry for ranting, but vehicle roofs should be steel, not heavy, fragile glass. At the very least, the Panorama Roof should be optional on the W222, so that those of us who hate it, are not forced to live with it, just to drive an S Class. Before anyone speaks up, I’ll add the dead horse myself.
See attachment. Contact MBUSA to request approval for part replacement under part warranty IMHO looks like this could be either an install error or manufacturing defect: https://mercedes-benz.custhelp.com/app/home
Our insurance company would not cover it as a windshield because it is a part of the structure of the car. We had to file it as a comprehensive claim. We thought a rock hit ours also but It would've had to come out of the air because there was no car around us on the road. Our's broke on the drivers side, right in the top corner of the windshield. The second time it broke right down the middle. I've seen a lot of comments of people who have had this problem and they all thought it was a rock. What are the chances a rock will hit your car on the very top, right where the windshield and top come together, twice? There are you tube videos of these roofs cracking just sitting in parking lots. They were caught on surveillance cameras.
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Originally Posted by Shelly9971
Our insurance company would not cover it as a windshield because it is a part of the structure of the car. We had to file it as a comprehensive claim. We thought a rock hit ours also but It would've had to come out of the air because there was no car around us on the road. Our's broke on the drivers side, right in the top corner of the windshield. The second time it broke right down the middle. I've seen a lot of comments of people who have had this problem and they all thought it was a rock. What are the chances a rock will hit your car on the very top, right where the windshield and top come together, twice? There are you tube videos of these roofs cracking just sitting in parking lots. They were caught on surveillance cameras.
Well, if there are enough of them, Better Call Saul! Really, get some attorney to sue MB. I'd love to see it.
I've owned a 2015 S550 for a year now. The panoramic roof cracked 5 months after I purchased it. While traveling ,I heard a loud pop and just figured something hit my car even though there was nothing around me at the time. I had it replaced. I have driven the car a handful of times since January when it was repaired. The roof just cracked again. Same instance, country 2 lane road, no one around, loud pop and I pulled the screen back and the roof is broken again! The dealership will not stand behind the repair and they tell me I have to file another insurance claim for a $7,000 roof. This is completely unacceptable. Their is obviously a problem that's not being addressed. I see many class action lawsuits
in other states about this same issue. Has anyone else had this same issue?
I had exactly the same thing happen on my '16 S550 coupe. It was an obvious stress crack - made a loud noise when it happened while driving at 65 MPH. Dealer said it had to have been hit with something. MBUSA, after looking at pictures, backed the dealer.
They said to have my insurance pay for it which they did. The dealer paid my $1000 deductible for "good will." I think they paid it because they knew it was a stress crack.
The job was done by SafLight at the dealer's shop. Total cost was $2800 for the roof panel and $300 labor to remove and reinstall.
Last edited by as.thompson; Apr 30, 2022 at 10:53 AM.
Reason: typo
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
OK, I can’t resist: I know a lot of you love the Panorama Roof for its functionality and many of you like the way it looks. However, there are many, like myself, who given the choice, would much prefer to not have it. I truly hate the way it changes the look of lighter colored vehicles and I would much prefer a steel roof over my very fragile head, instead of glass, which tends to explode—sometimes for absolutely no apparent reason. If you order an E Class sedan—or many other MB models—you are given the OPTION of ordering it or not. However, on both the standard W222 and the Maybach—MB’s most “luxurious“ vehicles, customers are not given the option. True luxury is having something the way YOU want it, not the way some bean counter decides you SHOULD have it. If E Class buyers can have a choice, S Class buyers should have even more. On the late—but IMHO very GREAT W221’s—buyers were given the option. Those who popped for the Panorama Roof—especially a white or silver one—got a car that truly stood out from other W221’s and was quite distinctive. Those who didn’t want it, got what they wanted as well. Now, it’s all cookie-cutter, same old, same old. How decidedly UNLUXURIOUS the W222 is in this respect.
Wow, my heart goes out to you. I recently got a stress crack on the windshield of my '16 s550 and still have an ongoing case with MBUSA as they don't want to cover it under warranty (stupidly, the glass components in our cars are only covered for 1 year/12,000mi).
From the pictures you posted, these wavy, edge-to-edge cracks are due to stresses placed against the glass when the chassis and body panels flex. Needless to say, you can get it replaced, but it will crack again when you subsequently hit a bump or pothole. The fact that it's already happened to you twice in a year is overwhelming evidence.
As Konigstiger stated, file a claim direct with MBUSA Customer Service, even if you've been denied coverage through your dealer. Be persistent - even if they end up denying your claim, corporate needs to be aware that their flagship model suffers from major structural defects and they need to stand behind them. Most importantly, file a Vehicle Safety complaint with NHTSA: https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/. The more this safety issue is reported and documented to an external organization, the better the chance of eventually reaching a recall or class action lawsuit.
