— Mercedes-Benz shattered sunroofs caused a class action lawsuit in 2023 that is moving forward in court after the federal judge allowed most of the claims to continue.
The Mercedes panoramic sunroofs supposedly explode at any time without any external impacts, raining glass shards on occupants unless the sunroof shades are closed.
The allegedly defective sunroofs are installed in these vehicles.
- 2011-present Mercedes-Benz C-Class
- 2014-present Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class
- 2011-present Mercedes-Benz E-Class
- 2011-present Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
- 2011-present Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class
- 2011-present Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class
- 2011-present Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class
- 2012-present Mercedes-Benz M-Class
- 2012-present Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class
- 2015-2017 Mercedes Maybach S-600
- 2011-2012 Mercedes-Benz R-Class
- 2011-present Mercedes-Benz S-Class
- 2011-2019 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
- 2013-2020 Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class
- 2013-2020 Mercedes-Benz SLC-Class
The class action was filed by 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE owner Natalie Bolling. The plaintiff says she was driving in February 2022 when the sunroof exploded with the shade cover open.
Bolling says it sounded like a shotgun blast from nearby as "glass shrapnel from the sunroof rained into the passenger compartment, covering her and her fiancée with glass, which covered their hair, clothes, shoes, and skin."
According to the exploding sunroof class action lawsuit, she had to take evasive action to prevent a crash as she tried to get the Mercedes off the highway. The plaintiff asserts Mercedes-Benz refused to pay for replacing the sunroof and she was stuck with a bill for nearly $5,000 for a sunroof replacement.
The lawsuit says Mercedes has known the sunroofs shatter since 2006 but has refused to issue a sunroof recall. Additionally, a Mercedes sunroof can explode at any time, with the vehicle parked or while driving highway speeds.
Mercedes shattered sunroofs can hit any vehicle and leave an owner with a huge repair expense even if the vehicle is still covered by the warranty. And the blame, according to the lawsuit, points to the use of tempered glass instead of laminated glass.
The sunroof lawsuit alleges a small scratch can progress into severe damage until the panoramic sunroof glass explodes.
Mercedes Argues It Isn't to Blame If Sunroofs Shatter
Judge Thomas W. Thrash, Jr., allowed almost every sunroof claim to proceed against Mercedes-Benz.
According to Mercedes, implied warranty claims must be dismissed because the plaintiffs were required to provide pre-lawsuit notice prior to filing the class action. Mercedes argues that wasn't done because because the plaintiffs gave pre-suit notice to Mercedes in the U.S. instead of parent company Mercedes-Benz in Germany.
Judge Thrash denied that argument.
The plaintiffs continued to have success with fraud claims, including fraudulent concealment and certain state law claims.
And Judge Thrash allowed most of the unjust enrichment claims to proceed, at least for some customers. However, the judge dismissed the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act claim for all the plaintiffs.
The Mercedes-Benz shattered sunroof class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia: Natalie Bolling v. Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC, et al.
The plaintiff is represented by Irby Law LLC.
