— A Cadillac XLR retractable roof investigation is closed without the issuance of a recall after parts of a roof flew off the car.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened the roof investigation in February 2019 based on a media inquiry.
The government was asked about a Cadillac XLR roof skin that separated from the car. NHTSA didn't have an answer, so the investigation was opened to determine if 7,700 XLR cars had problems with the adhesive used to secure the roof panels to the roof frames.
Model year 2004-2009 XLR cars were included in the investigation, but most complaints involved detached roof panels in 2004-2005 cars.
The Cadillac XLR is a two-seat roadster with an electric retractable roof system with an outer roof skin made of sheet molded composite adhered to the magnesium alloy roof frame.
General Motors told NHTSA there was an oxide layer that wasn't supposed to be on the magnesium framework that caused eight roof panel separations. Other Cadillac XLR roof complaints included wind noise, the way the roof panels fit and how they functioned.
According to NHTSA, the roof problems didn't occur until more than 10 years after the XLR cars were manufactured.
The government has received just one customer complaint about an XLR roof since the investigation was opened, but the customer complained about wind noise and said nothing about detached roof panels.
NHTSA says the investigation is closed due to the low failure rate and the sporadic nature of the problem.