Remember that even if the comprehensive deductible on your insurance policy is affordable, the high cost of the repair to your insurance company will eventually count against you (especially if you've placed claims the the past). Different states have different laws on whether your premiums can increase due to comprehensive claims, but some member of this forum have even had their policies cancelled due to multiple glass claims.
Let us know how it goes and if we can help.
Last edited by hctruong; Jun 23, 2020 at 11:11 AM.
Reason: Removed original message in reply
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Originally Posted by hctruong
Wow, my heart goes out to you. I recently got a stress crack on the windshield of my '16 s550 and still have an ongoing case with MBUSA as they don't want to cover it under warranty (stupidly, the glass components in our cars are only covered for 1 year/12,000mi).
From the pictures you posted, these wavy, edge-to-edge cracks are due to stresses placed against the glass when the chassis and body panels flex. Needless to say, you can get it replaced, but it will crack again when you subsequently hit a bump or pothole. The fact that it's already happened to you twice in a year is overwhelming evidence.
As Konigstiger stated, file a claim direct with MBUSA Customer Service, even if you've been denied coverage through your dealer. Be persistent - even if they end up denying your claim, corporate needs to be aware that their flagship model suffers from major structural defects and they need to stand behind them. Most importantly, file a Vehicle Safety complaint with NHTSA: https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/. The more this safety issue is reported and documented to an external organization, the better the chance of eventually reaching a recall or class action lawsuit.
Let us know how it goes and if we can help.
YES! File a complaint with NHTSA! Great idea!
By the way, if this small piece, at the windshield header cracks, it’s a $6,000.00+ repair!
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Originally Posted by hctruong
WTF?! I was just looking at that header piece and wondering how much they would try to charge if that cracked.
That's it...I'm fixing the glass and getting rid of this car.
I had it in my mind that I would put a wrap over that part of the glass roof, as that is the area that I find most unsightly. But I thought I should check, just to see what the consequences would be, if the wrap caused the glass to become overheated and cracked. So, I checked with the dealer parts counter and that piece of glass is part of the whole frame for the top and the whole thing comes as one assembly. You can’t replace just the piece of glass! And we wonder why our insurance rates are so high!
I've owned a 2015 S550 for a year now. The panoramic roof cracked 5 months after I purchased it. While traveling ,I heard a loud pop and just figured something hit my car even though there was nothing around me at the time. I had it replaced. I have driven the car a handful of times since January when it was repaired. The roof just cracked again. Same instance, country 2 lane road, no one around, loud pop and I pulled the screen back and the roof is broken again! The dealership will not stand behind the repair and they tell me I have to file another insurance claim for a $7,000 roof. This is completely unacceptable. Their is obviously a problem that's not being addressed. I see many class action lawsuits
in other states about this same issue. Has anyone else had this same issue?
It's definitely a flaw. First time cracked going down the highway in my s550 it cost 7k to replace... second time only drove it a few times after that it cracked pulling out of my driveway. They still said it was a rock the second time and argued. Well luckily I had an inside man at mercedes and pulled up records of MB mechanics stating it was do to stress from the body flexing. Showed them the paperwork and they said "oh you pulled this off the internet somewhere" yeah no I pulled it off your own internal system bud. They ended up replacing it for free that time, haven't had any problems since so I'm wondering if they fixed the body issue...
By the way, if this small piece, at the windshield header cracks, it’s a $6,000.00+ repair!
Not sure about that. If your speaking a about the Black Trim above the Windshield before the Sunroof, from MB Parts Department, the part is around $800- I know this since I wanted to see what the cost to replace it would be since the clearcoat is coming off and it looks horrible. Not sure if it can be sanded and clear coated again....
Wow I never heard of this type of problem but completely agree the glass roof is a waste, I think I have rolled back the shade maybe 5 times and the sun is always too bright or at night it creates terrible reflections from all the interior lights. The car I replaced was a Q45 and had the solid steel roof and I much preferred that over glass.
Wow I never heard of this type of problem but completely agree the glass roof is a waste, I think I have rolled back the shade maybe 5 times and the sun is always too bright or at night it creates terrible reflections from all the interior lights. The car I replaced was a Q45 and had the solid steel roof and I much preferred that over glass.
Mine came with a magic sky or whatever it's called. It's an option I'd probably never pay for, but it has juuust the right amount of translucency to make the sun not bothersome and the cabin fell a bit lighter. I never bother closing the shade.
True though, whenever I disabled it and the roof became almost transparent, it was unbearable ; too much light from all the wrong angles.
I guess one can apply window tinting to achieve a very similar effect.
I have just the standard one on 16' so for me if I could swap out the glass for metal I would. The rear one is a fun novelity for rear passengers a few times I have opened it in the daytime and the rear passengers were oh and ah and then asked me ot close it back up
It's definitely an "unMercedes-Benz" issue to me having seen cracked pano roof without something falling down on it . I love pano roofs not as useful as 360 view camera though
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Cracked panoramic roof
