Nissan owner warns drivers of 'spontaneous sunroof breakage' after startling incident

GALENA PARK, Texas – As Greg Pickens drove down Clinton Drive, not far from his office in Galena Park, he said he recently heard something.  He told KPRC 2, "It sounded like a 2-liter Coke bottle or a muffled gun, a shotgun. Just 'pop!' and I thought I hit something."

He said he pulled over and found the sunroof on his Nissan Murano, which he's owned for three months, had shattered. 

"Thank goodness the ceiling was closed. Otherwise, I would have had glass all over me. It was just crazy," he said. 

Channel 2 Investigates first exposed the problem with the car's sunroof three years ago. KPRC found hundreds of complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the problem from cars with different manufacturers.  

Some automakers even issued voluntary recalls.  In one video posted to YouTube, glass shatters on an Infinity SUV.  NHSTA called it “spontaneous sunroof breakage.”  An engineer blamed it on thinner, lighter metal used in cars that flexes and can break glass.  

Pickens is afraid someone could get hurt.  

"It could have happened to anybody. And why don't you do something about it?" he said. 

KPRC 2 contacted Nissan, and a company spokesperson recorded Pickens’ information and promised to check on his case.  Pickens said he wanted Nissan to make the $1,400 repair.  He said he ended up taking his car to the repair shop and that he will pay the deductible and his insurance will cover the rest.